Made my way from Hamline over to Augsburg and Si Melby
Hall to catch the remainder of the 3:00 P.M. game between host Augsburg and
visiting St. Kate’s. Got seated and
settled in right before halftime with Augsburg holding a 30-24 lead going into
the break.
The host Auggies wasted little time in setting the tone
once the second half got underway.
Flashy junior point guard Abbey Luger started it all off by drilling a “3”
from the right top area at the 19:37 mark that upped the Augsburg lead to 33-24
but St. Kate’s senior guard/forward Kristen Lee knocked down consecutive
jumpers within the span of a minute that sliced the Auggie lead to five at
33-28 by the 18:36 mark. The Wildcats
were able to hang around within that five point span over the next couple of
minutes but then at the 16:31 mark the Wildcats had another momentary lapse on
defense and let Luger get loose again; this time with a drive and finish that
made it a 40-33 ball game. Fellow senior
shooting guard Jolene Blood; known more for her accuracy behind the three point
line, was able to connect with a lay-up in transition some twenty seconds later
after a Wildcat miscue that got the lead back to nine at 42-33. Senior forward Jessica Lillquist followed
that up with a score in the paint at the 15:34 mark for a 44-33 Auggie lead and
St. Kate’s Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had seen enough to know that a timeout was
in the offing. Even more disconcerting
from a St. Kate’s standpoint was that starting sophomore guard Gabby Zehrer
hobbled back to the St. Kate’s bench on crutches after suffering an apparent
knee injury early in the first half.
The Wildcats tried to respond to the Augsburg push as
junior forward Sarah Manning connected with a short jumper in the lane at the
15:02 mark and a drive and finish by feisty freshman guard Abby Torgerson temporarily
cut the deficit back into single digits by a 46-37 count but every time St. Kate’s
tried to make inroads on the Augsburg advantage, the Auggies always seemed to
have an answer. The continuing thorn in
the side for the Wildcats on this day was Luger who always seemed to be in the
right place at the right time. A steal
at halfcourt and lay-up the other way at the 12:02 mark pushed the lead back
into double digits at 48-37. Lillquist connected
on a lay-up in transition less than a minute later and then a screen set for Luger
allowed her to slither into the paint for an easy score for a 52-40 lead with
10:29 left. Sophomore guard Jenna Orth
knocked down two free throws after being fouled with 8:11 left and then a score
down low by Lillquist upped the Auggie advantage to fourteen at 56-42. The Auggies, in the bonus with 3:12 left, had
several opportunites at the line to keep the double-digit cushion as Tichy,
sophomore reserve Ashley Anfinson, and Luger did their part to maintain
it. The Wildcats had one last hurrah on
this afternoon when reserve sophomore guard Shauna Horsch knocked down a “3”
from the left top area with 1:01 left but Augsburg freshman reserve
guard/forward Laykn Bauer connected with a lay-up in transition to make the
final count 63-49 in favor of the home team when the buzzer sounded.
Augsburg Assistant Coach Joshua Hersch acknowledged afterward
it was a great feeling to get 2014 off to a great start although he and Head
Coach Bill McKee felt badly for the St. Kate’s team wrt Zehrer’s injury. “Always hate to see something like that
happen” he said. Hersch admitted that the
Auggies seemed to be “refreshed and refocused” after the holiday break and,
from my vantage point they certainly seem to be playing with a newfound
intensity and sense of urgency. While
only their first conference victory, Hersch emphasized it’s a “one step at a
time” thing for this squad and each game is a new opportunity for them. While the impending arctic freeze could still
shove the scheduled Monday night affair up at CSB to a later date, the other
immediate games appear favorable on paper anyway so it’s an opportunity that
the Auggies will have to take advantage of if they are going to make a serious
push for the MIAC playoffs.
One note of interest to my readers. I will come out with my first MIAC power
rankings (hopefully tomorrow!) and, unlike in the past three seasons, I will
only be posting them on this blog and not on D3 Hoops. Stay tuned – and stay warm!
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