Bethel vs Macalester 12-9-16

Was back over at Leonard Center on the campus of Macalester College for this unusual Friday evening game between visiting Bethel and host Macalester.  The Royals were coming in with an impressive 7-1 record overall and 3-0 in MIAC play while the Scots were looking to ride the momentum train coming in after Wednesday night's win at home over Carleton and were posting a 5-3 record overall and 1-2 in MIAC play.

Bethel grabbed a quick 4-0 lead on a lay-up by senior forward Kalli Zimmermann at the 9:49 mark and a short shot by fellow senior guard Shanni Moorse at the 9:13 mark but the Scots were able to respond thanks to junior post Regan Fruh as she snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:51 mark and got into the paint for another score at the 7:48 mark that knotted the issue at 4 a piece. However, Macalester's hopes of staying neck-and-neck with the Royals quickly faded into the darkness of this cold December evening as Bethel launched a 13-1 avalanche that left no doubt on how this one was going to go.  Moorse knocked down a jumper from the left elbow at the 7:29 mark and then it was Zimmermann striking again with a lay-up in transition that drew a foul and allowed the former Champlin Park standout to go to the charity stripe for the obligatory free throw. Sophomore reserve post Hannah Johnson connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 6:09 mark and a jumper from the left elbow area by junior guard Angie Kirchoff at the 5:17 mark made it a 13-5 ballgame.  A short shot off the glass by Johnson with 4:54 left in the opening period stretched the lead to 15-5 and Scot Head Coach Kelly Roysland knew full and well that her squad was in deep doo doo at this point and promptly called a thirty-second timeout to assess the damage.  Freshman reserve guard Haylee Barker made a sweet move and finished with a lay-up with 3:32 left to cap this initial run for a 17-5 Royal lead before Macalester finally stopped some of the bleeding on one Fruh freebie with 3:11 left.  Unfortunately for the Scots, they would be introduced to the long-range shooting ability of junior reserve guard Jasmin Bretoi as she drilled a three-point bomb from the right wing with 2:53 left and was also able to connect with a lay-up with 1:47 left.  One Zimmermann free throw with :56.9 left gave Bethel a commanding 23-8 advantage going into the second period.

A Moorse "3" from the right wing area at the 9:22 mark of the second period increased the Royals lead to eighteen at 26-8 before Macalester could cut into the deficit a bit.  Senior reserve guard Lauren Clamage connected with a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the Lake Forest, Illinois product sank the ensuing freebie at the 8:58 mark.  Then energetic junior reserve guard Vivi Gregorich knocked down a jumper from the right top area just inside the arc that trimmed Bethel's lead down to fourteen at 27-13 and it looked like perhaps the Scots were primed to make a bit of a run to get things back into single digit range.  The Royals, however, had vastly different ideas and they wasted little time in building their cushion back up.  Freshman forward Taite Anderson drained a "3" from the right top area at the 8:07 mark that upped the Bethel lead to 30-13 and a Zimmerman lay-up in transition after a steal increased the lead to 32-13.  A short turnaround jumper by sophomore reserve post Hannah Johnson at the 5:19 mark and another Moorse trey - this one from the left top area with 4:00 left increased the Royals lead back to eighteen points again at 37-19 and Roysland did not hesitate to call for another thirty-second timeout.  The short stoppage in play did not have the desired effect that Roysland and her staff were hoping for as Bethel continued its rampage. An Anderson score in the paint with 3:30 left and two Anderson free throws with 2:28 left made it 41-19 and an offensive rebound and putback by Zimmermann with 1:13 left gave the Royals a 43-21 lead before Macalester could muster the last two points of the first half on a score in the paint by senior forward Park Masterson with :06 left.  It was one thing for the Scots to be down fifteen by the end of the first period but they kept losing more and more ground as the second period wore on. While the turnover margin wasn't that terrible (at 12 to nine), Macalester was getting hammered on the boards by a 20-11 count and the Royals were shooting 56.7% from FG range that only complicated things.

