Made the journey over to UW-River Falls on this somewhat snowy Friday afternoon to take in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Pod being hosted by UW-River Falls. The first game on this Friday evening featured IIAC Championship Game winner Loras going up against five-time MIAC Championship Game winner UST. The Tommies; in something of an unusual set-up having to be the number-one seed on a neutral court (for this game anyway), still were decided favorites going into this first-round game against their IIAC opponent but were not going to take anyone lightly this time of the year.
Not surprisingly, the Tommies got off to their usual good start; building an early 7-0 lead. A score in the paint at the 9:41 mark by junior post and MIAC POY Kaitlin Langer and a "3" by sophomore guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 8:52 mark along with two Langer freebies at the 8:12 mark gave UST that seven-point cushion but a resourceful Loras squad managed to cut into the deficit. A jumper from the left corner by junior guard Kat Cabrera at the 7:56 mark and a score in the paint by lanky 6'2" junior post Lori Obendorf made it a 7-4 ballgame. The Tommies appeared to grab the upper hand again when sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow uncorked a three-point bomb from the left wing in transition on a 4-on-2 fast break with 4:02 left and a jumper from the top of the key by senior guard Katie Stone had UST up by six at 12-6 with 1:09 left in the opening period. But the 2-3 match-up zone being employed by the Duhawks paid dividends in the final minute as the potent Tommie attack was clogged up. Senior guard Megan Jones came up huge for the underdog Duhawks as she dropped her first trey of the game with just :25 left that cut the UST lead down to 12-9 and on the final Loras possession with time winding down in the opening period, Jones got free from way behind the arc on the left top area and she let loose with a bomb that found nothing but cotton that tied this one up at 12 a piece going into the second period.
Defense was the watchword of the second period as both sides clamped down on scoring opportunities. Stone; the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, finally found a small gap in that Duhawk 2-3 match-up zone and slithered through for a lay-up to get the Tommies back up 14-12 but that was answered by Loras as senior point guard Kaitlin Phillips made good on a drive into the lane for a finish at the 5:59 mark that tied things up once again at 14 a piece. Two Fischer free throws at the 5:04 mark and a Stone "3" from the top of the key with 4:36 mark looked to have UST going again offensively with a 19-14 advantage but once again as the Duhawks battled right back. Phillips connected with a jumper from the right elbow area with 4:15 left and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve guard Miranda Chapman with 2:54 left pulled Loras right back in the thick of things trailing 19-18. Stone got one more jumper to fall right before the half from the right elbow area with 1:27 left but Obendorf, who was starting to make life a bit miserable for her counterpart Langer; got to the charity stripe with 1:06 left where she dropped one free throw that trimmed the Tommie lead to 21-19 going into the locker room at the half. For a UST team accustomed to going into the halftime break with a substantial lead, things had to be a little bit unsettling for Head Coach Ruth Sinn and her staff.
Despite a Langer score in the paint at the 9:44 mark of the third period, the Tommies still found shaking a pesky Loras squad difficult. Another Langer score; a lay-up in transition at the 8:48 mark had UST up four at 25-21 and a Fischer score in the paint at the 8:18 mark and one by Langer at the 7:15 mark gave the Tommies a 29-23 lead which, for the moment anyway, seemed to have them in decent shape. But the Duhawks, playing loose and free and with a nothing to lose attitude, slowly usurped control of this contest. Cabrera connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 6:43 mark and a score in the paint by Obendorf at the 6:11 mark got Loras back to within a single possession trailing 29-27. A Fischer score in the paint with 4:57 left increased UST's lead to 31-28 but the Duhawks simply weren't going away. Phillips connected with a short jumper with 4:41 left that cut the Tommie lead down to one at 31-30 and then Loras went on a three-point barrage. Chapman drained one from the left wing with 4:16 left that gave the Duhawks their first lead of the contest at 33-31 and connected with another trey from the left corner with 3:05 left that gave Loras a 36-34 lead. Jones dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area with 2:20 left and repeated the feat on the Duhawks next possession with 1:56 left that gave Loras a 42-36 lead. Langer would score again in the paint with :41 left and get one free throw with :05 left but now UST was not only trailing 44-39 going into the fourth period but the wind had clearly been taken out of their sails as well.
A Langer lay-up at the 9:50 mark of the fourth period trimmed the Loras lead down to 44-41 but the Duhawks were in the process of putting UST in unfamiliar territory - DEEP, deep trouble. Junior forward Terese McMahon connected with a lay-up at the 9:30 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Lindenhurst, Illinois native to drop the obligatory freebie for a 47-41 lead. Then it was Jones again from behind the arc from the right top area at the 8:40 mark and a 50-41 lead. A McMahon score in the paint at the 8:01 mark put the Duhawks up by double digits at 52-41 and the Tommies looked completely stunned. Langer did connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:52 mark and Stone connected with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 7:23 mark that had UST back to within single-digit range trailing 54-46 but Langer picked up her fourth foul at the 7:02 mark that sent McMahon to the line to shoot two free throws for a 56-46 Loras lead. At the 6:28 mark, McMahon struck again down low that now had the Duhawks up 58-46 and UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn quickly called a timeout to assess the situation. But even that stoppage in play didn't solve the ensuing crisis. Rolling the dice, Sinn kept Langer out on the floor with those four fouls and at the 6:02 mark, the former Hill-Murray standout got whistled for her fifth and final foul of the evening and when Langer momentarily stepped outside the arena door to vent her frustrations, all the hopes and dreams the Tommies had seemed to go out the door with her.
