NCAA Tournament Selection Fallout

Well, just got done watching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and, while I'm happy that the MIAC got two teams in - UST and GAC - I'm deeply disappointed at how Bethel was left out of the Field of 64.  Not that I didn't anticipate it but, when I look at some of the teams that did get in over them, I can't help but shake my head a little.  For a review of the brackets, here's how things shaked out in the Field of 64 from D3Hoops.com:

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2017/wbb-bracket-2017.pdf'


I can't help but feel incredibly bad for the Bethel women's basketball team on this afternoon; particularly for seniors Kalli Zimmerman and Shanni Moorse who both played such a big role in helping the team achieve a 22-5 record this year.  Strictly from a won-loss perspective, there are several teams in the Field of 64 that have a similar or worse record.  If you take a close look at the brackets, you'll find several teams out east who got in with 19-8, 18-8, 18-7 and even 17-8 along with more with 20 or 21 wins.  But, looking a bit closer, the two teams that got selected ahead of Bethel, George Fox out of the Northwest Conference and Calvin out of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, is a little bit of a head-scratcher.  The Royals have a slightly better overall record than does George Fox (22-5 vs 21-5) and a better conference record as well (16-2 vs 13-3).  What likely gave the nod to the Bruins was that (1) They were rated ahead of Bethel in the West Region rankings and (2) they got a huge win over a regionally-ranked team in conference rival Whitman in the regular season finale although, ironically enough, they would lose to said Whitman team five days later in the NWC Tournament semifinals (at home no less).  Calvin has a similar overall record as Bethel but was only 12-4 in the MIAA.  But what likely catupulted the Knights over Bethel was its win over Hope in the MIAA semifinals.  It's just one of those things that ultimately caught up with the Royals.  And you wonder if Bethel had just been able to knock off UW-Oshkosh right before the first of the year over at Wisconsin Dells; would that have been enough?  Maybe. Maybe not.  In the final analysis, Bethel played a lot of quality opponents but they didn't get the wins against either UST, GAC or UW-Oshkosh that they needed to bolster their record.

My other issue is how it was decided that GAC would get shoved to the UW-Oshkosh pod to play a very good DePauw team (champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference) in a first-round contest on Friday night.  I know that the Gusties chances of hosting was likely slim at best but it seems hard to believe that the committee would have chosen to send GAC over to Wisconsin instead of, say, to Waverly, Iowa (home of Wartburg).  As it is, Wartburg got sent to the UST pod to play Chicago in the first round (which could easily result in a second-round rematch with UST).  Not that the Gusties aren't capable of rising to the occasion and making it to the second weekend of this thing, but it's going to take a great effort to beat a great team like DePauw in the first round and it's arguably one of the marquee match-ups of all the first round games.  FWIW, I posed this very question to Dave McHugh who replied that the committee was basically left with no choice as it was impossible to "get" teams to St. Peter; i.e., there were only a few teams that were within that magical 500-mile radius where schools are responsible for their own transportation to the assigned site.  Anything beyond that 500-mile radius, then the NCAA has to pay for their traveling expenses and obviously they (the NCAA) wants to keep that to a minimum for as long as possible.  I don't know.......I can buy into that argument up to a certain point and maybe the fact that Wartburg was ranked higher in the regional rankings anyway might have made this a moot point altogether (and Wartburg has to come up to the Twin Cities again even though they won the IIAC).  Still disappointing anyway.

Meanwhile, UST appears to have a clear path to the second round although you can bet that UW-Superior Head Coach Don Mulhern will have his Yellowjacket squad prepared in every phase for the Friday night showdown in Schoenecker Arena.  I just think that the Tommies will eventually wear UW-Superior down as the game goes on.  I think Wartburg beats Chicago in their first round match-up to set up a highly anticipated rematch of last year's Sweet Sixteen showdown in which the Knights won enroute to an appearance in the Final Four.  This Tommie team is so good in so many areas.  What's more, they're experienced and hungry to make up for last year's disappointment.  This just might be the year that things finally work out for them.

This is definitely an exciting time of the year and I can't wait for it to get started!  Fire away with thoughts.

Looking Ahead To Today's Selection Show For The NCAA Tournament

I apologize for being a bit late with this as I had a couple of appointments to attend to earlier this A.M. but wanted to provide a bit of a preview for the upcoming NCAA Tournament Selection Show that will begin at approximately 1:30 P.M. (Central Time) this afternoon.  You can watch the entire show courtesy of D3Hoops.com and here's the link for that.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2017/women-selection-show


From D3Hoops.com women's bracket selections, it appears right now that GAC is without question a "lock" to make the field of 64 which I predicted that they easily would be.  The bigger questions right now appear to be swirling around both Bethel and George Fox from the Northwest Conference. While the Royals have a solid 22-5 overall record, what hurts them before the eyes of the selection committee when their name comes to the table for discussion is their 0-4 record against regionally-ranked opponents (0-5 if you count the semifinal playoff loss to GAC).  Again, I personally feel strongly that they SHOULD be in given their play this season and the fact that they've accomplished a great chunk of work without arguably their best player in senior Kalli Zimmerman.  But you also have to keep in mind that, in Division III Women's Basketball, you have over 400 teams and 64 spots available in the actual NCAA Tournament.  43 of those spots go to the "AQ's" (automatic qualifiers) that are normally either regular season champs or conference tournament winners.  Then you have one "Pool B" spot along with your other "at-large" bids and there's a lot of criteria out there for a whole host of teams in each of the seven different regions for the committee to consider.  Ultimately, a lot of very good teams wind up left on the table and we've seen this happen before more than once. For a review of what the wonks at D3Hoops.com have to say about their projections, here's the link for that for your reading enjoyment.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2017/projected-womens-bracket


Anyway, I'll be watching closely come 1:30 this afternoon to see how everything shakes out and I'll have something to say about it all afterward.  Feel free to fire away with thoughts.

MIAC Championship Game - GAC vs UST 2-26-17

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this sunny but cold Sunday during the late A.M. over to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST to prepare myself for the crown jewel of MIAC Women's Basketball - the MIAC Championship Game. This, of course, would feature the highly-anticipated rematch between visiting GAC which made its way up U.S. Highway 169 and the Mankato Sub portion of Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline to take on host UST.  The Gusties survived a thriller with Bethel back in the friendly confines of Lund Arena on Friday night in one semifinal game while the Tommies methodically rolled over CSB in the other semifinal game.  I got settled in by 11:30 for the 1:00 P.M. tip-off and am glad I did now as Schoenecker Arena got packed right before tip-off time and you could just feel the excitement and anticipation in the air for this top-heavy quality match-up featuring two elite teams who had their tickets to the Big Dance punched some time ago and now these two were ready to battle it out again for conference honors.

Coming into this contest, I personally felt that some of the intangibles favored GAC as I believed that they would come in much more relaxed and confident knowing that they had an NCAA Tournament bid sewn up and that all the pressure would be on UST but it was the Tommies who came out strong and with a purpose from the opening tip-off; racing out to a 6-0 lead.  Senior All-American post Kaitlin Langer helped UST draw first blood with her score in the paint at the 9:10 mark and a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Lucia Renikoff at the 8:52 mark pushed the lead to 4-0.  Renikoff; the former Washburn standout, capped this early run with two free throws at the 8:02 mark before the Gusties could shake some of the early cobwebs off of their basket on a three-point bomb by sophomore guard Justine Lee from the right wing area at the 7:34 mark.  Another "3" by Lee; the former Dawson-Boyd standout, from the left wing area at the 7:02 mark pulled the Gusties back in two-point range trailing 8-6 and a "3" by junior point guard Mikayla Miller from the left wing area at the 6:32 mark seemingly had GAC in good shape trailing 11-9.  But it was here where the Tommies started to turn up the heat.  Two Langer free throws at the 6:14 mark and a "3" from the right corner by junior sharp-shooting guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 5:29 mark widened UST's lead to 16-9. The Gusties would briefly cut into the deficit when junior forward Miranda Rice drained a "3" from the top of the key with 4:41 left but a 9-0 Tommie run soon followed.  Two scores in the paint by Langer - one with 4:15 left and the other with 3:05 left - grew the lead to eight points at 20-12 and a drive into the lane and finish by senior point guard Gabby Zehrer with 2:09 left now had UST up double-digits at 22-12 and Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly called a thirty-second timeout to try and make some defensive adjustments.  Still, a Renikoff "3" from the left corner with 1:42 left grew the lead to 25-12 before GAC finally stopped some of the bleeding on a score in the paint by Miller with 1:18 left.  Tommie senior guard Paige Gernes made good on a drive and finish with 1:08 left and although Rice would help the Gusties pull a bit closer when she connected with a jumper along the left baseline with :19 left, UST junior reserve guard Maddie Wolkow knocked down a "3" from the left corner that gave the Tommies a sizable 30-16 advantage going into the second period.

Gernes' jumper in the lane at the 9:52 mark of the second period allowed UST to double-up the Gusties by a 32-16 count but you could tell that GAC had made some subtle adjustments during the break after the first period on defense and now they were starting to do a better job in defending down low.  More importantly, they started to edge closer as well.  Senior forward Hannah Howard made a hard drive for a finish at the 8:14 mark and although Langer would increase the Tommie lead to 34-19 on her short jumper in the lane at the 7:59 mark, GAC would embark on a 6-0 push.  Howard struck again for the Gusties at the 5:22 mark with a lay-up and then Lee connected with a lay-up in transition with 4:56 left that cut the deficit down to eleven points at 34-23.  A tough scoop lay-up by Rice with 3:53 left brought GAC back to within single-digit range trailing 34-25.  A short running one-handed jumper by Wolkow got the Tommies some more breathing space with a 36-25 lead with 3:18 left but the Gusties would make further inroads.  One Lee freebie with 3:11 left and a tough drive and lay-up by Miller with 2:35 left cut the deficit down to eight points at 36-28.  One Langer free throw with 2:14 left and two more by Wolkow increased UST's safety net to eleven points at 39-28 but a short running jumper by sophomore guard Brooke Lemke with :37 left before the halftime buzzer allowed the Gusties to go into the locker room at the half back to within single-digit range trailing 39-30.  A check of the first half box score shows that UST shot 14-22 from FG range for 63.6% which is one of the reasons they got off to the great start that they did and the Tommies also had a 15-10 edge in rebounds in the first half as well that included a 12-6 edge in defensive rebounds.  Still, things could have been a lot worse for GAC considering that they were down by sixteen points early in the second period.

