Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this Tuesday of Christmas week to take in the much-anticipated game between two defending state champions - defending Class AAAA champ Hopkins going up against host and defending AAA champ Park Center. The Pirates; now shoved up to Class AAAA themselves, looked to have righted the ship somewhat with recent victories over both Maple Grove and Armstrong but this match-up with the Royals would be a stern test. With a handful of former Park Center alumni players along with other current college players in attendance as well, this indeed looked like a fun night.
One of the big questions surrounding this game was if Park Center could possibly find a way to stop powerful senior guard and future Michigan State Spartan Nia Hollie or at least neutralize her. In reality, the Pirates would have a lot more than just Hollie to worry about as Hopkins bolted out to a 7-2 by the 15:40 mark and they would increase the lead to 9-3 after a lay-up in transition by senior guard K'Aezha Wubben at the 15:16 mark. The Pirates would finally gather themselves and work their way back into the contest. Sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 15:03 mark and two Blakemore free throws at the 14:20 mark narrowed the Royals lead down to one at 9-8. A short jumper by Hollie off the glass at the 14:08 mark stretched the lead to three at 11-8 but a 6-0 Park Center spurt had the defending AAAA champs on their heels for a bit. Lanky 6'3" junior post Mikayla Hayes made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 13:41 mark and then two lay-ups in transition by junior point guard Danielle Schaub - one at the 13:26 mark and then another one at the 12:48 mark - gave the Pirates a 14-11 lead and the swarming defense that Park Center is known for seemed to be giving Hopkins all sorts of fits.
The Royals would settle down and with the score tied at 16, Hopkins was able to make another push. Senior reserve forward Dominique McNeeley got into the paint for one score with 9:51 left and then senior guard Ashley Bates was able to snare an offensive rebound of a missed free throw attempt by Wubben for a putback and got fouled in the process and her ensuing freebie made it 21-16 Hopkins. Fellow senior guard Evelyn Knox then buried a "3" from the left corner with 9:21 left and then 8th grader Paige Bueckers snared a steal in the backcourt and got a short shot out of it with 9:10 left for a 26-16 Royals lead and Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called an immediate timeout in hopes of getting his squad settled down. Further complicating the Pirate situation was the injury to junior forward Fey Ayobamidele who went down hard and appeared to inadvertently hit her head on the floor. She was assisted off the floor and went to the locker room for observation. Still, Park Center managed to fend off this latest Royal assault and they were able to mount a comeback of their own down the stretch of the first half. Schaub; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, drained on trey from the left wing off the glass with 7:57 left and then sophomore reserve guard Jada Buford buried a "3" from the left corner with 5:49 left that cut the Hopkins lead down to 26-22. Another Schaub lay-up in transition with 3:23 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie drew the Pirates closer; trailing 28-25. The Royals would get the lead stretched back to six points at 31-25 with 2:41 left thanks to free throws by both Hollie and McNeeley but Park Center had one run left in them right before the end of the half. One charity stripe shot by Buford with 2:13 left and back-to-back scores by Hayes - a lay-up with 1:22 left and an offensive rebound for a putback with :38 left - put the Pirates right back in the thick of things trailing 31-30 when the horn sounded ending the first half. Considering some of the missed opportunities that Park Center had and the fact that they weathered two significant Royals runs in the first half as well, that had to have them feeling a lot better about themselves than they did midway through the first half.
Things would continue to stay tight in the early stages of the second half. After a Hayes free throw at the 17:45 mark knotted the score at 31-all, Hollie would connect with a jumper from the left elbow area for Hopkins at the 17:27 mark to make it a 33-31 game. Hayes would help Park Center forge a 33-all deadlock when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:52 mark and it looked as if this game would live up to the billing and hype. But this was the crucial point in the game where the Royals embarked on a 10-0 run that changed the course of this contest for good. A jumper by Hollie from the right elbow area at the 16:31 mark and a Knox "3" from the left wing area at the 14:36 mark gave Hopkins a 38-33 advantage. Sophomore forward snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:00 mark and then dropped one freebie after getting fouled at the 13:30 mark for a 41-33 Royals lead and then Hollie connected with a jumper from the right elbow area off of an inbounds pass to make it 43-33 with 9:39 left and the Pirates looked as if they had been hit by a sledgehammer.
An offensive rebound of a missed jumper and reverse lay-up by junior guard Ann Simonet had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 43-35 but Simonet; usually reliable from three-point land, struggled all game long from behind the arc and with Ayobamidele out of the game with a possible concussion, the Pirates could never establish any real momentum that might have turned the tide when there was still plenty of time left. As such, Hopkins proceeded to go on a 12-2 that extinguished any hopes the green and gold contingent might have had of pulling close again. Back-to-back treys by Knox - one with 8:10 left and another with 7:40 left - pushed the Royals lead to twelve at 49-37. Pairs of free throws by Wubben and a drive and lay-up by Bates upped the advantage to eighteen at 55-37 for Hopkins and now all Park Center could do was make stabs and jabs down the stretch. Buford connected with a lay-up in transition with 4:27 left as did Simonet with 4:02 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 3:29 left trimmed the Hopkins lead down to twelve at 57-45 but that's as close as the Pirates could get. Insurance free throws in the waning minutes by Bueckers and Knox allowed the Royals to walk away with a convincing 62-47 victory.
Hopkins' Head Coach Brian Cosgriff summed up the game for his squad afterward. "We were shooting only 21% in the first half and we were still up by one at halftime. Life was good.....We knew we were going to shoot a lot better in the second half." Needless to say, those back-to-back treys by Knox was a back-breaker for Park Center and the absence of Ayobamidele in the second half took away a crucial element for the Pirates if they had hopes of keeping up with the vast athleticism that the Royals have. A disappointed VanderHyde was talking with former Park Center standout and current Valparaiso player Hannah Schaub when I caught up with him and half-jokingly said, "I need my senior leadership back!" In all seriousness, VanderHyde hoped that his young players; despite the loss on this night, took a step forward in experience and handling tough situations. "They have to" he said. The only other item I wanted to add to this was that I was somewhat astonished to learn that the MSHSL has no set protocol for possible concussions as this dicey item is currently left up to the individual schools to handle at their discretion. While I'm not saying that the individual schools are not doing an adequate job in ensuring the safety and welfare of their individual student-athletes, I would think that the MSHSL would want to have something in place for this potential hot-button issue.
Los Angeles Rams
Friday, December 25, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
St. Kate's vs Northwestern 12-19-15
Made my way over to Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this sunny, cold December afternoon with the Yuletide a mere week away to take in this intriguing inter-conference clash between visiting St. Kate's of the MIAC against host Northwestern of the UMAC. The Wildcats; fresh off their upset victory over then-#6 UST a weekend ago, were looking to build some momentum right before the holiday break. Northwestern came into this contest on a six-game winning streak that included a big win against UM-Morris the previous weekend at home so the Eagles were definitely riding high as well. I think the big thing coming into this contest was the preparation aspect as both teams went through a grueling week of finals (God, how I DO NOT miss that stuff) so there likely was not a lot of time to prepare on either side for this game.
I also had a feeling that this game had the potential to be a very good one as well and I certainly was not disappointed. Neither side could gain any decided advantage early as one-point leads were traded often in the first period. Northwestern, of course, was in its 2-3 match-up zone on defense but that didn't prevent willowy Wildcat junior Kennedy Jennings from slithering into the lane down low for a reverse lay-up underneath at the 9:25 mark. The Eagles came back a bit later on a jumper from the top of the key by sophomore Amy Berglund at the 8:29 mark and one free throw by senior post Regan Cooper at the 7:59 mark for a 3-2 Northwestern lead. St. Kate's would grab a 5-3 lead on a trey from the right wing area by sophomore guard Meg Clark at the 7:42 mark but the Eagles would regain the lead on one freebie by Cooper at the 7:26 mark and a short jumper from the right side by senior forward Courtney Cunard that made it 6-5 Northwestern at the 5:21 mark. But the Eagles stalled out somewhat after that and the 'Cats would take the initiative down the stretch of the opening period. Flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it with 3:36 left and then the former Humboldt standout connected with a jumper in the lane with :37 left that St. Kate's up 9-6 at the end of the first period.
Northwestern looked to make amends for the disappointing way they finished out the first period as they stepped on the gas in the early stages of the second period. Freshman reserve forward Taryn Tumbleson snared a steal and used her athleticism to dash the other way for a lay-up at the 9:51 mark and then it was Cunard with a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:05 mark as the Eagles took back the lead at 11-9. Then it was St. Kate's turn. Sophomore guard Audra Clark made her way into the lane for a finish at the 8:43 mark and then another tough score in the paint by Jennings at the 7:58 mark now had the Wildcats back out in front by a count of 13-11. Cooper tied the issue for Northwestern at 13-all with her two free throw shots at the 6:40 mark but this is where the Wildcats were able to make a bit of a push. First, Meg Clark hit a jumper along the right baseline at the 6:23 mark and then senior guard forward Shauna Horsch; who struggled in the first period, finally found her three-point shooting touch with her patented high-arcing bomb; this one coming from the left top area at the 5:48 mark for an 18-13 St. Kate's advantage. But right back came the Eagles as first junior guard Tiffany Stubbs dropped a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:28 mark and then senior sharp-shooting guard Kim Campbell drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:47 left for a 19-18 Northwestern lead. Somewhat predicatably, the two teams played a game of cat and mouse coming down the stretch before halftime. With the score tied at 19 a piece, Eagle sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:33 left for a 22-19 Northwestern lead but two Audra Clark free throws with 2:04 left and a strong rebounding effort by Holt that saw her grab an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with :25.3 left now had the 'Cats back up 23-22. The Eagles got the last opportunity right before halftime as Cole was fouled going in for a shot and she sank both charity stripe shots to give Northwestern the slimmest of leads going into the halftime break at 24-23. St. Kate's did have the advantage on the boards in the first half at 23-17 and both teams shot 75% from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats got off to a solid start at the beginning of the third period. Two scores in the paint by Jennings at the 9:36 and 8:33 marks sandwiched an Audra Clark freebie at the 9:09 mark for a 28-24 St. Kate's lead. Northwestern would recover though as sophomore guard Amy Berglund connected with a lay-up at the 8:06 mark and then Cooper muscled her way into the paint at the 7:25 mark that knotted the issue at 28-all. A Stubbs lay-up at the 6:00 mark put the Eagles up 30-28 before the Wildcats went on a 8-0 burst. Horsch knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 5:37 mark that tied the score and then junior forward Mari Lee; held scoreless in the first half, got a lay-up to go down at the 5:13 mark for a 32-30 St. Kate's lead. Freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson knocked down a short jumper with 4:05 left and then Holt capped this run with a steal and lay-up the other way with 2:45 left to make it 36-30 and it appeared momentarily that the Wildcats might be on the verge of opening up some distance between themselves and their opponent. Remember last week when the 'Cats had that big third quarter that got UST into a bit of a hole and it looked as if the same scenario could have been unfolding here. But this is where Northwestern dug in and sewed up the holes. Junior forward Emily VanLith connected on a lay-up with 2:01 left as did Berglund with 1:29 left that cut the deficit to two points. St. Kate's looked as if it would take that slim two-point lead going into the fourth quarter but on the Eagles final possession of the period, they were able to get into transition and that freed up Cole who dropped a short jumper in with just :00.7 left that tied things up again at 36 a piece. Northwestern definitely avoided disaster in the last two and a half minutes.
The Eagles carried this new momentum going into the final period. A lay-up by Cooper with 9:26 left and a Cole "3" from the left corner at the 8:48 mark had Northwestern up 41-38 and two more Cooper lay-ups - one at the 7:21 mark and another one at the 5:57 mark - gave the Eagles a bit of breathing room with a 45-41 lead. But St. Kate's was not going away just yet. Audra Clark dropped two freebies at the 5:22 mark and then calmly dropped a jumper from the free throw line a short time later with 4:45 left had this one tied up yet again at 45-all. But Northwestern was not about to let the visitors from the MIAC spoil their pre-Yuletide gathering on their home floor. Cole again came up huge as her "3" from the right wing with 4:30 left started the key 8-2 run. The Eagles got into the bonus with 3:35 left and Cooper got one free throw to go down as did Cunard with 2:59 left. But Cunard, the Mo Valley, Iowa native, took in her one shining moment with 2:26 left when she buried a huge "3" from the left corner with 2:26 left that capped the crucial spurt for a 53-47 Northwestern lead. A Cunard lay-up with 1:39 left made it 55-48 and Wildcats Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had no choice but to call a timeout. The Eagles increased their lead to 57-48 on two free throws by Stubbs with 1:16 left and now St. Kate's was in desperation mode. A Meg Clark "3" from the left top area with 1:04 sliced some of the fat off the deficit but now the Wildcats were forced to foul as well and give Northwestern the opportunity to cash in on insurance freebies. Two by Cooper with :40.4 left and 1 by Cunard with :30.1 left made it a ten-point game at 62-52. St. Kate's tried desperately to get back into striking distance as Horsch nailed a "3" from the right corner with :13.1 left and then Holt let loose with a prayer from way outside the arc on the 'Cats final possession with just :00.8 left but the Eagles took this game by a final count of 64-58.
A relieved Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl said this win was huge to take into the holiday break - and into UMAC play after the first of the year. Even former Eagle standout and current assistant Jacki Smith said that she was very proud of how this squad responded coming off of a grueling week of finals. Disappointment was the buzzword on the St. Kate's side. While certainly not a devastating loss by any means, Pinkerton still expressed disappointment on how his squad couldn't find the consistency in the crucial stretches of this contest that might have allowed them to steal a nice road win. The Wildcats actually had a decisive edge on the boards in this one by a 42-34 count and turnovers were virtually identical with St. Kate's committing 18 and Northwestern guilty of 17. The big difference in this one was shooting - pure and simple. The Eagles shot 50% from three-point land in this contest and were a blistering 75% in the second half alone. St. Kate's shot only 34.4% from FG range and 37.5% from behind the arc. Northwestern was fairly balanced with its scoring as well with Cooper and Cole both chipping in 15 points while Cunard had 12 points and Stubbs had nine. St. Kate's was pretty balanced scoring-wise as well. Audra Clark with her 14 points and Holt had 12 points. Jennings had 10 points while Meg Clark added eight in the losing effort.
I also had a feeling that this game had the potential to be a very good one as well and I certainly was not disappointed. Neither side could gain any decided advantage early as one-point leads were traded often in the first period. Northwestern, of course, was in its 2-3 match-up zone on defense but that didn't prevent willowy Wildcat junior Kennedy Jennings from slithering into the lane down low for a reverse lay-up underneath at the 9:25 mark. The Eagles came back a bit later on a jumper from the top of the key by sophomore Amy Berglund at the 8:29 mark and one free throw by senior post Regan Cooper at the 7:59 mark for a 3-2 Northwestern lead. St. Kate's would grab a 5-3 lead on a trey from the right wing area by sophomore guard Meg Clark at the 7:42 mark but the Eagles would regain the lead on one freebie by Cooper at the 7:26 mark and a short jumper from the right side by senior forward Courtney Cunard that made it 6-5 Northwestern at the 5:21 mark. But the Eagles stalled out somewhat after that and the 'Cats would take the initiative down the stretch of the opening period. Flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it with 3:36 left and then the former Humboldt standout connected with a jumper in the lane with :37 left that St. Kate's up 9-6 at the end of the first period.
Northwestern looked to make amends for the disappointing way they finished out the first period as they stepped on the gas in the early stages of the second period. Freshman reserve forward Taryn Tumbleson snared a steal and used her athleticism to dash the other way for a lay-up at the 9:51 mark and then it was Cunard with a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:05 mark as the Eagles took back the lead at 11-9. Then it was St. Kate's turn. Sophomore guard Audra Clark made her way into the lane for a finish at the 8:43 mark and then another tough score in the paint by Jennings at the 7:58 mark now had the Wildcats back out in front by a count of 13-11. Cooper tied the issue for Northwestern at 13-all with her two free throw shots at the 6:40 mark but this is where the Wildcats were able to make a bit of a push. First, Meg Clark hit a jumper along the right baseline at the 6:23 mark and then senior guard forward Shauna Horsch; who struggled in the first period, finally found her three-point shooting touch with her patented high-arcing bomb; this one coming from the left top area at the 5:48 mark for an 18-13 St. Kate's advantage. But right back came the Eagles as first junior guard Tiffany Stubbs dropped a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:28 mark and then senior sharp-shooting guard Kim Campbell drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:47 left for a 19-18 Northwestern lead. Somewhat predicatably, the two teams played a game of cat and mouse coming down the stretch before halftime. With the score tied at 19 a piece, Eagle sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:33 left for a 22-19 Northwestern lead but two Audra Clark free throws with 2:04 left and a strong rebounding effort by Holt that saw her grab an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with :25.3 left now had the 'Cats back up 23-22. The Eagles got the last opportunity right before halftime as Cole was fouled going in for a shot and she sank both charity stripe shots to give Northwestern the slimmest of leads going into the halftime break at 24-23. St. Kate's did have the advantage on the boards in the first half at 23-17 and both teams shot 75% from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats got off to a solid start at the beginning of the third period. Two scores in the paint by Jennings at the 9:36 and 8:33 marks sandwiched an Audra Clark freebie at the 9:09 mark for a 28-24 St. Kate's lead. Northwestern would recover though as sophomore guard Amy Berglund connected with a lay-up at the 8:06 mark and then Cooper muscled her way into the paint at the 7:25 mark that knotted the issue at 28-all. A Stubbs lay-up at the 6:00 mark put the Eagles up 30-28 before the Wildcats went on a 8-0 burst. Horsch knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 5:37 mark that tied the score and then junior forward Mari Lee; held scoreless in the first half, got a lay-up to go down at the 5:13 mark for a 32-30 St. Kate's lead. Freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson knocked down a short jumper with 4:05 left and then Holt capped this run with a steal and lay-up the other way with 2:45 left to make it 36-30 and it appeared momentarily that the Wildcats might be on the verge of opening up some distance between themselves and their opponent. Remember last week when the 'Cats had that big third quarter that got UST into a bit of a hole and it looked as if the same scenario could have been unfolding here. But this is where Northwestern dug in and sewed up the holes. Junior forward Emily VanLith connected on a lay-up with 2:01 left as did Berglund with 1:29 left that cut the deficit to two points. St. Kate's looked as if it would take that slim two-point lead going into the fourth quarter but on the Eagles final possession of the period, they were able to get into transition and that freed up Cole who dropped a short jumper in with just :00.7 left that tied things up again at 36 a piece. Northwestern definitely avoided disaster in the last two and a half minutes.