And Bethel had absolutely no intention of letting up on the gas pedal anytime soon once the third period got underway.  A Moorse score in the paint at the 9:47 mark and a coast-to-coast lay-up by Zimmermann at the 8:06 mark that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw pushed the lead to 48-23.  Two more Zimmerman scores - two freebies at the 7:20 mark and a score in the paint at the 6:36 mark - pushed the lead to 52-25 and there was no doubt by this time how this one was going to go.  The Scots tried to counter on one Fruh free throw at the 6:17 mark and a score in the paint by Fruh that drew a foul that resulted in a free throw but at the 5:49 mark, junior point guard Grace Dickman went down and had to be helped off the court after an inadvertent on-court collision.  Still, Macalester would continue to battle as best they could as freshman reserve guard Tyana Loiselle drained a "3" from the left top area with 3:29 left and two Gregorich freebies with 2:43 left temporarily took the Scots chances off life support.  Freshman guard Holly Hull connected with a lay-up with :21 left and a drive and finish with :03 left by Gregorich were signs that the Scots still had some life left trailing 60-42 going into the fourth period.

Hull's offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 9:23 mark of the fourth period was the only bright spot for Macalester as the Royals proceeded to go on a 10-0 run that put this one out of reach for good.  Leading 60-44, Johnson scored in the paint at the 9:10 mark and then it was Bretoi finding the range again from three-point land - this one from the left wing area at the 8:39 mark - for a 65-44 lead.  Two free throws by junior guard Abby Miller who was fouled in transition at the 8:22 mark and one more by Moorse at the 8:01 mark made it a 68-44 game and two Moorse freebies at the 7:36 mark capped the run for an insurmountable 70-44 advantage.  Bethel easily absorbed the incremental dents the Scots were trying to make into the cushion.  Fruh got into the paint for a score at the 7:05 mark and one Loiselle free throw at the 5:53 mark did little to deter the Royals from their pursuit of victory on this night.  Both Roysland and Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer gradually inserted their reserves to finish this one out and get their names in the book.  Pairs of free throws by Macalester junior reserve guard G. G. Gunther knocked down pairs of free throws with 3:54 and 3:09 left and Loiselle was able to drop a freebie of her own with 1:48 left.  Senior reserve forward Emilie McGuire connected with a short shot off the glass with :39 left and Loiselle made the best out of a grim situation for the Scots as she connected on a lay-up after a steal and was fouled and sank the ensuing free throw with :31 left but Bethel still recorded a decisive 82-59 victory.

I managed to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and I mentioned to him that his team appeared almost flawless at times during this game.  He paused for a moment and then added that "this is a very good team.....The best team I've ever had at Bethel."  He even went to add that this team is better than the one he had two years ago that made it to the MIAC Championship Game and got its ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament.  He pointed out that this squad just has more speed and athleticism and "a lot more movable parts."  Even Macalester's Roysland couldn't deny that assessment.  "They have a lot of speed and are very mobile" she said.  I did ask Roysland about the injury to Dickman in the third period and she replied that she suffered an inadvertent blow to the head and that she was going to be evaluated.  Hopefully, she'll be okay as the Scots really need her abilities and leadership on the floor.  Bethel had a number of scorers in double figures on this night as Zimmerman recorded a "double-double"; 22 points and 11 rebounds while Moorse recorded 18 points, Johnson had 13 points and Anderson was right behind with 12 points.  Meanwhile, Fruh led the way for Macalester on this night with her 13 points while Gregorich had 11 points.  The Royals had a sizable advantage on the boards by a 41-29 count and forced 21 Macalester turnovers. Moreover, Bethel made the most out of those turnovers with a 22-12 advantage on points off of turnovers.  The Royals also shot 49.1% from FG range for the game compared to the Scots 38.2% which is a testament to how good Bethel's defense was on this night.