A short shot off the glass by Rice at the 9:37 mark of the third period seemed to indicate that things were starting to finally look up for the Gusties as they cut further into the deficit at 39-32 and, despite the fact that both Howard and Miller picked up their third fouls shortly thereafter, momentum seemed to shift to the Black and Gold.  Two Rice free throws at the 7:21 mark kept GAC in that seven-point range trailing 41-34 and the fact that the Gusties were now finally getting some defensive stops was encouraging to the large contingent of GAC fans on hand on this day.  And when sophomore reserve guard Taylor Anderson drained a "3" from the right top area at the 6:43 mark that cut the deficit down to a tantalizing four points at 41-37, there was every reason to think that the Gusties were on the verge of usurping control of this contest and that it would only be a matter of time before they poked their nose out in front.  Strangely, however, the fire that GAC seemed to have would mysteriously start to fizzle out as the Tommies slowly applied the brakes and gradually regained control of things.  Langer wasted no time in coming to UST's rescue as a score in the paint at the 6:27 mark and two free throws by the Stillwater native with 4:28 left extended the lead to eight points at 45-37.  The Gusties would make one more attempt to draw close again as a short jumper by Rice with 4:07 left and a Howard lay-up with 3:29 left again had GAC within that four-point range trailing 45-41 but they would get no closer.  Renikoff knocked down a short jumper in the lane that grew the Tommie lead to 47-41 and one free throw by freshman reserve guard Sarah Krynski with :31.8 left and a score down low by Langer with just :00.8 left before the end of the third period got the lead to nine points at 50-41.  So not only did all that momentum that GAC seemed to grab early on in the period fly out the window, but now the Gusties two primary front line players - Rice and Howard - had each been tagged with their fourth foul of the contest as well.

Lemke attempted to draw GAC closer with her lay-up at the 8:48 mark that cut the deficit to seven points at 50-43 but that spark that the Gusties had in the early moments of the third period had simply evaporated by this point.  A short jumper in the lane by UST's Zehrer at the 8:27 mark and one Zehrer charity stripe shot at the 7:37 mark got the lead to double-digits at 53-43 and now even worse for GAC was that Miller collected her fourth foul of the afternoon at the 5:59 mark.  The Tommies gradually started to pull away afterward that effectively ended any real hope that GAC may have had. Gernes drove in down low for a finish at the 5:45 mark and a routine score in the paint by Langer at the 5:01 mark made it a 57-43 game.  Then two more scores by Langer showed why she's likely one of the best Division III players in the nation as she connected with a lay-up with 4:40 left and then knocked down a short shot in the lane off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 2:41 left that suddenly extended the lead to 61-44 and there was no doubt by now how this thing was going to end. Howard was able to score in the paint for the Gusties with 2:21 left but all GAC could do now was make nicks and dents in an insurmountable deficit as time had long become their enemy.  Howard fouled out with 1:43 left that allowed Langer to sink one free throw for the Tommies and after Miller got GAC some more points with her offensive rebound and putback with 1:31 left, she fouled a short time later and Gernes went to the line to put the Gusties in an even deeper hole at 64-48.  One more Langer free throw with 1:02 left and another by Renikoff with :32.1 left sealed the deal and UST claimed yet another MIAC Championship Game title with a 66-49 victory.

With all the postgame hoopla going on afterward, it took some time but I finally was able to catch up with Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn to ask her about this game and this win today.  "I told our team to be excited about this opportunity"she said and the fact that UST got off to such a good start in this contest shows that they were definitely focused and ready coming into this game.  Without question, with an unblemished 27-0 overall record and ranked second nationally along with their top ranking in the West Region, the Tommies will be one of the NCAA Tournament's top-four seeds when the pairings are announced tomorrow (Monday 2-27) afternoon as well they should be.  I asked Sinn if there's possibly more pressure on her squad and and the coaching staff given the circumstances this time around but she replied that "We don't think like that."  The fact that UST has been through so many of these wars and the fact that they know what it's all about and what it takes to succeed from this point on is testimonial to the success they've had over the years.  Aside from sophomore guard Bobbi Brendefur being out for the season, the Tommies look to be pretty healthy at this point and that hasn't always been the case for this team at this time of the year.  Probably just as important, they seem to be playing their best basketball at precisely the right time of the year and they have the goods to not only make a deep run but to win the whole ball of wax as well.  On the other side of the coin, a disappointed Kelly pointed to a number of factors that contributed to the loss but was quick to point out that her primary chain gang of players (Rice, Howard, Miller, Lee and Lemke) simply didn't have their best games today when they needed it and that's a bit of a worrisome aspect as the Gusties await news on their NCAA Tournament destination.  She pointed out that her team doesn't have the NCAA or "big game" experience like UST does and they don't go as deep as the Tommies do either.  But I think that the Gusties have learned plenty this season in achieving an impressive 25-2 record and I'd be willing to bet that this team will be chomping at the bit; ready to get back to practice on Monday afternoon when they learn of the NCAA Tournament destination.  And, make no mistake about it. They do have the goods to make a deep run as well.  Langer easily led all scorers on a monstrous day with 29 points and nine rebounds; just missing a "double-double".  Renikoff was the only other Tommie in double-figures scoring-wise with her 13 points.  On the GAC side, Rice was the only player in double-figures scoring-wise with her 11 points.  UST didn't have that huge of an edge on the glass on this day at 33-29 but, breaking that down a bit, the Tommies enjoyed a 25-17 edge in defensive rebounds.  Dismal shooting really did in the Gusties on this day as they shot only 19-55 from FG range for 34.5% and a lot of that was due to a great defensive effort by UST.  Furthermore the Gusties shot only 5-20 from downtown for 25% and that's simply not going to get the job done. Both Kelly and Sinn were probably not happy about the amount of turnovers their squads were guilty of on this afternoon (17 and 16, respectively) and, interestingly enough, GAC had a 17-11 edge on points off of turnovers.  The only other comment I want to make about this game - and I rarely comment on the officiating - but, for a big contest with so much on the line as there was today, I was rather disappointed in the quality of the officiating.  Again, I understand and get that you're never going to get a "perfectly" officiated game and questionable calls always come with the territory.  Today, though, there were several strange call on both ends of the floor; one in particular I had NEVER seen before; much less ever heard of.  I think it was disappointing as it marred a marquee match-up between two elite teams in a high-stakes contest.  

A Look Ahead To Sunday's MIAC Championship Game - GAC vs UST

So we get the much-anticipated rematch on Sunday afternoon at UST's Schoenecker Arena as GAC comes to town with its impressive 25-1 record and number 13 national ranking to take on the host Tommies with their unblemished 26-0 record and lofty number 2 national ranking.  No matter what happens, both teams are locks to get into the NCAA Tournament so I would expect both teams to come out feeling loose and ready to wheel and deal.

When UST won the regular season meeting back on February 1 in St. Peter, I think the experience that the Tommies had in these types of situations paid off as they escaped Lund Arena with a hard-fought 75-69 win.  But this time around, there's a part of me that wonders if that loss, from a GAC perspective anyway, doesn't do them more good than harm coming into Sunday's rematch.  There's a part of me that thinks that the Gusties will come into this game feeling much more loose and relaxed knowing that they're in the Big Dance.  On the other hand, the Gusties still have to deal with the fact that they haven't beaten UST since the 2010 season and when you haven't beaten a team in literally eons, it's something that can be there in your head and that's a big hurdle to overcome.  Without delving too much into the numbers as I did prior to the regular season contest, I want to touch on a few stats from the regular season game with some comments.

Rebounding as a whole was nearly even in this game with the Gusties holding a 38-37 edge. Breaking it down further, GAC had 21 offensive rebounds to UST's 10 but the Tommies held a 27-17 edge on defensive rebounds.  I'm not entirely sure what to take from that specifically, as both teams did a reasonably good job on that front.  But UST senior post Kaitlin Langer is such a great rebounder and the Gusties absolutely have to find a way to limit her opportunities down low to not only score but rebound as well and that means BOXING OUT.

Another area where the Tommies had a big edge in their earlier meeting this month - "second chance points" where UST held a sizable 21-12 advantage.  And that is primarily attributed to Langer's ability to score when even double-teamed down low.  GAC does not have the biggest front line out there with senior Hannah Howard at 5'9" and junior Miranda Rice at 5'11" so again it's going to come down to technique.  The fact that Gusties outrebounded Bethel (a team that ordinarily outrebounds everyone) on Friday night in its MIAC Semifinal Playoff Game should be encouraging at the very least and they'll likely need another effort like that to limit those second chance opportunities that UST often gets.  Interestingly enough, CSB limited UST to just three of those "second chance points" in the other MIAC Semifinal Playoff Game but CSB is a much longer team than the Gusties are, too.

Those points in the paint are another big thing and in that February 1 meeting in St. Peter, the Tommies held a 38-30 edge and, again, if you're UST, you know who's going to do most of the dirty work down low - Langer.  You may not be able to completely neutralize her but GAC is going to have to find ways to deny those entry passes down low because once Langer gets the ball in the post, she's practically impossible to stop down low.

One thing that may still give UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn some nightmares is giving up the three-pointer - something that killed the Tommies in their NCAA Tournament loss to Wartburg last season. And GAC has some pretty decent three-point bombers in junior guard Mikayla Miller, sophomore guards Brooke Lemke and Justine Lee and senior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter.  Even Rice has the ability to hit from downtown so the Tommies have to be aware of that.  I would have to think that GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly won't make it a priority to go bombs away from the get go but if they get open looks from behind the arc, they'll certainly take their chances.  UST has some very good three-point shooters of its own in junior guard/forward Lauren Fischer and senior point guard Gabby Zehrer and the Gusties can ill-afford to let either of these two have unlimited looks from behind the arc.

So that's just a few things I wanted to touch on for Sunday's MIAC Championship Game.  This one has the potential to be a real beauty as well with the records and rankings that are in place and the fact that both of these teams will be NCAA Tournament-bound come Monday afternoon.  I'm guessing that Schoenecker Arena will be rocking for this one on Sunday afternoon!  