The Eagles carried this new momentum going into the final period. A lay-up by Cooper with 9:26 left and a Cole "3" from the left corner at the 8:48 mark had Northwestern up 41-38 and two more Cooper lay-ups - one at the 7:21 mark and another one at the 5:57 mark - gave the Eagles a bit of breathing room with a 45-41 lead. But St. Kate's was not going away just yet. Audra Clark dropped two freebies at the 5:22 mark and then calmly dropped a jumper from the free throw line a short time later with 4:45 left had this one tied up yet again at 45-all. But Northwestern was not about to let the visitors from the MIAC spoil their pre-Yuletide gathering on their home floor. Cole again came up huge as her "3" from the right wing with 4:30 left started the key 8-2 run. The Eagles got into the bonus with 3:35 left and Cooper got one free throw to go down as did Cunard with 2:59 left. But Cunard, the Mo Valley, Iowa native, took in her one shining moment with 2:26 left when she buried a huge "3" from the left corner with 2:26 left that capped the crucial spurt for a 53-47 Northwestern lead. A Cunard lay-up with 1:39 left made it 55-48 and Wildcats Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had no choice but to call a timeout. The Eagles increased their lead to 57-48 on two free throws by Stubbs with 1:16 left and now St. Kate's was in desperation mode. A Meg Clark "3" from the left top area with 1:04 sliced some of the fat off the deficit but now the Wildcats were forced to foul as well and give Northwestern the opportunity to cash in on insurance freebies. Two by Cooper with :40.4 left and 1 by Cunard with :30.1 left made it a ten-point game at 62-52. St. Kate's tried desperately to get back into striking distance as Horsch nailed a "3" from the right corner with :13.1 left and then Holt let loose with a prayer from way outside the arc on the 'Cats final possession with just :00.8 left but the Eagles took this game by a final count of 64-58.
A relieved Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl said this win was huge to take into the holiday break - and into UMAC play after the first of the year. Even former Eagle standout and current assistant Jacki Smith said that she was very proud of how this squad responded coming off of a grueling week of finals. Disappointment was the buzzword on the St. Kate's side. While certainly not a devastating loss by any means, Pinkerton still expressed disappointment on how his squad couldn't find the consistency in the crucial stretches of this contest that might have allowed them to steal a nice road win. The Wildcats actually had a decisive edge on the boards in this one by a 42-34 count and turnovers were virtually identical with St. Kate's committing 18 and Northwestern guilty of 17. The big difference in this one was shooting - pure and simple. The Eagles shot 50% from three-point land in this contest and were a blistering 75% in the second half alone. St. Kate's shot only 34.4% from FG range and 37.5% from behind the arc. Northwestern was fairly balanced with its scoring as well with Cooper and Cole both chipping in 15 points while Cunard had 12 points and Stubbs had nine. St. Kate's was pretty balanced scoring-wise as well. Audra Clark with her 14 points and Holt had 12 points. Jennings had 10 points while Meg Clark added eight in the losing effort.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
UST vs St. Kate's 12-12-15
Made my way over to the Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University on this unseasonably warm December Saturday afternoon to take in another round of the "friendly" neighborhood rivalry between visiting and number 6-ranked UST and host St. Kate's. Just a few short miles separates these two campuses and while I wouldn't put this rivalry on the same level as, say, UCLA vs USC, there was still a heavy turnout of Tommie fans and parents/family in attendance that mixed in well with the St. Kate's crowd that was there as well. The color purple was the order of the day for sure!
The Tommies appeared loose and confident at the beginning of this one and when senior guard Katie Stone unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 9:48 mark for a quick 3-0 UST lead, it looked as if this might be yet another one-sided affair for the four-time defending MIAC champs. But St. Kate's had other ideas and they showed on this day that they were definitely up for the challenge. A high-arcing "3" from the left corner by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch at the 9:15 mark tied the score. At the 7:30 mark, sophomore guard Meg Clark connected on a lay-up in transition and drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 6-3 Wildcat lead. A little more than a minute later at the 6:07 mark, Horsch struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key that gave St. Kate's a 9-5 advantage. The Tommies would come right back though as a lay-up by lanky junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 5:46 mark and another Stone trey; this one again from the right wing area at the 5:05 mark, gave UST the lead back at 10-9. St. Kate's would take the lead right back on a "3" by sophomore guard Audra Clark from the left top area with 4:12 left but the Tommies would knot the issue at 12 a piece when senior reserve forward Mykenzie Spaulding made a tough drive along the left baseline for a finish with 1:54 left. UST would forge a 16-12 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by Spaulding with 1:15 left and a short jumper along the left baseline by junior guard Paige Gernes with :17 left but flashy Wildcat junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt would have the last say of the first period when she grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss and managed to get a putback with just :00.4 left on the clock that cut the Tommie lead to 16-14.
Everybody, including yours truly, kept waiting for that one "spark"; that one burst where UST would get on a run and leave yet another opponent in the dust but a pesky Wildcat team was making life miserable for their visitors up the road on Cleveland Avenue with their swarming defense that was causing uncharacteristic Tommie mistakes. Still, two Langer free throws at the 9:31 mark of the second period once again gave UST a bit more breathing room for an 18-14 advantage but that lead didn't last long. Holt connected with a pull-up jumper at the 9:10 mark and then it was Horsch letting loose with another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key at the 7:48 mark that put St. Kate's back out in front 19-18. Stone would reply for the Tommies as she uncorked a "3" of her own from her favorite launching pad, the right wing area that had UST back out in front again at 21-19 at the 6:43 mark and one free throw by former Wildcat and now junior guard Gabby Zehrer maintained the two-point Tommie edge at 22-20. St. Kate's would come right back on a short jumper off of an inbounds pass by junior forward Mari Lee with 4:18 left. Now it was UST's turn. Langer was able to make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass and got fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie had the Tommies back out in front 25-22. Again, the 'Cats would respond. Two free throws by Holt with 3:09 left and a lay-up in transition by Horsch with 2:44 left had St. Kate's up by one with 2:44 left. UST would grab still another three-point edge when Langer knocked down two shots from the charity stripe with 2:24 left and a hard drive and finish by Zehrer on her old teammates made it a 29-26 ballgame. But St. Kate's was not going to let this one get away from them by halftime. Holt connected with a lay-up with 1:26 left and, despite a score in the paint by Langer with :58 left, Meg Clark connected with a lay-up with :41.7 left and was fouled in the process and the ensuing free throw knotted things up at 31 a piece which is how this one went into the locker room at the half. The first half box told an interesting story. The Tommies did hold a slight advantage on the boards at 20-16 but were also guilty of nine turnovers - as were the 'Cats. St. Kate's also snared six steals in the first half and a cool 34.5% shooting by UST from FG range played a part.
St. Kate's came out of the gate in the third period on fire. Sophomore guard Audra Clark went into the lane for a drive and finish at the 9:24 mark and then twin sister Meg Clark went bombs away from behind the arc in the left wing area that suddenly had the 'Cats up by a count of 36-31. But a resourceful UST squad would battle their way right back. Zehrer got into the paint for one score at the 8:20 mark and then Langer used her long wingspan to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:33 mark that cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 36-35. Audra Clark then buried a "3" from the left wing at the 7:16 mark to make it 39-35 but ah, here come the Tommies right back. Langer sank one free throw after getting fouled at the 6:45 mark and then Stone dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area that had things all tied up at 39-all. So while the Tommies seemed to have an answer for every Wildcat burst thus far, you had to wonder at the same time if the frenetic pace St. Kate's was playing at on both sides of the floor might get to UST. Finally in the latter stages of the third period, the Wildcats got on a serious run. Audra Clark connected with a lay-up at the 5:07 mark and one freebie by Holt with 4:36 left put St. Kate's up 42-39. But the Tommies weren't able to respond on their ensuing possession so when the 'Cats got the ball, Lee found herself open from behind the arc in the right wing area and she shocked the whole Butler Center crowd by burying a "3" that made it a six-point game at 45-39. Langer would get into the paint for a score for UST with 2:59 left but the Wildcats saved their best for last. Two free throws by Holt - who was proving to be a royal pain in the side for the Tommies - with 2:28 left and a jumper from the right elbow area by Meg Clark with 1:17 left pushed the lead to eight at 49-41. Freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber brought UST closer with her score in the paint with 1:02 left but with just :06 left, Holt put the finishing touches on this 13-4 burst with her "3" from the left top area that had St. Kate's up 52-43 and the shocked faces of Tommie fans in the stands told the whole story.
The Wildcats pushed UST into deeper doo-doo early in the fourth period when freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson got into the paint for one score at the 9:37 mark and then Holt connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:04 mark for a 56-43 St. Kate's lead. But as good as the Wildcats were feeling - and playing - you also knew that the Tommies, when backed up against a wall, would respond. And they did just that; going on an 11-0 tear that would normally put the fear of God into most teams. Two Langer scores - one in the paint at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:12 mark - whittled the St. Kate's lead down to 56-47 and Head Coach Sean Pinkerton; not wanting to take any chances, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But UST was just getting warmed up and the stoppage in play did not undermine their efforts. Langer connected on a pretty reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 7:27 mark and then it was Zehrer finishing up on another transition opportunity at the 6:52 mark. And then it was Gruber; the freshman delivering the unexpected blow - a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 6:04 mark that suddenly made it a one-possession game with the 'Cats desperately clinging to a 56-54 lead. But when many in attendance waited for St. Kate's to fold right then and there, the Wildcats instead showed their mettle and hung tough. After one free throw by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with 4:39 left, Holt got an opening at the top of the key behind the arc and uncorked a "3" for a 60-54 St. Kate's lead. Stone would drop another "3" on the 'Cats from her favorite launching pad - the right wing with 2:59 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 60-57 but again the Wildcats kept their cool. Holt calmy drained another "3" from the right corner with 2:43 left and two Horsch free throws with 1:27 left maintained the two-possession gap and a 65-59 advantage. The Tommies would mount one last stand before capitulating. One free throw by Langer with 1:11 left trimmed the St. Kate's lead down to five at 65-60 and, after Jennings was unable to convert from the charity stripe for the Wildcats with :55.8 left, UST still had hope. Langer snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :44 left and shortly thereafter, Stone snared a steal from the normally-reliable Audra Clark and quickly got the ball to Zehrer who was fouled. Zehrer could only convert on the back-end of the two-shot opportunity but that was still good enough to make it a two-point ballgame at 65-63 with :36.7 left - a mountain of time. St. Kate's took another timeout to get itself situated and, on the ensuing Wildcat possession, they were able to eat up enough clock and bring the shot clock down until Jennings had to uncork an off-balance jumper with :05 left that missed its mark, The Tommies should have been right there for the long rebound but somehow Jennings craftily snared the long rebound away from UST and now the Tommies had to foul. Audra Clark was fouled with :01.6 left and the sophomore from Kenyon calmly sank both charity stripe attempts to seal the deal. UST had one last-gasp - a three-point attempt that fell way off the mark by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with :01.2 left and St. Kate's pulled off the upset of the season so far with a 67-63 victory.
I felt somewhat guilty afterward when UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to cut short her post-game pow-wow session with her assistant coaches when she spotted me hanging out in the lounge. Obviously, there was a lot for her to go over with her assistants after a tough loss like this. Still, Sinn was her gracious self in defeat. She was quick to credit St. Kate's for their hustle on defense and offensive rebounding and how they forced the Tommies to get away from establishing themselves in the paint which is what they prefer to do. And, let's be honest here. While this UST team is very solid and very good, they are definitely not the all-world infallible team they were the last two seasons with the cast of great players that they had. This squad is dominated sophomores and freshman with only two seniors (Stone and Spaulding) and four juniors (Zehrer, Gernes, Langer and Ava Stock). A disappointing finish in this one for sure but this team will be back. Meanwhile, congratulations are due for Pinkerton and his staff for getting St. Kate's their first win over UST since the 2010-11 season. They wound up shooting a blistering 54.55% in the second half from three-point land and they also got key offensive rebounds that kept several possessions alive. Perhaps even more important, I saw confidence emanating from this team for the first time when things got tight late in the second half when previous teams likely would have folded against a quality opponent. It's way too early to take too much from this contest but it will be interesting to see how far the Wildcats can go after getting a big win like this.
The Tommies appeared loose and confident at the beginning of this one and when senior guard Katie Stone unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 9:48 mark for a quick 3-0 UST lead, it looked as if this might be yet another one-sided affair for the four-time defending MIAC champs. But St. Kate's had other ideas and they showed on this day that they were definitely up for the challenge. A high-arcing "3" from the left corner by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch at the 9:15 mark tied the score. At the 7:30 mark, sophomore guard Meg Clark connected on a lay-up in transition and drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 6-3 Wildcat lead. A little more than a minute later at the 6:07 mark, Horsch struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key that gave St. Kate's a 9-5 advantage. The Tommies would come right back though as a lay-up by lanky junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 5:46 mark and another Stone trey; this one again from the right wing area at the 5:05 mark, gave UST the lead back at 10-9. St. Kate's would take the lead right back on a "3" by sophomore guard Audra Clark from the left top area with 4:12 left but the Tommies would knot the issue at 12 a piece when senior reserve forward Mykenzie Spaulding made a tough drive along the left baseline for a finish with 1:54 left. UST would forge a 16-12 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by Spaulding with 1:15 left and a short jumper along the left baseline by junior guard Paige Gernes with :17 left but flashy Wildcat junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt would have the last say of the first period when she grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss and managed to get a putback with just :00.4 left on the clock that cut the Tommie lead to 16-14.
Everybody, including yours truly, kept waiting for that one "spark"; that one burst where UST would get on a run and leave yet another opponent in the dust but a pesky Wildcat team was making life miserable for their visitors up the road on Cleveland Avenue with their swarming defense that was causing uncharacteristic Tommie mistakes. Still, two Langer free throws at the 9:31 mark of the second period once again gave UST a bit more breathing room for an 18-14 advantage but that lead didn't last long. Holt connected with a pull-up jumper at the 9:10 mark and then it was Horsch letting loose with another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key at the 7:48 mark that put St. Kate's back out in front 19-18. Stone would reply for the Tommies as she uncorked a "3" of her own from her favorite launching pad, the right wing area that had UST back out in front again at 21-19 at the 6:43 mark and one free throw by former Wildcat and now junior guard Gabby Zehrer maintained the two-point Tommie edge at 22-20. St. Kate's would come right back on a short jumper off of an inbounds pass by junior forward Mari Lee with 4:18 left. Now it was UST's turn. Langer was able to make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass and got fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie had the Tommies back out in front 25-22. Again, the 'Cats would respond. Two free throws by Holt with 3:09 left and a lay-up in transition by Horsch with 2:44 left had St. Kate's up by one with 2:44 left. UST would grab still another three-point edge when Langer knocked down two shots from the charity stripe with 2:24 left and a hard drive and finish by Zehrer on her old teammates made it a 29-26 ballgame. But St. Kate's was not going to let this one get away from them by halftime. Holt connected with a lay-up with 1:26 left and, despite a score in the paint by Langer with :58 left, Meg Clark connected with a lay-up with :41.7 left and was fouled in the process and the ensuing free throw knotted things up at 31 a piece which is how this one went into the locker room at the half. The first half box told an interesting story. The Tommies did hold a slight advantage on the boards at 20-16 but were also guilty of nine turnovers - as were the 'Cats. St. Kate's also snared six steals in the first half and a cool 34.5% shooting by UST from FG range played a part.
St. Kate's came out of the gate in the third period on fire. Sophomore guard Audra Clark went into the lane for a drive and finish at the 9:24 mark and then twin sister Meg Clark went bombs away from behind the arc in the left wing area that suddenly had the 'Cats up by a count of 36-31. But a resourceful UST squad would battle their way right back. Zehrer got into the paint for one score at the 8:20 mark and then Langer used her long wingspan to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:33 mark that cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 36-35. Audra Clark then buried a "3" from the left wing at the 7:16 mark to make it 39-35 but ah, here come the Tommies right back. Langer sank one free throw after getting fouled at the 6:45 mark and then Stone dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area that had things all tied up at 39-all. So while the Tommies seemed to have an answer for every Wildcat burst thus far, you had to wonder at the same time if the frenetic pace St. Kate's was playing at on both sides of the floor might get to UST. Finally in the latter stages of the third period, the Wildcats got on a serious run. Audra Clark connected with a lay-up at the 5:07 mark and one freebie by Holt with 4:36 left put St. Kate's up 42-39. But the Tommies weren't able to respond on their ensuing possession so when the 'Cats got the ball, Lee found herself open from behind the arc in the right wing area and she shocked the whole Butler Center crowd by burying a "3" that made it a six-point game at 45-39. Langer would get into the paint for a score for UST with 2:59 left but the Wildcats saved their best for last. Two free throws by Holt - who was proving to be a royal pain in the side for the Tommies - with 2:28 left and a jumper from the right elbow area by Meg Clark with 1:17 left pushed the lead to eight at 49-41. Freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber brought UST closer with her score in the paint with 1:02 left but with just :06 left, Holt put the finishing touches on this 13-4 burst with her "3" from the left top area that had St. Kate's up 52-43 and the shocked faces of Tommie fans in the stands told the whole story.
The Wildcats pushed UST into deeper doo-doo early in the fourth period when freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson got into the paint for one score at the 9:37 mark and then Holt connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:04 mark for a 56-43 St. Kate's lead. But as good as the Wildcats were feeling - and playing - you also knew that the Tommies, when backed up against a wall, would respond. And they did just that; going on an 11-0 tear that would normally put the fear of God into most teams. Two Langer scores - one in the paint at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:12 mark - whittled the St. Kate's lead down to 56-47 and Head Coach Sean Pinkerton; not wanting to take any chances, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But UST was just getting warmed up and the stoppage in play did not undermine their efforts. Langer connected on a pretty reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 7:27 mark and then it was Zehrer finishing up on another transition opportunity at the 6:52 mark. And then it was Gruber; the freshman delivering the unexpected blow - a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 6:04 mark that suddenly made it a one-possession game with the 'Cats desperately clinging to a 56-54 lead. But when many in attendance waited for St. Kate's to fold right then and there, the Wildcats instead showed their mettle and hung tough. After one free throw by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with 4:39 left, Holt got an opening at the top of the key behind the arc and uncorked a "3" for a 60-54 St. Kate's lead. Stone would drop another "3" on the 'Cats from her favorite launching pad - the right wing with 2:59 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 60-57 but again the Wildcats kept their cool. Holt calmy drained another "3" from the right corner with 2:43 left and two Horsch free throws with 1:27 left maintained the two-possession gap and a 65-59 advantage. The Tommies would mount one last stand before capitulating. One free throw by Langer with 1:11 left trimmed the St. Kate's lead down to five at 65-60 and, after Jennings was unable to convert from the charity stripe for the Wildcats with :55.8 left, UST still had hope. Langer snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :44 left and shortly thereafter, Stone snared a steal from the normally-reliable Audra Clark and quickly got the ball to Zehrer who was fouled. Zehrer could only convert on the back-end of the two-shot opportunity but that was still good enough to make it a two-point ballgame at 65-63 with :36.7 left - a mountain of time. St. Kate's took another timeout to get itself situated and, on the ensuing Wildcat possession, they were able to eat up enough clock and bring the shot clock down until Jennings had to uncork an off-balance jumper with :05 left that missed its mark, The Tommies should have been right there for the long rebound but somehow Jennings craftily snared the long rebound away from UST and now the Tommies had to foul. Audra Clark was fouled with :01.6 left and the sophomore from Kenyon calmly sank both charity stripe attempts to seal the deal. UST had one last-gasp - a three-point attempt that fell way off the mark by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with :01.2 left and St. Kate's pulled off the upset of the season so far with a 67-63 victory.
