UW-River Falls vs Bethel 11-22-16

Made my way back over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this snowy/rainy evening on the 53rd anniversary of that fateful day in Dallas to take in this heavyweight non-conference battle that easily could have been an NCAA Tournament game this coming March - visiting UW-River Falls of the WIAC and host Bethel of the MIAC.  This game definitely had an NCAA Tournament "feel" to it and I'm glad I got settled in at Robertson Center in plenty of time to watch both teams warm-up.

The red-clad Falcons would try and seize some early momentum after the tip-off; grabbing a 6-2 lead. Two scores by lanky junior post Taylor Karge - a lay-up at the 9:06 mark and a short jumper from the right side at the 8:31 mark - along with a steal and lay-up the other way by senior guard Katie Messman gave UW-River Falls a 6-2 lead by the 7:30 mark but the Royals would respond quickly and it reflected the back-and-forth nature of this game from start to finish.  Two free throws from junior spark plug guard Abby Miller at the 7:00 mark and a score in the paint by freshman forward Taite Anderson at the 5:14 mark brought Bethel back to a single possession at 8-6 and then it was junior reserve guard guard Jasmin Bretoi striking fear from three-point land; uncorking one from the right wing area with 4:30 left that gave the Royals their first lead of the evening at 9-8.  Two free throws by Falcon reserve post Ali Clark with 3:43 left and one by Bethel senior reserve forward Kalli Zimmerman knotted the score at 10-all.  Bethel would twice take two-point leads on an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore post Hannah Johnson with 3:12 left and a lay-up by sophomore reserve guard Hannah Simpson but each time UW-River Falls would answer to tie the score.  Bretoi gave the Royals a 17-14 lead with her second trey of the game - this one coming from the left corner with 1:30 left - and one free throw by Anderson with :19.9 left had Bethel up by only two again at 18-16 but, fittingly anyway, the Falcons would forge an 18-all deadlock by the end of the first period when Karge made a pretty spin move and finished down low with just :00.7 left.

UW-River Falls would try to grab some momentum at the beginning of the second period when senior guard Brynn Liljander got into the scoring column with her strong drive and finish in transition that put the Falcons back out in front 20-18 but the see-saw battle would continue.  The Royals struck right back on an Anderson "3" from the left wing at the 8:30 mark for a 21-20 advantage and an offensive rebound and putback by Johnson at the 7:25 mark got the lead to 23-20.  Bethel would maintain this small edge until Karge had UW-River Falls back out in front 26-25 at the 5:49 mark with her drive and finish but right back came Royals junior guard Angie Kirchoff with her "3" from the left wing with 4:59 left that made it 28-26 Bethel.  Free throws by Liljander with 3:42 left and junior reserve post Hayley Rau with 3:06 left had the Falcons back out in front 30-28.  Right back came the Royals as Bretoi drained a "3" from the top of the key with 2:41 left for a 31-30 Bethel advantage but then UW-River Falls' Messman did the same from the right wing area with 2:25 left for a 33-31 Falcon lead.  The defending WIAC regular season champs would maintain this small edge until a Johnson score in the paint with :36 left knotted things up at 35-all and two Kirchoff freebies with just :07.3 left had the Royals up 37-35.  But UW-River Falls' Liljander would finish this second period as she started it and her pull-up jumper from near the free throw line with just :01.3 left had things deadlocked at 37-all going into the locker room at the half.  A quick glance of the first half box score reveals some interesting numbers.  Bethel owned the glass by a 23-12 count but also had more turnovers at 12-7.  UW-River Falls also shot slightly better from FG range at 46.4% compared to Bethel's 37.9% and the Falcons were also 10 of 10 from the charity stripe as well.

Neither side had been able to make any real decisive moves in the first half that might have had their opponent in a hole but that changed a bit once the third period got underway.  After Anderson put the Royals ahead 38-37 with a free throw at the 9:35 mark, UW-River Falls proceeded to go on an 8-0 run.  Sophomore forward Taylor Paulsrud put the Falcons back up 39-38 with her lay-up at the 9:25 mark and on the ensuing UW-River Falls possession, a pretty left-handed shot in the lane by Karge at the 8:44 mark made it a 41-38 ballgame.  Karge would strike again at the 8:10 mark with her short shot off the glass and two Paulsrud free throws at the 7:50 mark had the Falcons up 45-38.  It would have been easy for this young Bethel team to hit the panic button right then and there but instead they dug in their heels and battled right back.  Kirchoff uncorked a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:27 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Zimmerman at the 6:52 mark had the Royals back to within a single possession trailing 45-43.  Two Anderson freebies at the 5:48 mark once again had things knotted up at 45 a piece.  UW-River Falls would make another attempt to put distance between itself and their opponent.  Strong senior forward Kate Theisen knocked down a jumper from the top of the key with 4:29 left and sunk one free throw a bit later with 3:18 left for a 50-47 Falcon lead and a jumper from the free throw line by the versatile Karge had UW-River Falls up 52-47.  Once again Bethel battled their way right back.  An Anderson trey from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass with 1:51 left sliced the Falcon lead down to two at 52-50 and although Zimmerman would pick up her fourth foul a bit later with 1:27 left the Royals would not be denied.  Trailing 53-50, Bretoi again rained terror from three-point land with her bomb from the left wing that tied the game at 53-all and two Kirchoff free throws with :47.5 left put Bethel back out in front 55-53.  Two more free throws by sophomore reserve guard Hannah Simpson with :07.5 left stretched the lead to 57-53 and although UW-River Falls would inch a bit closer on two Messman free throws with just :01.3 left, the advantage that Falcon Head Coach Cindy Holbrook thought they had at the beginning of the period went out the window.

Bethel would attempt to build a bit of a cushion in the early moments of the fourth period as one Anderson free throw at the 9:03 mark and a "3" from the left corner by senior guard Shanni Moorse at the 8:27 mark gave the Royals a 61-57 advantage.  A Paulsrud "3" from the left wing area at the 7:43 mark allowed UW-River Falls to slice the deficit to one point at 61-60 but a score in the paint by Kirchoff at the 6:58 mark and a Zimmerman drive and finish at the 6:20 mark built the lead to 65-60. One Zimmerman freebie at the 5:19 mark had Bethel in the bonus and then Zimmerman; still riding those four fouls, connected with a lay-up at the 5:04 mark that drew a foul and sent the former Champlin Park standout for the obligatory free throw that now had the 12th-ranked Falcons staring at a 69-60 deficit and some real trouble.  Despite the fact that Johnson would foul out with 3:45 left, the Royals would still enjoy a seven-point lead when Moorse drained her second trey of the contest; this one from the left corner again that gave Bethel a 72-65 lead with 3:07 left.  But the Falcons had been through these desperate situations before and they calmly battled their way back.  Clark would get into the paint for one score with 2:54 left and, after a UW-River Falls timeout, Messman would snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up that drew a foul and allowed the Medford, Wisconsin native to sink the ensuing freebie that cut the Royals lead down to a scant two points at 72-70.  The Falcons would foil the next two Bethel possessions and then a turnaround jumper by Clark with 1:30 left tied the game at 72-all and the tension inside Robertson Center was real.  A "3" by Anderson from the left corner with 1:10 left gave the Royals a 75-72 lead but UW-River Falls would cut the deficit down to one at 75-74 on a Karge drive and finish with :54 left.  The Royals, now nursing a one-point lead, had an opportunity to ice the contest and they carefully worked the ball around the court; looking for just the slightest crack or opening.  With :32 left, Bretoi found herself open from behind the arc and launched a shot but this one wasn't true and rimmed out and Messman was able to gather in the defensive rebound.  Now it was the Falcons turn to try and deliver a final blow. Holbrook decided to let her squad work the ball around without calling a timeout and, with :07.6 left, Liljander got the ball and got herself up to the top of the key area inside the arc and uncorked what looked like to be the game-winner and a 76-75 UW-River Falls advantage.  Holbrook then used the timeout to set up her defense for one last stop in hopes of getting out of Robertson Center right then and there.  What she and her coaching staff could not have counted on, however, was Zimmerman getting fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass from just inside the half-court line with :07.2 left.  Zimmerman was able to knock down the front-end but the back-end attempt was just short and Liljander grabbed the rebound as the Falcons hustled downcourt for one last-gasp attempt.  Liljander got a shot off with :01 left that bounced off the rim so off to overtime we went tied at 76.

In the extra five minute session, Zimmerman gave Bethel a 78-76 lead with her lay-up with 4:28 left and an Anderson free throw with 4:08 left made it a 79-76 game but that advantage was wiped away when the Falcons' Messman connected with a jumper from the left wing that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw that tied the issue once again at 79-all.  The Royals, however, would not let their opponent take advantage again.  A Zimmerman drive and finish with 2:59 left gave Bethel an 81-79 lead and the Royals stretched the lead to 83-79 on an Anderson lay-up with 1:58 left.  A Karge lay-up would cut the Bethel lead down to 83-81 but the experienced Zimmerman would get the lead to 85-81 on her lay-up with 1:06 left.  UW-River Falls would strike back quickly on a Theisen score in the paint with :59 left and Holbrook would call a thirty-second timeout to try and set up strategy.  The Falcons fouled Zimmerman with :40.3 left on the ensuing Bethel possession and though Theisen was the guilty party with her fifth foul that sent her to the bench, Zimmerman could only get the front-end of the two free throw attempts to go down that made it an 86-83 game.  But on the ensuing UW-River Falls possession, Messman could not get her lay-up attempt with :34 left to fall and Kirchoff; who was there to grab the defensive rebound, was fouled with :29.6 left.  The Barrington, Illinois native calmly sank both free throw attempts that now made it a two-possession game at 88-83.  The Falcons last lifeline faded away with a turnover with :15 left and now UW-River Falls had no choice but to foul in a vain attempt to preserve what little time left there was.  Zimmerman was sent to the line with :12.6 left where she sank one free throw for an 89-83 lead and although Clark would connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with :05.8 left, it wasn't nearly enough as the Royals ran out the clock to claim a thrilling 89-85 victory over a nationally-ranked UW-River Falls team.