MIAC Semifinal Playoff Game - Bethel vs GAC 2-24-17

Made my down U.S. Highway 169 and the Mankato Sub portion of Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline to St. Peter on this sunny but cold Friday afternoon to take in the highly-anticipated rematch between visiting Bethel and host GAC.  I got into town shortly after 5:00 P.M. and milled around Lund Arena in anticipation of Friday evening's tilt and got to visit a bit with Gustie Assistant Coach Dan Wolfe before heading over to the world-famous Gustavus Cafeteria for a good pre-game meal.  I got settled into Lund Arena a good hour before tip-off to try and absorb just how big this game was for both teams.  Beyond the obvious point of the winner advancing to the MIAC Championship Game on Sunday, there were other things as well such as both squads trying to solidify their NCAA Tournament resumes and while GAC was all but assured of a berth coming into this thing, the same could not be said for Bethel despite its solid 22-4 record.  They needed to get a win over a regionally-ranked team that would give them a much better resume before the NCAA Committee convenes this weekend and the Royals were ready to roll the dice.  And if any conclusions could be drawn about their previous regular season meeting back in January, you knew this one had the makings of a possible classic.

A rowdy student section was in place by tip-off time on "White Out Night" ready to cheer on the home team but that didn't seem to deter Bethel from setting the pace and tempo of things early on in this contest.  Freshman forward Taite Anderson's lay-up at the 9:01 mark and a short jumper by junior guard Angie Kirchoff at the 8:09 mark had the Royals up 4-2 and a Taite Anderson lay-up at the 5:11 mark maintained that two-point edge at 6-4.  GAC, however, would respond with a 7-0 push as senior forward Hannah Howard's score in the paint with 4:55 left tied the game and then a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Justine Lee with 4:41 left that also drew a foul and allowed the former Dawson-Boyd standout to complete the "and one" gave the Gusties their first lead of the evening at 9-6.  Howard extended GAC's lead to 11-6 with her lay-up with 3:23 left but the Royals would soon close the gap.  Junior reserve sharp-shooting guard Jasmin Bretoi knocked down her first three-point bomb of the evening - this one coming from the right wing area with 2:15 left.  After Gustie junior forward Miranda Rice extended the home team's lead to four with her lay-up with :40 left in the opening period, Bretoi struck again for the Royals as she nailed a "3" from the left top area with :18 left that closed the gap to one point at 13-12 going into the second period.

The second period was a classic back-and-forth affair.  Howard's short jumper in the lane at the 9:20 mark gave the Gusties a bit more breathing space with a 15-12 lead but right back came Bethel behind junior sparkplug guard Abby Miller.  Two free throws by the former Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted native at the 9:02 mark and a lay-up at the 8:32 mark pushed the Royals ahead 16-15 and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly called a timeout to make some changes defensively.  That short stoppage in play seemed to benefit the Gusties as, on their ensuing possession, Rice was left open behind the arc from the right wing area and calmly launched a "3" that found its mark to put GAC out in front 18-16.  A Rice lay-up at the 7:30 mark maintained that two-point edge at 20-18 and then lefty sophomore guard Brooke Lemke connected with a lay-up in transition at the 7:00 mark that extended the Gustie lead to 22-18.  Two Lee freebies at the 6:40 mark gave GAC its biggest lead of the evening at six points at 24-18 but a determined Royals team refused to be fazed by this development.  Abby Miller used her 5'3" frame to dart through defenders on a drive and finish at the 6:15 mark and one Abby Miller free throw at the 5:43 mark not only brought Bethel back to within a single possession again trailing 24-21 but now Gustie junior point guard Mikayla Miller was tagged with her second foul as well and Kelly had no choice but to yank her star backcourt player.  Lemke also picked up her second foul of the evening and joined Mikayla Miller on the pine for the remaining stretch of the first half.  As such, the Royals were quick to pounce on this opportunity and Taite Anderson went right to work.  The former White Bear Lake standout was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass with 4:50 left and followed that up with a lay-up with 4:10 left that now had Bethel back out in front 25-24.  Taite Anderson capped this 9-0 run with a score in the paint to extend the Royal lead to 27-24 before GAC's Rice went back to work.  One free throw by the Forest Lake native with 2:41 left and a short jumper from the left side with 2:01 left leveled the contest at 27 a piece and then Rice was able to knock down a short jumper in the lane with 1:27 left to push the Gusties back out in front 29-27. But Rice was also guilty of a foul on Bethel sophomore post Hannah Johnson's three-point attempt with 1:12 left and the former Duluth East standout was able to knock down two out of the three free throw attempts that again had the game tied at 29-all.  Two more free throws by Kirchoff with :38.3 left pushed the Royals back into the lead at 31-29 but GAC's Lee put her team back out in front when she banged home a "3" from the left top area with :23 left.  But the Royals' Johnson would have the last laugh of this incredibly competitive second period as she was able to sneak around and snare an offensive rebound for a putback with just :03 left as both teams headed for the locker room for the halftime break with Bethel holding a precarious 33-32 lead.  A check of the first half box score shows how incredibly tight this game truly was.  Both teams shot nearly even from FG range (Bethel going 5-14 for 35.7% while GAC shot 6-16 for 37.5%) although the Gusties surprisingly had a bit of an edge on the boards at 12-7.  Both teams kept turnovers to a minimum as the Gusties committed four and Bethel only two.

A continuation of this classic struggle ensued once the third period got underway.  Taite Anderson's "3" from the right wing area at the 7:54 mark extended the Royals lead to four at 36-32 but that was matched by GAC's Rice as she uncorked her second trey of the evening from the left wing area at the 6:56 mark as the Gusties closed the gap to one point at 36-35.  Lee's lay-up in transition at the 6:25 mark pushed GAC back out in front 37-36 but that didn't last long as two Kirchoff charity stripe shots at the 5:41 mark nudged the Royals back out in front by a 38-37 count.  Abby Miller gave Bethel some more breathing space with her tough drive and finish off of an inbounds pass at the 5:08 mark for a 40-37 Royal lead but right back came GAC with a 6-0 push.  A drive and finish by Lee with 4:47 left and two Lee free throws with 4:29 left allowed the Gusties to poke their nose back out in front by a 41-40 count and two more free throws by senior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter with 3:34 left now had GAC up 43-40.  Now it was the Royals' turn to respond.  Senior guard Shanni Moorse got into the paint for a score that cut the deficit down to one point at 43-42 with 3:20 left and then an Abby Miller three-point bomb from the right wing area with 2:59 left had Bethel back out in front by a 45-43 count and an Abby Miller lay-up with 2:10 left helped the Royals maintain that two-point edge at 47-45.  GAC's Mikayla Miller brought her team even with two free throws with 1:41 left and two Lemke free throws with :45.2 left and a Rice lay-up with :06 left did give the Gusties a 51-48 edge going into the fourth period but this one was going to be a dogfight without any question.

Taite Anderson's offensive rebound and putback at the 9:34 mark of the fourth and final period drew Bethel closer trailing 51-50 and one Taite Anderson free throw at the 8:29 mark tied the contest but fouls were starting to become a factor for both teams by this point.  GAC's Lemke had picked up her fourth foul of the contest in the opening moments of the period and then Taite Anderson of the Royals was charged with her fourth foul of the evening at the 7:54 mark.  Still, both teams soldiered on in their hopes of reaching the MIAC Championship Game.  The Gusties opened up a four-point advantage as Rice connected with a jumper from the left elbow area at the 7:40 mark and a sweet coast-to-coast lay-up by Howard at the 6:48 mark gave GAC a 55-51 lead but again the Royals would close the gap to a single possession on Abby Miller's drive and sweet finish underneath in traffic at the 6:21 mark.  Howard's lay-up at the 6:08 mark extended the Gustie lead to four points again at 57-53 but, just as before, Bethel's Abby Miller was there to put pepper on the sweet dreams that the home team may have been having as she was fouled on a hard drive and subsequently sank two free throws at the 5:46 mark that had the Royals back to a tantalizing two-point deficit at 57-55.  Johnson's short jumper at the 5:19 mark knotted the contest at 57 a piece for Bethel and you couldn't help but wonder if the Gusties could keep fending off the incessant Royal attacks.  It was such a critical stage of this game with things so incredibly tight with everything hanging in the balance and somebody was going to have to step up to save GAC on this night.  Fortunately for the Gusties, they found that saving grace in Mikayla Miller who stepped up huge on both ends of the floor to help tip the balance in favor of GAC down the stretch.  The Goodhue native first sank two free throws after being fouled on a hard drive with 4:05 left to push the Gusties ahead for good at 59-57.  Less than a minute later with 3:20 left, she hauled in a baseball inbounds pass near the half-court area and dashed in for a lay-up that made it a two-possession game at 61-57.  Johnson brought Bethel back to within a single possession at the 3:01 mark but then it was Gusties Mikayla Miller delivering a fatal blow to the Royals hopes; in almost the same fashion as she had done in the regular season meeting between these two teams back in early January.  With the Royals looking to tie the contest, Mikayla Miller arguably made the play of the game when she leaped out in front of a Bethel pass to snare a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up that drew a foul and her obligatory free throw not only had the Gustie student section going crazy but, more importantly, gave the Gusties a 64-59 lead with 2:09 left and now Bethel had to roll the dice.  To the Royals credit, they closed within a single possession again on a Johnson score in the paint with 1:45 left but when Bethel needed to get a stop or force a turnover, it just wasn't there for them when they needed it.  Howard got the Gusties' lead back to five points at 66-61 with her lay-up with :52 left but the Royals were still not ready to wave the white flag as Johnson was able to slither into the paint for another Bethel score that again provided a wisp of hope trailing 66-63.  Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer called a timeout to set up strategy but GAC played it smart when they had to and got the rock to their best ball-handler and free throw shooter, Mikayla Miller.  She was fouled with :19.7 left and dropped both nerve-wracking attempts that again made it a two-possession game at 68-63.  Another Bethel timeout and on the ensuing Royal possession, Abby Miller was fouled with :15.3 left and she connected with both free throw attempts that again had Bethel within a single possession trailing 68-65 but, just as before, they fell victim to smart play by GAC.  Lee got the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled with :14.3 left and, with the partisan Gustie crowd holding its collective breath, the former Dawson-Boyd standout was true with both free throw attempts that made it a 70-65 game.  But even with defeat appearing imminent, Bethel would not fold on its own.  Kirchoff connected when she drove into the lane for a short basket with :07 left but with the sands of time running out on the Royals (and possibly their season as well), they had no choice to foul and it was Mikayla Miller who was sent to the charity stripe with :03.8 left and she calmly sank two insurance free throws and the Gusties prevailed in an incredibly thrilling contest by the final tally of 72-67 to advance to Sunday's MIAC Championship Game.