I felt somewhat guilty afterward when UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to cut short her post-game pow-wow session with her assistant coaches when she spotted me hanging out in the lounge. Obviously, there was a lot for her to go over with her assistants after a tough loss like this. Still, Sinn was her gracious self in defeat. She was quick to credit St. Kate's for their hustle on defense and offensive rebounding and how they forced the Tommies to get away from establishing themselves in the paint which is what they prefer to do. And, let's be honest here. While this UST team is very solid and very good, they are definitely not the all-world infallible team they were the last two seasons with the cast of great players that they had. This squad is dominated sophomores and freshman with only two seniors (Stone and Spaulding) and four juniors (Zehrer, Gernes, Langer and Ava Stock). A disappointing finish in this one for sure but this team will be back. Meanwhile, congratulations are due for Pinkerton and his staff for getting St. Kate's their first win over UST since the 2010-11 season. They wound up shooting a blistering 54.55% in the second half from three-point land and they also got key offensive rebounds that kept several possessions alive. Perhaps even more important, I saw confidence emanating from this team for the first time when things got tight late in the second half when previous teams likely would have folded against a quality opponent. It's way too early to take too much from this contest but it will be interesting to see how far the Wildcats can go after getting a big win like this.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
GAC vs Macalester 12-11-15
Made my way over to Macalester's Leonard Center on this Friday evening for the contest between visting Gustavus Adolphus against host Macalester. This unusual Friday night setting; the first I can remember for a conference regular season game, was a big one nonetheless as the Gusties were coming off a huge home win over Bethel on Wednesday night and looking to improve on their overall 5-2 record. The Scots meanwhile were riding a two-game skid and were looking to reverse the trend and a big home win over a pretty good GAC team might just be what the doctor ordered to get the ship pointed in the right direction.
But the Gusties were blossoming with confidence once this one got underway as they raced out to an early 8-2 lead. Early scores in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice - one at the 9:30 mark and another at the 8:22 mark - had the Black & Gold out to a 4-0 advantage. Macalester got on the board when junior foward Park Masterson connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 7:24 mark but the one thing that was easy to see in the early going was that GAC really came into this game with an intent to turn up the heat defensively and it forced several miscues by the Scots; including a shot clock violation at the 6:38 mark. Leading 6-2, a lay-up by junior guard Hannah Howard at the 6:08 mark completed the early run. The Scots tried to respond as sophomore guard Vivi Gregorich banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:45 mark but they could not stop the early GAC momentum. Sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller's short jumper at the 5:18 mark made it a 10-5 game and then two free throws by willowy forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:25 left and then a "3" from the right top area by the Edina native with 3:46 left now made it a 15-5 ballgame and Macalester Head Coach and former Golden Gopher standout Kelly Roysland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make quick adjustments. Another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 3:23 left slimmed down the Gustie lead to 15-8 but the Scots could do little in the paint as GAC effectively clogged up the middle. Things worsened for the Scots when Johnson knocked down a short shot off the glass with 3:05 left and then a minute later with 2:05 left, junior reserve guard Lauren Clamage went down with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Miller, the Goodhue native who is quickly becoming the best point guard in the conference, upped the Gustie advantage to 19-8 when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 1:38 left. Gregorich eased some of Macalester's first period pains when she connected with a lay-up with just :00.5 left on the clock but it was obvious that this was going to be an uphill battle for the Scots.
Macalester's woes continued into the second period. Consecutive scores by Miller - a reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:18 mark - upped the GAC lead to 24-11. The Scots could only make incremental dents here and there in the Gustie rampage. Sometimes-shy junior guard Kelsey Carpenter buried a "3" at the 7:35 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Miller at the 7:24 mark now had the Gusties up 29-13. Senior reserve post Anna Lundquist connected with one lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then it was Carpenter again at the 6:08 mark on a short turnaround jumper. Sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockman powered into the paint for one score with 4:47 left and then promising freshman phenom reserve guard Justine Lee got free from the top of the key and uncorked a "3" that suddenly made it 38-13. Macalester tried to recover from this devastating blow as freshman reserve guard Katie Grahn connected with a lay-up with 3:42 left and then Masterson got a short turnaround jumper to go down with 3:06 left. But GAC was not done yet. Johnson got a short jumper to go down with 2:43 left and two Rice freebies with 1:32 left gave the Gusties a commanding 42-19 lead going into the locker room at the half. Just to give you an idea of how hot GAC was in the first half, they shot 50% from FG range and 50% from three-point land while holding the Scots to a frigid 28.6% from FG range and an even icier 20% from behind the arc. Also, the swarming Gustie defense forced 14 Macalester turnovers as well.
The Scots needed something positive to try and turn things around in the third period. Certainly their energy level and intensity looked considerably better than it did in the second period when they were weathering the GAC onslaught. Sophomore post Regan Fruh; who was held to one point in the first half, got into the paint for a score at the 9:16 mark and drew a foul as well that allowed her to knock down the subsequent free throw that narrowed the gap to twenty at 42-22. Fruh got one more free throw to go down at the 7:27 mark and then Clamage; with the injured ankle taped up, was sent to the charity stripe at the 6:28 mark where she knocked down a pair. Fruh got two more freebies to fall at the 5:18 mark and then Clamage drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:45 left. So, while Macalester did step things up offensively in the third period, they were still unable to get on a sustained run like the Gusties did in that might have narrowed the deficit considerably. To their credit, however, they whittled the deficit down to fourteen on another Clamage free throw with 3:32 left and another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 2:32 left. GAC would respond to this Scot uprising as freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson (daughter of former Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson) connected with a lay-up with 2:00 left for a 50-34 Gustie lead and then it was Miller using her strong 5'8" frame to get into the paint for another score with 1:13 left to make it 52-36. With :33 left, Miller made yet another foray into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and her free throw upped the lead to 55-38. Then, with just :03.5 left on the clock, Johnson put on the exclamation point for this third period when when she let loose with a "3" from the right top area that kissed the glass and found its way into the cylinder for a 58-40 lead.
Although down by 18 points going into the fourth period, the Scots were by no means ready to throw in the towel just yet. Clamage found the range from behind the arc again; drilling a "3" from the right corner at the 7:30 mark and then Masterson connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 5:24 mark but again, Macalester simply could not sustain any long run that could have made the final minutes nerve-wracking for the visitors. GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly by this time had started inserting her young reserves as did Roysland to give them a chance to grab some more experience. Freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:50 left and junior reserve post Cara Christiansen scored in the paint with 1:41 left. Macalester sophomore reserve forward Emilie McGuire snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :21.5 left and Grahn got a lay-up with :04.3 left on the clock but it was the Gusties walking off victorious by a count of 67-55.
Kelly, while certainly pleased with the road win and how well her team played in the first half, couldn't help but express some disappointment with how the second half played out. "We lost our focus and intensity" Kelly remarked as she agreed that a level of complacency had set in with the 23-point lead at the half. With the Gusties, they certainly have the capability to be a very, very good team but they haven't quite yet but two full halves together. Kelly pointed to how young her squad is; indeed, this team is heavy on freshmen, sophomores and juniors and Johnson and Lundquist are the only seniors on the squad. Macalester's Roysland; somewhat subdued afterward, expressed disappointment on how the first half went for her squad although she did offer that her team came out with a renewed sense of energy and intensity in the second half. Miller and Johnson led the way for GAC in the win as they both chipped in 15 points while both Gregorich and Fruh led the way for the Scots with their 13 points. Turnovers plagued Macalester in this one and the Gusties were responsible for many of them with their defense in the first half. GAC had a 17-13 edge on points off of turnovers and a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint.
But the Gusties were blossoming with confidence once this one got underway as they raced out to an early 8-2 lead. Early scores in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice - one at the 9:30 mark and another at the 8:22 mark - had the Black & Gold out to a 4-0 advantage. Macalester got on the board when junior foward Park Masterson connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 7:24 mark but the one thing that was easy to see in the early going was that GAC really came into this game with an intent to turn up the heat defensively and it forced several miscues by the Scots; including a shot clock violation at the 6:38 mark. Leading 6-2, a lay-up by junior guard Hannah Howard at the 6:08 mark completed the early run. The Scots tried to respond as sophomore guard Vivi Gregorich banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:45 mark but they could not stop the early GAC momentum. Sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller's short jumper at the 5:18 mark made it a 10-5 game and then two free throws by willowy forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:25 left and then a "3" from the right top area by the Edina native with 3:46 left now made it a 15-5 ballgame and Macalester Head Coach and former Golden Gopher standout Kelly Roysland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make quick adjustments. Another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 3:23 left slimmed down the Gustie lead to 15-8 but the Scots could do little in the paint as GAC effectively clogged up the middle. Things worsened for the Scots when Johnson knocked down a short shot off the glass with 3:05 left and then a minute later with 2:05 left, junior reserve guard Lauren Clamage went down with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Miller, the Goodhue native who is quickly becoming the best point guard in the conference, upped the Gustie advantage to 19-8 when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 1:38 left. Gregorich eased some of Macalester's first period pains when she connected with a lay-up with just :00.5 left on the clock but it was obvious that this was going to be an uphill battle for the Scots.
Macalester's woes continued into the second period. Consecutive scores by Miller - a reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:18 mark - upped the GAC lead to 24-11. The Scots could only make incremental dents here and there in the Gustie rampage. Sometimes-shy junior guard Kelsey Carpenter buried a "3" at the 7:35 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Miller at the 7:24 mark now had the Gusties up 29-13. Senior reserve post Anna Lundquist connected with one lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then it was Carpenter again at the 6:08 mark on a short turnaround jumper. Sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockman powered into the paint for one score with 4:47 left and then promising freshman phenom reserve guard Justine Lee got free from the top of the key and uncorked a "3" that suddenly made it 38-13. Macalester tried to recover from this devastating blow as freshman reserve guard Katie Grahn connected with a lay-up with 3:42 left and then Masterson got a short turnaround jumper to go down with 3:06 left. But GAC was not done yet. Johnson got a short jumper to go down with 2:43 left and two Rice freebies with 1:32 left gave the Gusties a commanding 42-19 lead going into the locker room at the half. Just to give you an idea of how hot GAC was in the first half, they shot 50% from FG range and 50% from three-point land while holding the Scots to a frigid 28.6% from FG range and an even icier 20% from behind the arc. Also, the swarming Gustie defense forced 14 Macalester turnovers as well.
The Scots needed something positive to try and turn things around in the third period. Certainly their energy level and intensity looked considerably better than it did in the second period when they were weathering the GAC onslaught. Sophomore post Regan Fruh; who was held to one point in the first half, got into the paint for a score at the 9:16 mark and drew a foul as well that allowed her to knock down the subsequent free throw that narrowed the gap to twenty at 42-22. Fruh got one more free throw to go down at the 7:27 mark and then Clamage; with the injured ankle taped up, was sent to the charity stripe at the 6:28 mark where she knocked down a pair. Fruh got two more freebies to fall at the 5:18 mark and then Clamage drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:45 left. So, while Macalester did step things up offensively in the third period, they were still unable to get on a sustained run like the Gusties did in that might have narrowed the deficit considerably. To their credit, however, they whittled the deficit down to fourteen on another Clamage free throw with 3:32 left and another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 2:32 left. GAC would respond to this Scot uprising as freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson (daughter of former Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson) connected with a lay-up with 2:00 left for a 50-34 Gustie lead and then it was Miller using her strong 5'8" frame to get into the paint for another score with 1:13 left to make it 52-36. With :33 left, Miller made yet another foray into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and her free throw upped the lead to 55-38. Then, with just :03.5 left on the clock, Johnson put on the exclamation point for this third period when when she let loose with a "3" from the right top area that kissed the glass and found its way into the cylinder for a 58-40 lead.
Although down by 18 points going into the fourth period, the Scots were by no means ready to throw in the towel just yet. Clamage found the range from behind the arc again; drilling a "3" from the right corner at the 7:30 mark and then Masterson connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 5:24 mark but again, Macalester simply could not sustain any long run that could have made the final minutes nerve-wracking for the visitors. GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly by this time had started inserting her young reserves as did Roysland to give them a chance to grab some more experience. Freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:50 left and junior reserve post Cara Christiansen scored in the paint with 1:41 left. Macalester sophomore reserve forward Emilie McGuire snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :21.5 left and Grahn got a lay-up with :04.3 left on the clock but it was the Gusties walking off victorious by a count of 67-55.
Kelly, while certainly pleased with the road win and how well her team played in the first half, couldn't help but express some disappointment with how the second half played out. "We lost our focus and intensity" Kelly remarked as she agreed that a level of complacency had set in with the 23-point lead at the half. With the Gusties, they certainly have the capability to be a very, very good team but they haven't quite yet but two full halves together. Kelly pointed to how young her squad is; indeed, this team is heavy on freshmen, sophomores and juniors and Johnson and Lundquist are the only seniors on the squad. Macalester's Roysland; somewhat subdued afterward, expressed disappointment on how the first half went for her squad although she did offer that her team came out with a renewed sense of energy and intensity in the second half. Miller and Johnson led the way for GAC in the win as they both chipped in 15 points while both Gregorich and Fruh led the way for the Scots with their 13 points. Turnovers plagued Macalester in this one and the Gusties were responsible for many of them with their defense in the first half. GAC had a 17-13 edge on points off of turnovers and a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint.
SMU vs Augsburg 12-9-15
Made a return trip on this Wednesday evening over to Augsburg's Mi Selby Hall to take in the clash between visiting SMU and host Augsburg. This would be my first look at the Cardinals this year and under a new regime with Head Coach Brent Pollari taking the reigns down in Winona. The Auggies meanwhile were riding a two-game slump after dropping home contests to both St. Olaf and GAC in the early part of the month and you knew that Head Coach Ted Riverso wanted to right the ship and quickly.
Still, it would be SMU that got off to a good start in this one as the Cardinals grabbed a quick 4-0 lead on lay-ups in transition opportunities - one by sophomore guard Alexa Huisman at the 9:29 mark and another one by junior guard Brigette Audette at the 8:54 mark that caught the host Auggies flat-footed. Augsburg would recover in due time and went on an 8-0 spurt. Senior guard Allison McKee drained one "3" from the left top area at the 8:36 mark and fellow senior guard Marie Fitzgerald banged home a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 6:42 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus' lay-up at the 5:37 mark made it 8-4 Auggies and they would maintain the four-point edge on senior forward Jess Lillquist's score in the paint with 4:28 left for a 10-6 advantage. SMU would come right back though and snatch some of the early momentum that Augsburg had. Senior guard Micaela Meredith connected with a short jumper in the lane with 4:02 left and then reserve senior guard Haley Trom knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 3:20 left that had the Cardinals trailing by one at 10-9. Meredith's short pull-up jumper with 2:54 left completed this 5-0 push as SMU assumed an 11-10 advantage. A free throw by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta tied things up for Augsburg with 2:41 left but the Cardinals would have the final say in the first period. Two free throws by junior forward Sam Jones with :58 left and a "3" by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the right wing area with :19 left gave SMU a 16-11 lead.
The Cardinals stretched their lead to seven points on a lay-up by Huisman at the 9:25 mark of the second period before the Auggies awoke from their slumber and clawed their way back into the contest. McKee connected on a short one-handed jumper at the 8:56 mark and then senior guard Maria Loughlin; who was held scoreless in the first period, was sent to the charity stripe where she knocked down two freebies that narrowed the gap to three points at 18-15 at the 8:31 mark. SMU stretched their lead to six on a "3" from the top of the key by Huisman at the 7:53 mark but Augsburg went right back to work. Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by the Pierz native had the Auggies back to within a single possession again trailing 21-19. Both teams went into a drought that lasted nearly three minutes but the drought was finally broken when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth made a pretty drive inside and finished off the glass that knotted the game up at 21 a piece. A hook shot in the lane by McKee with 2:46 left added even more flair and also had Augsburg back up 23-21. The Cardinals tied things up on an offensive rebound and putback by promising freshman reserve forward Brandi Blattner with 1:06 left but the Auggies would have the final say of this first half as they set up one final play before the break. With both post/forward players coming out high, a screen was set for Loughlin; the Rogers native and she launched a "3" from the left wing that found nothing but cotton with :04 left that had Augsburg up 26-23 and also - presumably anyway - with some momentum going into the second half.
A pretty rainbow-arching "3" from the left top area by the lefty Loughlin at the 8:55 mark of the third period seemed to validate the momentum that the Auggies had going for them at the half and it also increased their lead to 29-23. SMU would manage to close the gap to two points trailing 29-27 on free throws by Jones and a drive and lay-up by Audette and they would stay within striking distance over the next two minutes. Augsburg was able to stretch their lead to six points again on another Loughlin "3" from the left top area with 4:57 left and one from Quaranta from the right wing area with 3:37 mark that made it a 39-33 game and it seemed at this point that the Auggies had everything going their way. But just when the balloon seemed to be filled with air and ready to fly, the Cardinals put a pin in it and the air suddenly came gushing out. And the "pin" for SMU in this case happened to be the former Dover-Eyota standout Blattner who helped lead her squad to the Class AA state title last season as a senior. The freshman single-handedly took the Cardinals on a 6-0 run within the span of a minute that helped change the course of this contest for good. Free throws with 3:20 and 2:58 left not only narrowed the gap to two points at 39-37 but SMU now found itself in the bonus for the rest of the period as well. With 2:21 left, Blattner used her 5'10" frame to muscle inside the paint for a score that tied the issue at 39-all. Perhaps just as important for the Cardinals, Blattner was starting to dominate on the glass and that along with the key 6-0 push seemed to give this team new life; new energy. Augsburg would take a 41-39 lead to close out the period on a score in the paint by Bednar with 1:55 left but the momentum that the Auggies had at the beginning of the second half was now gone.
With Augsburg suddenly struggling in their half-court offense, the SMU was only too happy to pounce on the opportunity given to it. Back-to-back treys - one by Huisman at the 9:46 mark from the left wing and another by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the top of the key at the 7:57 mark - suddenly had the Cardinals up 45-41 and Riverso wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and get his team calmed down. The Auggies tried to respond to the call as a short shot by Steinhaus narrowed the gap to two points at the 7:39 mark but by now the offense seemed to stagnate and, even worse, defensive lapses were all too common; especially when it came to Blattner. She got another score in the paint at the 7:20 mark and then Meredith connected on a sweet give-and-go lay-up at the 5:29 mark that had SMU back up by four again at 49-45. More frustration for Riverso as he took a match to another thirty-second timeout in hopes of stemming the tide but by now the wheels were clearly coming off for Augsburg. A defensive lapse allowed Jones to connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 4:14 left and then Schaefer drained her second trey of the night; this one coming from the left wing area with 3:37 left that now had the Cardinals up 54-47. A lay-up by Meredith with 2:59 left pushed the lead to 56-47 and now Riverso had no choice but to call a full timeout as he knew this one was slipping away. But SMU was not finished with putting the finishing touches on this. Blattner powered her way into the paint for another score with 2:28 left and two free throws by senior point guard Bridget Pethke who went down last year with an ACL injury made it 60-47. The Auggies Riverso tried to counter with another timeout but this one was all over. Meredith hit insurance freebies down the stretch and the Cardinals came away with a precious road win by the count of 64-51.
