Made my way over to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this snowy Saturday afternoon to take in this 1:00 P.M. game between visiting Bethel and host Augsburg. While the Royals appear to be "locked in" to that fourth spot in the MIAC playoff race, the Auggies were putting everything on the line today to try and find a way to stay alive for that sixth spot which has arguably been an uphill battle for them since the playoff picture started becoming clearer a few weeks ago. Adding to the importance of this game was that it was Senior Day for Auggie seniors Jill Tichy and Carly Wolf and both hoped to have their last home game a memorable one to go out with a bang.
It would be imperative for Augsburg to come out with intensity and a sense of urgency early on and they certainly did just that as they quickly found themselves up 6-0 by the 16:52 mark thanks to two short jumpers by sophomore post Jessica Lillquist and two charity stripe shots by Tichy. The Excelsior native and former Minnetonka standout got a hot hand as she nailed a "3" from the left top area at the 15:30 mark and connected shortly thereafter on a running jumper from the right side for an 11-2 Auggie lead and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrectsmeyer knew full and well that a timeout was in order to, well, try and restore order. Royal freshman sensation forward Kalli Zimmerman tried to wake her teammates up by nailing a "3" from the right corner at the 14:01 mark but flashy junior forward Abbey Luger; playing with a protective wrap around that wrist she injured a month ago, nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 13:31 mark for a 16-5 Augsburg lead. Lillquist would connect with another short jumper from the right side and then Luger knocked down a short jumper of her own right at the 12:00 mark and Augsburg was in firm control of this one at the moment owning a 20-9 advantage.
Bethel, however, was beginning to awake from its early slumber and they finally got into some semblance of rhythm as they slowly began to whack away at the Auggie cushion. Reserve sophomore guard Hannah Niewald, playing with a heavy heart on this day, got into the paint for a score at the 11:31 mark and then reserve junior post Lindy Parker maneuvered inside for a score and got fouled in the process and made the ensuing freebie that cut the Augsburg lead down to 20-14 with 9:08 left. The Auggies would step on the gas pedal again as they got treys from both sophomore reserve guard Ashley Anfinson and fellow sophomore guard Jenna Orth that had Augsburg back up by double digits at 26-15 with 7:41 left. But two quick scores by Bethel - a lay-up by sophomore reserve guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz with 7:25 left and a "3" from the right wing by sophomore guard Lexi Friesen - had the Royals right back to within six again trailing only 26-20. Herbrechtsmeyer also threw a different look at Augsburg as Bethel went into a 2-3 zone to try and clog up the middle. While both Luger and Lillquist each managed to make forays into the paint for scores, the hot hand the Auggies enjoyed early was quickly cooling down and this seemed to give Bethel a renewed sense of confidence. Bethel sophomore standout post Rachel Parupsky; who had been quiet early on in this contest, finally shook off some of the cobwebs and connected on a lay-up with 4:31 left. Still trailing by eight with just under three minutes left, senior guard Katelyn Vavra drained a "3" from the left wing area that cut Augsburg's lead down to 32-27 and free throws by both Friesen and Zimmerman had the Royals to within three at 34-31 with 1:11 left. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard Shanni Moorse with just :40 seconds left sliced Augsburg's lead down to a scant point at 34-33. The Auggies got a bit of a reprieve when Wolf uncorked a three-point bomb from the left top area with just :03 left to make the halftime score 37-33 in Augsburg's favor but the tone and complexion of the game had changed completely from what it was at the outset.
The Auggies still managed to cling to that small lead in the opening minutes of the second half but it became increasingly obvious that the early intensity Augsburg had at the beginning was vanishing and that they were now playing for survival and trying to hold off this relentless Bethel attack. Two scores by Zimmerman twice had Bethel to within one. A score in the paint by Lillquist put the Auggie lead back up to 41-38 at the 17:08 mark but a lay-up by Bethel's Niewald once again drew the Royals to within one at 41-40. Luger gave the Auggies a bit more breathing room when she banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 16:26 mark for a 44-40 lead but Bethel came right back and usurped control of this game for good. Back-to-back scores by "Bam Bam" Schultz - a "3" from the right wing at the 15:57 mark and then a lay-up off of a sweet give-and-go pass from Parupsky made it a 45-44 game for the Royals. Schultz's drive along the left baseline and finish at the 12:59 mark and free throws by Zimmerman had Bethel up 49-45 at the 10:28 mark and Zimmerman's offensive rebound and lay-up with 9:58 mark maintained that four-point advantage 51-47.
Augsburg tried desperately to keep things close as Lillquist got into the paint for a score with her strong 5'11" frame that narrowed Bethel's lead to 51-49 with 9:35 left but it was here that the Royals went on a decisive 8-2 run over the next two and a half minutes that changed the course of this game for good. Friesen made a hard drive along the left baseline and connected with a short jumper off the glass with 9:08 left and two scores by Niewald - a jumper from the left wing with 8:35 left and a drive into the lane and finish with 8:02 left - made it a 57-49 game for Bethel. A short jumper by Friesen off the glass with 7:29 left had the Royals up by double digits at 59-49 and although Augsburg's Lillquist was able to get into the paint for a score a bit later, Auggie Head Coach Bill McKee saw this one slipping away quickly and had to burn a timeout. But the die in this one had already been cast and the Auggies could do little to prevent the inevitable. The "3's" that had been falling earlier for Tichy were no longer finding their mark and to make matters worse, Bethel was in the bonus with 5:38 left and already up twelve when Zimmerman knocked down two freebies after getting fouled. The Royals could now afford to play patient, smart basketball down the stretch while the Auggies could only take wild, off the mark three-point attempts that all missed their mark. In fact, Lillquist's score in the paint with 7:03 left would be the last FG the Auggies would get in this game as Bethel would record a key 68-53 win that improves their record to 15-5 in the MIAC and 17-6 overall and effectively knocks Augsburg out of the MIAC playoff hunt.
A disappointed Augsburg Assistant Coach Josh Hersch could only point to some of the key stats in the box score for the loss on this day - shooting only 37.5% from FG range and an even icier 6-22 from three-point land for 27.3%. "That's not going to get it done" Hersch stated. Rebounds were another area where the Royals dominated on this day; snaring 36 total to Augsburg's total of 26. Still, Hersch refused to give up the fight and steadfastly believes the team feels the same way. "I'm confident that we'll come out with a purpose this next week" he said. A happy and somewhat relieved Herbrechtsmeyer admitted that his squad got out to a slow start on this afternoon but this last week has been anything but normal for the Royals as the Bethel Basketball family suffered a loss late this last week when Niewald's mother passed away from complications with cancer. "We were a shell of ourselves in practice" Herbrechtsmeyer said. But this squad has a strong bond and always has and they found a way to come together under trying circumstances. On another front, Herbrechtsmeyer couldn't help but gush about his new freshman phenom, Zimmerman, and it was easy to think in terms of comparison with former Bethel standout Taylor Sheley who was MIAC POY a couple of seasons ago. The difference, according to Herbrechtsmeyer, is that Sheley didn't develop a willingness to put the team on her shoulders until late in her sophomore season whereas Zimmerman has gladly accepted that responsibility - right now. The Royals are pretty much "locked" into that fourth spot on the totem pole when it comes to the MIAC playoffs but this is unchartered waters for the Royals who would be hosting their first playoff game as a fourth seed. Still, it's not a bad place to be for this incredibly young team that struggled mightily at times last year with consistency and scoring. When you look at the progress they've made in just one year, it's easy to see why hopes are high at Bethel for this program.
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