An emotionally exhausted Herbrechtsmeyer afterward said afterward that it really came down to the Gusties simply making one more play than his squad did when it counted.  And now, even he knows that it's quite possible that his team might be on the outside looking in come Monday afternoon when the NCAA Tournament field is announced and that would be an utter and complete travesty if Bethel, which is now 22-5 on the year, is somehow left out of the field.  All of those five losses have been to ranked teams and all have been within single digits that could have gone either way.  Moreover, in the loss to UST and the two losses to GAC, the Royals were without the services of senior forward Kalli Zimmerman who was reduced to a cheerleader/assistant coach role on the bench after her ACL injury against UST shortly after the first of the year.  You can't tell me that this Bethel squad isn't capable of playing with anyone in the country and the fact that they finished with the record that they had while playing in arguably the best DIII conference in the nation speaks volumes, IMHO.  Alas, I've come to discover that reason and common sense and the NCAA Committee don't always mix and now Bethel must await its fate on Monday afternoon.  Meanwhile, an extremely relived Kelly talked about how it seemed like yesterday when the season was just getting underway and now here they are, on the verge of not only winning the MIAC Championship Game but knowing that they have an NCAA Tournament berth assured under their belt with a 25-1 overall record.  She also had high praises for Hannah Howard who she said has "given everything she has" to this program and just wants to keep this thing going for as long as they can.  Kelly admitted that free throws played a huge role in GAC's victory on this night as the Gusties going 21-26 from the charity stripe for 80.8% for the game would suggest.  The other big stat that stands out - for me anyway - was that GAC held a 41-32 advantage on the boards and its a rare event when the Royals get outrebounded.  Bethel actually shot better from FG range than the Gusties did as they went 24-54 for 44.4% but free throw shooting was a sore spot for the Royals in this contest 15-22 for 68.2%.  Rice simply had a monster night with her 21 points and 12 points for a "double-double" but, even more important from a Gustie standpoint, is that they had incredibly balanced scoring as well.  Lee had 16 points while Mikayla Miller had 15 points with 11 of those points coming during that crucial fourth period when she really stepped up and Howard had 14 points.  For Bethel, Abby Miller had a fantastic night as well in the losing effort; tallying 21 points while Taite Anderson had 18 points and Johnson finished with 12 points.  Three other important stats to point out in this game:  GAC had a 20-12 advantage in points off of turnovers and a 12-7 edge on those critical "second-chance" points.  Also, they had a 12-0 edge in fast-break points and that was critical down the stretch.  

Andover vs Park Center 2-23-17

Made the quick run over to Park Center High School on this Thursday evening to take in the regular season finale for both visiting Andover and host Park Center.  This was Senior Night at Park Center and the parents of all the players were recognized before the game as well as the seniors and their parents in a very nice tribute.  This game was originally scheduled for Friday evening (2-24) in consideration of Winter Storm Quid that threatened a good chunk of the state.  While this storm thankfully spared the Twin Cities of its wrath, it was best to err on the side of safety.

The Huskies were coming into this contest with a pretty solid 17-8 record and with a fair amount of size to boot so I knew that this would be a much tougher contest than Tuesday night's blowout of Irondale.  And Andover showed early on as to why it will be a team to contend with in Section 7AAAA as they jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage on the strength of senior guard and future DePaul Blue Demon Joli Daninger who wowed the crowd at Park Center gymnasium with two impressive three-point bombs from way downtown - one from the right top area at the 17:35 mark and another from the left wing area at the 16:01 mark.  The Pirates would embark on 5-0 spurt to take the lead as speedy junior guard Sommer Blakemore drained a "3" from the right wing area off of an inbounds pass at the 15:40 mark and senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up in transition at the 15:16 mark to give Park Center a 7-6 advantage.  The Huskies would strike back as lanky senior guard Amanda Dagostino got into the paint for a score at the 14:59 mark and Daninger uncorked another three-point dagger - this one from the left top area at the 13:09 mark - for an 11-7 Andover lead.  A short jumper in the lane by junior guard Destiny Cummings at the 11:24 mark maintained that four-point edge at 13-9 before the Pirates started to close the gap again.  Simonet uncorked a "3" from the top of the key at the 10:00 mark that closed the gap to one point but a score in the paint by junior reserve post Lizzy Karp at the 9:01 mark gave Andover a bit more breathing space with a 15-12 lead.

Park Center, however, had no intention of letting the visitors from the northern suburb spoil its show on its home court and the two squads were pretty much neck-and-neck down the stretch of the first half .  Two free throws by lanky senior post Mikayla Hayes  with 8:46 left and an offensive rebound and putback by the future Florida Gator with 7:50 left pushed the home team back out in front by a 16-15 count but the Huskies countered on one free throw by senior reserve guard Hailey Diemer with 7:09 left and one more by Daninger with 6:53 left to push Andover back out in front 17-16.  The Pirates reclaimed the lead when junior reserve guard Azsha Michael snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:32 left but right back came the Huskies as a Daninger drive and finish with 5:55 left and one free throw by sophomore guard Emily Schildhauer with 5:32 left pushed Anover back into the lead at 20-18.  Slender junior guard Meghan DuBois' lay-up with 5:10 left allowed the Pirates to deadlock the contest at 20 a piece but a three-point bomb by Dagostino from the right top area with 4:44 left got the Huskies a 23-20 advantage and, considering the fact that Andover was already in the double-bonus by this point, things were looking rosy for them.  Even more so when Dagostino unleashed yet another "3" - this one from the left corner with 2:26 left for a 26-20 Huskie lead.  But Park Center would close out the first half on a 5-0 spurt to make it a one point game.  One DuBois freebie with 2:10 left and a Hayes score in the paint with 1:33 left had the Pirates back to within a single possession trailing 26-23 and a steal and lay-up the other way by Blakemore with :42 left trimmed the deficit down to a scant point as both teams headed to the locker room with Andover holding a 26-25 lead and Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde and his staff were going to have to find some answers to try and choke off that potent Andover three-point attack.

Park Center's prospects looked a bit shaky at the beginning of the second half when Simonet was tagged with her third foul of the contest but the Pirates refused to panic and instead hunkered down and slowly began to take control.  A drive into the lane and finish by Blakemore at the 16:39 mark spurred a key 9-2 Park Center run.  Simonet; riding those three fouls, drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 14:53 mark and a score in the paint by Hayes at the 14:30 mark had the Pirates up 32-26. Two Hayes freebies at the 13:31 mark maintained that six point edge to cap the run with a 34-28 lead before Andover could close the gap.  Senior reserve guard Tachney Ruprecht got into the paint for a score at the 13:11 mark and a Dagostino lay-up at the 12:46 mark had the Huskies trailing by four at 36-32.  Karp was able to get into the paint for a score at the 11:27 mark that got Andover back to within a single possession trailing 36-34 but the Pirates stepped on the gas again - this time in somewhat unlikely fashion.  Freshman reserve guard Kayla Cox banged home a "3" from the left corner at the 10:28 mark and fellow freshman reserve guard Lauren Frost's lay-up in transition at the 9:40 mark pushed Park Center's lead to 41-34.  So while the Huskies were certainly still within striking distance, it was the home team that now seemed to be setting the tempo and pace that was much more to their liking.

Huskie senior post Hailie Richardson drew Andover closer with her score in the paint with 8:21 left but it was the Pirates' Cox who would answer with two big scores.  She unleashed her second trey of the evening - this one from the right corner with 7:56 left and also snuck into the paint for a score with 6:58 left for a 46-38 Park Center lead.  Then senior point guard Danielle Schaub banged home a "3" from the left corner with 5:32 left that made it a nine-point game at 49-40 and now the Huskies were going to have to fight tooth and nail to draw close again.  To their credit, Andover gave its best shot.  Two Daninger charity stripe shots with 5:21 left and a jumper from the free throw line by Karp with 4:32 left slimmed the deficit down to five points at 49-44 but that's as close as the Huskies could pull as they could never quite get that one stop or that one big shot that might have pulled them back to within a single possession.  Hayes' score in the paint with 3:45 left and two Simonet free throws with 3:27 left got Park Center's lead back to nine again at 53-44 although the Huskies would make another attempt as Daninger pulled the trigger from way downtown again with 3:10 left - this one coming from the left top area - that got the deficit down to six points at 53-47 but again Park Center had the answers when they needed them.  Hayes connected with a lay-up with 2:25 left and a drive and finish by Blakemore with 1:05 left pushed the lead to eight points at 57-49 and Schaub added one insurance free throw with :19.1 left as the Pirates claimed a tough, hard fought 58-50 victory.

Given how insanely tough Section 5AAAA will most likely be to get out of, I couldn't help but wonder if this was exactly the type of game that Park Center needed to prepare itself for what lies ahead.  Moreover, I couldn't help but ask VanderHyde afterward if this win tonight pretty much cements the Pirates claim to the number-one seed in the section.  He didn't hesitate with his response. "Yes.  Absolutely.  No question about it" he said quite confidently and with a 21-5 overall record, I suspect that it will be difficult for the other coaches of the teams in the section to disagree.  I also asked him about this game specifically and what adjustments that may have been made at halftime. VanderHyde noted that his squad didn't do a good job of rotating on defensive assignments in the first half and he and his staff had to tweak things a bit on the defensive end to try and neutralize Daninger's and Dagostino's effectiveness from behind the arc.  Whatever they did, it seemed to work. Hayes had an exceptionally good night from a scoring standpoint as she was the only player in double-figures for Park Center with 18 points but also added 10 rebounds to boot for a "double-double" on the night.  Blakemore added nine points while surprising freshmen Cox and Frost had eight and seven points, respectively and that could be a big plus if the Pirates can continue to get quality minutes from these two youngsters as they delve into section play this next week.  No surprise on the Andover end as Daninger's 20 points paced the way while both Dagostino and Karp chipped in with 10 points.      