A disappointed Holbrook expressed some concern afterward with her squad with some the the mistakes her team made down the stretch.  Still, she gave credit where credit was due.  "They (Bethel) made the shots when they need them.  Give them credit."  She also added that "it was a fun game with a lot of intensity."  Indeed, this game definitely had an NCAA Tournament-feel to it.  While this one was arguably a tough loss for the Falcons to swallow, in the long-run, I don't think that this loss will hurt them any.  They're still going to be one of the two top teams in the WIAC and, barring catastrophic injuries to key players, it's very difficult for me to envision a scenario where they're not in play for the NCAA Tournament come late February/early March.  A happy and relieved Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer expressed how proud he was of his squad and also had a lot of good things to say about UW-River Falls as well and was in agreement how this game had an NCAA Tournament-feel to it.  I asked him about Zimmerman and was curious as to why she didn't start.  Apparently, Zimmerman tweaked an ankle this last weekend in the tournament they participated in where they came away with a split; losing to Carthage but knocking off Wisconsin Lutheran - teams that both made the NCAA Tournament field this last season.  But Zimmerman looked very strong in this game tonight and I think she'll likely work her way back into the starting line-up.  At the same time, it has to be a nice problem for Herbrechtsmeyer to have with all of these young faces now stepping up and providing quality minutes on the floor.  Furthermore, having now watched this Bethel team play twice, I think that I may have short-changed them a bit in my preseason predictions.  I think it's safe to say that, if they can stay healthy, they have to be a squad that can, at the very least, be in the title conversation.  That said, I think the MIAC will likely shape up to be a three-team race as opposed to just a two-team race.  Karge lead a balanced UW-River Falls attack with her 21 points while both Messman and Clark added 15 points and Liljander had ten points.  Bethel was very balanced as well as Zimmerman had 20 points and Anderson was right behind with her 19 points while Kirchoff contributed 14 points and Bretoi had 12 points.  Certainly a sore spot for Holbrook had to be Bethel owning the glass by a 43-34 count UW-River Falls had a decided edge with points in the paint (thanks to the Karge/Clark/Rau triumvirate) at 50-26 but Bethel had the edge in second-chance points at 13-5.

UW-Superior vs Augsburg 11-18-16

Made my way over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College on this cold, windy, and snowy Friday evening of Beat SC week to take in this intriguing early-season non-conference clash between UW-Superior out of the UMAC and host Augsburg of the MIAC.  Thankfully, the Twin Cities were spared the wrath of Winter Storm Argos while it wreaked havoc on western and central Minnesota so I didn't have much problem getting over there other than rush hour traffic.  I was curious about this new look Augsburg team with all the young freshmen on the roster and how they would handle things after the big win on the road Tuesday night at UW-Stout.

One could argue that this could be the MIAC's version of the "Fab Five" although, in reality, Head Coach Ted Riverso inserted junior post Hannah Steinhaus to go along with four freshmen - point guard Aiza Wilson and guard Camryn Speese both out of DeLaSalle and K'Aezha Wubben out of Hopkins and Tamira McLemore out of Eagan.  However, it would be the visiting Yellowjackets that would do the stinging early and often.  Two free throws by junior guard Hailey Kontny at the 9:41 mark and a short Kontny jumper at the 8:54 mark gave UW-Superior a quick 4-0 lead and a lay-up in transition by versatile junior post Jade Tucker at the 8:23 mark put the Auggies in an early 6-0 hole. A Speese lay-up at the 7:53 mark and a Wubben lay-up after a steal at the 6:19 mark along with one McLemore free throw at the 6:05 mark had Augsburg back within a possession at 8-5 but the Yellowjackets would fly fast and furious again.  Freshman reserve forward Eva Reinertsen connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds pass at the 5:44 mark and two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Hannah Norlin at the 5:00 mark got the lead up to 12-5.  Junior guard Amelia Leger knocked down a short shot with 4:39 left and two free throws by Tucker helped UW-Superior double up the Auggies 16-8.  Worse yet for Augsburg was that the Yellowjackets were already in the bonus and when Tucker connected with a lay-up in transition with 3:44 left for an 18-8 UW-Superior advantage, the Auggies Riverso knew he had a problem on his hand and he called a timeout to try and rectify the situation.  But UW-Superior was just warming up.  Kontny drilled a "3" from the left corner with 3:18 left and then Leger drained a "3" from the left top area a short time later with 2:52 left that stretched the Yellowjacket lead to 24-8 before Speese finally broke the Augsburg drought with her lay-up in transition.  The damage was done, however, and two Kontny free throws with 2:19 left and a Kontny lay-up in transition with 1:03 left made it a 28-10 ballgame although Speese was able to knock down two free throws with :31.9 left that made it 28-12 going into the second period.

Things just seemed to get progressively worse for the Auggies in the opening minutes of the second period as UW-Superior went on a 4-0 burst.  Reinertsen banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:51 mark and a Norlin score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 9:09 mark made it a 33-12 game before the Auggies could make a dent on lay-ups by McLemore at the 8:37 mark and Steinhaus at the 8:01 mark.  Surprising freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:59 mark but Augsburg needed more than just a 6-0 run to get their teeth back into this game.  Indeed, the Yellowjackets responded with a 6-0 burst of their own.  Two scores by junior forward Bailee Bartunek - one in the paint at the 6:29 mark and a short jumper from the right side at the 5:18 mark - coupled with an offensive rebound and putback by Norlin with 4:50 left made it a 39-18 game and the Auggie's Riverso was once again clamoring for a timeout.  Augsburg seemed to find a bit of life after that stoppage in play as Wilson drained back-to-back treys - one from the top of the key with 4:33 left and another on the ensuing Auggie possession from the left top area with 3:58 left - that got the deficit looking a bit better trailing 39-24.  Bartunek would get the UW-Superior lead up to 41-24 with her lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 3:43 left but Augsburg was able to keep chipping away down the stretch before the half.  Jordan would drain a "3" from the right corner with 2:15 left and a lay-up in transition by Speese with 1:49 left cut the Yellowjacket lead down to 41-29.  A short shot off the glass by Kontny with 1:39 left got the lead back up to thirteen at 43-30 but a Wilson drive and finish off the glass with :56 left brought the score back down to 43-32 going into the locker room at the half - a damn sight better than what it was earlier in the period.  The big question now would become if the Auggies could sustain runs and, more importantly, get defensive stops which was proving to be hard to do with all the weapons at UW-Superior Head Coach Don Mulhern's disposal. And while the Yellowjackets were guilty of 13 turnovers in the first half, they pounded Augsburg on the boards by a 26-14 count.

UW-Superior got off to a decent enough start at the beginning of the third period as a jumper from the right wing by Kontny at the 9:15 mark and a short jumper in transition by Leger at the 8:55 mark increased the lead to 47-32.  The Auggies though seemed to come out with a renewed intensity; particularly on defense.  McLemore connected with a lay-up in transition at the 8:45 mark and junior reserve forward Bridget Bednar knocked down a jumper along the right baseline at the 8:02 mark that cut the Yellowjacket lead down to 47-36 and a Wubben lay-up at the 7:20 mark along with a pretty drive and finish by McLemore that drew a foul and sent the former Eagan standout to the charity stripe for the obligatory free throw at the 6:33 mark now gave Augsburg a reason for real hope trailing 51-41.  But getting the deficit back into single-digit range was proving to be a bridge too far at this point and UW-Superior shut the door on this Auggie comeback attempt.  Norlin got into the paint for one score at the 6:08 mark and a Reinertsen offensive rebound and putback at the 5:01 mark increased the lead to fourteen at 55-41.  Two Reinertsen free throws with 3:40 left and a score in the paint by 5'5" freshman reserve guard Megan Aho with 3:19 left increased the lead to 59-43.  Two more Reinertsen freebies with 2:01 left and a lay-up in transition by junior forward Justine Larson that drew a foul and sent the Stanchfield native to the line for the free throw now had the Yellowjackets in great shape again leading 64-47.  Augsburg would get two late scores before the end of the third period when Speese got into the paint for a score that drew a foul that resulted in the obligatory freebie with :37.5 left and a McLemore tip-in of a missed lay-up in transition by Wubben cut the UW-Superior lead back down to 64-52 but trying to make serious dents into the Yellowjacket cushion was proving to be a tough task for the Auggies.

That protective cauldron that the Yellowjackets had been enjoying from seemingly the get-go would soon dissipate as Augsburg again came out with a renewed determination.  A short jumper by Speese at the 9:40 mark again had the Auggies in that ten-point range again trailing 64-54 and then Wilson struck from three-point land from the right corner at the 9:11 mark that finally had Augsburg back in that single-digit striking range distance trailing 66-57.  A short shot after a steal by Norlin had UW-Superior back up by double-digits briefly at 68-57 but the Auggies continued with their onslaught. McLemore made good on a hard drive and finish that drew a foul at the 8:15 mark and, although McLemore couldn't sick the obligatory free throw, the Auggies got the offensive rebound and a "3" from the left top area by freshman reserve guard Arianna Jones at the 8:08 mark cut the Yellowjacket lead down to six at 68-62.  Wilson would sink one free throw after being fouled in a transition situation at the 7:39 mark and, although Kontny would get a lay-up for UW-Superior at the 7:26 mark to get the lead back up to seven at 70-63, Wilson; the former DeLaSalle standout, got another lay-up in transition after a steal that made it 70-65 at the 6:37 mark and Mulhern knew full and well that his Yellowjacket team was clearly rattled by this point and he called a timeout so his team could take a few breaths of fresh air and refocus.  A short jumper in the lane by Norlin at the 5:56 mark again got the lead to seven at 72-65 but Augsburg was just beginning to find its groove.  Speese made good on a daring drive into the paint for a finish at the 5:36 mark and two McLemore free throws at the 5:20 mark after she was fouled in transition after another Yellowjacket turnover now cut the UW-Superior lead down to a single possession at 72-69.  The Yellowjackets tried desperately to stave off this furious Augsburg comeback bid as free throws by Norlin at the 5:07 mark and one more with 4:07 left had the lead back up to four at 75-71.  Speese fouled out by this point and some of the Augsburg faithful within Si Melby Hall wondered if this comeback bid might have met its end.  But this young group out on the floor for the Auggies probably didn't feel any fear whatsoever.  Instead, they kept plugging away.  McLemore connected with a lay-up that brought Augsburg back to within a tantalizing single possession trailing 75-73 and, although Norlin would put UW-Superior up by four at 77-73 with her score in the paint with 3:36 left, the Yellowjackets could not find the answers on defense that would halt this athletic group of Auggie youngsters.  Wubben got into the paint for one score with 3:13 left and on the ensuing UW-Superior possession, Kontny had her pocket picked by McLemore who quickly got the ball to Wubben for a lay-up in transition that had the crowd in Si Melby Hall going nuts with the score tied at 77.