I asked SMU's Pollari afterward about the turning point in this one that seemed to come late on the Blattner run. "We did a much better job of boxing out in the second half than we did the first" said Pollari and that "we played with much more energy as well." Even though it's only December, I realize now that it's quite possible that I had sold this team's fortunes short. If they can continue to play at this level after the first of they year then they're certainly going to be in the playoff mix. On the flipside, another incredibly disappointing finish for sure but perhaps even more telling is that a pattern is becoming apparent with this group with their third straight loss - all at home no less. They seem to have momentum for most of the game and appear to be on the cusp of taking control before everything collapses in the fourth period for them like a house of cards. Assistant Coach Josh Hersch even admitted afterward that this squad is still trying to carve an identity for itself and they have to start finding some answers - soon. The big thing that stood out to me from the box score was how the Cardinals dominated the glass by a 44-31 count. You simply will not win many games when you get outrebounded like that. SMU was also very balanced in the scoring as both Blattner and Meredith poured in 14 points while Schaefer had nine points and both Jones and Huisman chipped in eight points a piece. Loughlin's 11 points led the way for Augsburg in the losing effort.
Still, it would be SMU that got off to a good start in this one as the Cardinals grabbed a quick 4-0 lead on lay-ups in transition opportunities - one by sophomore guard Alexa Huisman at the 9:29 mark and another one by junior guard Brigette Audette at the 8:54 mark that caught the host Auggies flat-footed. Augsburg would recover in due time and went on an 8-0 spurt. Senior guard Allison McKee drained one "3" from the left top area at the 8:36 mark and fellow senior guard Marie Fitzgerald banged home a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 6:42 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus' lay-up at the 5:37 mark made it 8-4 Auggies and they would maintain the four-point edge on senior forward Jess Lillquist's score in the paint with 4:28 left for a 10-6 advantage. SMU would come right back though and snatch some of the early momentum that Augsburg had. Senior guard Micaela Meredith connected with a short jumper in the lane with 4:02 left and then reserve senior guard Haley Trom knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 3:20 left that had the Cardinals trailing by one at 10-9. Meredith's short pull-up jumper with 2:54 left completed this 5-0 push as SMU assumed an 11-10 advantage. A free throw by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta tied things up for Augsburg with 2:41 left but the Cardinals would have the final say in the first period. Two free throws by junior forward Sam Jones with :58 left and a "3" by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the right wing area with :19 left gave SMU a 16-11 lead.
The Cardinals stretched their lead to seven points on a lay-up by Huisman at the 9:25 mark of the second period before the Auggies awoke from their slumber and clawed their way back into the contest. McKee connected on a short one-handed jumper at the 8:56 mark and then senior guard Maria Loughlin; who was held scoreless in the first period, was sent to the charity stripe where she knocked down two freebies that narrowed the gap to three points at 18-15 at the 8:31 mark. SMU stretched their lead to six on a "3" from the top of the key by Huisman at the 7:53 mark but Augsburg went right back to work. Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by the Pierz native had the Auggies back to within a single possession again trailing 21-19. Both teams went into a drought that lasted nearly three minutes but the drought was finally broken when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth made a pretty drive inside and finished off the glass that knotted the game up at 21 a piece. A hook shot in the lane by McKee with 2:46 left added even more flair and also had Augsburg back up 23-21. The Cardinals tied things up on an offensive rebound and putback by promising freshman reserve forward Brandi Blattner with 1:06 left but the Auggies would have the final say of this first half as they set up one final play before the break. With both post/forward players coming out high, a screen was set for Loughlin; the Rogers native and she launched a "3" from the left wing that found nothing but cotton with :04 left that had Augsburg up 26-23 and also - presumably anyway - with some momentum going into the second half.
A pretty rainbow-arching "3" from the left top area by the lefty Loughlin at the 8:55 mark of the third period seemed to validate the momentum that the Auggies had going for them at the half and it also increased their lead to 29-23. SMU would manage to close the gap to two points trailing 29-27 on free throws by Jones and a drive and lay-up by Audette and they would stay within striking distance over the next two minutes. Augsburg was able to stretch their lead to six points again on another Loughlin "3" from the left top area with 4:57 left and one from Quaranta from the right wing area with 3:37 mark that made it a 39-33 game and it seemed at this point that the Auggies had everything going their way. But just when the balloon seemed to be filled with air and ready to fly, the Cardinals put a pin in it and the air suddenly came gushing out. And the "pin" for SMU in this case happened to be the former Dover-Eyota standout Blattner who helped lead her squad to the Class AA state title last season as a senior. The freshman single-handedly took the Cardinals on a 6-0 run within the span of a minute that helped change the course of this contest for good. Free throws with 3:20 and 2:58 left not only narrowed the gap to two points at 39-37 but SMU now found itself in the bonus for the rest of the period as well. With 2:21 left, Blattner used her 5'10" frame to muscle inside the paint for a score that tied the issue at 39-all. Perhaps just as important for the Cardinals, Blattner was starting to dominate on the glass and that along with the key 6-0 push seemed to give this team new life; new energy. Augsburg would take a 41-39 lead to close out the period on a score in the paint by Bednar with 1:55 left but the momentum that the Auggies had at the beginning of the second half was now gone.
With Augsburg suddenly struggling in their half-court offense, the SMU was only too happy to pounce on the opportunity given to it. Back-to-back treys - one by Huisman at the 9:46 mark from the left wing and another by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the top of the key at the 7:57 mark - suddenly had the Cardinals up 45-41 and Riverso wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and get his team calmed down. The Auggies tried to respond to the call as a short shot by Steinhaus narrowed the gap to two points at the 7:39 mark but by now the offense seemed to stagnate and, even worse, defensive lapses were all too common; especially when it came to Blattner. She got another score in the paint at the 7:20 mark and then Meredith connected on a sweet give-and-go lay-up at the 5:29 mark that had SMU back up by four again at 49-45. More frustration for Riverso as he took a match to another thirty-second timeout in hopes of stemming the tide but by now the wheels were clearly coming off for Augsburg. A defensive lapse allowed Jones to connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 4:14 left and then Schaefer drained her second trey of the night; this one coming from the left wing area with 3:37 left that now had the Cardinals up 54-47. A lay-up by Meredith with 2:59 left pushed the lead to 56-47 and now Riverso had no choice but to call a full timeout as he knew this one was slipping away. But SMU was not finished with putting the finishing touches on this. Blattner powered her way into the paint for another score with 2:28 left and two free throws by senior point guard Bridget Pethke who went down last year with an ACL injury made it 60-47. The Auggies Riverso tried to counter with another timeout but this one was all over. Meredith hit insurance freebies down the stretch and the Cardinals came away with a precious road win by the count of 64-51.
I asked SMU's Pollari afterward about the turning point in this one that seemed to come late on the Blattner run. "We did a much better job of boxing out in the second half than we did the first" said Pollari and that "we played with much more energy as well." Even though it's only December, I realize now that it's quite possible that I had sold this team's fortunes short. If they can continue to play at this level after the first of they year then they're certainly going to be in the playoff mix. On the flipside, another incredibly disappointing finish for sure but perhaps even more telling is that a pattern is becoming apparent with this group with their third straight loss - all at home no less. They seem to have momentum for most of the game and appear to be on the cusp of taking control before everything collapses in the fourth period for them like a house of cards. Assistant Coach Josh Hersch even admitted afterward that this squad is still trying to carve an identity for itself and they have to start finding some answers - soon. The big thing that stood out to me from the box score was how the Cardinals dominated the glass by a 44-31 count. You simply will not win many games when you get outrebounded like that. SMU was also very balanced in the scoring as both Blattner and Meredith poured in 14 points while Schaefer had nine points and both Jones and Huisman chipped in eight points a piece. Loughlin's 11 points led the way for Augsburg in the losing effort.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Concordia vs Bethel 12-5-15
After taking in the Park Center - STMA game at the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic over at Hopkins, I made the run across town over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University to take in this important early-season clash between visiting Concordia and host Bethel; two of the upper-echelon teams in the MIAC. The Royals; fresh off their victory over St. Kate's on Wednesday night, were looking to keep their conference record perfect while the Cobbers were certainly still smarting after dropping a tough home game to UST on Wednesday night. If Concordia wanted to avoid having an early 0-2 record in the conference, they were going to have to do it the hard way.
As expected, this one stayed close early on without either side gaining a decided advantage. After a lay-up by junior forward Jenna Januschka at the 7:57 mark had Concordia up 2-0, the Royals would respond as senior point guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 7:45 mark and a short jumper by senior post Rachel Parupsky gave Bethel a 4-2 advantage. The Cobbers would come right back, however, as junior guard Greta Walsh banged home a "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down at the 6:44 mark and then Januschka grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:58 mark for a 7-4 Concordia lead. The Royals would answer the call as junior guard Shanni Moorse drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:54 left and then sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole connected on a running jumper in transition that gave Bethel a slim 9-7 advantage. With the score tied 11-all with 1:54 left, the Cobbers made a push to close out the first period. Walsh connected on a pretty give-and-go lay-up attempt with :45.3 left that drew a foul and her subsequent free throw put Concordia up 14-11. Then, with just :06.5 left, Januschka got hacked down low and was sent to the line where she then dropped two freebies to extend the lead to five at 16-11. While Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had to have been less than pleased at the waning moments of the first period, there was still no reason for panic - yet anyway.
The Royals seemingly regained some of their stride in the early minutes of the second period. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz connected on a lay-up at the 7:33 mark and Moorse got one of her own at the 7:16 mark that cut the Cobber lead to one at 16-15. After Concordia jumped ahead 18-15 on a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jamie Mentzer at the 7:05 mark, Schultz finally found the range from three-point land and her bomb from the right wing area at the 6:09 mark knotted things up at 18 a piece. Januschka would single-handedly give the Cobbers a three-point lead. After getting fouled at the 5:22 mark, she dropped the first free throw but her second attempt missed the mark. The Royals, however, made the mistake of not boxing out the 6'0" St. Cloud native and she grabbed the long rebound and got a putback for a 21-18 Concordia lead. Again, the Royals kept their cool and kept the battle close. Freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left and then an O'Toole score in the paint with 3:09 left put Bethel back up 22-21. With both sides trading one-point lead over the next two minutes, the Cobbers tried to make a move right before the half. Sophomore reserve guard Cassidy Rahman maneuvered into the paint for a score with 1:48 left for a 25-24 Concordia lead and then Walsh connected on a pull-up jumper from the right elbow with :41 left that made it 27-24 but a lay-up by Hannah Johnson with :13 left narrowed the deficit to one as the Cobbers took a 27-26 lead into the locker room at the half. Rebounding and turnovers were very even in the first half and the only discouraging thing for the Royals going into the break was that they couldn't seem to find that spark that might ignite a run to open up some distance. Still, no reason to panic.
Concordia looked to get off on the right foot once the third period got underway and a lay-up by strong senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson at the 9:47 mark and a score in the paint by Januschka at the 8:46 mark helped forge a 31-27 lead. Bethel looked like they were right back on track when Schultz let loose with another "3"; this one from the left corner that pulled the Royals back to a single point trailing 31-30. At the 7:37 mark, O'Toole put the home team back out in front when she connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds ass that made it 32-31 Royals and most of the people in attendance in Robertson Center thought this might be the start of a Bethel run that would give them firm control of the outcome. Strangely enough, however, this is exactly where things started to fall apart for the Royals. A Januschka score in the paint at the 7:23 mark prompted a key 7-0 Cobber run. At the 7:03 mark, the acrobatic Walsh connected with a pull-up jumper in transition and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw now had Concordia up 36-32. Another Januschka score in the paint at the 5:42 mark upped the advantage to 38-32 and, although senior guard Hannah Jeske got tagged with her third foul with 4:48 left, the complexion of the game had unmistakably turned in favor of the Cobbers. The Royals would respond with a 4-0 push of their own that drew them back to within a single possession with 3:20 left but Concordia would hold off the Bethel charge. Still another Januschka score in the paint with 2:57 left and a Rahman lay-up with 2:28 left had the lead back up to six at 42-36. Bethel would narrow the gap to a single possession on one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller with 2:07 left and an O'Toole jumper from the right elbow off the glass with :16.7 left and things looked a lot better going into the fourth and final period for the home crowd but the Cobbers managed to put some tabasco sauce on that feel good moment when senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt connected with a running one-handed jumper with just one tick left on the clock to make it a 44-39 ballgame.
The Royals kept looking for that magical touch; some sort of juice or spark that would propel them in this fourth period and it just simply wasn't there as missed opportunities ruled the day and Concordia was all too anxious to pounce on Bethel's misforutnes. Olivia Johnson knocked down two charity stripe shots at the 9:43 mark and then Rosenfeldt got one to go down at the 8:31 mark that had the lead back at six at 47-41. At the 8:06 mark it was Olivia Johnson again with a turnaround jumper off the glass which was followed by two free throws by Walsh who was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 7:52 mark and suddenly the lead bulged to ten points at 51-41. Bethel tried to chip away at the deficit but the harder they worked the more it seemed like they were just treading water and getting nowhere. The Royals managed to slim down the deficit to six points on scores by Niewald and Moorse by the 6:01 mark at 51-45 but each time the Cobbers would have an answer. Olivia Johnson was simply nails in this fourth period for Concordia and with 4:20 left she muscled into the paint for a bucket that pushed the lead back up to eight at 54-46. Bethel would get as close as five points when Hannah Johnson got into the paint for a score with 3:56 left and drew a foul and the subsequent free throw made it 54-49 but the Royals could get no closer. Olivia Johnson came up with yet again another huge score with 3:09 left on a turnaround jumper in the lane and then it was a matter of Bethel fouling in a vain attempt to preserve clock. Olivia Johnson and Januschka sank insurance freebies down the home stretch and the Cobbers stole an incredibly important road victory by a count of 62-55.
Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman was very relieved after this big win and when I asked her about how this team was able to turn the tables after the disappointment against UST a few nights before she just chalked it up to hard work in practice and how they get after it on the court. For me, I was VERY impressed with Januschka's outing on this day as she led all scorers with her 22 points. Even Rahman sang her praises as she noted that she's worked very hard and has definitely made strides from last year. Even her older sister Erin, who was a senior on last year's team, couldn't help but smile in the victory celebration afterward and half-joking confided to me that "she learned a lot from me!" Meanwhile, on the Bethel side, the furrowed brow of Herbrechtsmeyer really told the story as he was going over the box score. I had to ask him about why Parupsky was conspicuously absent in the second half. Herbrechtsmeyer didn't mince words. "Ineffective" he said. In fairness, even the best of players can have off days and I suspect that this disappointment will light the proverbial fire for this all-region player. But, at the same time, the "ineffective" could really apply to the entire team on this day as they were guilty of 19 turnovers and were decisively beaten on the glass as well by a 46-38 count. "We're living in last year" added Herbrechtsmeyer. "We've got to get better.....I don't know how good that is but it'd better be better than we were today."
As expected, this one stayed close early on without either side gaining a decided advantage. After a lay-up by junior forward Jenna Januschka at the 7:57 mark had Concordia up 2-0, the Royals would respond as senior point guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 7:45 mark and a short jumper by senior post Rachel Parupsky gave Bethel a 4-2 advantage. The Cobbers would come right back, however, as junior guard Greta Walsh banged home a "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down at the 6:44 mark and then Januschka grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:58 mark for a 7-4 Concordia lead. The Royals would answer the call as junior guard Shanni Moorse drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:54 left and then sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole connected on a running jumper in transition that gave Bethel a slim 9-7 advantage. With the score tied 11-all with 1:54 left, the Cobbers made a push to close out the first period. Walsh connected on a pretty give-and-go lay-up attempt with :45.3 left that drew a foul and her subsequent free throw put Concordia up 14-11. Then, with just :06.5 left, Januschka got hacked down low and was sent to the line where she then dropped two freebies to extend the lead to five at 16-11. While Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had to have been less than pleased at the waning moments of the first period, there was still no reason for panic - yet anyway.
The Royals seemingly regained some of their stride in the early minutes of the second period. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz connected on a lay-up at the 7:33 mark and Moorse got one of her own at the 7:16 mark that cut the Cobber lead to one at 16-15. After Concordia jumped ahead 18-15 on a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jamie Mentzer at the 7:05 mark, Schultz finally found the range from three-point land and her bomb from the right wing area at the 6:09 mark knotted things up at 18 a piece. Januschka would single-handedly give the Cobbers a three-point lead. After getting fouled at the 5:22 mark, she dropped the first free throw but her second attempt missed the mark. The Royals, however, made the mistake of not boxing out the 6'0" St. Cloud native and she grabbed the long rebound and got a putback for a 21-18 Concordia lead. Again, the Royals kept their cool and kept the battle close. Freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left and then an O'Toole score in the paint with 3:09 left put Bethel back up 22-21. With both sides trading one-point lead over the next two minutes, the Cobbers tried to make a move right before the half. Sophomore reserve guard Cassidy Rahman maneuvered into the paint for a score with 1:48 left for a 25-24 Concordia lead and then Walsh connected on a pull-up jumper from the right elbow with :41 left that made it 27-24 but a lay-up by Hannah Johnson with :13 left narrowed the deficit to one as the Cobbers took a 27-26 lead into the locker room at the half. Rebounding and turnovers were very even in the first half and the only discouraging thing for the Royals going into the break was that they couldn't seem to find that spark that might ignite a run to open up some distance. Still, no reason to panic.
Concordia looked to get off on the right foot once the third period got underway and a lay-up by strong senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson at the 9:47 mark and a score in the paint by Januschka at the 8:46 mark helped forge a 31-27 lead. Bethel looked like they were right back on track when Schultz let loose with another "3"; this one from the left corner that pulled the Royals back to a single point trailing 31-30. At the 7:37 mark, O'Toole put the home team back out in front when she connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds ass that made it 32-31 Royals and most of the people in attendance in Robertson Center thought this might be the start of a Bethel run that would give them firm control of the outcome. Strangely enough, however, this is exactly where things started to fall apart for the Royals. A Januschka score in the paint at the 7:23 mark prompted a key 7-0 Cobber run. At the 7:03 mark, the acrobatic Walsh connected with a pull-up jumper in transition and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw now had Concordia up 36-32. Another Januschka score in the paint at the 5:42 mark upped the advantage to 38-32 and, although senior guard Hannah Jeske got tagged with her third foul with 4:48 left, the complexion of the game had unmistakably turned in favor of the Cobbers. The Royals would respond with a 4-0 push of their own that drew them back to within a single possession with 3:20 left but Concordia would hold off the Bethel charge. Still another Januschka score in the paint with 2:57 left and a Rahman lay-up with 2:28 left had the lead back up to six at 42-36. Bethel would narrow the gap to a single possession on one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller with 2:07 left and an O'Toole jumper from the right elbow off the glass with :16.7 left and things looked a lot better going into the fourth and final period for the home crowd but the Cobbers managed to put some tabasco sauce on that feel good moment when senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt connected with a running one-handed jumper with just one tick left on the clock to make it a 44-39 ballgame.