Third Regional Rankings Released

I apologize for getting this one out a little late but wanted to touch on the latest NCAA Regional Rankings that were released yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon (2-22-17).  Here is how the all-important West Region currently looks:


1.  UST                                                             25-0  18-0
2.  Puget Sound                                                25-1  16-0
3.  Wartburg                                                     24-2   15-1
4.  GAC                                                           24-1   17-1
5.  George Fox                                                21-5   13-3
6.  Bethel                                                        22-4   16-2
7.  Whitman                                                    22-4   12-4
8.  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps                          18-8   13-3


I expected George Fox to make a significant move by virtue of its big win on the road at NWC rival Whitman this last Saturday night so the fact that they jumped from the seventh spot to the fifth spot is not all that surprising.  What did shock me and surprise me was that Wartburg leap-frogged GAC by going from the fourth spot to the third spot while GAC slipped to the fourth spot by simply winning its last two regular season games in convincing fashion.  Needless to say, I was quite perplexed by all this and I asked D3Hoops.com guru Pat Coleman about it to try and get some sort of explanation for it.  As I understand it, the ranking committee decided to shove Wartburg into the third position as the Knights have a 2-1 record over regionally rated teams while GAC's record against similar opponents stood at only 1-1 on the year.  Hence, the flip-flop.  I can't believe that this hurts GAC's chances in any way whatsoever but, IMHO, it seems like the Gusties are being unfairly punished for doing what they were supposed to do.  I know Wartburg is a great team and their head coach, Bob Amsberry, is a great coach and person.  That's not in question at all here.  What I question is how GAC had to pay the price for it.  How much it means in the end-all remains to be seen, of course and I'm sure it only fuels their burning fire and desire.

Bethel remains in the sixth spot but didn't get any favors from Whitman this last Saturday night when George Fox came in to Walla Walla and pulled off a gigantic upset and, as such, the Blues sunk from the fifth spot to the seventh spot this time around.  To get a better idea on how things may shake out on Selection Monday, the last Regional Rankings will be released on Sunday (2-26).

MIAC Quarterfinal Playoff Game - St. Kate's vs CSB 2-22-17

Made my way up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline on this pleasant late Wednesday afternoon to take in one of the two big MIAC Quarterfinal Playoff games - this one between visiting and number five-seed St. Kate's and host number four-seed CSB.  The Blazers swept the regular season series between these two teams and I had covered the last meeting between these two teams almost a month ago where CSB prevailed in a hotly-contested game by a count of 50-47 and there was every reason to think that this one with so much on the line for both could feature some of the same drama as the last one.  This was my first trip to Claire Lynch on the campus of CSB in seven years and it was definitely good to get back.

Just as he had in the previous contest at Butler Center back in January, Blazer Head Coach Mike Durbin had his team employ a 2-3 zone defense and with the long reach of players such as junior post/forward Nikki Fokken, junior post Kate Banovetz and junior forward Chelsey Guetter, it can be quite an arduous task to try and find any nooks and crannies for an opposing team to try and penetrate.  As such, that zone defense and some early St. Kate's miscues allowed CSB to grab an early 8-2 lead.  After senior forward Kennedy Jennings put the 'Cats up early with two free throws at the 8:04 mark, the Blazers went to work.  Two free throws by Fokken at the 7:49 mark tied the contest and an offensive rebound and putback by Guetter put CSB up 4-2.  Then it was senior point guard Annie Dittberner making her presence felt as she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 7:10 mark and then found a seam to slither through in the Wildcat defense for a lay-up at the 6:32 mark for an 8-2 Blazer advantage.  St. Kate's closed the gap to three points when junior guard Audra Clark drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 6:13 mark but two more Blazer scores - a Dittberner drive and finish at the 5:46 mark and a Banovetz drive and finish at the 5:13 mark - gave CSB some more breathing space with a 12-5 lead.  The Wildcats again edged closer as senior guard/forward Alexis Garcia banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 4:16 left but CSB was able to open up some more space with a 6-0 push.  Fokken connected with a lay-up with 3:30 left and the Oronoco native followed that up by knocking down a short jumper from the left side with 2:51 left with 2:51 left for a 16-8 Blazer advantage.  Then it was Guetter snaring an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 1:31 left for a ten-point 18-8 CSB lead and a score in the paint by Banovetz with :53 left in the opening period maintained that ten-point edge at 20-10.  Wildcat sophomore reserve newcomer guard Kanani Asuncion got St. Kate's back to within single digits again with her "3" from the left top off the glass with just :00.7 left but one of the big things I was worried about from a St. Kate's perspective - CSB's ability to rebound; particularly on the offensive end - was already playing a big part in the Blazers opening period success.

But one thing that opponents in general found out about the Wildcats this season is that they are a very resourceful group and though you may have them down early, you can never count them out and St. Kate's slowly made its way back into this contest in the second period.  Audra Clark showed her defensive prowess as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 7:31 mark and a score in the paint by freshman reserve guard Danica Cambrice at the 6:55 mark trimmed the Blazer lead down to three points at 20-17.  Fokken opened up a bit more breathing space for CSB again with her score in the paint at the 5:26 mark but flashy senior reserve guard LaShay Holt again brought the 'Cats back to within a single possession with her "3" from the top of the key with 4:56 left that cut the Blazer lead down to a scant two points at 22-20.  CSB; perhaps alarmed by this recent development, was able to awake from its early evening siesta as senior reserve guard Macy Kelly unleashed a three-point bomb from the left wing area with 4:28 left and one Dittberner freebie with 3:42 left got the lead to 26-20.  St. Kate's again got back to within a single possession when Garcia unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 2:27 left but a score in the paint by Blazer freshman reserve post Alex Johnson with 1:05 left gave CSB a 28-23 advantage; a lead that they also took into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score confirmed some of my fears coming into this game.  The Blazers held a sizable 20-11 advantage on the glass including a 16-6 edge in defensive rebounds alone.  Then again, the fact that CSB also shot 12-21 from FG range for 57.1% played a factor as well.  The fact that an opportunistic Wildcat defense forced 11 CSB turnovers in the first half was somewhat offset by not so great shooting as the 'Cats shot only 8-26 from FG range for 30.8% and were only 5-14 from behind the arc for 35.7%.  Another glaring statistic that must have been bothering St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton in the locker room at the half was that the Wildcats were only 2-5 from the charity stripe for 40% in the first half.  That's leaving some potential points on the table and that's something that had to change for his squad coming out of the locker room.

Versatile senior forward/post Mari Lee got the Wildcats off to a great start in the third period with her three-point bomb from the left top area at the 9:48 mark but that was answered by two CSB scores - a short shot in the lane by Dittberner at the 9:28 mark and a score in the paint by the lanky Fokken at the 9:01 mark that had the Blazers up 32-26.  Seeking a quick fix, St. Kate's struck back as Audra Clark knocked down a "3" from the right top area at the 8:36 mark that had the 'Cats back within that single-possession range trailing 32-29 and a pretty jumper along the left baseline by Jennings at the 7:57 mark kept St. Kate's in that three-point range trailing 34-31.  A lay-up by Lee at exactly the 7:00 mark had the Wildcats trailing by a single tantalizing point at 34-33 and although Audra Clark would get tagged with her third foul of the contest a minute later, St. Kate's shored up its defensive efforts enough to keep the Blazer basket quiet for nearly five minutes.  Finally, Cambrice's score in the paint with 3:01 left in the third period allowed the Wildcats to poke their nose out in front for the first time since the opening moments of the contest with a 35-34 lead.  CSB, not about to let the visitors from St. Paul rain on its parade, quickly reclaimed the lead on a three-point bomb by Guetter from the right wing area with 2:33 left and one free throw by Dittberner with :57.6 left in the period gave the Blazers a three-point advantage at 38-35 but Jennings helped St. Kate's close the gap to one point with her steal and lay-up the other way with just :07 left so with the Blazers clinging to a perilous 38-37 advantage going into the fourth quarter, you knew this one had all the makings of a possible classic.

Banovetz's offensive rebound and putback at the 9:26 mark of the fourth period again gave CSB a bit more breathing room with a 40-37 edge but right back came those pesky 'Cats.  Jennings was able to knock down a jumper from the free throw line at the 8:58 mark and then Holt; who was fouled in a transition opportunity after a steal, knocked down two free throws at the 8:02 mark that once again allowed St. Kate's to poke its nose out in front by a 41-40 count and you couldn't help but wonder if the Wildcats were now positioning themselves to possibly seize the moment in a hostile environment to take control of this contest.  Fokken's jumper along the right baseline at the 7:44 mark helped the Blazers retake the lead at 42-41 and both teams clamped down hard on defense; trying desperately not to let the other side gain any advantage.  Lee helped St. Kate's gain one last lead at 43-42 with 4:56 left with her lay-up in transition but when the Wildcats needed a critical stop or a big shot or a big rebound, it just simply wasn't there for them.  As such, CSB moved quickly to snatch the lead back.  One free throw by Fokken with 4:45 left and a Fokken score in the paint off the glass with 3:37 left had the Blazers up 45-43 and Fokken would come up big again with 2:45 left with a lay-up that now made it a two-possession game at 47-43.  One Jennings free throw with 2:24 left brought the 'Cats back to within a single possession trailing 47-44 but again they needed to get a stop on the ensuing CSB possession so when Guetter made a drive into the lane for a finish with 1:57 left that pushed the lead to five at 49-44, St. Kate's Pinkerton had to call a thirty-second timeout to set-up strategy to try and get his team back within striking distance.  Audra Clark's three-point attempt with 1:37 left missed its mark and the Blazers had an opportunity to salt this one away for good but Guetter was unable to connect on a lay-up attempt thus giving the 'Cats new life.  Holt attempted to work her magic; driving into a sea of white and red for a tough shot with :38 left but it missed its intended mark.  Dittberner was sent to the charity stripe with :40.4 left but could only get one of the free throw attempts to go down for a 50-44 lead.  Not impossible for St. Kate's but the sands of time were quickly running out and when the Wildcats subsequently suffered a turnover on its ensuing possession, everything appeared to be almost academic.  Audra Clark fouled out with :27.6 left and Dittberner had another opportunity at the charity stripe to widen the lead even more.  Again, she was only able to get one of those free throw attempts to go down for a 51-44 CSB advantage and now the Wildcats had to roll the dice.  Holt got open behind the arc from the right wing area with :16.3 left and let loose with one of those patented high-arcing three-point attempts that made the cotton sing and cut the deficit down to four points at 51-47.  Dittberner was immediately fouled on the inbounds pass with 14.6 left but, once again, was only able to get one of the two free throw attempts to go down for a 52-47 Blazer lead.  St. Kate's hustled downcourt on its possession and got the ball to Asuncion who uncorked a "3" from the top of the key with :07 left that suddenly narrowed the deficit down to a scant two points at 52-50.  Confusion reigned supreme shortly thereafter on the ensuing CSB inbounds pass as it was apparently tipped by a St. Kate's player that ultimately resulted in CSB having to inbounds the ball again from the end of the court instead of the half-court area as the Blazers' Durbin had originally hoped.  Dittberner was immediately fouled on the next inbounds pass attempt and promptly went to the line.  Surprisingly again, Dittberner was only able to knock down the front-end attempt for a 53-50 CSB lead so when the back-end attempt rattled out, Holt was there for the defensive rebound and the Wildcats were off to the races downcourt.  St. Kate's desperately worked the ball around the perimeter hoping to find somebody - anybody - in a grey Wildcat uniform open behind the arc to try and send this one into an extra session.  Finally, Garcia came off a screen and got free in the left corner behind the arc and got the ball and uncorked one last hope with :01 left. The shot looked so true but, alas, banged off the rim and CSB held on for a 53-50 victory.