The Yellowjackets tried to restore order when Bartunek connected with a jumper from the right elbow with 2:33 left that gave UW-Superior the lead again at 79-77 but Mulhern's worst nightmare seemed to be coming true as two free throws by McLemore with 2:25 left knotted the score at 79 a piece and then a Wubben "3" from the right corner with 1:46 left brought down the house and gave the Auggies their first lead of the game at 82-79.  Kontny tried desperately to bring the Yellowjackets back with her lay-up in transition after a steal and, although she was fouled in the process, she couldn't sink the ensuing freebie and that allowed Augsburg to cling to an 82-81 advantage with :31.3 left.  Wubben was fouled on the ensuing Augsburg possession and her two free throws made it an 84-81 ballgame. Mulhern called a timeout and drew up a play and UW-Superior ran it to perfection.  With :07.8 left, Reinertson go open from behind the arc; received a pass from Aho from the right wing area and she drained a "3" that tied the score at 84-all.  Mulhern quickly called a thirty-second timeout to draw up defensive plans to try and thwart the ensuing Auggie possession.  But Riverso and his staff had their squad ready.  Steinhaus received the inbounds pass from the half-court line and with the Yellowjackets perhaps expecting the ball to go to either Wilson or McLemore, Steinhaus; the Waterville native, made an unexpected dash to the rack and she slyly finished in the paint underneath with :01.6 left that gave Augsburg an 86-84 lead.  Mulhern would call for one last stoppage in play to try and draw up something that might fly with such little time left.  But on the ensuing inbounds pass attempt, there was a miscommunication between Aho and her intended target and she inadvertently passed the ball out of bounds and the Auggies were able to burn off the last :01.6 to claim their second straight thriller.

A despondent Mulhern was at a loss for words when I caught up with him afterward.  He did express some displeasure with some of the officiating and a few calls here and there and it had to be frustrating to open the season with a heartbreaking loss to CSB at home by two points and then lose this one by two points in the fashion that they did after being in control for most of the contest. Mulhern would lament that "there were a lot little things we didn't do" but it was plain to see the disapppointment on his face.  On the other side, I asked an elated Riverso about how winning these two opening games (beating UW-Stout and now this one) in the fashion that they did would help the confidence of this young core group of players.  He said he wasn't sure but did say that they don't know much about the league (MIAC) save for the summer league play.  He also talked about how he feels this team is slowly carving an identity for itself.  "We're not just a transition team" he said; adding that "our defense is underrated."  Indeed, the Auggies forced 26 UW-Superior turnovers in this contest that led to many of the transition opportunities.  How good this team will be remains to be seen, of course, but this is a group that you'll definitely want to keep your eye on.  The Auggies were led in this one by McLemore's 23 points while Speese added 17 points and Wilson and Wubben chipped in with 14 and 13, respectively.  Kontny poured in 23 points to lead the way for the Yellowjackets and Norlin had a "double-double" on this night with her 21 points and ten rebounds.

MATC vs Anoka-Ramsey 11-17-16

Made my way up to Coon Rapids on this Thursday evening of Beat SC week to take in this non-conference game between Milwaukee Area Technical College and host Anoka-Ramsey.  I definitely wanted to see where the Golden Rams were at in this early part of the season from my visit to their practice a month ago and how they would fare against an unfamiliar opponent.

The visiting Stormers came out in a 2-3 zone defense right off the bat but that didn't seems to bother Anoka-Ramsey; much less speedy sophomore point guard Rashonna Thomas - at least early on anyway as she drained two three-point bombs - one from the right wing at the 9:05 mark and another from the left top area at the 8:08 mark - that gave the Golden Rams an early 6-2 advantage.  You can defeat a 2-3 zone defense IF you can consistently drop those "3's" but if you can't and if you're unable to penetrate the 2-3 zone inside, you've got big trouble on your hands and that's precisely what happened to Anoka-Ramsey on this night.  MATC responded with a 10-0 run over the course of nearly two minutes; fueled by offensive rebounds and putbacks by sophomore forward Nwoye Green and two free throws from fellow sophomore point guard Brittany Kattenberg and a Kattenberg lay-up in transition at the 6:26 mark that had the Stormers up 10-6.  Worse yet for the Golden Rams, MATC was forcing several Anoka-Ramsey miscues and turnovers which are very uncharacteristic for a David DeWitt-coached team and a steal and pull-up jumper the other way by slender sophomore guard Kurstyn Gordon at the 6:04 mark completed this 10-0 surge for a 12-6 Stormer lead.  The Golden Rams were able to close the gap when freshman guard Alyssa Correll drained a "3" from the left wing area that made it a 12-9 ballgame and the immediate thought was that Anoka-Ramsey would recover and gradually begin to take control of things.  MATC, however, had different ideas and they closed out the period on a 13-0 run that was aided by more Golden Ram turnovers and uncharacteristic fouls.  One freebie by sophomore guard Jerimisha Booker with 4:53 left started this run and a Booker offensive rebound and putback with 4:28 left made it a 15-9 game.  Two Gordon free throws with 3:00 left and one more by Green with 2:41 left increased the lead to 18-9 and a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Mickaiah Jones-Cogwell got the lead to 20-9.  Two scores by sophomore guard/forward Tara Jefferson - one in the paint with 1:14 left and a short jumper with :50 left along with one free throw by freshman reserve guard Mahalia London with :16.2 left had Anoka-Ramsey staring at a 25-9 deficit.

DeWitt took a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach once the second period got underway; having his team switch from a man-to-man defense into a 2-3 zone defense; something of a rarity for the Golden Rams.  Nonetheless, it appeared to pay dividends in the early going of the second stanza as Anoka-Ramsey plugged up the middle that prevented some of the big Stormer bodies from getting inside as they did in the first period and allowed the Golden Rams to chip away at the deficit. Sophomore guard Laya Sath connected with a jumper from the left elbow area at the 9:38 mark and a "3" by freshman guard Amanda Lindsey from the left wing area at the 8:16 mark cut the MATC lead down to 25-14.  A jumper from the right corner at the 5:53 mark by freshman forward Dariel Lipscomb and a "3" from the right wing area by Sath with 4:37 left had Anoka-Ramsey back within single digits trailing 27-19 and the Golden Rams appeared to have a much-needed injection of life pumped back into them.  But the Stormers were able to hold off this first comeback attempt going down the stretch before the half.  Freshman reserve guard Adaijah Johnson uncorked a "3" from the right wing area with 4:15 left that got the lead back up to double-digits at 30-19 and a short jumper off the glass by Green with 2:48 left increased the lead to 32-19.  Anoka Ramsey would get the deficit back into single-digit range briefly when sophomore reserve forward Kierra Hunter got into the paint for one score with 2:36 left and a Rashonna Thomas lay-up with 2:11 left cut the MATC lead down to 32-23 but Johnson would give the Stormers a 35-23 halftime lead with her "3" from the right wing area with 1:30 left.  A manageable deficit for the Golden Rams but DeWitt knew that his squad would have its work cut out for it.

DeWitt decided to stay with the 2-3 zone going into the third period but he didn't get the immediate results he was hoping for.  Instead, the Stormers proceeded to go on a 12-2 run over the course of nearly four minutes that appeared to have Anoka-Ramsey buried in an avalanche.  One score by Booker at the 9:49 started the MATC blitz and a Booker free throw at the 9:06 mark got the lead up to 38-25.  A short jumper off the glass by Kattenberg at the 8:48 mark and a short turn-around jumper by Jones-Cogwell at the 8:03 mark made it 42-25.  Kattenberg unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 7:11 mark and when Jefferson connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:33 mark that made it a 47-25 ballgame, the Golden Rams indeed appeared to be past the point of no return and DeWitt wasted no time in calling a halt to the action to try and rally the troops.  It took a bit, but Anoka-Ramsey finally found some life again thanks to Rashonna Thomas.  She dropped another trey - this one from the left wing area at the 5:12 mark and a Correll jumper from the left top area with 2:58 left trimmed the Stormer lead down to 49-30.  Two more Anoka-Ramsey scores; including yet another Rashonna Thomas "3" - this one from the left wing area with 1:51 left in the period allowed the Golden Rams to cut further into the deficit trailing 51-35 and with 1:11 Rashonna Thomas struck again with an offensive rebound and short jumper.  When Lipscomb snared an offensive rebound for a putback and was fouled in the process, her ensuing free throw with :37 left capped an unlikely period-ending 9-0 spurt that sliced the MATC lead down to 51-40 going into the fourth and final period.

The Stormers tried to gather themselves at the start of the fourth period but momentum was clearly now on the side of Anoka-Ramsey and they went on another 9-0 run that brought them tantalizingly close.  One score in the paint by Lipscomb at the 9:13 mark and yet another Rashonna Thomas trey - this one from the right corner at the 8:54 mark cut the MATC lead down to 51-45.  Then it was Correll striking from three-point land - this one from the right wing area at the 8:25 mark that had the Golden Rams within a single possession trailing 51-48 and when Rashonna Thomas connected with a lay-up in transition at the 8:01 mark that had the Stormer lead down to a scant point at 51-50, MATC Head Coach Randy Casey had no choice but to take a match to a timeout.  The Stormers appeared to recover somewhat after that stoppage in play as two scores in the paint by Green - one at the 7:17 mark and another at the 6:06 mark - gave MATC a bit more breathing room with a 55-50 lead and one Jefferson freebie at the 5:26 mark made it a 56-50 game.  But Anoka-Ramsey was far from finished.  Freshman reserve guard Lateah Turmon connected with a jumper from the right corner with 4:59 left that cut the Stormer lead down to 56-52 and then Turmon knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area with 4:06 left that once again brought the Golden Rams back to a single-possession trailing 56-54.  Facing disaster, the Stormers tried to step on the gas pedal again as Green got into the paint for one score with 3:41 left and when Jefferson got into the paint for another score with 2:59 left MATC looked to be in decent shape again with a 60-54 advantage.  But Anoka-Ramsey would still manage to throw one last scare into Casey's team.  Correll unleashed a three-point bomb from the left wing area with 2:44 left and then Turmon would connect with a lay-up in transition with 2:27 left that - once again - had the Golden Rams breathtakingly close trailing by one at 60-59 with a ton of time left.  Alas, that's as close as they would get.  Kattenberg connected with a dagger "3" from the left top area with 1:14 left for a 63-59 lead and Anoka-Ramsey never could find that one shot or three-point attempt when they needed it most.  Lipscomb would connect with a lay-up in transition that cut the Stormer lead down to a single-possession again at 63-61with :27.8 left but, after a Golden Ram timeout, MATC calmly responded.  Kattenberg got fouled with :23 left and she stepped to the line to drop two freebies for a 65-61 lead and after a failed Anoka-Ramsey possession, Jefferson was fouled with :13 left and she was able to get one free throw to go down for the winning 66-61 margin.