The Royals kept looking for that magical touch; some sort of juice or spark that would propel them in this fourth period and it just simply wasn't there as missed opportunities ruled the day and Concordia was all too anxious to pounce on Bethel's misforutnes. Olivia Johnson knocked down two charity stripe shots at the 9:43 mark and then Rosenfeldt got one to go down at the 8:31 mark that had the lead back at six at 47-41. At the 8:06 mark it was Olivia Johnson again with a turnaround jumper off the glass which was followed by two free throws by Walsh who was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 7:52 mark and suddenly the lead bulged to ten points at 51-41. Bethel tried to chip away at the deficit but the harder they worked the more it seemed like they were just treading water and getting nowhere. The Royals managed to slim down the deficit to six points on scores by Niewald and Moorse by the 6:01 mark at 51-45 but each time the Cobbers would have an answer. Olivia Johnson was simply nails in this fourth period for Concordia and with 4:20 left she muscled into the paint for a bucket that pushed the lead back up to eight at 54-46. Bethel would get as close as five points when Hannah Johnson got into the paint for a score with 3:56 left and drew a foul and the subsequent free throw made it 54-49 but the Royals could get no closer. Olivia Johnson came up with yet again another huge score with 3:09 left on a turnaround jumper in the lane and then it was a matter of Bethel fouling in a vain attempt to preserve clock. Olivia Johnson and Januschka sank insurance freebies down the home stretch and the Cobbers stole an incredibly important road victory by a count of 62-55.
Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman was very relieved after this big win and when I asked her about how this team was able to turn the tables after the disappointment against UST a few nights before she just chalked it up to hard work in practice and how they get after it on the court. For me, I was VERY impressed with Januschka's outing on this day as she led all scorers with her 22 points. Even Rahman sang her praises as she noted that she's worked very hard and has definitely made strides from last year. Even her older sister Erin, who was a senior on last year's team, couldn't help but smile in the victory celebration afterward and half-joking confided to me that "she learned a lot from me!" Meanwhile, on the Bethel side, the furrowed brow of Herbrechtsmeyer really told the story as he was going over the box score. I had to ask him about why Parupsky was conspicuously absent in the second half. Herbrechtsmeyer didn't mince words. "Ineffective" he said. In fairness, even the best of players can have off days and I suspect that this disappointment will light the proverbial fire for this all-region player. But, at the same time, the "ineffective" could really apply to the entire team on this day as they were guilty of 19 turnovers and were decisively beaten on the glass as well by a 46-38 count. "We're living in last year" added Herbrechtsmeyer. "We've got to get better.....I don't know how good that is but it'd better be better than we were today."
Monday, December 7, 2015
Breakdown Tip-Off Classic - STMA vs Park Center 12-5-15
Made my way over to Hopkins High School for the Annual Breakdown Tip-Off Classic that features a host of top teams. I took in the 12:45 P.M. game featuring the reigning Class AAA Champ Park Center going up against STMA out of the Mississippi 8 Conference.
Trailing 1-0, the Pirates took a 3-1 lead a a pretty three-pointer from junior guard Ann Simonet from the left corner at the 16:50 mark which broke the early scoring drought in this contest. Park Center sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore, however, picked up two early fouls which forced Head Coach Chris VanderHyde to sit her for a spell. As a result, the two sides traded one-point leads in the early going. Trailing 5-2 after Pirate junior forward Mikayla Hayes' score in the paint at the 15:47 mark, Knight junior guard Rae Johnson knocked down a "3" from the right wing area at the 15:10 mark that knotted the score at 5-all and a Johnson jumper from near the right elbow area at the 13:52 mark gave STMA a slim 7-6 advantage. It was here, though, that the Pirates went on a 9-1 burst. Hayes connected with a turnaround jumper at the 13:33 mark and two free throws by sophomore reserve post Azsha Michael had Park Center up 10-7. Michael was also able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:38 mark and then Simonet uncorked her second trey of the first half; this one coming from the right wing area that gave the Pirates a 15-8 lead.
STMA would close the gap to 15-12 on consecutive scores by lanky senior guard Sydney Tracy with 9:13 left before Park Center once again expanded their lead to seven. Hayes connected on a tough, running one-handed jumper in the lane with 8:58 left and a lay-up by junior guard Danielle Schaub with 8:26 left made it a 19-12 ballgame but the Knights would again battle their way back. Johnson would unleash another "3"; this one from the left top area with 8:07 left and Tracy made a drive into the lane for a finish with 7:36 left that cut the Pirates lead to 19-17. A short jumper by Schaub off the glass with 7:18 left gave Park Center a bit more breathing room at 21-17 but then STMA senior guard Kitri Zezza got an inbounds pass and knocked down a short jumper off the glass that once again had the Knights back to a single possession trailing 21-19 with 6:10 left. The alarm bells likely went off for Park Center as they again stepped on the gas pedal as they went on an 8-0 burst. Junior forward Fey Ayobamidele knocked down a short jumper off the glass with 5:47 left and Hayes got into the paint for a score with 5:29 left that upped the lead to 25-19. Sophomore reserve Jada Buford got a short jumper to go down in the lane in a transition opportunity with 5:01 left and then Ayobamidele capped the run when she got a lay-up after an STMA turnover with 4:50 left for a ten-point 29-19 lead. The Knights, however, would tighten things up before the half. Johnson let loose with her third trey of the first half from the right top area with 4:03 left and with a little more than three minutes left, sophomore reserve guard Riley Carlson was fouled and sent to the line. Carlson's first freebie found its mark but her second attempt missed. The Pirates neglected to box out like they should have and that allowed Tracy to use her 6'1" from to snare the offensive rebound for a putback that reduced Park Center's lead to 30-25. Schaub was able to extend the Pirate lead back to seven on her jumper from the left elbow area with 2:15 left at 32-25 but a 5-0 push by STMA right before the half made this one close again. Tracy drained a "3" from the left corner with :34 left and then junior guard Lizzy Heil got a lay-up after a Park Center turnover with :21 left that gave the Pirates a tenuous 32-30 lead at the halftime break.
The Knights came out on fire out of the locker room to start the second half. Zezza drilled a "3" from the left wing area at the 17:13 mark that gave STMA their first lead since the early moments of the game at 33-32 and that lead was extended to 35-32 when Zezza knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 16:23 mark. A Simonet "3" from the right wing area at the 16:02 mark evened things up at 35-all but the Knights would manage to keep their nose poked out in front by a small margin for the next three minutes. Tracy connected with a lay-up at the 15:49 mark and then it was Zezza again from three-point land; this one from the left corner at the 14:53 mark that gave STMA a 40-37 advantage. A Johnson lay-up at the 12:49 mark had the Knights up 42-40 and you couldn't help but begin to wonder if STMA's size was beginning to wear down the Pirates.
But Park Center had a quick answer for that question as they turned up their intensity on defense that usually causes a multitude of problems for the opposition. A 9-0 burst midway through the second half helped turned the tide. Hayes connected with a short shot off the glass at the 12:26 mark that tied things up at 42-all and two Ayobamidele freebies at the 12:09 mark had the green and gold up 44-42. Then it was the ever-improving and confident Buford; nailing a "3" from the left corner at the 10:34 mark that suddenly made it a five-point game at 47-42. With 9:55 left, the diminutive Schaub snuck into the paint for a score to make it 49-42 that effectively turned the tables in this one. The Knights would try to bring this one back but they could never quite find that one extended run that would steal the momentum. A Johnson drive into the lane with 9:28 left and a Tracy "3" from the right corner had STMA within four trailing 51-47 and a score in the paint by lanky 8th grader Vanessa Alexander at the 7:18 mark kept the deficit at four at 53-49. But a 6-0 Park Center run pretty much ended any wisp of hope the Knights may have had. One free throw by Ayobamidele with 6:58 left not only extended the lead to 54-49 but the Pirates were also now in the double-bonus as well. Simonet unleashed another back-breaking "3"; this one from the right corner with 5:53 left that extended the Park Center lead at 57-49 and a short jumper by Buford with 4:34 left now made it 59-49. The Knights were not yet ready to call it a day just yet as they made one more valiant push. One Alexander free throw with 4:13 left and a running one-handed jumper in the lane by Johnson trimmed the Pirate lead to 59-52 and a Zezza lay-up with 3:47 left helped STMA draw closer trailing 59-54. A Tracy jumper from the left corner just inside the arc with 3:16 left coupled with a short jumper by Zezza with 2:42 left now cut Park Center's lead down to a single solitary point at 59-58. But the Pirates refused to let this 9-0 Knight run faze them and they calmly responded under pressure. A score in the paint by Hayes with 1:39 left and two Blakemore freebies with 1:00 left extended the lead to 63-58. Schaub dropped two more from the charity stripe with :34.4 left and got one more to drop with :09.6 left to give Park Center a tough 66-60 victory.
Trailing 1-0, the Pirates took a 3-1 lead a a pretty three-pointer from junior guard Ann Simonet from the left corner at the 16:50 mark which broke the early scoring drought in this contest. Park Center sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore, however, picked up two early fouls which forced Head Coach Chris VanderHyde to sit her for a spell. As a result, the two sides traded one-point leads in the early going. Trailing 5-2 after Pirate junior forward Mikayla Hayes' score in the paint at the 15:47 mark, Knight junior guard Rae Johnson knocked down a "3" from the right wing area at the 15:10 mark that knotted the score at 5-all and a Johnson jumper from near the right elbow area at the 13:52 mark gave STMA a slim 7-6 advantage. It was here, though, that the Pirates went on a 9-1 burst. Hayes connected with a turnaround jumper at the 13:33 mark and two free throws by sophomore reserve post Azsha Michael had Park Center up 10-7. Michael was also able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:38 mark and then Simonet uncorked her second trey of the first half; this one coming from the right wing area that gave the Pirates a 15-8 lead.
STMA would close the gap to 15-12 on consecutive scores by lanky senior guard Sydney Tracy with 9:13 left before Park Center once again expanded their lead to seven. Hayes connected on a tough, running one-handed jumper in the lane with 8:58 left and a lay-up by junior guard Danielle Schaub with 8:26 left made it a 19-12 ballgame but the Knights would again battle their way back. Johnson would unleash another "3"; this one from the left top area with 8:07 left and Tracy made a drive into the lane for a finish with 7:36 left that cut the Pirates lead to 19-17. A short jumper by Schaub off the glass with 7:18 left gave Park Center a bit more breathing room at 21-17 but then STMA senior guard Kitri Zezza got an inbounds pass and knocked down a short jumper off the glass that once again had the Knights back to a single possession trailing 21-19 with 6:10 left. The alarm bells likely went off for Park Center as they again stepped on the gas pedal as they went on an 8-0 burst. Junior forward Fey Ayobamidele knocked down a short jumper off the glass with 5:47 left and Hayes got into the paint for a score with 5:29 left that upped the lead to 25-19. Sophomore reserve Jada Buford got a short jumper to go down in the lane in a transition opportunity with 5:01 left and then Ayobamidele capped the run when she got a lay-up after an STMA turnover with 4:50 left for a ten-point 29-19 lead. The Knights, however, would tighten things up before the half. Johnson let loose with her third trey of the first half from the right top area with 4:03 left and with a little more than three minutes left, sophomore reserve guard Riley Carlson was fouled and sent to the line. Carlson's first freebie found its mark but her second attempt missed. The Pirates neglected to box out like they should have and that allowed Tracy to use her 6'1" from to snare the offensive rebound for a putback that reduced Park Center's lead to 30-25. Schaub was able to extend the Pirate lead back to seven on her jumper from the left elbow area with 2:15 left at 32-25 but a 5-0 push by STMA right before the half made this one close again. Tracy drained a "3" from the left corner with :34 left and then junior guard Lizzy Heil got a lay-up after a Park Center turnover with :21 left that gave the Pirates a tenuous 32-30 lead at the halftime break.
The Knights came out on fire out of the locker room to start the second half. Zezza drilled a "3" from the left wing area at the 17:13 mark that gave STMA their first lead since the early moments of the game at 33-32 and that lead was extended to 35-32 when Zezza knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 16:23 mark. A Simonet "3" from the right wing area at the 16:02 mark evened things up at 35-all but the Knights would manage to keep their nose poked out in front by a small margin for the next three minutes. Tracy connected with a lay-up at the 15:49 mark and then it was Zezza again from three-point land; this one from the left corner at the 14:53 mark that gave STMA a 40-37 advantage. A Johnson lay-up at the 12:49 mark had the Knights up 42-40 and you couldn't help but begin to wonder if STMA's size was beginning to wear down the Pirates.
But Park Center had a quick answer for that question as they turned up their intensity on defense that usually causes a multitude of problems for the opposition. A 9-0 burst midway through the second half helped turned the tide. Hayes connected with a short shot off the glass at the 12:26 mark that tied things up at 42-all and two Ayobamidele freebies at the 12:09 mark had the green and gold up 44-42. Then it was the ever-improving and confident Buford; nailing a "3" from the left corner at the 10:34 mark that suddenly made it a five-point game at 47-42. With 9:55 left, the diminutive Schaub snuck into the paint for a score to make it 49-42 that effectively turned the tables in this one. The Knights would try to bring this one back but they could never quite find that one extended run that would steal the momentum. A Johnson drive into the lane with 9:28 left and a Tracy "3" from the right corner had STMA within four trailing 51-47 and a score in the paint by lanky 8th grader Vanessa Alexander at the 7:18 mark kept the deficit at four at 53-49. But a 6-0 Park Center run pretty much ended any wisp of hope the Knights may have had. One free throw by Ayobamidele with 6:58 left not only extended the lead to 54-49 but the Pirates were also now in the double-bonus as well. Simonet unleashed another back-breaking "3"; this one from the right corner with 5:53 left that extended the Park Center lead at 57-49 and a short jumper by Buford with 4:34 left now made it 59-49. The Knights were not yet ready to call it a day just yet as they made one more valiant push. One Alexander free throw with 4:13 left and a running one-handed jumper in the lane by Johnson trimmed the Pirate lead to 59-52 and a Zezza lay-up with 3:47 left helped STMA draw closer trailing 59-54. A Tracy jumper from the left corner just inside the arc with 3:16 left coupled with a short jumper by Zezza with 2:42 left now cut Park Center's lead down to a single solitary point at 59-58. But the Pirates refused to let this 9-0 Knight run faze them and they calmly responded under pressure. A score in the paint by Hayes with 1:39 left and two Blakemore freebies with 1:00 left extended the lead to 63-58. Schaub dropped two more from the charity stripe with :34.4 left and got one more to drop with :09.6 left to give Park Center a tough 66-60 victory.
Friday, December 4, 2015
St. Kate's vs Bethel 12-2-15
Made the run over to Bethel's Robertson Center on this Wednesday evening for the opening night of MIAC play between host Bethel and visiting St. Kate's. The Royals; with a somewhat surprising 2-2 record after dropping a 65-43 decision to Maryville College and also losing a heartbreaker to UW-River Falls on the road, were looking to right the ship and be the world beater that many (including myself) thought they would be. The other surprise was St. Kate's; coming into this contest with a unblemished 5-0 record and playing pretty well up to this point.
After the Wildcats took an early 2-0 lead on sophomore guard Audra Clark's lay-up at the 9:27 mark, junior guard Shanni Moorse made good on a drive and lay-up at the 8:04 mark and got fouled in the process and her subsequent free throw had Bethel up 3-2. But the Royals suddenly and inexplicably stagnated on offense; going ice cold from the perimeter and St. Kate's was quick to pounce on the opportunity given them; going on a quick 7-0 spurt. Senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:32 mark and then the other half of the Clark duo; sophomore guard Meg, drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 6:59 mark. Then it was Horsch again; making a drive into the lane and a finish off the glass at the 6:17 mark for a 9-3 Wildcat lead. Bethel was able to close the gap to two points on two charity stripe shots by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole at the 5:39 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by O'Toole at the 5:08 mark. But the 'Cats then proceeded to go on an 8-1 foray. First, flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 4:51 left and a lay-up by fellow junior forward Mari Lee with 3:46 left increase the margin to 14-8. Audra Clark then followed with 3:23 left with a drive into the lane for a finish and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw made it 17-8 and Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer knew right then and there that a timeout was needed to get his squad back in sync. The break in the action appeared to give the Royals a boost as senior guard Hannah Niewald snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:49 left and fellow senior post Rachel Parupsky got into the paint for a score with 1:26 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 17-12 to close out the first period.
St. Kate's managed to maintain its lead in the opening minutes of the second period and a Lee lay-up at the 9:28 mark did have the 'Cats up 19-14 but it was here the the Royals were able to turn up the intensity on defense and create turnovers that led to easy points. A key 9-2 run over the course of four minutes really changed the course of this contest. Two free throws by the reliable Moorse at the 8:05 mark got the game back to a single possession at 19-16 and a score in the paint by O'Toole at the 7:30 mark cut the Wildcat lead down to one at 19-18. A coast-to-coast lay-up by Holt at the 6:30 mark briefly increased the lead back to three for St. Kate's at 21-18 but Bethel senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz; who struggled from behind the arc in the first period, finally found the range from the right wing area with 4:55 left that knotted the score at 21-all. A steal by sophomore guard Angie Kirchoff led to a lay-up by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson with 4:24 left that gave the Royals their first lead since the opening moments of the game. An Audra Clark "3" from the right wing area with 3:57 left gave the 'Cats their last lead at 24-23 but an 11-0 Bethel run fueled by its defensive prowess had St. Kate's on its heels. Kirchoff connected with a lay-up with 3:38 left as did freshman reserve guard Lily Porta did in transition with 3:11 left. Parupsky knocked down two charity stripe shots with 2:37 left and then Niewald unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 1:36 left. A pretty move and finish in the lane by Parupsky with :55 left gave the Royals a 34-24 lead before St. Kate's finally stopped some of the bleeding just before the half. Two Horsch free throws with :23.6 left and a jumper in the lane by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with just :03 left on the clock before the half had the Wildcats back in the contest trailing 34-28 at the break but St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had to know that his team would need to take better care of the rock the rest of the way to have a chance. The Wildcats were pretty balanced scoring-wise in the first half with Audra Clark's 8 points leading the way but the nine turnovers hurt. Worse yet, they were getting hammered on the boards as Bethel held a decisive 29-21 edge on the glass. The Royals, too, were very balanced in their scoring with Niewald's seven points leading the way while Moorse, Parupsky and O'Toole all contributed six points a piece.