An obviously disappointed and heartsick Pinkerton talked about how proud he was of his team's effort on this night.  "We played well" he said but added that "we had some defensive lapses in the beginning."  And, for the four seniors on the St. Kate's squad - Jennings, Lee, Holt and Garcia - who have played such a big part in the resurgence of this program, it had to be a bitter disappointment to come so close and yet fall just short.  But these four have also left their mark on this program and they will be incredibly tough to replace.  CSB's Durbin had high praises for his veteran group in getting the win on this night.  The length of Fokken, Banovetz and Guetter cannot be overstated in such a big game but I pointed out to Durbin that I thought Dittberner who, despite a few hiccups from the charity stripe late, was instrumental in helping his squad achieve victory tonight and I had vastly underestimated her abilities.  He had quick praises for her as well and pointed out how huge her leadership was on the floor on this night.  Without question, the 45-24 rebounding advantage that the Blazers enjoyed on this evening played a big part in the ultimate victory for CSB on this night. Breaking that stat down, the Blazers had a 15-6 edge in offensive rebounds and a 30-18 edge in defensive rebounds and that, more often than not, will help you get a victory when you need it.  While some spotty free throw shooting in the second half kept the overall percentage at 61%, the fact CSB had such a huge edge on the boards partially offset that.  The fact that the Wildcats shot only 5-9 from the charity stripe themselves for 55.6% for the game did not help their cause either.  Another huge stat to point out:  CSB had a huge edge in those so-called "second-chance points" by a 14-3 count thanks to the efforts of Banovetz, Fokken and Guetter.  Not surprisingly, it was Fokken's monstrous night of 17 points and 10 rebounds that helped pace the way for CSB on this night. Dittberner had 14 points and Guetter had 11 points.  St. Kate's didn't have anybody in double figures scoring-wise but they did have a balanced attack nonetheless.  Both Lee and Jennings; in their final collegiate contest, tallied nine points each and Audra Clark and Holt had eight points.  Both Garcia and Asuncion chipped in with six points a piece.  

Irondale vs Park Center 2-21-17

How weird is it that I get to practice outdoors in the afternoon during basketball season - in 60-degree weather no less?  I don't EVER recall that happening in my time here in Minnesota but today it did and after a workout at Lifetime Fitness afterward, I got showered up and headed over to Park Center High School to take in a late regular season clash between visiting Irondale and host Park Center.  The Knights have been enduring a rough season; coming into this contest with a 6-17 record overall while the Pirates on the other hand have been rolling right along as of late; riding a nine-game win streak with a 19-5 overall record.  While the experienced observer had the Park Center as a prohibitive favorite in this contest, it would still be important for the Pirates to come into this game focused and ready to execute.

And Park Center definitely did have a lot of focus in the opening minutes of the first half as they bolted out to a 7-2 lead.  Speedy junior guard Sommer Blakemore made good on a drive and finish at the 17:25 mark and a "3" from the left wing by senior point guard Danielle Schaub at the 16:54 mark made it 5-2 game.  Slender junior guard Meghan DuBois' steal and lay-up the other way at the 15:43 mark capped this early run before the Knights could cut into the deficit a bit on one free throw by junior guard Sophie Findell at the 15:20 mark.  A lay-up by junior post Sarah Loken at the 13:58 mark kept Irondale in that five-point range trailing 10-5 but the Pirates were soon off and running again.  Schaub uncorked her second trey of the evening - this one coming from the left corner at the 13:43 mark and a lay-up in transition by DuBois at the 13:17 mark gave Park Center a ten-point 15-5 lead and prompted Knight Head Coach Nicole Bullock to call for a thirty-second timeout.  Irondale again attempted to cut into the Pirate cushion as sophomore forward Kahlan Jester made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 12:51 mark but a 5-0 Park Center push expanded the home team's advantage.  Junior reserve guard Azsha Michael dropped one free throw at the 11:40 mark and two scores by DuBois - a drive along the left baseline and finish with 8:34 left and a steal and lay-up the other way with 8:18 left - upped the Pirate lead to 20-7.

The Knights still had hopes of trying to climb back into this thing and an offensive rebound and putback by eighth-grade post Dora Okpara with 7:55 left in the first half provided a bit of relief and a drive and finish by senior guard Juriah Hughes with 6:36 left kept things reasonably in hand as Irondale trailed 22-11.  But two more quick scores by the Pirates - a short jumper by eighth-grader Adalia McKenzie with 6:27 left and a lay-up in transition by Schaub with 6:04 left - pushed the lead to 26-11 and the Knights' Bullock was again waving the flag for a thirty-second halt to the action. This time around, however, things slowly but surely deteriorated for Irondale.  DuBois uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with 4:35 left and two free throws by lanky senior post Mikayla Hayes with 4:26 left grew Park Center's lead to 31-13.  Then the Pirates unleashed a three-point barrage - one by DuBois from the right corner with 2:32 left and one from senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet from the left corner with 2:10 left - to make it a 37-13 game and a Simonet lay-up in transition with 1:46 left ballooned the lead to 39-13.  Schaub's short jumper in the lane in transition with 1:31 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Blakemore now made it a thirty-point game at 43-13 and a pretty reverse lay-up in transition by Simonet with :25 left capped this key 22-6 late run by Park Center and the Knights simply would not be able to recover from it.  They did stop some of the bleeding on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Annalise Scamehorn with :06 left by the Pirates' Hayes answered that with a lay-up in transition with just :02 left as Park Center took a hefty 47-19 lead into the locker room at the half with them.

Facing such an insurmountable deficit, the Knights immediate challenge was to try and prevent this game from going into "running time" in the second half as a result of the MSHSL's "Mercy Rule". But Park Center made that objective even more diffucult as a Hayes lay-up at the 17:45 mark and a three-point bomb by Simonet at the 15:57 mark got the lead to 52-21 and Irondale's Bullock was again clamoring for a thirty-second timeout.  Still, the Pirates' Blakemore would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 15:37 mark that also drew a foul and the resulting "and one" pushed the lead to 55-21 before the Knights could get consecutive scores.  Loken snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:24 mark and Hughes was able to make a smart defensive play by snaring a steal and dashing the other way for a lay-up at the 15:04 mark that cut the deficit down to thirty at 55-25.  Park Center would respond with another 6-0 push as Simonet connected with a lay-up in transition at the 14:27 mark and two scores by Michael - a score in the paint at the 13:48 mark and an offensive rebound and putback at the 13:27 mark - got the lead up to 61-25.  An undaunted Irondale team would try to narrow the gap with a 7-0 spurt.  Hughes connected on a drive into the lane for a finish at the 12:59 mark and a Scamehorn lay-up at the 12:20 mark along with one free throw by senior reserve post Ornella Ngotcho had the Pirates lead down to 61-30.  Hughes capped this unlikely run with an offensive rebound and putback at the 11:20 mark before Park Center could expand on things again.  DuBois drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 10:18 mark and Schaub connected on a lay-up in transition at the 9:53 mark that made it a 66-32 game.  The Knights; still refusing to capitulate, tried to counter as Ngotcho scored in the paint at the 9:34 mark and a lay-up by Okpara with 8:51 left cut Park Center's lead down to exactly thirty at 66-36.

But any hopes Irondale had of extending this game with normal playing time were soon dashed as three consecutive scores by the Pirates' Michael soon sent this contest into the "running time" format. She first snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 7:46 left and followed that up with a score in the paint with 7:02 left that also drew a foul and her "and one" got the lead to 70-36.  Michael also connected with a jumper from the left elbow area with 6:40 left for a 72-36 Park Center lead and the "running time" format allowed Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde to insert his reserves to give them some valuable playing time down the stretch.  Junior reserve post Chyanne Nickens snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up with 4:44 left and McKenzie connected on a lay-up in transition with 2:18 left.  Junior reserve guard Naomi Fields connected on a lay-up in transition with :10 left in the game as Park Center won this game going away by a final count of 79-42.

I managed to catch up with VanderHyde after the game and asked him if he thought his squad was where it needed to be on the last week of the regular season.  VanderHyde pondered the question for a moment and replied, "We're playing at a high level in spurts" he said.  "We seem to have some breakdowns when we get up big in games where we lose some of our focus."  I would imagine that that's a challenge for any upper-echelon team when it plays an opponent that simply isn't of the same caliber.  The one thing I brought up with VanderHyde afterward was that I thought that the Pirates missed a somewhat inordinate amount of free throws in this contest and I asked him if that was a legitimate gripe.  He was in agreement with that and although that wasn't a factor on this night, something like that could rear its ugly head in a big section playoff game not far down the road and definitely be a huge factor.  Still, VanderHyde noted that his squad is pretty close to where it should be right now and pointed to a big win over Owatonna this last Saturday where they didn't necessarily play their best at times but still found a way to get the job done.  One positive that Park Center could take away from this game was that they had four scorers in double figures on this night.  DuBois; who lit things up from behind the arc on this night, led the way with 17 points while Schaub had 14 points and both Simonet and Michael had 12 points.  Hughes was the only scorer in double figures for Irondale with her 12 points.

MIAC Playoff Preview 2-20-17

Ah, it's that time once again to break out the crystal ball and handicap the upcoming MIAC Playoffs this week.  This has been a great regular season and the strength of the top teams shows why the MIAC is, without question, one of the best conferences out there.  This year's version of the MIAC Playoffs could be very interesting indeed as you have at least three teams that can make strong cases for not only winning it but are also capable of making big runs in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Then you have possibly two other teams that are more than capable of upsetting the apple cart and spoiling somebody's season.  With that in mind, let's take a look at each of the teams and their outlook for this week.