In looking back, this had to have been a tough loss to swallow for this young Anoka-Ramsey team and the faces and the mood of the squad showed that afterward.  I felt a twinge of guilt when I interrupted an impromptu Jimmy John's meal that DeWitt was enjoying with his wife in the conference room afterward.  It was tough to get much out of DeWitt other than "We're not very good."  Some of that might have been tongue-in-cheek, some of that might have been part truth.  A glance at the box score shows eight first period Golden Ram turnovers and a total of 17 turnovers for the game so while they managed to clean things up after that disastrous first period, they also put themselves into a hole and they spent a lot of energy trying to battle back from that.  Even more frustrating had to be getting to within one point twice in that fourth and final period with plenty of time left and not being able to get over the hump.  A pair of missed free throws here.  An easy lay-up or "bunny" missed there.  In close games, those things add up and the fact that Anoka-Ramsey got outrebounded 41-32 didn't help matters either.  At the same time, I think this young Golden Ram team can take a lot of positives going forward knowing that they do have the ability to bounce back from adversity.  We've seen teams in the past under DeWitt recover after a slow start and I'd be willing to bet that they'll be able to do it again.  You can be sure that he'll have his squad back hard at it on the practice floor working on the mistakes that plagued them on this night and I'd be willing to bet that they'll be fine in the long-haul.  Rashonna Thomas led the way for Anoka-Ramsey on this night with her 21 points and Correll followed up with her 13 points.  Jefferson led a balanced MATC attack on this night with her 18 points and 11 rebounds while Green had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kattenberg had 14 points and five rebounds.    

Northland vs Bethel 11-15-16

Made my way over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this Wednesday night of Beat SC Week to take in the home and season opener for host Bethel as they took on Northland College out of the UMAC.  I picked Bethel to finish third in the MIAC this season but felt like I needed some kind of validation for my lofty pick for them.  On this night, they validated my pick.

The Royals showed both full- and half-court pressure early on which led to several Northland mistakes and turnovers and Bethel was only too happy to take advantage.  Junior point guard Abby Miller connected on a short jumper at the 9:09 mark to get things started and Lumberjill Head Coach Daryle Tucker; perhaps sensing imminent disaster, called a timeout to try and get his squad reorganized.  But the Royals kept applying the pressure and the turnovers kept on coming from Northland.  One Miller free throw at the 8:39 mark and two more from senior forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 8:34 mark made it 5-0 and Tucker again took a match to another timeout to try and stem the tide to no avail.  Bethel's starting five were doing enough damage as it was but Tucker likely could not have counted on Royal freshman reserve guard Jasmin Bretoi coming off the bench and raining terror from three-point land.  The former Centennial standout dropped her first trey from the right wing area off of an inbounds pass at the 7:41 mark and after Zimmerman slithered inside for a score at the 7:10 mark for a 10-0 Bethel lead, Bretoi uncorked another three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area at the 6:21 mark that stretched the lead to 13-0.  A bit later at the 5:52 mark, Bretoi showed her defensive prowess as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up for a 15-0 Royal lead.  Zimmerman did the same at the 5:31 mark for a 17-0 Bethel advantage before the Lumberjills finally got on the board with a "3" from the right wing area by senior guard Brianna Tody but by now the Royals had set the tempo on both sides of the floor and Northland was in a hole that was going to be very hard to dig out of.  Bethel senior guard Shanni Moorse snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:37 left made it 19-3 and then another new face made her impact felt.  Freshman reserve guard and former Maple Grove standout Haylee Barker snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 3:08 left that made it a 22-5 ballgame.  Bretoi would strike again from three-point land from the left wing area with 2:21 left for a 25-5 Royal lead before Northland could finally cut into the deficit. Sophomore guard Nicole Huber would hit a "3"  from the right wing area with 1:54 left and two more Huber scores - a short shot with 1:38 left and a lay-up with 1:08 left - made the score a bit more respectable at 27-12 but two pairs of free throws by Zimmerman to end the first period had the Lumberjills staring at a 31-12 deficit by the end of the first period.

Northland hoped to get the second period off to a somewhat better start and a jumper from the free throw line by Huber at the 8:54 mark seemed to point the Lumberjills in the right direction at least. But a quick 7-0 Royal burst soon dashed those hopes as Abby Miller drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:11 mark as Zimmerman zigged and zagged her way into the paint for a lay-up at the 7:13 mark for a 36-14 Bethel lead.  Lanky freshman reserve forward Taite Anderson got into the paint for a score at the 6:10 mark for a 38-14 Royal advantage before Northland could make some more dents.  A Tody jumper in the lane at the 5:54 mark along with one free throw by sophomore guard Emily Wagner with 4:12 left along with a Tody "3" from the left wing area with 3:29 left trimmed the Bethel lead to 40-20 but the Royals simply had more firepower and answers on this night.  Sophomore reserve guard Maria Vavra got into the paint for a score with 2:17 left and freshman reserve forward Brittany Reimer grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:21 left for a 44-20 Bethel lead.  Wagner would connect on a lay-up for the Lumberjills with 1:00 left but there were no miracles seemingly in sight for the visitors from Ashland, Wisconsin on this night going into the locker room down 44-22 at the half.  And 14 first half turnovers along with 30% shooting was not helping Northland's cause.

Bethel increased its lead to 49-24 early in the third period on the strength of another Abby Miller "3" from the left corner at the 9:18 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore post Hannah Johnson at the 8:54 mark before the Lumberjills could make anymore inroads on the deficit.  Senior forward Bethany Best connected with a lay-up at the 8:25 mark and Huber connected with a lay-up as well at the 7:11 mark that drew a foul and allowed her to sink a free throw but Northland was simply giving up too much on defense to make up any ground.  Abby Miller had connected with another three-point bomb by then and Zimmerman managed to slither inside for another score at the 5:12 mark for a 56-30 Royal lead. Huber tried to keep the Lumberjills in the hunt as she connected with another lay-up and got fouled in the process again that allowed her to sink another freebie with 4:51 left and two more Huber free throws with 4:10 left along with a coast-to-coast lay-up by Wagner with 2:23 left that had the deficit back in the twenty-point range at 57-37 but that didn't last long.  Anderson dropped two free throws herself with 1:59 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Johnson with 1:23 left had the Bethel lead out to 61-37 and two Moorse free throws with :37.7 left before the end of the period gave the Royals plenty of breathing room with a 63-37 lead.

A Best coast-to-coast lay-up to begin the fourth period at the 9:26 mark was about the only bright spot for Northland as things went from bad to worse.  Bethel junior guard Angie Kirchoff; who was quiet for the most part in the first half, drained a "3" from the right top area at the 9:09 mark that gave the Royals a 66-39 advantage and, with such a sizable lead by this point, Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had an opportunity to not only to gradually insert more of his younger reserves but also try some different things on defense; including showing a 2-3 zone which is something of a rarity for Bethel which prides itself on its man-to-man defense.  Moorse's block of a three-point attempt by Northland sophomore guard Emily Howe and a lay-up the other way at the 7:08 mark had the Bethel crowd on its feet and another Zimmerman score in the paint at the 6:02 mark made it a 70-43 ballgame.  Then it was Barker again playing the thief in the night with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 5:56 mark.  Johnson drove into the lane for a finish off the glass at the 5:14 mark and sophomore reserve guard Hannah Simpson was fouled in transition after a steal and her two free throws with 4:45 left gave the Royals a sizable 76-43 advantage.  Northland's Best tried to steal the spotlight with her steal and lay-up the other way with 4:04 left but a Simpson lay-up with 3:34 left along with two free throws by freshman reserve forward Miranda Robinson with 2:14 left had the lead out to 80-47.  Reimer would bang home a "3" from the left corner off of an inbounds pass with 1:51 left and one free throw from sophomore reserve guard Brenna Larsen with 1:07 left and a "3" from the left wing area with :30 left by freshman reserve guard Maggie Miller gave Bethel a resounding 87-47 victory.

I was able to chat with an upbeat Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and he was quick to sing praises to his young players that shined on this opening night along with his starters as well.  "There's four great shooters in this conference and I've got two of them" he said; likely referring to Abby Miller and Bretoi.  Herbrechtsmeyer is also high on Barker, the former Maple Grove standout who, along with Bretoi, give the Royals a Northwest Suburban Conference flavor.  Herbrechtsmeyer thinks that Barker can develop into one of the top point guards in the MIAC at some point and that "she'll be the best on-ball defender" as well.  She certainly showed those characteristics tonight with her two steals in 18 minutes of total play.  Assistant Coach Dwight Nelson also talked about the Royals shot-blocking ability; noting that they were first in that category two seasons ago and, although they slipped to ninth in the country in that category last season, he thinks they can get right back up there this season with this group of players they have with their mobility.  Zimmerman led a fairly-balanced scoring attack on this night with her 19 points and Abby Miller followed with her 12 points and Bretoi was right behind with her 11 points.  Bethel owned the glass on this night as well with 46 total rebounds; 11 of those coming from Zimmerman.  Huber led the way for Northland on this night with her 14 points and Best was right behind with her 10 points which all came in the second half.        