But, as legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said, "Great teams aren't always great. They're just great when they have to be." And, with the Tommies in dire straits - down double digits and their starting post player fouled out - the unlikely comeback began. And it would be the senior point guard Stone, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, who helped keep UST's dreams alive. Two Stone free throws after she was fouled in transition with 5:28 left got the Tommies back into single-digit range again trailing 58-49 and a Stone jumper from the left elbow area at the 5:04 mark cut further into the deficit as Loras' lead was now down to 59-51. Then back-to-back Stone treys - one from the right wing with 2:36 left and another from the left top with 2:04 left suddenly had UST back to within a single possession trailing 61-58. Even worse for the Duhawks was that those perimeter shots that all seemed to be dropping - suddenly stopped dropping and they were not able to make up for it down in the paint either. A Fischer "3" from the right wing area with 1:38 left cut Loras' lead down to a scant point at 62-61 and although a Cabrera free throw with 1:07 left increased the Duhawk lead to 63-61 with 1:07 left, Loras was unable to get their lead beyond a single possession and with just :18 left, Fischer got the ball in the paint and finished that knotted the issue at 63 a piece. Loras had one last chance to try and win it in regulation as Cabrera; the Gilbert, Arizona native, made a hard drive to the rack to try and draw a foul but her shot attempt was errant and the buzzer sounded ending regulation with the score tied at 63.
The extra five minute period saw Stone put UST back into the lead with her lay-up at the 4:32 mark but the Duhawks manged to tie the score at 65-all on a short jumper by junior reserve forward Erin Weaver at the 4:10 mark. Stone, who simply was not going to let her team lose on this night, connected with another lay-up at the 3:41 mark for a 67-65 Tommie advantage. A Cabrera free throw with 2:27 left brought Loras back to a single point again trailing 67-66 but that's as close as the Duhawks could get. The Tommies got a big defensive stop with 1:44 left and Fischer; fouled on the defensive rebound, dropped two charity stripe shots for a 69-66 advantage. On the ensuing Loras possession, the Duhawks could not score and another Fischer defensive rebound that drew a foul allowed the Oshkosh, Wisconsin native to drop one more free throw with 1:28 left that now made it a two-possession game at 70-66. A short jumper by Cabrera with 1:13 left briefly had Loras back to within a single possession again trailing 70-68 and briefly gave the Duhawk contingent some reason for hope but those hopes and dreams were dashed once again by Stone as she unleashed a dagger "3" from the right wing area with :43 left that made it 73-68. Loras was not able to cut any deeper into the deficit and insurance free throws by Stone with :18 and :10.9 left in the extra period allowed UST to escape the first round with an exhilirating 76-68 overtime victory.
A happy and relieved Sinn brought in both Stone and Langer into the media room for interviews afterward. Sinn, whose leadership has helped take the Tommies to new heights and consistency, was quick to credit Loras in what proved to be an outstanding game. "In the NCAA's it's a game of runs" she said pointing out the barrage of treys that Loras had that helped propel the Duhawks into the lead. Sinn also pointed out that her squad was getting the looks they wanted "but we just weren't converting". I asked Sinn specifically about how her team kept their composure down double digits and with their starting post player (Langer) on the bench with five fouls and the situation itself in such dire straits. "We talked about being courageous instead of worrying about the outcome.....We talked in the huddle (during timeouts) about don't worry about missed shots.....Just be aggressive and be willing to take risks." Somehow, that strategy paid off. As for the senior, Stone, I don't think there are enough superlatives out there to describe what she did tonight. Just watching her these last few years, I've seen her grow not only as a person but also as a basketball player as well and what she did on this night will go down in Tommie lore. Sinn: "She loves the big moments and she stepped up tonight." I asked Stone about the situation her team found herself in and how she helped bring her squad back from the brink. As humble as ever, Stone simply replied, "I just think I had the ball at the right moment"; as she was more interested in giving her teammates credit in setting her up for the moment. I had to ask Langer, who left the game at a critical juncture with 6:02 left in regulation if there was any lesson learned on this night. I asked Langer if there was perhaps any lesson learned from this game going into Saturday's night clash against the winner of UW-River Falls vs Wheaton. "I don't think there's any lesson to be learned......."We found a way to win even though we didn't play our best in regulation.....It'll be a new gameplan, a new strategy." I can't help but wonder though if winning a game like this doesn't give UST a real shot in the arm as far as confidence goes; being able to pull one off away from home in such dire situations in a setting like the NCAA Tournament where the competition is top flight. That can help propel a team a long way.
A glance of the box score shows what incredible night this was for Stone as she easily led all scorers with her 32 points while Langer; even though she fouled out with plenty of time left in regulation, still finished with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds while Fischer chipped in with 15 points. A much more balanced attack on the Loras side in the losing effort - Jones led the way with her 17 points while McMahon added 14 points. Cabrera had 10 points while Phillips and Obendorf finished with eight and seven points, respectively with the latter grabbing nine rebounds. Things on the rebounding front were nearly even with the Tommies holding a small 42-41 edge although the Duhawks had 18 turnovers compared to UST's 13 turnovers.
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