6.  Augsburg - Left for dead back in January when they were in a serious losing funk, the Auggies turned things around in the month of February; winning five of their last six regular season games to snare the sixth spot (and with a little help from conference rival CSB as well this last Saturday).  This is an incredibly young team that Head Coach Ted Riverso has but it's also incredibly quick and athletic and can cause a whole host of match-up problems for other teams simply because no one else in the conference plays like they do.  If there was ever such a thing as the MIAC's version of the "Fab 5", this would definitely have to be it with this freshman group.  Tamira McLemore can be a one-person wrecking crew with her fearless drives into the paint and fellow freshman Camryn Speese can leap out of the gym to snare a rebound.  And when freshman guard Aiza Wilson gets hot from behind the arc, look out!  That said, this group has had its obvious inconsistencies at times as well; notably from the free throw line.  Experience obviously plays a factor in big games and this group is still somewhat green around the gills on that front.  But if they play a fearless free-wheeling style and can get a few breaks along the way, this is definitely one scary group.

Sure sign of trouble - While the Auggies will get definitely get their share of transition opportunities, they'd bloody well better make the most of those opportunities because if they wind up leaving a lot of points on the table, it will cost them dearly.


5.  St. Kate's - Patience, perseverance and hard work have paid off for Wildcat Head Coach Sean Pinkerton and his staff as St. Kate's has steadily improved each year and enters the MIAC Playoffs with a 15-10 record overall and 9-9 in conference play - good enough to snare the fifth seed.  This is a team that has won some big road games this year - notably at UW-River Falls and at UW-Superior; the latter which will likely win the UMAC Playoffs and get into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.  They've taken a few lumps along the way - notably to both Bethel and GAC at home - but, for the most part anyway, have taken care of business where they should have.  Unlike Augsburg, this is an experienced group with seniors Mari Lee, Kennedy Jennings, LaShay Holt, and Alexis Garcia along with the junior twin sister backcourt duo of Audra Clark and Meg Clark. Moreover, they've had some younger faces show up and provide quality minutes as well in freshmen Danica Cambrice and Jackie Radford along with sophomore newcomer Kanani Asuncion.  When this team is on and playing well, they have the capability to beat anyone in the conference and that includes both GAC and UST.  And when they don't play well, they can be beaten by anyone in the conference.  It's hard to find a happy medium with this group and they have a nasty little habit of being wildly inconsistent at times.  One alarming stat to point out that could mean an early exit - the 'Cats are dead last in the MIAC when it comes to rebounding and that's one area that they've GOT to improve on if they are going to do the unthinkable.

Sure sign of trouble - If the flashy Holt gets into early foul trouble and can't be a force on either end of the floor, that's almost a certain death wish.


4.  CSB - Head Coach Mike Durbin has his Blazers back in the playoff mix in the fourth spot with a similar 15-10 overall record and 11-7 in the conference which is a step up from last season.  They've been in their share of close games this year; most notably with that overtime win over SMU down in Winona that knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs.  Roster-wise, this squad shares a lot of similarities with St. Kate's who they'll face in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.  Four seniors - Annie Dittberner, Macy Kelly, Alison Newton and reserve Grace Pouliot.  But Newton hasn't played since the loss at Augsburg earlier in the month and it would be a huge loss not to have her fully healthy and ready to go for Wednesday night.  Fortunately, the Blazers do have a lot of length and height in players such as juniors Kate Banovetz and Nikki Fokken and freshman Alex Johnson and they'll need to come up big for the Blazers this week if they're to have any chance.  I've only seen this team play twice this year and, unfortunately, the game I can't get out of my head is that 40+ point beatdown they suffered at the hands of UST at Schoenecker Arena.  It's entirely possible that they hold serve at home against St. Kate's on Wednesday night but after that, as we say here in America, all bets are off.

Sure sign of trouble - The Blazers can ill afford to have any of their "bigs" get into foul trouble which would almost certainly shift the load to either Dittberner or Kelly to bail them out and neither of the two have been major scoring forces this season.


3.  Bethel - The Royals exceeded even my expectations this season as they garnered a solid 21-4 overall record and 16-2 in the unbelievably tough MIAC with those two conference losses coming to the top two seeds UST and GAC and those losses were in single digits that could have gone either way had they caught a break or two when they needed it.  The other two losses this season were also single-digit defeats - to Carthage in Milwaukee back in November and then to likely WIAC Champion UW-Oshkosh right before the first of the year.  So this is a team that can not only play with anyone in the country but certainly has the capability to win this thing.  And two of the reasons why this team can do it are defense and rebounding - their specialties.  This is a very experienced and seasoned group with senior guard Shanni Moorse and juniors Angie Kirchoff and Abby Miller leading the way. Sophomore post Hannah Johnson and freshman forward Taite Anderson have come on strong this year as well and junior reserve guard Jasmin Bretoi can be absolutely lethal from behind the arc.  You can bet that Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer only wishes that he could get senior Kalli Zimmerman miraculously healed up in time for this thing but, alas, such is not the case.  Still, this team is there and ready to roll the dice.  And, I want to get this out of the way as well.  Should the Royals hold serve at home Wednesday night in their quarterfinal playoff game against Augsburg (which I think they will), they ABSOLUTELY deserve a spot in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way.  Whether the brain wizards on the NCAA Tournament Committee think the same as I and several others do is another thing but this team has done pretty much all it can do.

Sure sign of trouble - It's a stretch but, if both Abby Miller and Bretoi go stone cold from behind the arc, that puts a lot of pressure on both Johnson and Anderson down low to make up for that.


2.  GAC - Finally.....After years of waiting and wondering if the up-and-down Gusties would ever again return to the ranks of the elite, that question was finally answered with a resounding YES this season as GAC set the MIAC ablaze this year with a fantastic 24-1 record overall and 17-1 in MIAC play; more than good enough to grab the second seed in the MIAC Playoffs and assure themselves of a spot in the Big Dance.  This is likely the best team that GAC has ever had; certainly since the '02-'03 season anyway.  The only blemish was that heartbreaking home defeat to mighty UST; a game where the Gusties controlled the first period before letting things get away from them in the second and third periods before a furious comeback brought them to within a point late in the contest before finally falling.  And, in a somewhat funny kind of way, that loss may do them more good then harm coming into this thing.  You look at this team and you can't help but shake your head at how good they truly are.  They have, without question, the best point guard in the conference (and maybe in the entire West Region) in junior Mikayla Miller who leads the team in scoring and can also get down in the paint to do the dirty work as well.  Sophomore backcourt mate Brooke Lemke has made tremendous strides this season and can be a terror on defense and from behind the arc.  A front line duo of junior Miranda Rice and senior Hannah Howard may not be the biggest out there but they more than make up for that with their play.  And you've got a pretty solid supporting cast of sophomores in Justine Lee, Kendall Thompson and Taylor Anderson.  In other words, this team is freaking LOADED.  Despite a few close calls here and there, this squad has pretty much run roughshod over everybody and this team can easily win this thing - IF - they can manage to get UST out of their head and play like they know how to play for 40 minutes.  And yeah, they have the goods to make a big run in the Dance as well.  Is this Gustie team a team of destiny?  It very well could be and Head Coach Laurie Kelly would love nothing more than to take her squad to the Promised Land.    

Sure sign of trouble -  Aside from an Act of God or nuclear war, it's hard to think of one particular thing that could keep this team from making the MIAC Championship Game.  With the Gusties, it's not so much what they do but who they run into that could cause match-up problems for them.


1.  UST - Ah, yes.  And the world is round as well.  Well, another season and another unblemished record for the Tommies at 25-0 overall and 18-0 in the MIAC.  To be sure, UST has had a few close calls during the regular season - a ten-point win at St. Olaf in early January and then the tussle with GAC in the MIAC Women's Hoops Game of the Century back on February 1.  And don't forget that St. Kate's gave this squad more problems than you can shake a stick at right after that.  Still, the Tommies just find ways to survive and win and their record speaks for itself.  Just looking at the schedule shows how they've handled business against very good teams early on in the season and how that paved the way for things the rest of the way.  Of course, it helps when you have one of the best post players in the nation in senior Kaitlin Langer who can fight through double-teams and triple-teams to score and rebound.  Add senior sharp-shooting guard Gabby Zehrer and junior guard/forward Lauren Fischer who can both bury three-point bombs at the drop of a hat under duress and a seasoned senior guard in Paige Gernes who is a terrific ball-handler and defender and you've got something incredibly special.  Oh, and let's not forget a pretty darn good supporting cast in junior guard Maddie Wolkow and sophomore guard Lucia Renikoff who are both more than capable of coming in and running the show when they have to.  What you have to like about this team is their experience.  They've been through these wars more than once and they know what it's all about and what it takes to win this thing.  And so does Head Coach Ruth Sinn who knows how to move her chess pieces when she has to.  Perhaps the only real knock on this UST team is that they can be a bit predictable at times.  You kind of know what they're going to do, it's just that nobody has really found a way to stop it - yet anyway.  Last year in the NCAA Tournament, a hail of three-pointers by Wartburg sunk the Tommies and you can bet that that's something that keeps Sinn awake some nights.

Sure sign of trouble - See above with GAC.  Defense is the one thing that will help UST win this thing or lose it.


So there you have it.  This could be one of the most hotly-contested MIAC Playoffs in a long, long time and I'm incredibly anxious for it to begin!  Fire away with thoughts.    

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-19-17

Here's the final MIAC Power Rankings for the 2016-17 season and although they don't differentiate too much from the actual final conference standings, there was some movement in my poll nonetheless:


1.  UST
2.  GAC
3.  Bethel
4.  CSB
5.  St. Kate's
6.  Augsburg
7.  SMU
8.  Macalester
9.  Concordia
10.  St. Olaf
11.  Carleton
12.  Hamline


No surprises in the top three spots as each team did what it needed to do this last week although the Royals got a bit of a tussle from St. Kate's yesterday at Robertson Center but hung on for a tough win and, more importantly, notched their 21st victory of the season.  Things may be stacked against Bethel in their NCAA Tournament hopes but this team seems ready to go and ready to take its chances.

I flipped CSB and St. Kate's on this day as the Blazers did what they needed to do to lock-up the fourth seed in the MIAC Playoffs with crucial road victories at both Hamline on Wednesday night and an overtime win yesterday at SMU.  The Wildcats somewhat predictably dropped their last two regular season contests at home Wednesday night to mighty GAC and then yesterday at Bethel but certainly played much better in the latter contest and, as such, take the fifth-seed in the MIAC Playoffs.  The big winner this last week was Augsburg as they claimed two big wins - both away from the friendly confines of Si Melby Hall - at Macalester on Wednesday night and then yesterday at St. Olaf to claim the coveted sixth playoff spot.  Meanwhile, no amount of Jack Daniels, Tylenol PM or perhaps a combination of both can possibly cure the hurt and heartache down the River in Winona on this day as SMU, so incredibly desperate for a win, took CSB to overtime yesterday before falling 60-55 for its seventh loss in eight games that cost them that sixth spot and you can't help but feel badly for seniors Emma Schaefer, Brigette Audette, Sam Jones and Raelynn Speltz to have the season come to a grinding, screeching, crashing end.

