Got myself over and settled in EARLY at Schoenecker Arena on this early Saturday afternoon to get ready for the Showdown on Summit Avenue between visiting and first place SMU and host and second place UST. The Cardinals, riding a 16-game winning streak that has earned them a #17 ranking in the country have been enjoying something of a magic carpet ride this season after they were picked to finish fourth by most "experts" (uh, including yours truly) while the Tommies; ranked just ahead of them at #16, have won six in row after the Wednesday night win over at Bethel. It's been a little while since the MIAC has had a true marquee match-up like this during the regular season and this would be the game that could very well determine the regular season champion and who gets to hold that precious #1 seed.
Today was also Senior Day at UST and the parents of all the players were recognized and there was also a special recognition for seniors Annessa Hicks, Kelly Brandenburg and Taylor Young who have given so much to the UST program in the time they have been there. Needless to say, both teams were energized and ready to get this little shindig underway once the starting line-ups were introduced. Early on, the Cardinals rolled the dice a little behind the skills of their fabulous sophomore point guard Bridget Pethke who twice made forays into the paint on attempted drives - and drew a foul from UST junior guard Laura Margarit on each occasion - that forced UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn's hand as she had to yank the former Holy Angels standout and replace her with junior reserve forward Elaine Warner. Pethke's free throws gave SMU an early 4-0 lead by the 18:58 mark but things quickly soured for the red-clad Cardinals who were hoping to secure their grip on first place. Junior post Maggie Weiers made good on a lay-up and was fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie had the Tommies back to within one and a Weiers jumper from the left wing area a bit later gave UST the lead for good at 5-4. Then it was Young snaring an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 17:46 mark that got her fouled in the process as well and the obligatory charity stripe shot put the Tommies up 8-4. A short Weiers shot off the glass at the 16:11 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback by Brandenburg had the Tommies up by eight at 12-4 by the 15:31 mark. SMU's Darcy Rice helped the Cardinals cut into the deficit a bit by uncorking a "3" from the left top area at the 15:13 mark but then UST's sophomore guard Katie Stone upped Rice's heroics by knocking down her own "3" from the right top area at the 14:50 mark for a 15-7 Tommie advantage. SMU Head Coach Mandy Pearson, not liking at all how things were unfolding in this monumental match-up, quickly called a thirty-second timeout to assess things with her assistants Jenna Freudenberg and Brett Boese.
But this UST team was firm and intent on making amends for its earlier season loss down in Winona to the Cardinals and they quickly set out to increase the gap that was already established. And it would be Warner; the Rosemount native, doing a lot of the damage for UST over the next eight minutes. Two free throws after getting fouled at the 14:10 mark was followed up by an offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:38 mark. Young easily snared an errant SMU pass and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up with 8:27 left and then it was Warner again hitting a short jumper from the left side of the basket with 6:47 left. Margarit, back into the game with those two early fouls, completed this game-changing 10-2 run with a short jumper from the left side again for a 25-9 UST lead with 5:58 left. Free throws by Weiers and Brandenburg upped the margin to twenty at 31-11 before a Pethke lay-up with 2:58 left and free throws by senior post Courtney Euerle slimmed the margin for the Cardinals. Sophomore reserve Natalie Larson gave the SMU contingent some hope after she connected on a lay-up in transition after a smart steal by Pethke on the other end but a score in the paint by Young just before the buzzer added more salt to the wounds that SMU already had as the Cardinals found themselves staring at a sizable 33-17 deficit at the half.
SMU; which had been effectively bottled up in the paint in the first half was looking for some sort of a spark at the beginning of the second half that might get them some momentum to make inroads on the UST advantage and it looked as if they might get it in the early moments. A score in the paint by Euerle at the 18:54 mark and a lay-up by Pethke that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw trimmed the UST lead down to two touchdowns at 35-21 by the 18:20 mark. Pethke was able to connect with another lay-up at the 17:39 mark that cut the UST lead down to twelve at 35-23 but again UST was unwilling to let the Cardinals rain on their parade and really get back into this thing. Weiers muscled into the paint for a score that got her fouled and she sank the ensuing freebie for a 38-24 lead by the 17:26 mark. Young connected with a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane at the 16:50 mark and then it was Margarit maneuvering into the paint for a score at the 16:09 mark that upped the advantage to eighteen at 42-24 and Pearson; seeing things quickly slipping away again, called a timeout to stop the bleeding. That seemed to rejuvenate the Cardinals to a degree as they once again tried to whittle away at the deficit. Larson was able to get into the paint for a score at the 15:53 mark and also snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:17 mark that cut into the fat a bit and narrowed things down to 44-28. A "3" by Rice from the right top area at the 13:26 mark gave SMU some renewed hope as the Tommie lead was narrowed down to 46-31. But, just like before, UST said "Uh uh. Don't think so" and the Tommies quickly reeled off a 6-0 spurt as a drive and finish by Stone at the 12:31 mark was followed by her connecting with a lay-up in transition at the 12:08 mark. Weiers scored on a lay-up at the 11:15 mark that had the lead back up to 21 at 52-31 and Pearson was forced to burn yet another timeout.
To their credit, the Cardinals made one last gasp of an attempt to make UST think about possibly breaking out the panic button coming down the stretch. Free throws by Pethke and Larson again sliced some excess fat off of the deficit and, more importantly, had SMU in the bonus with 6:18 left. Euerle also got to the charity stripe to knock down a couple with 5:48 left and Rice was able to knock down yet another "3"; this one from the left wing are with 4:59 left that got SMU to within thirteen trailing 56-43 with 4:21 left and had Sinn clamoring for a timeout to re-energize her squad. Warner had also fouled out with 4:06 left but just when the Cardinals looked as if they might be able to get back things into single digits their hopes were effectively snuffed out by a determined UST push in the final minutes. Margarit was able to get inside for a score with 3:32 left and a drive into the lane for a finish by Stone kept the cushion at a safe fifteen-point margin at 60-45 with 2:32 left. Two free throws by Weiers upped the lead to seventeen at 62-45 with just 1:24 left. SMU sophomore forward Shelby Auseth was able to get a "3" from the top of the key to go down with 1:12 left but late freebies by Stone and Young sealed the deal as UST pocketed a huge 65-48 finish that creates a tie for the top spot alongside SMU and leaves things very much in doubt for the home stretch of the regular season.
An elated and happy Sinn was quick to give her squad a ton of credit for their determination and hard work in this victory. Sinn had mentioned that the game Wednesday night over at Bethel had a "playoff-type atmosphere" and this one no doubt was the same. When asked how important this win was in terms of creating a tie at the top spot, Sinn was quick and to the point. "We just try to keep getting better and better each day and with every game.....Our goal is to be playing our best basketball by late February." Certainly they seem to be right on target with that goal. Sinn was also quick to agree that they learned some hard lessons after the home loss to Concordia back in January and they really stepped things up defensively from that moment on to the point where, if you're playing against them and you decide to make a foray into the paint, you do so at your own risk. On the other side of the coin, certainly a disappointing end to that win streak the Cardinals were enjoying but they should be in excellent shape going into the home stretch of the regular season and appear to be a "lock" for a spot in the Big Dance. The big question for Pearson and her staff and team is what lessons do they take from this loss and can they avoid a letdown in these last few regular season games that could damage their postseason hopes.
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