Northwestern vs GAC Scrimmage 11-11-16

Made my way down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline on this Friday to St. Peter evening to take in the scrimmage between Northwestern out of the UMAC and host GAC.  This would be my first peek at the 2016-17 version of the Gusties and, having picked them to finish second in the MIAC this year, I was very anxious to check them out.  I got settled into Lund Arena in plenty of time and, for a Friday evening scrimmage that happened on Veteran's Day, it was decently attended.

The Gusties came right out of the gate in the opening ten-minute scrimmage and showed their aggressiveness right away as junior point guard Mikayla Miller was able to snare the opening tip and race to the rack for an easy lay-up at the 9:55 mark.  Senior forward Hannah Howard made it a 4-0 game with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 9:19 mark and a shell-shocked Northwestern team hadn't even had an opportunity yet to utilize its bread and butter - the 2-3 matchup zone defense. Junior guard Amy Berglund got the Eagles on the board at the 9:08 mark with her score in the paint but GAC then proceeded to go on a decisive 10-0 run.  Miller uncorked a three-point bomb from the left wing area at the 8:36 mark and Howard played the thief in the night again; snaring a steal for a lay-up the other way at the 8:17 mark that made it a 9-2 game.  One free throw by junior forward Emee Udo at the 7:45 mark coupled with a hard drive along the right baseline and finish by Miller that also drew a foul and allowed the Goodhue native to sink the obligatory freebie got the score to 13-2 and a free throw by freshman forward Josie Schieffert at the 6:12 mark capped the run.  A jumper along the left baseline by senior forward Emily VanLith temporarily stopped some of the bleeding by Northwestern but Gustie senior guard Kelsey Carpenter pushed GAC's lead to 16-4 at the 5:14 mark when she slipped into the paint for a score.  The Eagles could only make incremental dents into the GAC cushion down the stretch.  Sophomore guard Logan Retzlaff connected with a jumper along the left baseline with 2:32 left but a Carpenter "3" from the right corner a short time later with 2:09 left got the lead to 19-6.  A long Berglund jumper from the right wing area with 1:53 left and one Retzlaff free throw thirty seconds later got the deficit back to ten points for Northwestern trailing 19-9 but GAC sophomore forward Kendall Thompson put the finishing touches on this first scrimmage with her score in the paint with :07 left and I had the Gusties winning this opening scrimmage handily by a 21-9 count.

Miller picked up right where she left off in the early moments of the second scrimmage when she drained her second trey of the evening; this one coming from the left corner at the 9:11 mark and it looked as if the Gusties might be off and running again.  This time around though, both teams hit a bit of a rough patch as both offenses stalled - thanks to turnovers and other miscues - for just a little over three minutes before Northwestern's Berglund connected with a lay-up at the 6:02 mark that had her team trailing by only a scant point at 3-2.  GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; perhaps not happy with how her team bogged down on offense, called a timeout to get her team pointed in the right direction and that stoppage in play would eventually pay off.  Howard would sink two free throws at the 5:29 mark for a 5-2 Gustie advantage and, although Northwestern would manage to tie the game at 5-all off of a Retzlaff score with 3:59 left, two more Howard freebies with 3:31 left and a Howard score in the paint with 3:06 left gave made it 9-5 GAC and when sophomore guard Taylor Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 2:31 left, the Gustie lead was now six at 11-5.  Northwestern was able to make one last push that made things interesting down the stretch.  Two Berglund free throws with 2:15 left and a pretty running jumper from the left side by freshman guard Jazinae Patterson trimmed the GAC lead down to 13-9 and one free throw with 1:18 left by senior post Rachel Hart with 1:18 left had the Eagles within a single possession trailing 13-10 but any hopes of a complete comeback were dashed with :31 left when Northwestern made the mistake of leaving Miller open from behind the arc in the left corner as she drilled another three-point bomb that gave GAC the second scrimmage by a count of 16-10.

Northwestern was finally able to grab an early 2-0 lead in the third scrimmage on a score in the paint at the 9:32 mark but that lead didn't last very long.  Gustie sophomore guard Brooke Lemke's jumper from the left side at the 8:22 mark tied the score and then it was - guess who - Miller unleashing more terror from behind the arc with a "3" from the right corner for a 5-2 GAC lead.  Howard's jumper in the lane in transition at the 6:30 mark made it 7-2 and Eagle Head Coach Aaron Kahl; a one-time assistant at GAC, saw things slipping away and he called a timeout to try and keep the ship from sailing away.  But the Gusties refused to let their collective foot off of the gas pedal as Carpenter swished her second trey of the night - this one coming from the right wing area at the 5:31 mark and a Thompson lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 4:03 left capped this 12-0 GAC run.  Berglund stopped some of the bleeding for Northwestern with 3:29 left with her pretty one-handed shot but an Anderson lay-up with 2:51 left and a score in the paint by Schieffert with :56 left sealed the deal for Gusties as they took this third scrimmage handily by a count of 16-4.

Kelly let some of her younger players start the fourth period scrimmage and this allowed Northwestern to grab an early 4-0 lead.  Kelly took a quick timeout to make some adjustments and this allowed GAC to gradually get back into this one.  Still, the Eagles' Patterson knocked down two free throws that increased their lead to 6-0 before the Gusties finally got untracked.  Junior guard Kate Thiesse knocked down two free throws after getting fouled at the 6:48 mark and then Thompson let loose with a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 4:53 mark that closed the gap to a single point at 6-5.  Northwestern managed to get the lead back up to 10-5 on a Patterson lay-up and two Retzlaff free throws with 4:13 left but then GAC's Miller; who was back on the floor by this time, made the Eagles pay.  She dropped her fifth trey of the night with 4:00 left that brought the Gusties back to within a single possession again trailing 10-8 and they stayed within a single possession at 12-10 on two free throws by Schieffert with 3:23 left.  The Eagles tried to make a late surge on a "3" from the right wing area by senior guard Tiffany Stubbs with 3:08 left that got the lead back to 15-10 but they were unable to close the door.  Two Schieffert scores - one in the paint with 2:49 left and a short shot in transition with 1:53 left - cut the deficit to a single point at 15-14 and two free throws by Miller with 1:12 left finally gave GAC the lead at 16-15 and a score in the paint by Schieffert with just :30 left gave the Gusties a hard-earned 18-15 win.

Both Kelly and Kahl let the young ones and reserves take the floor in the fifth and final scrimmage to not only rest their normal rotation of players but to give the younger reserves an opportunity to gain some good in-game experience.  Northwestern struck first on a Patterson lay-up at the 9:02 mark but the younger Gusties wasted little time to show their stuff.  Freshman forward Agnes Ekman tipped in an errant shot at the 8:27 mark that also drew a foul and allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw for a 3-2 GAC lead.  Thiesse snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:38 mark and then Ekman struck again at the 6:27 mark as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up for a 7-2 Gustie advantage.  The Eagles were able to close the gap to a single point on two Retzlaff free throws at the 5:34 mark and a short jumper from the right side by freshman guard Sherri Clark at the 5:04 mark but a 6-0 GAC push snuffed out any hopes Northwestern may have had in taking at least one of these scrimmages.  Senior guard Annie Odegard knocked down a "3" from the left top area with 3:56 left and one free throw by freshman guard Tierney Winter with 3:24 left and two more by Ekman with 2:24 left gave the Gusties a 13-6 lead.  Winter would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:52 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie and she would also get another offensive rebound for a putback in a transition opportunity with 1:13 left that gave GAC an 18-7 lead.  An Ekman score in the paint with :22 left closed out the fun and entertaining scrimmage as the Gusties took this one by a count of 20-7.

While Kelly was not happy with all aspects of her team's play on this night, there's a lot there to feel very good about; particularly with her starting five and rotation of players off the bench which looks very strong.  Kelly did admit that a few players on her squad are battling through some minor injuries and senior forward Miranda Rice, who sat on the bench in civvies on this night, should be back soon. Assistant Coach Dan Wolfe told me unequivocally beforehand when I mentioned that I thought the Gusties were headed for big things this season, "We've got to stay healthy."  Northwestern came into this scrimmage a bit short-handed as sophomore guard Taryn Tumbleson is out with a back injury "but not for the rest of the season" Kahl said with a note of hope.  The Eagles do lack size and while they can cause opponents problems with their 2-3 matchup zone along with 1-2-2 variations, they'll have to count on doing a lot of damage from behind the perimeter if they hope to challenge for the UMAC title this season.

Martin Luther vs Carleton Scrimmage 11-9-16

Traveled down I-35 on this post-election evening to take in a scrimmage battle of Knights - Martin Luther out of the UMAC going up against host Carleton.  From having visited Carleton's practice back on 10-20, I was curious to see where they were at in terms of offensive efficiency and how some of their younger players had progressed in these few short weeks.

Martin Luther would draw first blood in the opening ten minute stanza on a short jumper off the glass by junior guard Jessica Friebe at the 9:13 mark but that would be about the only positive vibe for them as Martin Luther shot several blanks after that which opened the door for Carleton as they grabbed the lead for good at 3-2 on a lay-up by junior forward Sarah Waldfogel at the 7:22 mark.  A score in the paint by freshman post Samantha Cooke that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie pushed the lead up to 6-2 at the 6:56 mark and a strong drive along the left baseline and finish by fellow freshman guard Katie Chavez with 4:34 left finished this 7-0 push for an 8-2 Carleton lead.  Martin Luther was able to stop some of the bleeding when junior guard Grace Schultz knocked down a free throw with 4:15 left but Carleton was able to get the lead up to 10-3 on a Chavez lay-up with 2:48 mark.  Martin Luther senior forward Faith Schroeder maneuvered down low to get a score in the paint with 2:29 left that cut the Carleton lead down to 10-5 but Carleton would get two more scores to end the first period - a short jumper by Cooke with 2:02 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Cooke with :05 left and I had Carleton taking the first period scrimmage by a count of 14-5.

