One of the key UMAC playoff semifinals pitted visiting Martin Luther against host Northwestern for the right to advance to Saturday's UMAC Championship Game. I was over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center for this one and was anxious to see if the Eagles could take the first step in a repeat appearance in the Big Dance.
After a sparkling rendition of the National Anthem sung by current Eagle senior guard Chanel Madson and former Eagle and now volunteer Assistant Coach Mollie Sir, Northwestern got down to business; employing Head Coach Aaron Kahl's hybrid 2-3 zone defense that gave the visiting Knights fits early on as they struggled to find their shooting touch. Two scores by Madson and junior post Regan Cooper gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead by the 16:10 mark but Martin Luther eventually battled back and knotted the score at 6-all when freshman reserve post Jade St. Germaine got into the paint to finish at the 13:29 mark. The Knights would claim a 9-7 lead at the 12:51 mark when sophomore reserve forward Faith Schroeder connected with a lay-up at the 12:51 mark. Northwestern would reclaim the lead at 10-9 when Madson drained a "3" from the left top area at the 12:21 mark and the Eagles expanded that lead to six at 16-10 with 9:43 left. Martin Luther would close the gap to one point trailing 16-15 when junior guard Erin Schmeling drilled a "3" from the left top area with 6:25 mark. The Eagles, however, would then embark on an 8-0 run that was fueled by two Madson treys to grab a 24-15 lead with 4:49 left and that lead would expand to twelve at 32-20 with 2:24 left on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Emily Van Lith. A score in transition by Madson with 1:38 left and one free throw by junior forward Kim Campbell with :34.9 let Northwestern take a cozy 35-20 lead into the locker room at the half.
A Cooper lay-up at the 18:44 mark of the second half and a "3" from the top of the key by lanky senior forward/post Jacki Smith allowed the Eagles to enjoy their largest lead of the evening at 42-22 but Martin Luther would slowly battle their way back. A jumper by junior forward Leah Ness from the free throw line at the 16:09 mark and a "3" from the right wing by sophomore reserve guard/forward Mariah Schoof at the 15:37 mark trimmed the Northwestern lead to 43-27 and a "3" by freshman reserve forward Hailey Johnson from the right corner made further inroads as the Eagle advantage was cut further to 44-30. Another Schoof trey - this one from the top of the key at the 12:25 mark and two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Faith Schroeder with 11:26 left cut that large Northwestern lead in half as the Knights now trailed only 45-35. Martin Luther's comeback hopes, however, appeared doom when Ness went down with an apparent knee injury right at the 10:00 mark and although the Eagles were able to increase their lead back to sixteen over the next four minutes without Ness on the floor, Northwestern was not completely out of the woods just yet. Pairs of free throws by Schmeling and junior post Sara Willems cut the deficit to twelve with 4:36 left making it a 56-44 game and a lay-up in transition by freshman guard Grace Schultz had the Eagle lead down to ten again at 56-46 with 4:07 left. Northwestern left the door slightly open for the Knights when they were unable to connect with shots that could have possibly closed the deal right there and, as such, the Knights made one last gasp attempt to bring it all the way back. Schultz snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:25 left and repeated that feat with :34.2 left that had Martin Luther trailing only 56-50. Alas, the Knights comeback attempt would fall short as they were now forced to foul to try to keep their slim hopes alive. Smith knocked down a pair of freebies with :28.5 left to make it a 58-50 game and although Schmeling got one last "3" to go down with :17.5 left that cut the Eagles lead to five at 58-53, Cooper was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and she came through at the charity stripe for two more points for Northwestern to give them a 60-53 win as the Eagles advance to Saturday's UMAC Championship Game at home again UM-Morris.
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