Bethel was able to increase its lead back to ten points early in the third period at 38-28 but when Parupsky picked up her third foul at the 7:30 mark it appeared that the Wildcats got a bit of a boost and proceeded to go on a 7-2 burst. Meg Clark connected on a tough, long-running lay-up at the 7:04 mark and Horsch craftily worked her way into the paint for a score at the 6:20 mark. Audra Clark uncorked a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:12 mark and the Royals lead was down to 42-35. Bethel was able to apply the clamps defensively and build their lead back up to double digits 46-35 with 4:47 left when O'Toole connected with a jumper but the Wildcats would make another valiant push. Holt connected with a short jumper with 4:34 left and after Audra Clark's one free throw with 3:58 left, Jennings used her willowy 5'11" frame to drive into the lane and finish that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe where she calmly sank the obligatory freebie that had St. Kate's back to within double digits trailing 48-41. A Holt lay-up with 3:01 left and two free throws by Horsch with 2:38 left now sliced the Royals lead down to four at 48-44 and even more problematic for Bethel was the fact that the Wildcats were now in the bonus as well. But this 9-2 run would be the last hurrah for St. Kate's on this night as the Royals recovered and went on a 8-1 run to close out the third period. Parupsky scored off of an inbounds pass with 1:23 left and free throws by Niewald with :51.8 left and O'Toole with :33.9 had the lead back up to nine at 54-45 which would have been quite so bad from a Wildcat perspective but with :02.5 left, St. Kate's made a bad mistake defensively when Schultz was fouled behind the arc that allowed her to go to the line to sink two more free throws to end the third period with the score now at 56-45.
With the wind now effectively taken out of the sails for the Wildcats, Bethel cruised in the fourth and final period. Moorse connected on a lay-up at the 9:08 mark and while Pinkerton called a timeout at the 8:58 mark to try and stem the tide, there was no stopping the Royal Express once it got rolling. Another Moorse lay-up at the 8:49 mark and yet another one by the former Apple Valley standout at the 8:16 mark now had the Bethel lead up to 62-45. Kirchoff's lay-up at the 7:27 mark drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie that made it a twenty-point game at 65-45. St. Kate's would try and respond with a 6-0 push; highlighted by an Audra Clark "3" from the right wing at the 6:57 mark but the 'Cats simply couldn't get the defensive stops when they needed them. Sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it at the 5:38 mark and then Porta got an offensive rebound of her own for a putback with 3:36 left. With the game firmly in hand, Herbrechtsmeyer got his more of his reserves into the contest down the home stretch. Freshman guard Hannah Simpson got two free throws to go down with 2:22 left and was also able to connect with a lay-up with 1:22 left. The Wildcats could only make small dents in the deficit and Bethel wound up a 76-61 winner when the final horn sounded.
Herbrechtsmeyer acknowledged afterward that his team did not get off to the good start that he had hoped for early on but once they found their way defensively, he knew they would be fine. He also pooh-poohed the notion that his squad should be the overwhelming favorite to win the MIAC this year. "We're really a young team" he stated; pointing out that there are only seven returners from last year's squad that made it to the MIAC Championship Game and got into the NCAA Tournament and that two of them are hurt - most notably junior forward Kalli Zimmerman who was in civvies for this one with an apparent leg injury of sorts. While Herbrechtsmeyer couldn't delve into details, of course, he is cautiously optimistic about Zimmerman's return sometime after the first of the year. O'Toole as well has been battling some nagging little hurts although she looked very solid on this night. When I look at the box score for this one, the thing that stands out to me is how the Royals won this in very Bethel-like fashion: with their defense as they were able to get 23 points off of turnovers alone. The Royals also had a commanding presence in the paint with not only a 44-26 advantage in scoring but also with 53-37 advantage on the glass. Moorse's 16 points paced Bethel on this night while St. Kate's was led by Audra Clark with her 18 points.
After the Wildcats took an early 2-0 lead on sophomore guard Audra Clark's lay-up at the 9:27 mark, junior guard Shanni Moorse made good on a drive and lay-up at the 8:04 mark and got fouled in the process and her subsequent free throw had Bethel up 3-2. But the Royals suddenly and inexplicably stagnated on offense; going ice cold from the perimeter and St. Kate's was quick to pounce on the opportunity given them; going on a quick 7-0 spurt. Senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:32 mark and then the other half of the Clark duo; sophomore guard Meg, drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 6:59 mark. Then it was Horsch again; making a drive into the lane and a finish off the glass at the 6:17 mark for a 9-3 Wildcat lead. Bethel was able to close the gap to two points on two charity stripe shots by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole at the 5:39 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by O'Toole at the 5:08 mark. But the 'Cats then proceeded to go on an 8-1 foray. First, flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 4:51 left and a lay-up by fellow junior forward Mari Lee with 3:46 left increase the margin to 14-8. Audra Clark then followed with 3:23 left with a drive into the lane for a finish and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw made it 17-8 and Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer knew right then and there that a timeout was needed to get his squad back in sync. The break in the action appeared to give the Royals a boost as senior guard Hannah Niewald snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:49 left and fellow senior post Rachel Parupsky got into the paint for a score with 1:26 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 17-12 to close out the first period.
St. Kate's managed to maintain its lead in the opening minutes of the second period and a Lee lay-up at the 9:28 mark did have the 'Cats up 19-14 but it was here the the Royals were able to turn up the intensity on defense and create turnovers that led to easy points. A key 9-2 run over the course of four minutes really changed the course of this contest. Two free throws by the reliable Moorse at the 8:05 mark got the game back to a single possession at 19-16 and a score in the paint by O'Toole at the 7:30 mark cut the Wildcat lead down to one at 19-18. A coast-to-coast lay-up by Holt at the 6:30 mark briefly increased the lead back to three for St. Kate's at 21-18 but Bethel senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz; who struggled from behind the arc in the first period, finally found the range from the right wing area with 4:55 left that knotted the score at 21-all. A steal by sophomore guard Angie Kirchoff led to a lay-up by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson with 4:24 left that gave the Royals their first lead since the opening moments of the game. An Audra Clark "3" from the right wing area with 3:57 left gave the 'Cats their last lead at 24-23 but an 11-0 Bethel run fueled by its defensive prowess had St. Kate's on its heels. Kirchoff connected with a lay-up with 3:38 left as did freshman reserve guard Lily Porta did in transition with 3:11 left. Parupsky knocked down two charity stripe shots with 2:37 left and then Niewald unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 1:36 left. A pretty move and finish in the lane by Parupsky with :55 left gave the Royals a 34-24 lead before St. Kate's finally stopped some of the bleeding just before the half. Two Horsch free throws with :23.6 left and a jumper in the lane by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with just :03 left on the clock before the half had the Wildcats back in the contest trailing 34-28 at the break but St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had to know that his team would need to take better care of the rock the rest of the way to have a chance. The Wildcats were pretty balanced scoring-wise in the first half with Audra Clark's 8 points leading the way but the nine turnovers hurt. Worse yet, they were getting hammered on the boards as Bethel held a decisive 29-21 edge on the glass. The Royals, too, were very balanced in their scoring with Niewald's seven points leading the way while Moorse, Parupsky and O'Toole all contributed six points a piece.
Bethel was able to increase its lead back to ten points early in the third period at 38-28 but when Parupsky picked up her third foul at the 7:30 mark it appeared that the Wildcats got a bit of a boost and proceeded to go on a 7-2 burst. Meg Clark connected on a tough, long-running lay-up at the 7:04 mark and Horsch craftily worked her way into the paint for a score at the 6:20 mark. Audra Clark uncorked a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:12 mark and the Royals lead was down to 42-35. Bethel was able to apply the clamps defensively and build their lead back up to double digits 46-35 with 4:47 left when O'Toole connected with a jumper but the Wildcats would make another valiant push. Holt connected with a short jumper with 4:34 left and after Audra Clark's one free throw with 3:58 left, Jennings used her willowy 5'11" frame to drive into the lane and finish that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe where she calmly sank the obligatory freebie that had St. Kate's back to within double digits trailing 48-41. A Holt lay-up with 3:01 left and two free throws by Horsch with 2:38 left now sliced the Royals lead down to four at 48-44 and even more problematic for Bethel was the fact that the Wildcats were now in the bonus as well. But this 9-2 run would be the last hurrah for St. Kate's on this night as the Royals recovered and went on a 8-1 run to close out the third period. Parupsky scored off of an inbounds pass with 1:23 left and free throws by Niewald with :51.8 left and O'Toole with :33.9 had the lead back up to nine at 54-45 which would have been quite so bad from a Wildcat perspective but with :02.5 left, St. Kate's made a bad mistake defensively when Schultz was fouled behind the arc that allowed her to go to the line to sink two more free throws to end the third period with the score now at 56-45.
With the wind now effectively taken out of the sails for the Wildcats, Bethel cruised in the fourth and final period. Moorse connected on a lay-up at the 9:08 mark and while Pinkerton called a timeout at the 8:58 mark to try and stem the tide, there was no stopping the Royal Express once it got rolling. Another Moorse lay-up at the 8:49 mark and yet another one by the former Apple Valley standout at the 8:16 mark now had the Bethel lead up to 62-45. Kirchoff's lay-up at the 7:27 mark drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie that made it a twenty-point game at 65-45. St. Kate's would try and respond with a 6-0 push; highlighted by an Audra Clark "3" from the right wing at the 6:57 mark but the 'Cats simply couldn't get the defensive stops when they needed them. Sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it at the 5:38 mark and then Porta got an offensive rebound of her own for a putback with 3:36 left. With the game firmly in hand, Herbrechtsmeyer got his more of his reserves into the contest down the home stretch. Freshman guard Hannah Simpson got two free throws to go down with 2:22 left and was also able to connect with a lay-up with 1:22 left. The Wildcats could only make small dents in the deficit and Bethel wound up a 76-61 winner when the final horn sounded.
Herbrechtsmeyer acknowledged afterward that his team did not get off to the good start that he had hoped for early on but once they found their way defensively, he knew they would be fine. He also pooh-poohed the notion that his squad should be the overwhelming favorite to win the MIAC this year. "We're really a young team" he stated; pointing out that there are only seven returners from last year's squad that made it to the MIAC Championship Game and got into the NCAA Tournament and that two of them are hurt - most notably junior forward Kalli Zimmerman who was in civvies for this one with an apparent leg injury of sorts. While Herbrechtsmeyer couldn't delve into details, of course, he is cautiously optimistic about Zimmerman's return sometime after the first of the year. O'Toole as well has been battling some nagging little hurts although she looked very solid on this night. When I look at the box score for this one, the thing that stands out to me is how the Royals won this in very Bethel-like fashion: with their defense as they were able to get 23 points off of turnovers alone. The Royals also had a commanding presence in the paint with not only a 44-26 advantage in scoring but also with 53-37 advantage on the glass. Moorse's 16 points paced Bethel on this night while St. Kate's was led by Audra Clark with her 18 points.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Macalester vs Northwestern Synopsis 11-24-15
Note: Again, apologies for being so late with getting this one in with the Thanksgiving holiday and "Beat 'SC" week going on. Had a wisdom tooth pulled here last night so laid off sick today which gives me an opportunity to finally get caught up. :)
Was back over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this Tuesday evening of "Beat 'SC" week to take in the interconference clash between visiting Macalester of the MIAC and host Northwestern of the UMAC. This would be my first look at the Scots this season so I really wasn't quite sure what to expect; particularly with junior guard Grace Dickman out for this game with an injury. Northwestern on the other hand was having a mixed bag in the early season schedule. After the loss to Augsburg, the Eagles also dropped a home contest to Buena Vista out of the IIAC before righting the ship and knocking off another MIAC opponent - Hamline - the previous Saturday.
Predictably, Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl had his squad in its usual 2-3 "match-up" zone defense which paid dividends in the first period as the Scots struggled mightily from the perimeter. With the Eagles holding a slim 4-3 advantage after senior forward Courtney Cunard connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:11 mark, sophomore guard Amy Berglund knocked down a jumper from the top of the key with 3:26 left and then the Springfield, Virginia native was able to get into the paint for a score for an 8-3 Northwestern advantage and Macalester Head Coach (and former U of Minnesota standout) Kelly Roysland called a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down and reorganized. Still, the Eagles maintained their hot hand to provide an exclamation point for the first period. Freshman reserve guard Taryn Tumbleson connected with a lay-up in transition with :40 left and a "3" from the right wing by the Mo Valley, Iowa native Cunard with just :00.8 left on the clock gave Northwestern a ten-point edge at 13-3 as the first period ended.
Two Berglund freebies at the 9:14 mark of the second period increased the Eagle lead to 15-3 before Macalester was able to remove the lid from the bucket. Consecutive scores by sophomore post Regan Fruh - an offensive rebound and putback at the 7:51 mark and a pretty turnaround shot off the glass right at the 7:00 mark - sliced some of the fat off the deficit momentarily but Northwestern was able to find yet another offensive push. Junior guard Tiffany Stubbs knocked down a "3" from the right top area at the 6:43 mark and fellow junior reserve forward Emily VanLith used her 5'9" frame to get into the paint for a score with 4:23 left for a 20-10 Eagle advantage. Berglund snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:48 left and VanLith got into the paint for another score with 3:08 left for a 24-13 Northwestern lead. The Scots, however, maintained their composure and slowly whittled away at the lead down the stretch. Fruh got into the paint for a score with 2:55 left and then sophomore reserve guard Vivi Gregorich finally found her range from downtown; banging home a "3" from the left top area with 2:10 left that had Macalester back to within single digits trailing 26-18. Lanky sophomore reserve guard Leah Gray surprised the Ericksen Center gathering when she drilled a "3" from the left top area with 1:16 left that reduced the Eagles lead down to 28-21. Junior forward Park Masterson's score in the paint with :33 left gave the Scots renewed hope and confidence going into the locker room at the half trailing 30-23.
Northwestern still appeared to be on the safe side of things early on the third period. Senior post Regan Cooper; held to just two points in the first half, snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 9:19 mark and was also able to to connect on a lay-up at the 7:58 mark that maintained the seven-point edge at 34-27. The Eagles got their lead back up to ten points on back-to-back scores by Berglund: a short jumper at the 7:19 mark and a lay-up at the 6:43 mark that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw to make it 39-29. But a resilient Macalester squad hung tough and proceeded to go on a 9-0 burst of their own. Junior guard Lauren Clamage drove into the lane for a finish at the 5:45 mark and then Gray struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key with 4:20 left that sliced Northwestern's lead down to five a 39-34. Gregorich got one freebie to go down after being fouled with 3:32 left and then the Boulder, Colorado native drained a "3" from the left top area with 2:57 left that suddenly cut the Eagle lead down to a scant point at 39-38. Northwestern tried to pull itself out of trouble on scores by sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole and VanLith but Masterson connected on a short jumper with :25 left in the third period that had the Eagles hanging onto a perilous 43-42 edge.
A Cole jumper from the right corner at the 9:50 mark of the fourth period had Northwestern up by three once again at 45-42 but at the 9:14 mark, Gray; the San Rafael, California native, lit up the scoreboard with another "3"; this one coming from the top of the key that knotted up the score at 45-all. Tumbleson responded for the Eagles with her pretty "3" from the left corner at the 7:53 mark that gave Northwestern a bit of breathing room again at 48-45 but the Scots were in no mood to go away so easily. A Masterson score in the paint at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by Clamage at the 6:54 mark had Macalester in that one-point range; trailing 50-49. Clamage's lay-up at the 6:26 mark gave the Scots their first lead since the early moments of the contest at 51-50 and now things began to look very uncertain for the host team. With their backs to the wall, the Eagles responded as Stubbs hit a clutch "3" from the left corner at the 6:14 mark and at the 5:12 left the Ames, Iowa native knocked down another trey - this one from the top of the key that had Northwestern back up by five at 56-51. Roysland called a timeout to prevent this one from getting away too quickly from the Scots and the strategy nearly paid off. Fruh scored in the paint with 4:34 left and a jumper by Gray from the left wing with 4:00 left once again reduced the Eagle advantage to a dicey one-point 56-55 lead. With 2:49 left, senior guard Erin Murray connected on a lay-up in transition that gave Macalester a 57-56 lead and when Cooper couldn't connect on a jumper attempt on the ensuing possession for Northwestern, Kahl called a timeout with 1:54 left to try and prevent panic from setting in. The strategy worked. Cooper got fouled with 1:42 left and calmly sank two free throws to put the Eagles back out in front at 58-57. Still plenty of time for Macalester to respond but a turnover by Fruh on the ensuing possession thwarted those hopes. But the Eagles were unable to capitalize on the opportunity to get a bit more breathing room and this gave the Scots one last shot. With :18 left, Gray got an opening in the left wing area behind the arc and let loose with a good shot but it refused to fall and the rebound went to Northwestern senior guard Kim Campbell. Another Kahl timeout and then the Eagles; trying to milk the clock, got the ball to Cunard who was fouled with :08.5 left that gave her a chance to get insurance freebies. Cunard got the first one to go down for a 59-57 lead but the second attempt rattled out and Masterson grabbed the defensive rebound for the Scots as they quickly dashed down the other end for one last attempt. Gregorich got the ball outside the arc and with just :02 left and uncorked a prayer that harmlessly fell short and gave Northwestern a narrow 59-57 victory.
Was back over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this Tuesday evening of "Beat 'SC" week to take in the interconference clash between visiting Macalester of the MIAC and host Northwestern of the UMAC. This would be my first look at the Scots this season so I really wasn't quite sure what to expect; particularly with junior guard Grace Dickman out for this game with an injury. Northwestern on the other hand was having a mixed bag in the early season schedule. After the loss to Augsburg, the Eagles also dropped a home contest to Buena Vista out of the IIAC before righting the ship and knocking off another MIAC opponent - Hamline - the previous Saturday.
Predictably, Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl had his squad in its usual 2-3 "match-up" zone defense which paid dividends in the first period as the Scots struggled mightily from the perimeter. With the Eagles holding a slim 4-3 advantage after senior forward Courtney Cunard connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:11 mark, sophomore guard Amy Berglund knocked down a jumper from the top of the key with 3:26 left and then the Springfield, Virginia native was able to get into the paint for a score for an 8-3 Northwestern advantage and Macalester Head Coach (and former U of Minnesota standout) Kelly Roysland called a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down and reorganized. Still, the Eagles maintained their hot hand to provide an exclamation point for the first period. Freshman reserve guard Taryn Tumbleson connected with a lay-up in transition with :40 left and a "3" from the right wing by the Mo Valley, Iowa native Cunard with just :00.8 left on the clock gave Northwestern a ten-point edge at 13-3 as the first period ended.
Two Berglund freebies at the 9:14 mark of the second period increased the Eagle lead to 15-3 before Macalester was able to remove the lid from the bucket. Consecutive scores by sophomore post Regan Fruh - an offensive rebound and putback at the 7:51 mark and a pretty turnaround shot off the glass right at the 7:00 mark - sliced some of the fat off the deficit momentarily but Northwestern was able to find yet another offensive push. Junior guard Tiffany Stubbs knocked down a "3" from the right top area at the 6:43 mark and fellow junior reserve forward Emily VanLith used her 5'9" frame to get into the paint for a score with 4:23 left for a 20-10 Eagle advantage. Berglund snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:48 left and VanLith got into the paint for another score with 3:08 left for a 24-13 Northwestern lead. The Scots, however, maintained their composure and slowly whittled away at the lead down the stretch. Fruh got into the paint for a score with 2:55 left and then sophomore reserve guard Vivi Gregorich finally found her range from downtown; banging home a "3" from the left top area with 2:10 left that had Macalester back to within single digits trailing 26-18. Lanky sophomore reserve guard Leah Gray surprised the Ericksen Center gathering when she drilled a "3" from the left top area with 1:16 left that reduced the Eagles lead down to 28-21. Junior forward Park Masterson's score in the paint with :33 left gave the Scots renewed hope and confidence going into the locker room at the half trailing 30-23.