Martin Luther hoped to change things around in the second period scrimmage and, although neither team deviated from their man-to-man defense that they showed in the opening stanza, the visitors from New Ulm made a determined effort to work the ball inside this time around.  A drive and finish by 6'0" junior forward Jade St. Germaine at the 8:19 mark gave Martin Luther a 2-0 lead and, with the score tied at 4-all, St. Germaine muscled into the paint for another score as the shot clock expired at the 6:38 mark for a 6-4 Martin Luther lead.  But Carleton was able to respond to this challenge as the freshman, Cooke, continued to shine.  She snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:10 mark that knotted the issue at 6-all.  With Carleton clinging to an 8-7 lead, junior forward Katherine Miles drained a "3" from the right wing with 4:37 left and then it was Cooke again snaring another offensive rebound for a putback with 3:56 left for a 13-8 Carleton lead.  St. Germaine was able to help Martin Luther draw closer as two offensive rebounds for putbacks - one with 3:44 left and another with 2:31 left - got this one back to within a single possession at 15-12 and a St. Germaine lay-up with 1:57 left had Martin Luther in that three-point range again trailing 17-14.  But another Miles trey - this one from the left top area with just :03 left - was the dagger and I had Carleton taking this second period scrimmage by a count of 20-14.

Carleton seemed to gain a big dose of confidence going into the third period scrimmage as a lay-up by sophomore forward Cece Leone at the 9:08 mark and a pretty turnaround jumper by Cooke at the 8:34 mark gave Carleton a quick 4-0 lead.  Martin Luther tried to counter on a Friebe jumper from the right top area at the 8:17 mark but Carleton kept putting its opponent into a deeper and deeper hole.  A short jumper from the right side by Cooke at the 7:59 mark and a score in the paint by Leone at the 6:30 mark made it an 8-2 game.  Then Carleton was able to do more damage from behind the arc.  One three point bomb from the right top area by Chavez at the 5:37 mark and one from Miles from the left top area with 4:33 left made it a 14-4 ballgame and things were looking very good for Carleton at this point.  This time around though, Martin Luther was able to turn the tables on the home team.  A drive and finish by St. Germaine with 4:04 left and a Friebe foray into the paint and finish with 3:28 left plus a St. Germaine lay-up with 2:44 left gave Martin Luther a flicker of hope trailing 14-10 and a short jumper by Friebe with 1:57 left suddenly had Carleton's lead down to only 14-12 and a Martin Luther score a short time later with 1:44 left tied this third period scrimmage up at 14-all.  When Schroeder connected with a short shot with 1:08 left, Martin Luther had capped a highly unlikely 12-0 burst to grab a 16-14 advantage.  To its credit, Carleton tried to calmly respond.  A drive and lay-up by Chavez with :48.3 left tied the issue at 16-all and although a St. Germaine lay-up a short time later had Martin Luther up 18-16, Leone was able to give Carleton a brief lead once again with her "3" from the right corner with :36 left for a 19-18 game.  Martin Luther, however, had the last say in this third period affair as Schultz; the 5'8" Elkhorn, Wisconsin native wiggled into the paint with :14 left for the winning basket and I had Martin Luther taking this nip-and-tuck affair by a 20-19 count.

Perhaps feeling a bit miffed over letting such a large cushion slip away from them, Carleton came out with a renewed determination in the final fourth period scrimmage.  Waldfogel got the ball rolling with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 9:05 mark and a two three-point bombs by sophomore guard Caroline Hull - one from the right top area at the 7:08 mark and one from the right wing area at the 6:39 mark - made it 8-0 but Carleton was just getting started.  Miles was able to get into the paint for a score at the 6:14 mark and a sweet crossover dribble and lay-up by Chavez at the 5:38 mark made it 12-0 and a score in the paint by freshman forward Malika Adda-Berkane at the 5:04 mark completed this opening 14-0 blitzkrieg before Martin Luther could finally stop some of the bleeding with a score with 4:37 left.  But a Miles "3" from the right top area with 3:55 left made it a 17-2 game and Martin Luther simply could not recover although one score by freshman guard Faith Otte with 3:33 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore guard Sarah Dewey with 2:46 left made things a bit more respectable at 17-6 and a score in the paint by lanky freshman forward Ruth Buchholz got Martin Luther a bit closer trailing 17-8.  A "3" from the left wing area by sophomore guard Maddie Talamantes stretched Carleton's lead to 20-8 with 1:47 left but Martin Luther did manage to make inroads in the waning moments.  An Otte lay-up in transition with :46 left and an Otte drive and finish with :02 left cut Carleton's lead down to 21-12 and, after a Carleton turnover, freshman forward Zeck Jordan was able to connect with a short jumper off the glass just before the buzzer but it wasn't nearly enough as Carleton took this fourth and final scrimmage by a count I tallied at 21-14.

I was able to catch up afterward with Carleton Head Coach Cassie Kosiba and Assistant Coach Chris Dahled and both expressed pleasure with how things have progressed with the team in the nearly one-month period since practice began in mid-October.  Some kinks to work out, of course, but progress has definitely been made.  Dahled told me beforehand that he hoped that they would have at least twenty up-tempo opportunities on offense and, by his count anyway, they were able to achieve that.  I mentioned to Kosiba that I thought it was important for the team to function well without junior Anne Hamilton on the floor (who is still recovering from a knee injury and is expected to be back in a couple of weeks or so).  She quickly agreed with that as did Dahled who says that Hamilton has the ability to make everyone on the floor better when she's around.  Probably just as important, the team was able to gain some confidence that they can do well; particularly the younger players who had some good moments on this evening.  If they can continue to perform well - and stay healthy - Carleton will be a fun team to watch this season for sure.

Looking At Some Of The Other Conferences

Thought it'd be only fair if I offer up some picks on the surrounding conferences as I try to gradually expand my coverage.  Let's look first at my home state of Iowa and the IIAC:


1.  Wartburg
2.  Loras
3.  Coe
4.  Luther
5.  Dubuque
6.  Simpson
7.  Buena Vista
8.  Central
9.  Nebraska Wesleyan

Tough to deviate too much from the coaches poll.  Wartburg's run to the Final Four last season was definitely something to remember and no one, including your's truly, gave the Knights even a snowball's chance in hell to advance past the first round; much less make it to the Final Four.  But the two times I saw this squad this last March made me a quick believer in this team.  Head Coach Bob Amsberry is a guy who can flat out coach the living daylights out of you (how I WISH both my LA Rams and UCLA Bruins had someone like him).  A very good backcourt in twin sisters Katie and and Kristie Sommer help make this team tough to beat.  The only downside is that they won't have the ability to sneak up on anybody like they did last year and wearing a big target on their collective backs will be different for them.  I expect both Loras and Coe to be right in the mix as well and so should Luther but the Norse lost some very good players to graduation including Moran Lonning.

Now, let's take a quick look at the WIAC:


1.  UW-River Falls
2.  UW-Oshkosh
3.  UW-Whitewater
4.  UW-Stevens Point
5.  UW-Eau Claire
6.  UW-Stout
7.  UW-Platteville
8.  UW-La Crosse

The WIAC coaches poll went with UW-Oshkosh to win the conference and they're a solid team; no doubt about it.  I went the other way and shoved UW-River Falls to the top spot only because I've seen them play before and I really liked what I saw.  Junior post Taylor Karge and senior guard Brynn Liljander and senior forward Kate Theisen bring a lot of experience to the floor and they could be even better than last year's 23-6 record.

Finally, let's take a look at the UMAC:


1.  UW-Superior
2.  Northwestern
3.  Bethany Lutheran
4.  UM-Morris
5.  St. Scholastica
6.  Martin Luther
7.  Northland
8.  Crown
9.  North Central

The Yellowjackets get the nod here despite the fact that they lost three players to graduation who played a big role in guiding UW-Superior to it's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.  But Head Coach Don Mulhern has more than enough coming back to hope for more than just a good season.  I do expect a strong challenge, however, from Northwestern despite the fact that the Eagles lost three very good players as well to graduation.  This is a team that knows how to score from downtown and seniors Tiffany Stubbs and Emily VanLith along with junior Amy Berglund and sophomore Taryn Tumbleson should make this a fun team to watch.  Bethany Lutheran and UM-Morris are both something of an enigma and although they could have their moments this season I don't think that either of them have quite enough to challenge for the title.    

MIAC Predictions For 2016-17 Season

Ah yes.  It's that time of the year again when I get to dust off the old crystal ball and take a look at the upcoming season in the MIAC.  Considering how UCLA is doing this fall and, to a lesser extent, my LA Rams, I'm more than anxious for the season to begin.  So, let's take a look at how I think things will shake out this season.


The Title Contenders:

1.  UST
2.  GAC

You have to go with the Tommies again as the favorites as they come off a 26-4 record that included a run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.  They did graduate starting guard Katie Stone and reserve senior post Mykenzie Spaulding but everybody else from last year's squad is back and primed for another great season; including D3 Hoops 1st team preseason All-American senior post Kaitlin Langer who will be supported by a pretty impressive supporting cast including senior guards Gabby Zehrer and Paige Gernes and junior Maddie Wolkow.  The early schedule which includes dates with teams such as UW-Stevens Point, Luther and Hope is challenging but this is a squad that thrives on the big games and that'll only make them tougher to knock off after the first of the year.

I give GAC an outside shot at the title although they have yet to prove that they can finally derail the Tommie Express.  I think, more realistically, they have a very, very good chance to get in the 23-24 win-range, get to the MIAC Championship Game, and assure themselves of a bid to the Dance where they can roll the dice - something that they would have done last year if it were not for puzzling losses to both Coast Guard and CSB.  They have the best point guard, IMHO, in the conference in junior Mikayla Miller and a devastating 1-2 punch down low in seniors Miranda Rice and Hannah Howard.  The early season schedule is, for the most part anyway, very favorable although two daunting road trips to Wisconsin - one at UW-Stout on 12-13 and another to UW-River Falls on 12-29 are in the offing.  Assuming they can come away with a split in those two games, they should get back into MIAC play with a head of steam.  More importantly, they only play UST once during the regular season (on 2-1) and that'll be in St. Peter.


Solid Playoff Contenders:

3.  Bethel
4.  SMU
5.  Concordia

I flipped back and forth several times between Bethel and SMU for the number three spot before finally settling on the Royals.  To be sure, Bethel has taken some hits in graduation losses and injury. Gone are graduated seniors Rachel Parupsky, Hannah Niewald and Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz and Molly O'Toole had to sadly end her basketball career due to injuries.  But the Royals do return seniors Kalli Zimmerman and Shanni Moorse along with junior sparkplug guard Abby Miller and ever-improving sophomore post Hannah Johnson.  A couple of tough tests await later this month - one at Carthage on 11-18 and a home date with WIAC powerhouse UW-River Falls on 11-22 - along with December contests against UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh right before the end of the year.  They play both UST and GAC only once and they get the Gusties at Robertson Center as well.  A challenging schedule to be sure but, assuming they can get through the year relatively healthy, they have a chance to possibly make up for some of the disappointments they endured last season.

