Was over at UST's new Schoenecker Arena last night to take in this all-important MIAC clash between first-place Bethel and nationally-ranked UST. The Tommies, still smarting from that heart-breaking loss this last Saturday down the River in Winona to SMU in the waning seconds, would no doubt be looking to make amends on this night but the task at hand was certainly not one they could overlook as this Bethel team was coming into this contest sporting an undefeated MIAC record and 9-1 overall.
Nevertheless, it would be the Tommies getting out to a fast start on their home floor; bursting out to a 12-2 lead by the 13:43 mark that was fueled by three turnaround jumpers in the lane by All-American senior forward Taylor Young (two of them out the outset of the game) along with scores from junior post Maggie Weiers and senior guard Kelly Brandenburg (arguably one of the unsung heroines of the conference). Despite the Royals trying to make life difficult down low for the Tommies with the 2-3 zone they were employing on defense, crisp, sharp passes by the Tommies on offense created enough gaps that gave them plentiful opportunites to get points in the paint. Bethel did manage to tighten things up a bit in the first half before the midway point; pulling to within three points after a jumper off the glass by sophomore reserve guard Lexi Friesen but the Tommies would close the door shut in a hurry. A "3" from Young from the left wing area at the 11:16 mark and a "3" from junior guard Laura Margarit at the 10:00 mark upped the lead to 19-11. Bethel also made a critical mistake at the 8:28 mark on a Tommie possession where they failed to box out Weiers after an errant Tommie shot and she easily snared the offensive rebound for a putback for a 21-11 lead. Another "3" from Margarit with 5:44 left from the right corner increased the lead to 27-15. Weiers would connect with a short jumper with 3:11 left and another picture-perfect turnaround jumper from Young with 1:37 left and a "3" from ever-improving sophomore guard Katie Stone allowed the Tommies to take a cozy 34-20 lead into the locker room at the break.
Bethel got off to a better start once the second half got underway. Freshman sensation Kalli Zimmerman out of Champlin Park made a sweet drive and finish at the 19:49 mark that got her fouled and she made good on the ensuing freebie. Sophomore Hannah Niewald knocked down two freebies after getting fouled in transition at the 19:27 mark and then sophomore post Rachel Parupsky; headed for great things at Bethel, finally started to get untracked after a frustrating first half. She knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 16:56 mark that saddled Weiers with three fouls and then got into the paint for a score at the 16:34 mark and was able to knock down a short shot off the glass at the 16:00 minute mark. Parupsky also managed to get a score off of an inbounds pass at the 14:59 mark but the Royals never could quite find that one big "push" that would clip the deficit back into the single digit range. Any hopes of a Royal comeback were put to rest for good on this night when Margarit drilled another "3" from the left wing at the 14:00 mark and then Young pulled off a graceful steal and lay-up the other way that upped the UST advantage to 51-32 at the 13:47 mark. The Tommies would maintain that double-digit advantage coming down the home stretch and breeze to a 69-52 win that moved the Tommies back into first place with an 8-1 MIAC record (10-2 overall) with both Bethel and SMU nipping at their heels in the logjam at the top.
UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn seemed pleased with the victory and the effort her team gave on this night. I asked her specifically if this was a game of redemption specifically for them after the heartbreaker they suffered this last Saturday with SMU. "We needed to recapture our energy and passion in our play." Sinn was also pleased with the defensive effort her team gave on this night and also emphasized that "we needed to re-establish our identity as a great rebounding team." They did that on this night as the Tommies owned the glass; particularly in the first half. Maybe going undefeated in the conference like they did two years ago wasn't in the cards for them this year; a lot of people outside the conference simply don't know or understand how incredibly tough the MIAC truly is. But you can bet your bottom dollar that, at the very least, the Tommies will have something to say about who ultimately does win the MIAC.
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