Northwestern still appeared to be on the safe side of things early on the third period. Senior post Regan Cooper; held to just two points in the first half, snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 9:19 mark and was also able to to connect on a lay-up at the 7:58 mark that maintained the seven-point edge at 34-27. The Eagles got their lead back up to ten points on back-to-back scores by Berglund: a short jumper at the 7:19 mark and a lay-up at the 6:43 mark that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw to make it 39-29. But a resilient Macalester squad hung tough and proceeded to go on a 9-0 burst of their own. Junior guard Lauren Clamage drove into the lane for a finish at the 5:45 mark and then Gray struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key with 4:20 left that sliced Northwestern's lead down to five a 39-34. Gregorich got one freebie to go down after being fouled with 3:32 left and then the Boulder, Colorado native drained a "3" from the left top area with 2:57 left that suddenly cut the Eagle lead down to a scant point at 39-38. Northwestern tried to pull itself out of trouble on scores by sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole and VanLith but Masterson connected on a short jumper with :25 left in the third period that had the Eagles hanging onto a perilous 43-42 edge.
A Cole jumper from the right corner at the 9:50 mark of the fourth period had Northwestern up by three once again at 45-42 but at the 9:14 mark, Gray; the San Rafael, California native, lit up the scoreboard with another "3"; this one coming from the top of the key that knotted up the score at 45-all. Tumbleson responded for the Eagles with her pretty "3" from the left corner at the 7:53 mark that gave Northwestern a bit of breathing room again at 48-45 but the Scots were in no mood to go away so easily. A Masterson score in the paint at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by Clamage at the 6:54 mark had Macalester in that one-point range; trailing 50-49. Clamage's lay-up at the 6:26 mark gave the Scots their first lead since the early moments of the contest at 51-50 and now things began to look very uncertain for the host team. With their backs to the wall, the Eagles responded as Stubbs hit a clutch "3" from the left corner at the 6:14 mark and at the 5:12 left the Ames, Iowa native knocked down another trey - this one from the top of the key that had Northwestern back up by five at 56-51. Roysland called a timeout to prevent this one from getting away too quickly from the Scots and the strategy nearly paid off. Fruh scored in the paint with 4:34 left and a jumper by Gray from the left wing with 4:00 left once again reduced the Eagle advantage to a dicey one-point 56-55 lead. With 2:49 left, senior guard Erin Murray connected on a lay-up in transition that gave Macalester a 57-56 lead and when Cooper couldn't connect on a jumper attempt on the ensuing possession for Northwestern, Kahl called a timeout with 1:54 left to try and prevent panic from setting in. The strategy worked. Cooper got fouled with 1:42 left and calmly sank two free throws to put the Eagles back out in front at 58-57. Still plenty of time for Macalester to respond but a turnover by Fruh on the ensuing possession thwarted those hopes. But the Eagles were unable to capitalize on the opportunity to get a bit more breathing room and this gave the Scots one last shot. With :18 left, Gray got an opening in the left wing area behind the arc and let loose with a good shot but it refused to fall and the rebound went to Northwestern senior guard Kim Campbell. Another Kahl timeout and then the Eagles; trying to milk the clock, got the ball to Cunard who was fouled with :08.5 left that gave her a chance to get insurance freebies. Cunard got the first one to go down for a 59-57 lead but the second attempt rattled out and Masterson grabbed the defensive rebound for the Scots as they quickly dashed down the other end for one last attempt. Gregorich got the ball outside the arc and with just :02 left and uncorked a prayer that harmlessly fell short and gave Northwestern a narrow 59-57 victory.
UW-Stout vs Augsburg Synopsis 11-23-15
Note: I apologize for being so late with this entry. The Thanksgiving Holiday and the fact that it was "Beat 'SC" week played a part in the delay. :)
Made my way over to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this Monday night to take in another WIAC-MIAC clash - this one featuring the same UW-Stout team that fell to GAC the previous Friday night going up against host Augsburg. The Auggies; fresh off a road win at UMAC opponent Northwestern from the previous week, were looking to build on their young season while the Blue Devils were hoping to find some consistency on offense.
UW-Stout, which struggled offensively against GAC found a bit of a groove in the early going; building a 6-0 lead by the 6:49 mark after junior forward Jenna Goldsmith connected with a short shot off the glass. Auggie senior guard Allison McKee got the home team on the board when she scored in the paint off of an inbounds pass a short time later at the 6:27 mark and a drive and finish by fellow senior point guard Maria Loughlin kept Augsburg within the three point range but the Blue Devils proceeded to go on an 8-0 spurt. Freshman reserve guard Shannan Watkins got into the paint for a score with 4:08 left and then fellow freshman reserve guard Bailey Diersen drove into the paint for a finish a short time later with 3:25 left. Junior guard Sarah Schoch connected on a lay-up in transition with 2:10 left and then fellow junior forward Danielle Adams got a lay-up with 1:24 left for a 15-4 UW-Stout lead and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso had seen enough to know a timeout was warranted. Reserve sophomore forward Bridget Bednar's jumper in the lane with :58 left temporarily halted the Blue Devil run but a score in the paint by Goldsmith with just :06 left in the first period had UW-Stout clearly in control at this point.
Things began to look even more dire for Augsburg once the second period got underway. Free throws by both Goldsmith and Watkins increased the lead to 20-6 by the 8:41 mark and then a Watkins jumper from the right elbow at the 8:34 mark upped the lead to 22-6. Loughlin tried to counter for the Auggies with her pretty scoop shot underneath the basket at the 8:10 mark but a "3" from the left top area by UW-Stout junior reserve guard Nicole Schaub made it 25-8. A steal and lay-up the other way by freshman reserve guard Kyncaide Diedrich at the 7:00 mark and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Carolyn Feddema at the 6:32 mark had the Blue Devils cruising with a cozy 29-10 advantage. Slowly, however, Augsburg worked their way back into the contest. Senior reserve guard Marie Fitzgerald drove hard into the lane and finished at the 6:15 mark and was fouled in the process and her free throw shaved UW-Stout's lead down to 29-13. Bednar connected with a short shot off the glass with 4:57 left and sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus used the glass as well on her turnaround jumper in the lane with 4:31 left. The Blue Devils were able to stretch the lead back to sixteen on a lay-up in transition by senior guard Kylie Hebert with 1:55 left but the Auggies had another push left in them before halftime. One freebie by senior reserve guard Jenna Orth with 1:35 left and two more by fellow senior guard Ashley Anfinson with 1:00 left cut UW-Stout's lead down to thirteen at 35-22. The biggest splash was saved for last as freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta stole the spotlight. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with :45 left that brought Augsburg closer trailing 35-24. Two Quaranta free throws with 14.4 left had the Auggies back to within single digits trailing 35-26 and one more Quaranta freebie with just :05 left made it a 35-27 ballgame going into the locker room at the half. Considering the deep hole they had been in just a short time ago, Augsburg had to be feeling a lot better about themselves during the break, especially when you consider that they shot an icy 28.6% from FG range.
To their credit, the Auggies were able to put all those bad first half memories to rest once the third period commenced. Consecutive scores by senior forward Jessica Lillquist; who was held scoreless in the first half and Steinhaus whittled UW-Stout's lead down to 35-31 by the 8:39 mark. That prompted the Blue Devils to step on the gas pedal a bit. A lay-up by Hebert at the 8:19 mark and a Goldsmith score in the paint at the 7:45 mark had UW-Stout back up by seven at 39-32 and then a Hebert lay-up after a steal at the 7:14 mark pushed the lead back up to nine at 41-32. Augsburg, however, found a second wind in this third period and slowly crept their way back. The crafty and experienced Loughlin first snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then at the 5:35 mark, the Rogers native struck again with one of her lefty rainbow-like treys that had the Auggies back in striking distance trailing 41-37. Lillquist got into the paint for another score with 4:54 left as did Bednar with 4:02 left that cut the Blue Devil lead down to 43-41. UW-Stout tried to counter as Schaub, the former Park Center standout, connected with a lay-up with 3:23 left to make it 45-42 but free throws - one by freshman reserve forward Carlee Kobow with 3:09 left and one by Quaranta with 3:01 left sliced the Blue Devil lead down to one at 45-44. Augsburg took their first lead of the game with 2:33 left when Lillquist once again muscled into the paint for a score and it seemed as if the Auggies were ready to take control right then and there. Strangely enough, Augsburg never could regain that edge and having the lead snared away from them seemed to wake up the visitors from the WIAC. Watkins snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:16 left that put the Blue Devils back up for good at 47-46 and then the willowy Schaub uncorked a "3" from the right corner with 1:48 left that increased the lead to 50-46. Augsburg was able to get the game back to within a single possession on scores by Bednar and senior reserve post Bridget Kopp and a short shot off of an inbounds pass by McKee with just :01 left in the period still had the Auggies right in the thick of things trailing by only two at 54-52.
A 9-0 UW-Stout run at the beginning of the fourth period changed turned the tables in this one for good. A pretty drive underneath and reverse lay-up by Diedrich with 9:41 left and two charity stripe shots by Schoch had the cushion back up to six at 58-52 by the 8:48 mark. A score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by Hebert at the 8:18 mark coupled with another Schoch free throw at the 8:00 mark made it 61-52 and Goldsmith completed the run with an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:37 mark that now had the Blue Devils back up by double digits at 63-52. Defensive lapses hurt the Auggies during this key stretch obviously but you have to wonder as well if Augsburg simply had hit an empty tank of gas considering that they had used up so much energy during the latter stages of the second period and the third period as well when they were able to grab that tenuous one-point advantage. Two free throws by senior reserve guard Marie Fitzgerald and another by Steinhaus had the Auggies back to within single digits trailing 63-55 at the 6:05 mark but they never could find that one spark that might have propelled them on a game-changing run. The freshman; Watkins, came up with two huge shots that kept Augsburg at bay - one from the right wing at the 5:39 mark and a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc with 4:19 left that helped restore the double-digit advantage at 69-57 and a Goldsmith score in the paint with 3:17 left increased the lead to 71-57 and Riverso had no choice but to burn a timeout as the Auggies were now in desperation mode. Augsburg would make jabs and stabs at the deficit but UW-Stout was in full control down the stretch. A running jumper off the glass by Schaub with 2:19 left along with two Hebert freebies with :57.1 left sealed the deal for the Blue Devils as they were able to take home a big road win back to Menominee by a score of 78-69.
Made my way over to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this Monday night to take in another WIAC-MIAC clash - this one featuring the same UW-Stout team that fell to GAC the previous Friday night going up against host Augsburg. The Auggies; fresh off a road win at UMAC opponent Northwestern from the previous week, were looking to build on their young season while the Blue Devils were hoping to find some consistency on offense.
UW-Stout, which struggled offensively against GAC found a bit of a groove in the early going; building a 6-0 lead by the 6:49 mark after junior forward Jenna Goldsmith connected with a short shot off the glass. Auggie senior guard Allison McKee got the home team on the board when she scored in the paint off of an inbounds pass a short time later at the 6:27 mark and a drive and finish by fellow senior point guard Maria Loughlin kept Augsburg within the three point range but the Blue Devils proceeded to go on an 8-0 spurt. Freshman reserve guard Shannan Watkins got into the paint for a score with 4:08 left and then fellow freshman reserve guard Bailey Diersen drove into the paint for a finish a short time later with 3:25 left. Junior guard Sarah Schoch connected on a lay-up in transition with 2:10 left and then fellow junior forward Danielle Adams got a lay-up with 1:24 left for a 15-4 UW-Stout lead and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso had seen enough to know a timeout was warranted. Reserve sophomore forward Bridget Bednar's jumper in the lane with :58 left temporarily halted the Blue Devil run but a score in the paint by Goldsmith with just :06 left in the first period had UW-Stout clearly in control at this point.
Things began to look even more dire for Augsburg once the second period got underway. Free throws by both Goldsmith and Watkins increased the lead to 20-6 by the 8:41 mark and then a Watkins jumper from the right elbow at the 8:34 mark upped the lead to 22-6. Loughlin tried to counter for the Auggies with her pretty scoop shot underneath the basket at the 8:10 mark but a "3" from the left top area by UW-Stout junior reserve guard Nicole Schaub made it 25-8. A steal and lay-up the other way by freshman reserve guard Kyncaide Diedrich at the 7:00 mark and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Carolyn Feddema at the 6:32 mark had the Blue Devils cruising with a cozy 29-10 advantage. Slowly, however, Augsburg worked their way back into the contest. Senior reserve guard Marie Fitzgerald drove hard into the lane and finished at the 6:15 mark and was fouled in the process and her free throw shaved UW-Stout's lead down to 29-13. Bednar connected with a short shot off the glass with 4:57 left and sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus used the glass as well on her turnaround jumper in the lane with 4:31 left. The Blue Devils were able to stretch the lead back to sixteen on a lay-up in transition by senior guard Kylie Hebert with 1:55 left but the Auggies had another push left in them before halftime. One freebie by senior reserve guard Jenna Orth with 1:35 left and two more by fellow senior guard Ashley Anfinson with 1:00 left cut UW-Stout's lead down to thirteen at 35-22. The biggest splash was saved for last as freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta stole the spotlight. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with :45 left that brought Augsburg closer trailing 35-24. Two Quaranta free throws with 14.4 left had the Auggies back to within single digits trailing 35-26 and one more Quaranta freebie with just :05 left made it a 35-27 ballgame going into the locker room at the half. Considering the deep hole they had been in just a short time ago, Augsburg had to be feeling a lot better about themselves during the break, especially when you consider that they shot an icy 28.6% from FG range.
To their credit, the Auggies were able to put all those bad first half memories to rest once the third period commenced. Consecutive scores by senior forward Jessica Lillquist; who was held scoreless in the first half and Steinhaus whittled UW-Stout's lead down to 35-31 by the 8:39 mark. That prompted the Blue Devils to step on the gas pedal a bit. A lay-up by Hebert at the 8:19 mark and a Goldsmith score in the paint at the 7:45 mark had UW-Stout back up by seven at 39-32 and then a Hebert lay-up after a steal at the 7:14 mark pushed the lead back up to nine at 41-32. Augsburg, however, found a second wind in this third period and slowly crept their way back. The crafty and experienced Loughlin first snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then at the 5:35 mark, the Rogers native struck again with one of her lefty rainbow-like treys that had the Auggies back in striking distance trailing 41-37. Lillquist got into the paint for another score with 4:54 left as did Bednar with 4:02 left that cut the Blue Devil lead down to 43-41. UW-Stout tried to counter as Schaub, the former Park Center standout, connected with a lay-up with 3:23 left to make it 45-42 but free throws - one by freshman reserve forward Carlee Kobow with 3:09 left and one by Quaranta with 3:01 left sliced the Blue Devil lead down to one at 45-44. Augsburg took their first lead of the game with 2:33 left when Lillquist once again muscled into the paint for a score and it seemed as if the Auggies were ready to take control right then and there. Strangely enough, Augsburg never could regain that edge and having the lead snared away from them seemed to wake up the visitors from the WIAC. Watkins snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:16 left that put the Blue Devils back up for good at 47-46 and then the willowy Schaub uncorked a "3" from the right corner with 1:48 left that increased the lead to 50-46. Augsburg was able to get the game back to within a single possession on scores by Bednar and senior reserve post Bridget Kopp and a short shot off of an inbounds pass by McKee with just :01 left in the period still had the Auggies right in the thick of things trailing by only two at 54-52.
A 9-0 UW-Stout run at the beginning of the fourth period changed turned the tables in this one for good. A pretty drive underneath and reverse lay-up by Diedrich with 9:41 left and two charity stripe shots by Schoch had the cushion back up to six at 58-52 by the 8:48 mark. A score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by Hebert at the 8:18 mark coupled with another Schoch free throw at the 8:00 mark made it 61-52 and Goldsmith completed the run with an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:37 mark that now had the Blue Devils back up by double digits at 63-52. Defensive lapses hurt the Auggies during this key stretch obviously but you have to wonder as well if Augsburg simply had hit an empty tank of gas considering that they had used up so much energy during the latter stages of the second period and the third period as well when they were able to grab that tenuous one-point advantage. Two free throws by senior reserve guard Marie Fitzgerald and another by Steinhaus had the Auggies back to within single digits trailing 63-55 at the 6:05 mark but they never could find that one spark that might have propelled them on a game-changing run. The freshman; Watkins, came up with two huge shots that kept Augsburg at bay - one from the right wing at the 5:39 mark and a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc with 4:19 left that helped restore the double-digit advantage at 69-57 and a Goldsmith score in the paint with 3:17 left increased the lead to 71-57 and Riverso had no choice but to burn a timeout as the Auggies were now in desperation mode. Augsburg would make jabs and stabs at the deficit but UW-Stout was in full control down the stretch. A running jumper off the glass by Schaub with 2:19 left along with two Hebert freebies with :57.1 left sealed the deal for the Blue Devils as they were able to take home a big road win back to Menominee by a score of 78-69.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
UW- Stout vs GAC Synopsis 11-20-15
Made an impromptu trip down to St. Peter and Lund Arena on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College on this Friday evening to take in (what I could anyway) the second half of the GAC Tip-Off Classic that featured visiting UW-Stout of the WIAC going up against the host Gusties. I got into Lund Arena and settled in at the 5:30 mark of the second period with UW-Stout holding a tenuous 23-22 advantage.
A short shot by lanky senior forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:32 left and a score in the paint by senior forward Stephanie Kastens with 3:54 left allowed the Gusties and Blue Devils to trade one-point leads. But, with 2:36 left, Johnson found herself open in the left wing area and she gracefully drained a three-point bomb that had GAC up 27-25. Two turnovers and a handful of missed shots by UW-Stout gave the Gusties a bit of an opening before the half and sophomore guard Mikayla Miller pounced on an opening in the Blue Devil defense and connected with a lay-up with :32 left for a 29-25 GAC lead. Kastens was able to convert on another opportunity in the paint for UW-Stout that made it a one-possession game going into the locker room at the half but it was plain to see that the Blue Devils were going to have to clean up their act if they wanted to pull off an unlikely road win on the other side of the Mississippi River.