The Cardinals lost a talented backcourt trio to graduation in Bridget Pethke, Haley Trom and Micaela Meredith but they do return seniors Emma Schaefer, Brigette Audette and post player Sam Jones. Also returning is sophomore forward Brandi Blattner and a newcomer to the squad is sophomore Brittney Flom so SMU does have some size down low.  It'll be important for the Cardinals to get off to a good start in the early part of the season and the fact that they have eight out of their first thirteen games at home in Winona gives them a chance to do so although some of the opponents include UW-Stout, Concordia, Bethel, GAC and UW-Eau Claire.

Speaking of Concordia, they lost an incredibly talented trio of their own to graduation in Olivia "Dibs" Johnson, Hannah Jeske and Katie Rosenfeldt.  The fact that they haven't as of yet posted their 2016-17 rosters leaves me a bit in the dark but two important players that are returning include seniors Greta Walsh and Jenna Januschka who made great strides last season.  Head Coach Jessica Rahman always seems to find a way around the rough spots to at least have her squad in the mix and I expect that trend to continue this season as well.  One tough date at home against Jamestown and an equally tough roadie over to UW-Superior await this squad and they do take a Thanksgiving Holiday excursion out to Colorado Springs for two games.  Unfortunately for the Cobbers, they have to play both UST and GAC twice during the regular season.


Fighting For The Sixth Spot:

6.  St. Kate's
7.  CSB
8.  Augsburg

I give the edge to St. Kate's for that sixth spot but, once again, they have to avoid that seemingly annual January swoon that they always fall into.  This time, however, I think they finally have the goods to do it.  They have solid leadership in seniors Mari Lee, Kennedy Jennings, LaShay Holt and Alexis Garcia and a pretty good backcourt duo in twin sisters Audra and Meg Clark.  The early part of the season is challenging as they open at UW-Eau Claire on 11-15 and then head to the Big Apple for games against both UMass-Boston and Baruch before returning home to play UW-Stout.  Games against two teams that made the NCAA Tournament this last year - UW-River Falls and UW-Superior - are both on the road in December.  They do get both UST and Concordia only once this season but they do get GAC twice.

CSB has been nothing short of a puzzling entity over the last few seasons; losing games that they should win on paper and then stealing a game or two that they had no business of winning.  They did finish 15-11 last year and did make the MIAC Playoffs where they lost in the first round to GAC so, at least on those terms anyway, they met expectations.  Arguably however, they were the beneficiary of other teams misfortunes.  They have three very good seniors who should play a large part in their success this season in Alison Newton, Annie Dittberner and Macy Kelly.  Juniors Chelsey Guetter, Niki Fokken and Kate Banovetz also figure to play big roles as well and the Blazers do have size in both Fokken and Banovetz.  For the most part, the Blazers early portion of the schedule seems manageable enough with games against Martin Luther and UW-Stout and UM-Morris all in the friendly confines of Claire Lynch.  They do have an early conference road date at UST plus a roadie at UW-Eau Claire a few days after that before heading to the nation's capital for a tournament in D.C. at the end of the year.  Right now anyway, the outlook appears murky at best.

Augsburg lost a bevy of very good players to graduation including do-it-all point guard Maria Loughlin who often had to carry the team on her shoulders last season.  Ditto for Jenna Orth who could always be counted on to come off the bench and wreak havoc on defense.  The early portion of the schedule is challenging as the Auggies go up against the likes of UW-Stout, UW-Superior, Northwestern, and UW-River Falls so Augsburg's margin for error will be extremely small once they get into the meat of the MIAC season which includes playing UST twice.


Bringing Up The Rear:

9.  St. Olaf
10.  Carleton
11.  Macalester
12.  Hamline

The Oles bid adieu to five very good seniors from last season including point guard Lauren Gutierrez, three-point specialist Afton Wolter and guard Woo Bandel.  This year's version is an interesting mix that includes senior Betsey Daly, junior Shelby Stewart and a host of fresh, young faces.  Roadies against Bethany Lutheran, UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire await as does a trip out to the Motherland to take on both Caltech and Occidental in Pasadena and Los Angeles, respectively.  With the young make-up of this squad I expect a roller coaster-like year on the west side of Northfield. Crosstown rival Carleton is the epitome of youth - no seniors at all but Head Coach Cassie Kosiba feels a bit better about her team this time around.  Injuries ravaged the Knights last year but if they can get steady production from junior forward Anne Hamilton, Carleton could surprise.  The early portion of the schedule is daunting, however, with games against the likes of UW-River Falls, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout.  Macalester saw improvement in Head Coach Kelly Roysland's second season and she hopes the trend continues this time around.  Leading the way for the Scots will be senior post Park Masterson and fellow senior guard Grace Dickman.  The early portion of the schedule seems manageable enough and, like St. Olaf, they venture out to the Motherland to play Caltech and Occidental as well.  They'll need a head of steam going into MIAC play as their first two opponents are (gulp) UST and GAC.  Up the road on Snelling Avenue, Hamline lost both Emily Behrman and Alex Peterson to graduation but they do get senior guards Chloe Graves and Chelsey Bonsante back along with Augsburg transfer sophomore Alaina Quaranta.  The early season portion of the schedule is downright brutal with Northwestern and UW-Stout back-to-back, December MIAC games against both Bethel and UST, a date at UW-River Falls on 12-12 and then a trip down to Waverly, Iowa to take on Final Four participant Wartburg along with a game against either University Athletic Association powerhouse Washington U or UW-La Crosse.

So there you have it.  I'm sure not everybody will agree with my picks so feel free to fire away with any thoughts or opinions.                    

Southwest Minnesota State vs UST Scrimmage 11-2-16

Made my way back over to the St. Paul side of town but this time to head over to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST to take in the scrimmage between visiting Southwest Minnesota State out of the NSIC going up against host UST.  Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn is a big believer in challenging her squad and this preseason skirmish would definitely be just that.  I got settled into Schoenecker Arena with rosters of both squads but, much to my dismay, the Southwest Minnesota State team did not have numbers on their practice jerseys rendering my roster of them useless.  The only two players on the Southwest Minnesota State team I know by their faces are the Buysse sisters of Marshall - sophomore Sarah and freshman Emily - who both played big parts in helping get Marshall to the Minnesota Girl's State Tournament over the last couple of seasons.

In the first ten minute scrimmage, Southwest Minnesota State showed its 2-3 zone defense in hopes of clogging up the middle and forcing the Tommies to hit from the perimeter.  But after the Mustangs initially took a 3-0 lead, UST senior guard Gabby Zehrer made a hard drive along the left baseline for a finish inside at the 8:58 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by senior post Kaitlin Langer at the 8:29 mark had the Tommies trailing by a single point at 6-5.  That was the beginning of a 9-0 UST spurt that was the difference maker in this first scrimmage.  A score in the paint by junior guard/forward Lauren Fischer and two scores by sophomore point guard Lucia Renikoff - a "3" from the left corner at the 6:42 mark and a short shot in the lane at the 5:46 mark - suddenly had the Tommies up 11-5.  Southwest Minnesota State would manage to battle their way back into the thick of things after UST's Langer snared another offensive rebound for a putback with 4:38 left for a 13-7 Tommie lead.  One score with 4:14 left and a "3" by Sarah Buysse from the right wing with 3:46 left suddenly cut the Tommie lead to one at 13-12 but UST managed to steady the ship.  Junior guard Maddie Wolkow answered the call with a "3" of her own from the right corner with :59 left that made it a 16-12 game and although the Mustangs would get it back to a single possession game with :30 left, the Tommies would get an insurance score with :15 left and I had UST winning the first scrimmage by a count of 18-14.

UST's Langer and Southwest Minnesota State's Sarah Buysse traded baskets in the first two minutes of the second scrimmage that had things knotted up at 4-all but it was here that the Tommies were able to go on a 6-0 burst.  One score in the paint by Langer at the 7:31 mark and another one by sophomore reserve post Hannah Spaulding at the 6:11 mark made it an 8-4 ballgame and an offensive rebound and putback by senior guard Paige Gernes at the 5:32 mark had UST up 10-4 and Mustang Head Coach Tom Webb; sensing a sinking ship, called a timeout to try and get his squad regrouped. The brief stoppage in play paid dividends initially for Southwest Minnesota State as two quick scores closed the gap to two points at 10-8 with 4:15 left but the Mustangs could get no closer.  Sophomore reserve post Hannah Spaulding connected with a lay-up with 2:24 left and then Wolkow drained another trey - this one from the left wing area - with 2:24 left that upped the Tommie lead to 15-8. The Mustangs; plagued with too many missed short shots and other errors could only get one more score late and two Renikoff insurance freebies with :59 left helped seal the deal in the second scrimmage as I had UST winning this by a count of 17-10.

The third scrimmage featured running time and this allowed UST's Sinn and Southwest Minnesota State's Webb to insert their youngsters to get some much needed game playing experience.  In this one, the Mustangs would jump out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:07 mark but it would be all Tommies after that.  Freshman forward Erin Powers was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback off of a fast break opportunity with 4:37 left and freshman guard Bianca Bowring knocked down two free throws with 2:56 left that had UST out in front for good at 4-2.  Freshman post Lena Wilson got into the paint for one score with 2:05 left and then it was Bowring knocking down a "3" from the right wing with 1:16 left for a 9-4 Tommie lead.  Freshman Olivia Skibba's offensive rebound and putback with just :05 left put the finishing touches on this one that had UST winning 11-4.

