Made my way over to UST's Anderson Athletic Center and Schoenecker Arena on this Friday night to take in this highly-anticipated match-up between visiting 8-0 Wartburg out of the IIAC against 7-0 UST. Certainly I was excited about this match-up because it could have huge implications for NCAA Tournament selections down the road and, in all fairness, I was excited to see a team from my home state of Iowa make the trip up as well. :)
The Tommies senior point guard, Jen Dockter, would draw first blood in this contest with her "3" from the right wing area but Wartburg would quickly answer that as senior guard Holly Halstead drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 19:12 mark. UST senior forward Anna Smith connected with a jumper from the left elbow at the 17:22 mark but Knight senior forward Mary Brown would knock down two free throws to help Wartburg knot the score at 5 a piece at the 17:06 mark and, at this point anyway, it appeared as if this could be a fairly tight contest. But it was at this point that the Tommies made their first move. Junior guard Katie Stone connected with a jumper from the left top area at the 16:58 mark and, with UST employing their deadly press defense, Smith was able to score on a lay-up after a steal at the 16:45 mark. Stone knocked down a "3" from the left wing area at the 15:39 mark for a 12-5 Tommie lead and this was enough to prompt Knight Head Coach Bob Amsberry to call a thirty-second timeout to get his squad calmed down after the early UST run. To their credit, Wartburg was able to trim the Tommie lead down to five points at 14-9 by the 13:23 mark after scores by freshman guard Katie Sommer and junior post Kailey Kladivo that had UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn calling a timeout of her own to discuss this latest Knight surge. Sinn had even more reason for concern when senior post Maggie Weiers picked up her second foul at the 12:40 mark but the Tommies quickly put to rest any fears Sinn may have had. Dockter connected with a lay-up at the 10:57 mark and a short time later, Stone drained another trey; this one from the right top area that made it a 19-9 game and Wartburg's Amsberry called another thirty-second timeout.
The Knights tried to close the gap as junior guard Bobbi Burrows knocked down a "3" from the top of the key at the 10:08 mark but that was answered quickly by UST as Stone unleashed yet another "3"; this one from the top of the key with 9:57 left for a 22-12 Tommie advantage. Two scores by sophomore reserve post Kaitlin Langer - a score in the paint with 8:28 left and a lay-up with 7:13 left - upped the UST lead to 26-14. Wartburg looked lost on offense with several miscues and turnovers and about the only positive thing going in their direction at this point was that the Knights got into the bonus with 6:40 left. A score in the paint by senior reserve post Allison Emrich momentarily got Wartburg back to within ten trailing 26-16 with 6:17 left It was here, though, that the Tommies went on a game-changing 12-4 run down the home stretch of the first half. After Langer dropped two freebies at the 5:45 mark, Dockter made a drive and finish at the 5:19 mark for a 30-16 UST advantage. With 4:00 left, reserve freshman guard Lauren Fischer banged home a "3" from the left wing for a 33-16 Tommie lead and with 3:16 left, Fischer repeated the feat from the same exact spot. A lay-up in transition by senior guard Laura Margarit made it a 38-18 ballgame and the Knight's Amsberry had seen enough to know that a timeout was warranted. Burrows would get two free throws to go down with 33.8 left but Wartburg was staring at a 38-20 deficit at the half.
The Knights set out to get off on good footing once the second half got underway and, for the first six minutes, it looked like they might claw their way back into the thick of things. Senior guard Holly Halstead connected with a lay-up at the 19:50 mark and Katie Sommer was able to knock down two shots from the charity stripe after getting fouled at the 17:27 mark. Burrows unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 16:37 mark and at the 15:36 mark, the Bondurant (IA) native connected with a lay-up that cut the UST lead down to 42-29. A short turn-around jumper by Emrich at the 14:33 mark sliced the Tommie lead down to 42-31 and UST's Sinn didn't waste any time in calling a stoppage in play to talk to her team.
Whatever Sinn said in that huddle during the timeout sure seemed to have an impact on her squad as the Tommies came out with both a' blazing. Reserve lefty senior guard Hannah Hughes drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 13:44 mark and fellow senior reserve forward Elaine Warner muscled into the paint for a score at the 12:34 mark that pushed the lead back up to fourteen at 47-33. Weiers then connected on a lay-up at the 12:15 mark and this latest UST run had Wartburg's Amsberry calling a timeout. Again, the Knights tried to respond as freshman reserve guard Kristie Sommer knocked down a trey from the left corner at the 11:12 mark but the Tommies proceeded to go on a 15-0 run that, for all intents and purposes was the game. Senior reserve forward Alyssa (nothing vanilla) Favilla connected with a lay-up at the 10:57 mark and a "3" from ever-improving freshman reserve point guard Maddie Wolkow from the left corner made it a 54-36 ballgame. The three-point barrage continued as Hughes got another one to go down from the left corner with 9:33 left. A Weiers score in the paint for good measure with 8:52 left along with a Langer lay-up with 7:46 left made it 61-36 and the finishing touches were added by Fischer with her "3" from the top of the key with 6:46 left to make it 64-36. Sinn slowly started rotating out her normal chain-gang by this time to give others a chance to shine. Dockter was still kept out there for a while to provide the leadership on the floor and she was able to connect with a lay-up at the 5:39 mark and also knocked down a "3" from the top of the key with 4:32 left. Wartburg would get late "3's" from freshman reserve guard Morgan Neuendorf and Burrows but UST recorded a resounded 78-50 victory.
A happy and relaxed Sinn; in a good mood with the win and with the holidays just around the corner, added some insight on the Tommie victory. Specifically, I asked her about what was said in the huddle during that first timeout of the second half when Wartburg made a run at them. "Control" Sinn said. The Knights like to play a fast tempo which is fine with Sinn but she noted that her squad got away from their game plan a bit and needed to concentrate first on getting looks down low - and then worry about the perimeter shots. While she seemed pleased with the defensive effort, the fouls that the Tommies committed in the first half were a sore spot; particularly when Wartburg got into the bonus. "We've GOT to stop fouling" she said. And those small details can and will be worked on. I also asked her if she thought the team was where she wanted them to be at this moment in time. I got the feeling that, for the most part, she felt that way but she also pointed out the fact that, unlike most years, the Tommies don't get that extra week between Christmas and New Year's to prepare for MIAC play. Instead, UST will be heading over to Kenosha, Wisconsin for a tournament on December 29 where they open up play against Manchester University of Indiana. Another game at that tournament the next day and - boom - right into MIAC play the first weekend in January. "We'll have to get 'em whipped back into shape right after Christmas" Sinn remarked. She also delivered a heap of praise on her group of seniors saying that "They get it!" Apparently they sure do and their zest for winning is quite strong.
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