UW-Stout managed to hang tough in the third period as a short shot off the glass by junior forward Jenna Goldsmith at the 9:37 mark and a hard drive along the right baseline and finish by junior forward Danielle Adams kept the Blue Devils within a single possession trailing 33-31. Two more Goldsmith scores in the paint - one at the 7:43 mark and another at the 7:01 mark - kept UW-Stout close but it was here that the Gusties were able to forge a bit of an opening. Freshman guard Taylor Anderson's score in the paint at the 6:37 mark and a lay-up in transition by fellow freshman reserve guard Justine Lee now had GAC up 41-35 and a score in the paint by junior reserve post Cara Christiansen helped maintain that six-point edge at 43-37. A "3" from the right top area by freshman reserve guard Kyncaide Diedrich brought UW-Stout back to within three with 4:20 left but the Gusties were able to get on a key 6-0 run. Miller uncorked a "3' from the top of the key as the shot clock expired with 2:53 left and then junior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter connected on a lay-up in transition with 1:47 left. A score in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice with 1:29 left suddenly made it a ten-point game at 50-40 and the Blue Devils seemed stunned by what hit them. Two Rice free throws with :43.9 left and a tough score in the paint with :23 left gave GAC a 54-42 lead and then Johnson, the Edina native, put the exclamation point on this big third period with her Hail Mary heave of a prayer from way downtown with just :00.2 left that gave the Gusties a seemingly safe 57-44 lead.
Johnson's score in the paint at the 9:34 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie gave GAC its largest lead of the game at 60-44 but UW-Stout slyly worked its way back into the contest and made things dangerous for the Gusties down the stretch. Senior guard Kyleigh Hebert connected on a lay-up in transition at the 7:31 mark and Kastens was able to muscle into the paint for a score at the 6:27 mark. Adams was able to get a lay-up out of a steal and this 6-0 burst let the Blue Devils draw closer trailing by ten at 60-50 at the 5:04 mark. Two free throws by senior guard Dana Karlstad with 4:39 left and two more by Goldsmith with 3:06 left along with a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Shannan Watkins with 2:27 left had UW-Stout back in single-digit range trailing 64-56. Blue Devil Head Coach Mark Thomas; sensing the Gusties vulnerability, called a timeout to lay-out strategy for his squad. Still, things seemed safe enough for GAC when Miller used her 5'8" frame to score in the paint with 1:56 left for a 66-56 Gustie lead and there would have been no reason to sweat from a Black and Gold perspective if they could just convert on free throws in the home stretch. Miller, in fact, did sink two charity stripe shots with 1:33 left for a 68-58 lead but UW-Stout was far from finished. After Miller failed to convert on two attempts from the charity stripe with 1:12 left, Diedrich connected with a lay-up in transition with :30 left that had the Blue Devils back to within single digits again trailing 68-60. On the ensuing GAC possession, freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke was fouled with :26.5 but she, too, was unable to convert. On the ensuing UW-Stout possession, Hebert snared an offensive rebound off of a missed shot by freshman reserve guard Bailey Diersen and got a putback and was fouled in the process. She sunk the obligatory freebie and suddenly the Gustie lead was now down to five at 68-63. Fortunately for GAC, that's as close as the Blue Devils would get. Miller cooly sunk two free throws when she was immediately fouled with :14.3 left and Lee did the same with :05.3 left as the Gusties held on for an important non-conference win 72-67.
A somewhat relieved GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly was quick to acknowledge afterward that her squad's youth and inexperience may have played a role in allowing UW-Stout to get back into the contest late after the Gusties had seemingly sewn up the victory. She also said that Miller; her star point guard, is working her way back to full health and conditioning although from my vantage point she looked as strong as ever. "It's always easier to be critical after a win than it is after a loss" she pointed out and I expect that the Gusties - particularly the young new faces - will have to endure a learning curve but, once they do, they'll be fine. Indeed, Miller led all scorers on this night with the 23 points she poured in and Johnson was right behind with her 20 points. Goldsmith and Diedrich each chipped in 10 points in the losing effort for UW-Stout. The Blue Devils actually had a slight advantage on the boards at 41-39 but were also guilty of 27 turnovers - something that will have to change once UW-Stout delves into WIAC play.
A short shot by lanky senior forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:32 left and a score in the paint by senior forward Stephanie Kastens with 3:54 left allowed the Gusties and Blue Devils to trade one-point leads. But, with 2:36 left, Johnson found herself open in the left wing area and she gracefully drained a three-point bomb that had GAC up 27-25. Two turnovers and a handful of missed shots by UW-Stout gave the Gusties a bit of an opening before the half and sophomore guard Mikayla Miller pounced on an opening in the Blue Devil defense and connected with a lay-up with :32 left for a 29-25 GAC lead. Kastens was able to convert on another opportunity in the paint for UW-Stout that made it a one-possession game going into the locker room at the half but it was plain to see that the Blue Devils were going to have to clean up their act if they wanted to pull off an unlikely road win on the other side of the Mississippi River.
UW-Stout managed to hang tough in the third period as a short shot off the glass by junior forward Jenna Goldsmith at the 9:37 mark and a hard drive along the right baseline and finish by junior forward Danielle Adams kept the Blue Devils within a single possession trailing 33-31. Two more Goldsmith scores in the paint - one at the 7:43 mark and another at the 7:01 mark - kept UW-Stout close but it was here that the Gusties were able to forge a bit of an opening. Freshman guard Taylor Anderson's score in the paint at the 6:37 mark and a lay-up in transition by fellow freshman reserve guard Justine Lee now had GAC up 41-35 and a score in the paint by junior reserve post Cara Christiansen helped maintain that six-point edge at 43-37. A "3" from the right top area by freshman reserve guard Kyncaide Diedrich brought UW-Stout back to within three with 4:20 left but the Gusties were able to get on a key 6-0 run. Miller uncorked a "3' from the top of the key as the shot clock expired with 2:53 left and then junior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter connected on a lay-up in transition with 1:47 left. A score in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice with 1:29 left suddenly made it a ten-point game at 50-40 and the Blue Devils seemed stunned by what hit them. Two Rice free throws with :43.9 left and a tough score in the paint with :23 left gave GAC a 54-42 lead and then Johnson, the Edina native, put the exclamation point on this big third period with her Hail Mary heave of a prayer from way downtown with just :00.2 left that gave the Gusties a seemingly safe 57-44 lead.
Johnson's score in the paint at the 9:34 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie gave GAC its largest lead of the game at 60-44 but UW-Stout slyly worked its way back into the contest and made things dangerous for the Gusties down the stretch. Senior guard Kyleigh Hebert connected on a lay-up in transition at the 7:31 mark and Kastens was able to muscle into the paint for a score at the 6:27 mark. Adams was able to get a lay-up out of a steal and this 6-0 burst let the Blue Devils draw closer trailing by ten at 60-50 at the 5:04 mark. Two free throws by senior guard Dana Karlstad with 4:39 left and two more by Goldsmith with 3:06 left along with a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Shannan Watkins with 2:27 left had UW-Stout back in single-digit range trailing 64-56. Blue Devil Head Coach Mark Thomas; sensing the Gusties vulnerability, called a timeout to lay-out strategy for his squad. Still, things seemed safe enough for GAC when Miller used her 5'8" frame to score in the paint with 1:56 left for a 66-56 Gustie lead and there would have been no reason to sweat from a Black and Gold perspective if they could just convert on free throws in the home stretch. Miller, in fact, did sink two charity stripe shots with 1:33 left for a 68-58 lead but UW-Stout was far from finished. After Miller failed to convert on two attempts from the charity stripe with 1:12 left, Diedrich connected with a lay-up in transition with :30 left that had the Blue Devils back to within single digits again trailing 68-60. On the ensuing GAC possession, freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke was fouled with :26.5 but she, too, was unable to convert. On the ensuing UW-Stout possession, Hebert snared an offensive rebound off of a missed shot by freshman reserve guard Bailey Diersen and got a putback and was fouled in the process. She sunk the obligatory freebie and suddenly the Gustie lead was now down to five at 68-63. Fortunately for GAC, that's as close as the Blue Devils would get. Miller cooly sunk two free throws when she was immediately fouled with :14.3 left and Lee did the same with :05.3 left as the Gusties held on for an important non-conference win 72-67.
A somewhat relieved GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly was quick to acknowledge afterward that her squad's youth and inexperience may have played a role in allowing UW-Stout to get back into the contest late after the Gusties had seemingly sewn up the victory. She also said that Miller; her star point guard, is working her way back to full health and conditioning although from my vantage point she looked as strong as ever. "It's always easier to be critical after a win than it is after a loss" she pointed out and I expect that the Gusties - particularly the young new faces - will have to endure a learning curve but, once they do, they'll be fine. Indeed, Miller led all scorers on this night with the 23 points she poured in and Johnson was right behind with her 20 points. Goldsmith and Diedrich each chipped in 10 points in the losing effort for UW-Stout. The Blue Devils actually had a slight advantage on the boards at 41-39 but were also guilty of 27 turnovers - something that will have to change once UW-Stout delves into WIAC play.
Augsburg vs Northwestern Recap 11-17-15
Was over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this Tuesday evening to take in another early-season MIAC-UMAC clash between visiting Augsburg and host Northwestern. The host Eagles already had a big road win over a MIAC opponent this last Saturday night when they knocked off Carleton while the Auggies held off a strong challenge from St. Scholastica of the UMAC so it would be interesting to see which side would prevail in this one.
Predictably, Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl had his squad in its 2-3 "match-up" zone defense that Kahl loves to employ but that didn't seem to faze the Auggies; particularly senior point guard Maria Loughlin. The Rogers native knocked down one jumper from the right elbow at the 8:34 mark and then drained a "3" from the left corner at the 7:45 mark for a 5-2 Augsburg lead. Eagle junior guard Tiffany Stubbs connected on a lay-up in transition at the 6:17 mark that drew Northwestern closer trailing 5-4 but the Auggies would respond. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus got a lay-up at the 5:55 mark and then Loughlin used her deft left-handed touch to coax another trey attempt down the chute from the right top area at the 5:01 mark for a 10-4 Augsburg lead. Then it was Loughlin again with 3:58 left as she knocked down a jumper from the left wing area that expanded the lead to 12-4. One free throw by senior forward Jessica Lillquist and a drive and jumper in the lane by fellow senior guard Allison McKee completed the 12-0 burst that upped the lead to 17-4. Senior post Regan Cooper's score in the paint with 1:12 left finally broke the Eagle drought but Augsburg was not yet done making its mark on this first period. Freshman guard Alaina Quaranta snuck through and snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up with :28 left and then senior reserve guard Jenna Orth was able to maneuver inside for a score in the paint with just :01 left ending the first period with Augsburg comfortably up 21-8.
The Auggies looked to be off and running again early in the second period when freshman reserve forward Megan Quam connected with a short shot off the glass at the 9:42 mark but Northwestern was able to make a bit of a cut into the deficit. Senior forward Courtney Cunard's jumper from the right side at the 7:47 mark trimmed the Augsburg lead down to 23-10. Both teams went into a drought over the next four minutes before Stubbs finally dusted the cobwebs off the net with her "3" from the top of the key with 3:44 left that cut the Auggie lead down to ten at 23-13. A short shot in the lane by freshman reserve guard Taryn Tumbleson had the Eagles back to within single digits trailing 23-15 but then the pesky Quaranta gave Augsburg a bit of a boost. A score in the paint with 2:41 left and another steal and lay-up the other way with 1:31 left jacked the lead back up to double digits at 27-15 and Northwestern's Kahl; fearing having to face a huge halftime deficit, called a timeout to get his squad reorganized. The Eagles took their cue from the impromptu break just before the half and got the deficit slimmed down once again. Sophomore guard Amy Berglund got one charity stripe shot to fall after being fouled with :56.6 left and then Tumbleson was able to snare a steal in the backcourt and race coast-to-coast for a lay-up with :24 left that had things much more manageable again as Augsburg's lead was now only 27-19 going into the locker room at the half.
As much as this contest started in the Auggies favor, Northwestern was able to do the same when the third period started. An offensive rebound for a putback by Cooper at the 8:34 mark along with a Cooper freebie at the 6:59 mark cut Augsburg's lead down to five at 27-22. A "3" by Stubbs from the right wing at the 6:30 mark brought the house down as the Auggie lead was now down to a scant two points at 27-25. Two Berglund free throws at the 5:47 mark knotted things up at 27 before Augsburg found a bit of a reprieve when Loughlin uncorked a pretty "3" from the right wing at the 5:19 mark for a 30-27 advantage. But the Eagles were not to be deterred in this third period. Trailing 32-29 after Quam scored in the paint for Augsburg with 3:37 left, Berglund connected with a lay-up with 3:19 left and then sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole got in on the act. The Altoona, Iowa native let loose with a "3" from the left wing area with 1:39 left that gave Northwestern it's first lead since the opening moments of the contest at 34-32. She then dropped two free throws after getting fouled with :48.1 left and then was able to snare a steal and connected with a jumper in the lane with :38 left for a 38-32 Eagle lead. Augsburg reserve sophomore forward Bridget Bednar's score in the paint cut Northwestern's lead down to 38-34 with :23 left but at the end of the third period, it seemed clear that the pendulum had swung unmistakably in the Eagles favor.
But the Auggies had other intentions in the fourth and decisive period. And so did Augsburg senior guard Ashley Anfinson who came with both barrels blazing. Back-to-back treys - one from the left corner at the 9:16 mark and another from the left wing at the 8:41 mark - had the Auggies back in front by a 40-38 score. Cole tried to reverse Northwestern's fortunes with her "3" from the top of the key at the 8:23 mark that had the Eagles ahead at 41-40 but the Eagles simply could not seem to find a way to get a grasp on Anfinson who uncorked yet another "3" - this one from the right wing at the 7:18 mark for a 43-41 Augsburg lead. Back-to-back scores by Steinhaus at the 6:21 and 5:46 marks increased the Auggie lead to 47-42 before a Tumbleson "3" at the 5:18 mark from the top off the glass had the Eagles back to within a single possession trailing 47-45. But it was at this point where Augsburg would shut the door for good on Northwestern's chances. One trey by the lefty Loughlin from the left corner with 4:51 left and another one by Anfinson from the right top area with 3:59 left - her fourth of the period alone - now had the Auggies up 53-45 and the Eagles were now in dire straits. Northwestern was able to close the gap to four points behind two Cooper freebies and a Cunard steal and lay-up the other way with 1:09 left but insurance free throws by Loughlin and Steinhaus gave Augsburg an important non-conference victory by a 58-51 margin.
Predictably, Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl had his squad in its 2-3 "match-up" zone defense that Kahl loves to employ but that didn't seem to faze the Auggies; particularly senior point guard Maria Loughlin. The Rogers native knocked down one jumper from the right elbow at the 8:34 mark and then drained a "3" from the left corner at the 7:45 mark for a 5-2 Augsburg lead. Eagle junior guard Tiffany Stubbs connected on a lay-up in transition at the 6:17 mark that drew Northwestern closer trailing 5-4 but the Auggies would respond. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus got a lay-up at the 5:55 mark and then Loughlin used her deft left-handed touch to coax another trey attempt down the chute from the right top area at the 5:01 mark for a 10-4 Augsburg lead. Then it was Loughlin again with 3:58 left as she knocked down a jumper from the left wing area that expanded the lead to 12-4. One free throw by senior forward Jessica Lillquist and a drive and jumper in the lane by fellow senior guard Allison McKee completed the 12-0 burst that upped the lead to 17-4. Senior post Regan Cooper's score in the paint with 1:12 left finally broke the Eagle drought but Augsburg was not yet done making its mark on this first period. Freshman guard Alaina Quaranta snuck through and snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up with :28 left and then senior reserve guard Jenna Orth was able to maneuver inside for a score in the paint with just :01 left ending the first period with Augsburg comfortably up 21-8.
The Auggies looked to be off and running again early in the second period when freshman reserve forward Megan Quam connected with a short shot off the glass at the 9:42 mark but Northwestern was able to make a bit of a cut into the deficit. Senior forward Courtney Cunard's jumper from the right side at the 7:47 mark trimmed the Augsburg lead down to 23-10. Both teams went into a drought over the next four minutes before Stubbs finally dusted the cobwebs off the net with her "3" from the top of the key with 3:44 left that cut the Auggie lead down to ten at 23-13. A short shot in the lane by freshman reserve guard Taryn Tumbleson had the Eagles back to within single digits trailing 23-15 but then the pesky Quaranta gave Augsburg a bit of a boost. A score in the paint with 2:41 left and another steal and lay-up the other way with 1:31 left jacked the lead back up to double digits at 27-15 and Northwestern's Kahl; fearing having to face a huge halftime deficit, called a timeout to get his squad reorganized. The Eagles took their cue from the impromptu break just before the half and got the deficit slimmed down once again. Sophomore guard Amy Berglund got one charity stripe shot to fall after being fouled with :56.6 left and then Tumbleson was able to snare a steal in the backcourt and race coast-to-coast for a lay-up with :24 left that had things much more manageable again as Augsburg's lead was now only 27-19 going into the locker room at the half.
As much as this contest started in the Auggies favor, Northwestern was able to do the same when the third period started. An offensive rebound for a putback by Cooper at the 8:34 mark along with a Cooper freebie at the 6:59 mark cut Augsburg's lead down to five at 27-22. A "3" by Stubbs from the right wing at the 6:30 mark brought the house down as the Auggie lead was now down to a scant two points at 27-25. Two Berglund free throws at the 5:47 mark knotted things up at 27 before Augsburg found a bit of a reprieve when Loughlin uncorked a pretty "3" from the right wing at the 5:19 mark for a 30-27 advantage. But the Eagles were not to be deterred in this third period. Trailing 32-29 after Quam scored in the paint for Augsburg with 3:37 left, Berglund connected with a lay-up with 3:19 left and then sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole got in on the act. The Altoona, Iowa native let loose with a "3" from the left wing area with 1:39 left that gave Northwestern it's first lead since the opening moments of the contest at 34-32. She then dropped two free throws after getting fouled with :48.1 left and then was able to snare a steal and connected with a jumper in the lane with :38 left for a 38-32 Eagle lead. Augsburg reserve sophomore forward Bridget Bednar's score in the paint cut Northwestern's lead down to 38-34 with :23 left but at the end of the third period, it seemed clear that the pendulum had swung unmistakably in the Eagles favor.
But the Auggies had other intentions in the fourth and decisive period. And so did Augsburg senior guard Ashley Anfinson who came with both barrels blazing. Back-to-back treys - one from the left corner at the 9:16 mark and another from the left wing at the 8:41 mark - had the Auggies back in front by a 40-38 score. Cole tried to reverse Northwestern's fortunes with her "3" from the top of the key at the 8:23 mark that had the Eagles ahead at 41-40 but the Eagles simply could not seem to find a way to get a grasp on Anfinson who uncorked yet another "3" - this one from the right wing at the 7:18 mark for a 43-41 Augsburg lead. Back-to-back scores by Steinhaus at the 6:21 and 5:46 marks increased the Auggie lead to 47-42 before a Tumbleson "3" at the 5:18 mark from the top off the glass had the Eagles back to within a single possession trailing 47-45. But it was at this point where Augsburg would shut the door for good on Northwestern's chances. One trey by the lefty Loughlin from the left corner with 4:51 left and another one by Anfinson from the right top area with 3:59 left - her fourth of the period alone - now had the Auggies up 53-45 and the Eagles were now in dire straits. Northwestern was able to close the gap to four points behind two Cooper freebies and a Cunard steal and lay-up the other way with 1:09 left but insurance free throws by Loughlin and Steinhaus gave Augsburg an important non-conference victory by a 58-51 margin.
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