The fourth scrimmage featured running time as well but this time around both Sinn and Webb had their normal chain gang crew back in and this one turned out to be nip and tuck all the way.  A Fischer lay-up at the 9:11 mark had the Tommies up 2-0 but Southwest Minnesota State was able to counter on a lay-up at the 8:56 mark and one Sarah Buysse freebie at the 7:32 mark that had the Mustangs up 3-2.  Neither side could land any punches for the next three minutes until UST's Fischer made a pretty move down low and finished with 4:39 left that had the Tommies up briefly at 4-3 but the Mustangs connected on a three-point bomb from the left wing shortly thereafter with 4:06 left for a 6-4 Southwest Minnesota State lead.  UST would come right back and take an 8-6 lead on scores in the paint by Langer with 3:44 left and by Spaulding with 2:09 left but with time ticking down in this one, Sarah Buysse saved the day for the Mustangs with her pretty lay-up off of an inbounds pass that had this one ending up in an 8-all tie.

Sarah Buysse picked up right where she left off once the fifth scrimmage session got underway and her three-point bomb from the right wing at the 9:25 mark helped propel Southwest Minnesota State to a 6-0 lead by the 8:51 mark.  The Tommies would cut the Mustangs lead down to 6-4 on a short jumper off the glass by Zehrer at the 8:33 mark and a Spaulding score down low at the 7:37 mark but Southwest Minnesota State would get the lead back up to 9-4 by the 5:39 mark when Sarah Buysse was able to connect with a free throw.  UST would cut the deficit to one point on two Spaulding free throws at the 5:08 mark and a jumper from the left corner by freshman guard Sarah Krynski with 4:43 left but the Mustangs would respond with a lay-up in transition with 2:35 left and two free throws with 2:07 left to build a 13-8 advantage.  Tommie sophomore guard McKenna DuBois would drill a "3" with 1:11 left but it wouldn't be enough as Southwest Minnesota State would claim a 13-11 victory in this one.

Both Sinn and Webb had their youngsters back on the floor for the sixth scrimmage and Southwest Minnesota State would build a 5-2 advantage by the 7:34 mark but the Tommies would grab a 6-5 lead on scores by Skribba at the 5:24 mark and by Wilson with 4:13 left.  The Mustangs would take an 8-6 lead on free throws with 1:32 left but sophomore guard Sophia Chadwick's two free throws with 1:32 left tied the issue at eight a piece.  Southwest Minnesota State, however, would get the winning score off of an inbounds pass to win this one 10-8.

In the seventh and final scrimmage of the evening, Southwest Minnesota State would grab a 5-1 advantage thanks to a score off of an inbounds pass at the 9:40 mark and a three-point bomb at the 9:00 mark.  More importantly, the 2-3 zone defense that they were employing all evening finally began to stifle the usually potent Tommie attack.  Tommie sophomore guard Bobbi Brendefur's drive along the left baseline and finish at the 5:20 mark gave UST some hope trailing only 6-3 but those hopes were quickly dashed as another Mustang three-point bomb from the right top area got the lead up to 9-3 with 4:21 left and two scores by freshman guard Emily Buysse - a drive and lay-up with 3:06 left and two free throws with :57.1 left - had Southwest Minnesota State up 13-4.  UST freshman guard Janelle Alba-Garner would grab an offensive rebound for a putback with :34 left but the Mustangs would take this one by a final count of 13-6.

UST's Sinn was, for the most part anyway, pleased with her team's performance in this early season skirmish but was quick to point out that her squad needs to improve defensively - something that the Tommies pride themselves in.  She felt that her squad did well in the first two on the defensive side but fell off after that.  "We've got to get better on defense" she said and with a date at Williams Arena and Minnesota this Saturday, you can bet that her squad will be back hard at it on the practice floor.  

Macalester Practice 11-1-16

Headed over to the St. Paul side of town yesterday evening to Macalester's Leonard Center to take in this Tuesday evening practice of Head Coach Kelly Roysland's Macalester squad.  Senior post Park Masterson led me over to Roysland's office where I was pleasantly greeted and at approximately 6:45 that evening after the men's team finished up their practice for the day, the team entered the arena to get things going.

After a dynamic warm-up session that involved a variety of stretching and movement exercises to get loosened up for the evening, Roysland's first drill of the evening is called "Timberwolves Shooting". What this involves is essentially a full-court three-player drill where they go on a 3-on-0 transition opportunity.  The finishing player has to make a lay-up while the two other players get balls from the next group on the other end of the floor and they have to shoot short/medium-range jumpers.

Next, Roysland has her team work on offensive movement with a 5-on-0 "shell" drill where they work on a variety of offensive plays.  Roysland has the team break up into two groups after she explains how things are supposed to run and she oversees one group of players while Assistant Coach Courtney Euerle observe another group.

After a well-deserved water break, the team splits up into two groups again.  Roysland works with her guards on a variety of tasks such as two-player game and stagger screen scores and one-on-one on the wing.  Euerle meanwhile works with the big forwards and posts on items such as rebounding, one-on-one defensive breakdowns and one-on-one in the low post.  If there's anyone who knows a thing or two about solid post play, it's Euerle as she helped SMU win the MIAC regular season title in the 2013-14 season and garnered MIAC POY honors that season as well.

Next, Roysland has her team work on ball screen defense.  This is essentially a 4-on-4 half-court drill and they work on "jam and under" plus blind screens-switch situations.

Then it's time to put some of these concepts that Roysland and Euerle have had the squad work on put to the test in some good, old-fashioned 5-on-5 full-court play.  Roysland keeps a close watch on things and some of the little items as well such as setting screens and switching on defense where necessary.

To finish up the night, Roysland has her squad spend time shooting free throws; an item that is essential to successful play for any team and, after a short meeting, Roysland and the team call it a night.

Outtakes:  Macalester improved to 8-17 overall (3-15 in MIAC play) last season from Roysland's first year at 3-22 overall (0-18 in MIAC play) and Roysland believes her squad is ready to take the next step.  "We have to stay healthy" she says but, beyond the obvious, she believes that her squad is a little bit deeper this year as well.  The non-conference portion of the schedule appears favorable as the Scots open the season on 11-15 at home against Crown College and a road trip to Grinnell four days later.  Another road trip - this one out to New Ulm to take on Martin Luther on 11-21 - is in the offing before Macalester takes an excursion out to the Motherland (Southern California that is :)  ) for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend where they play at Caltech on 11-25 in Pasadena and then at Occidental the next day in Los Angeles before diving into MIAC play.  They'll need to gather up any momentum that they can (as Roysland believes that they need to) to face UST and GAC at home in Leonard Center in their first two MIAC games........This year's squad appears to revolve around seniors Masterson, Grace Dickman (who missed a good chunk of last season with an injury) and Lauren Clamage with juniors Regan Fruh and Leah Gray playing a big part as well.  I would also suspect that senior Karen Rathjens will play a prominent helper role in the post area as well......Again, this team has to stay healthy if they're going to take the next step.  Dickman looks to be battling some minor issues but should be ready to go.  Junior forward Emilie McGuire went down during practice with an apparent ankle injury but it didn't look too serious.  

Northwestern Practice 10-31-16

Battled the rush hour traffic on I-694 on Halloween evening to get over to Roseville and on the campus of Northwestern University at Ericksen Center for Monday evening's practice session for the Eagles.  Thankfully, I was not met with ghouls or goblins on this night but a very cordial Head Coach Aaron Kahl and some of his squad as they readied themselves for this practice session.

After a 15 minute film session to review the scrimmage up at CSB on Saturday, the team warms up with a bit of a shoot-around and various warm-up and stretching exercises.  The first drill that Kahl has his team do is two-line shooting that incorporates a variety of shots but Kahl also wants his squad to focus on their footwork as well.

Next, Kahl puts his team through the "Willie Drill"; a drill Kahl has named after his days as an assistant at GAC when standout Carey Willis played there in the late 90's.  In this drill, basically you have two defenders at each basket and three offensive players coming down in a transtion-type situation and it's a fun drill to watch.

Next, Kahl has the team get into three different groups and here the squad works on some of the small stuff.  Kahl has his group do a 5-on-0 "shell" drill; emphasizing on how to move in the half-court on offense while Assistant Coach Nathan Bellefeuille has his two groups do some post-entry and 1-on-1 work.

Next is some 5-on-5 half-court work and here Kahl, Bellefeuille and Assistant Coach Roxie Brown stop things on several occasions to point out little mistakes that are being made and how to correct them.

Another drill that is done is called 1-2-3 rebounding which is basically a 3-on-3 half-court drill where Kahl passes the ball to one of the offensive players who put up an immediate jump shot and the defenders, who are lined up in a straight line under the basket, have to sprint out to the offensive players and try to get defensive rebound as well.  Points are assigned for defensive and offensive rebounds and putbacks.

Running is in order as well on this day and Kahl has his players lined up on opposite corners of the baseline where they run to the opposite corner baseline and then run backwards on the way back. Another running drill involves players starting at the baseline where they run up to the free throw line, run backward to the baseline, slide to the sideline and then run down to the opposite baseline.  Kahl wants to ensure that his players have good footwork in addition to movement/speed and these drills help with both.

Lastly, some rebound transition work is done which is essentially a 5-on-5 full-court drill.  Here, Kahl or Bellefeuille put up an errant jump shot for a rebound and it goes from there.  To close things out, Kahl also has his squad work on free throws before calling it a night.

Outtakes:  Kahl was upfront in saying that not having four players from last year; including graduated seniors Kim Campbell, Courtney Cunard and Regan Cooper will be a tough adjustment.  This year's version does not feature a lot of size but does have some good flexibility and athleticism.  The "core" group that will help make this year's team go will include seniors Tiffany Stubbs, Emily VanLith and Rachel Hart along with junior Amy Berglund and sophomore Taryn Tumbleson but I also expect senior Jessica Brown to play a prominent role in the post spot vacated by Cooper......Kahl expects his squad along with UM-Morris and Bethany Lutheran to be in the mix for the title chase but also says that UW-Superior will still be the team to beat......The Eagles scrimmage at GAC on Friday (11-11) before the season starts.  They have a relatively favorable non-conference schedule that features home dates with both Trinity Bible College and Hamline on the weekend of November 18-19 and a short hop over to Augsburg on 11-26 before the UMAC opener at home on 12-2 against said UW-Superior team......I couldn't resist asking Kahl about one of the staple features of his team; the 2-3 "match-up" zone defense.  "It's tough to prepare for" he replied.  He says that they'll also employ a "box and one" or a "triangle and two" from time to time but he's a believer in the 2-3 "match-up" zone defense and it's paid dividends for his squad over the last few years.