Made the short hop from Macalester over to St. Kate's and the Butler Center for the 3:00 P.M. contest between visiting Augsburg and host St. Kate's. Got myself settled in with 7:48 left in the first half with the Auggies in control of things up 27-16.
The Auggies, who have had more than their share of troubles as of late, nevertheless found a way to shake those pesky rain clouds away on this Saturday. Already holding an eleven-point advantage, Augsburg's sharp-shooting senior guard/forward Jill Tichy; enroute to a spectacular outing on this afternoon, drained a "3" from the top of the key with 6:27 left to make it a two touchdown 30-16 lead. Freshman forward Mari Lee was able to get into the paint for the Wildcats for a score with 6:02 left but the Auggies up and coming sophomore guard Marie Fitzgerald knocked down two freebies after getting fouled with 5:18 left and then was able to maneuver her 5'8" frame into the paint for a score just as the shot clock was expiring with 4:23 left for a 34-18 advantage. St. Kate's sophomore reserve guard/forward Shauna Horsch tried to counter with a sweet drive across the lane for a finish with 3:03 left but a lay-up by Fitzgerald with 2:36 left and a free throw by sophomore post Jessica Lillquist upped the lead to 37-23 with 1:31 left. Wildcat freshman guard Abby Torgerson was able to get a "3" from the top of the key with 1:05 left to go down but Augsburg was in full control still taking a 37-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
Augsburg continued to consolidate on their advantage once the second half got underway. Tichy connected on a drive and lay-up at the 19:46 mark and then lanky sophomore reserve post Bridget Kopp connected on a jumper from the right elbow area for a 41-25 Auggie lead at the 18:56 mark. Fitzgerald uncorked a "3" from the right top area at the 18:02 mark and then it was Tichy reigning terror on the 'Cats with another three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 17:27 mark to complete a swift 10-2 run in the opening three minutes of play. St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton; who had since ditched the sport coat upon my arrival at Butler Center, called a quick time out to try and halt this Auggie blitzkrieg but the damage was already done.
St. Kate's, which strangely lacked the fire and scrappiness on this day that has been a hallmark of their play all season long, only saw things go steadily downhill. Horsch picked up her fourth foul at the 16:09 mark and the Wildcats; lacking a true "enforcer" down low, were unable to stop Auggie forays into the paint; much less the B-52 bombing attack that was taking place behind the arc. Tichy scored inside on a pretty give-and-go pass from Fitzgerald at the 15:22 mark and then sophomore reserve guard Ashley Anfinson drained a "3" from the left wing at the 14:01 mark for a commanding 54-29 Augsburg lead. Then it was Tichy again; drilling a "3" from the left corner that gave the Auggies a thirty-point cushion at 59-29 at the 11:35 mark. The Wildcats had few and only intermittent answers for the variety of zone defenses that Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee was employing on this day. Junior forward Sarah Manning was able to get in the paint for a score at the 11:22 mark and also got to the charity stripe with 10:45 left and knocked down two free throws tu back-to-back treys by Anfinson and Tichy easily made up for that slight gaffe as the lead ballooned to 65-33 with 8:23 left. With the big cushion in place coming down the stretch, both McKee and Pinkerton emptied their benches that allowed some of the reserves to get into the books. Wildcat reserve junior guard Brittany Ward out of Mesa, Arizona was able to get two pretty three-point attempts to go down late and Auggie reserve freshman Erin Bolden knocked a trey down from the left corner with 1:22 left. Freshman reserve guard/forward Laykn Bauer also shined for Augsburg late as the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native got a "3" from the left wing with :58.2 left to fall and followed that up with another "3" from the left corner with just :15.6 left as Augsburg waltzed to a 76-43 romp of St. Kate's.
Always-congenial Augsburg Assistant Coach Joshua Hersch mainted that, while the Auggies playoff hopes are somewhat slim at this juncture, they're certainly not giving up hope. "The kids are still very focused in practice" he said as he seemed very upbeat and positive after this win. And, just as important, "we're still mathematically alive". And maybe this is just what the doctor ordered for the Auggies who have had their share of trials and tribulations as of late. Certainly if they play up to their potential as they did on this day, they still have a shot. And if Tichy; who poured in 26 points on this day can keep up these kinds of performances, anything's possible. On the other side of the coin, it was easy to notice the frustration and disappointment of Pinkerton after this one - and for the Wildcats who are now simply playing out the string. When you get to this point in the season where you've known since the first of the year that any hopes of making the MIAC playoffs have long since gone out the window, it can be tough sometimes to find that motivation; to find that fire in the belly that makes you want to compete at the best level that you can. It sounds simplistic but they've simply GOT to find that inner-pride of wearing that uniform that has their nickname and represents the school that they're playing for. I, for one, hope they can find it.
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