I was impressed how Macalester turned things around in the second half against Hamline yesterday to end the season on a good note and the Scots have made steady improvement under Head Coach Kelly Roysland's tenure and don't be surprised if Macalester takes things another notch forward next season.  Concordia did give mighty UST  a tough time at home in Moorhead before falling and I'm guessing that Head Coach Jessica Rahman will be rolling up her sleeves and will be back hard at work to get her team back into the mix very soon.  St. Olaf got a split this last week; notably taking a home win over crosstown rival Carleton on Wednesday night that might give this young Ole squad some momentum heading into next season.

I'll handicap the MIAC Playoffs tomorrow night and will also have something to say about the last round of regional rankings that will come out later this week as well.

St. Kate's vs Bethel 2-18-17

After leaving Hamline's Hutton Arena, I headed north on Snelling Avenue in the direction of Bethel University for their 3:00 P.M. game against visiting St. Kate's.  I got settled into Robertson Center in the waning moments of the first period with Bethel up 15-10.

I had a feeling that this would be a good game from the get-go as both teams had wrapped up playoff spots (Bethel locked into the third slot and St. Kate's seemingly fitting into the fifth spot) and the crowd on hand at Robertson Center on this beautiful Saturday mid-afternoon day would not be disappointed.  Sophomore post Hannah Johnson's two free throws with just :02 left in the opening period got the Bethel lead to 17-10 and, after a momentary lapse by both squads in the opening moments of the second period, freshman phenom forward Taite Anderson extended the Royals lead to 19-10 with her lay-up at the 7:25 mark.  St. Kate's would close to five points on a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jackie Radford at the 7:10 mark and two free throws by junior guard Meg Clark at the 6:30 mark.  A lay-up by twin sister junior guard Audra Clark at the 6:05 mark and a lay-up in transition by senior forward Mari Lee at the 5:40 mark got the Wildcats back within a single possession trailing 21-18 and a Radford jumper along the left baseline with 4:56 left reduced the deficit to a solitary point at 21-20.  Bethel awoke from its mid-afternoon slumber to embark on a 6-0 push.  Anderson got into the paint for a score with 4:36 left and junior guard Angie Kirchoff connected with a jumper from the right elbow area with 4:09 left for a 25-20 Royal advantage. Freshman reserve guard and former Maple Grove standout Haylee Barker completed this push with a short, one-handed jumper in the lane with 3:10 left that gave Bethel more breathing space with a 27-20 lead.  But the 'Cats struck right back with a 7-0 run.  Sophomore reserve guard newcomer Kanani Asuncion connected with a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the former Rochester Century standout's obligatory free throw with 2:51 left trimmed the deficit to four points at 27-23.  Then it was senior guard/forward Alexis Garcia getting a lay-up with 2:18 left that drew St. Kate's closer trailing 27-25.  A pretty reverse lay-up by Radford with 1:48 left knotted the issue at 27 a piece with 1:48 left and each time Bethel tried to pull ahead, the Wildcats would seem to have an answer.  Royal junior reserve sharp-shooting guard Jasmin Bretoi connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass for a 29-27 Bethel lead but that was matched by the 'Cats as senior forward Kennedy Jennings got into the paint for a score with :56 left.  The Royals would retake the lead on a jumper from the right wing by junior spark plug guard Abby Miller with :41 left but St. Kate's would respond on its ensuing possession as Audra Clark connected with a lay-up with :21 left to tie things up at 31-all.  Finally, senior guard Shanni Moorse gave the Royals a 33-31 lead to take into the locker room at the half with two free throws with just :02.6 before the halftime buzzer.  A quick check of the first half box score shows how even things were so far.  Neither team shot that well from FG range (St. Kate's going 14-34 for 41.2% and Bethel going 13-28 for 46.4%) and both teams shot an identical 75% from the charity stripe.  The big surprise, IMHO, was the Wildcats holding a 20-17 edge on the glass in the first half which is normally Bethel's calling card.  Both teams were guilty of seven turnovers in the first half as well.  Considering how the Royals had rolled to an easy 86-57 win at St. Kate's a mere month ago, Wildcat Head Coach Sean Pinkerton and his staff had to be encouraged by what they were seeing so far from their team.

Bethel sought to establish some more separation in the opening moments of the third period as a score in the paint by the ever-improving Johnson at the 9:50 mark and a "3" from the left corner by the seemingly always-reliable Kirchoff at the 9:13 mark re-established that seven-point edge that the Royals enjoyed in the second period.  But St. Kate's would manage to climb back to within a single possession twice.  One Jennings freebie at the 8:53 mark and a drive into the lane in transition and finish by Audra Clark at the 8:18 mark cut the Royal lead to four at 38-34.  An Audra Clark jumper from near the free throw line at the 7:52 mark cut the deficit to two at 38-36 and a Jennings jumper from that same area at the 7:05 mark kept the 'Cats in that two-point range trailing 40-38.  Bethel would grow the lead back to six points as the versatile Anderson went coast-to-coast for a lay-up at the 5:40 mark and Johnson maneuvered her slender 6'1" frame into the paint for a score at the 5:03 mark for a 44-38 Royal advantage.  A Johnson lay-up with 4:22 left maintained that six-point edge at 46-40 before both teams went into a bit of a drought over the next three minutes.  St. Kate's would finally have a couple of answers late in the third period to get back to that two-point range.  Radford snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:12 left and then a score in the paint by flashy senior reserve guard LaShay Holt with :36 left cut the Royals lead down to 46-44 and left a lot of unanswered questions heading into the fourth and final period.

Bethel looked as if it was in position to take firm control of things in the opening minutes of the fourth period with a 7-1 push.  Johnson got into the paint for another score at the 9:47 mark and two free throws by Kirchoff at the 8:06 mark had the Royals up 50-45.  Then it was Abby Miller; the former Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted standout, delivering a back-breaking "3" from the left corner at the 7:35 mark for an eight-point 53-45 Bethel advantage.  The Wildcats would manage to cut the deficit to four points on two free throws by Radford at the 6:32 mark and a drive and finish in transition by Holt at the 6:01 mark that made it a 53-49 game but when the Royals' Moorse connected with a lay-up at the 5:28 mark to make it 55-49, it really looked as if St. Kate's would be hard-pressed to prevent the Royal steamroller from coasting home for the victory.  So imagine how shell-shocked the partisan Bethel crowd (and your's truly) was when the 'Cats embarked on an unlikely 6-0 push that leveled this contest at 55 a piece.  The wily Holt first connected on a drive and finish in transition with 4:33 left and a short jumper in the lane by freshman reserve guard Danica Cambrice with 3:23 left trimmed the Royal lead down to a scant two points at 55-53.  Radford would get sent to the charity stripe with 1:20 left and although she couldn't knock down either free throw attempt, St. Kate's still hung tough.  On the ensuing Royal possession, Abby Miller went for a killer three-point attempt but was unable to knock it down and the 'Cats Lee was there for the defensive rebound and was subsequently fouled with :51.1 left and the former Dawson-Boyd product knocked down both free throw attempts that suddenly tied this game at 55-all.  Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer called a timeout to set up strategy on the ensuing Royal possession and Anderson delivered with a big time finish in the paint with :42 left for a 57-55 Bethel lead.  The Wildcats brought the ball downcourt and Pinkerton called a timeout with :22 left to try and set up a response.  But this is where things got a bit dicey for St. Kate's as, on the ensuing inbounds attempt, the Wildcats were nearly hit not once but TWICE on five-second calls and Pinkerton had to take a match to two more timeouts to avoid total disaster.  Finally, St. Kate's was able to execute the inbounds pass and, with :16 left, Radford got a look from behind the arc from the right wing area and launched an attempt.  This shot banged off the back of the rim and into the waiting arms of Bethel's Moorse who quickly got the ball to the Royals best ballhandler in Abby Miller.  She was fouled with :11.4 left and dropped two pressure free throws that now made it a two-possession game at 59-55.  The Wildcats got the ball to Audra Clark on their ensuing possession and she attempted a lay-up that missed its mark.  Abby Miller would be fouled again shortly thereafter and sank two more insurance free throws with :05.4 left to clinch a hard-fought 61-55 win for Bethel as they completed a fabulous regular season with a 21-4 record.

A relieved Herbrechtsmeyer said afterward "We needed that....We really did"; referring to the hard-fought victory that was the Royals' first true test since the heartbreaker to GAC back in early January. "They're a good team....a playoff team" Herbrechtsmeyer said referring to St. Kate's and thinks that the challenge presented today will only help his squad as they now prepare for the MIAC Playoffs which begins on Wednesday (2-22) with a quarterfinal home date with Augsburg.  The Royals still have obvious NCAA Tournament hopes and there's no doubt in my mind that Bethel ABSOLUTELY belongs in the field of 64 teams.  Herbrechtsmeyer knows all about the obstacles in his squad's way; noting how incredibly strong the West Region truly is and how the computer rankings aren't doing his program any favors right now.  So even if the Royals notch a quarterfinal victory over Augsburg and then, say, lose a tough one at GAC two nights later, "It's probably 20-80 or 30-70 that we get in."  I hope that that's not the scenario they wind up facing with 22 wins.  It would be a complete and utter travesty if that happens.  Despite the loss, St. Kate's Pinkerton was upbeat afterward, noting that his team - for the most part anyway - played much better on this afternoon than they did on Wednesday night against GAC and he feels confident that his team will be ready for a showdown with CSB up in St. Joe on Wednesday night.  The Royals had a very balanced scoring attack on this day with four players in double-figures scoring-wise.  A monster afternoon for Johnson with a "double-double" of 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way while Anderson collected 12 points and nine rebounds and Kirchoff and Abby Miller contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.  St. Kate's had three scorers in double-figures and surprisingly it was Radford's 12 points that led the way for the 'Cats on this afternoon while Jennings contributed 11 points and Audra Clark chipped in with 10 points.  One stat that likely had to irritate Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff on Saturday evening was that St. Kate's held a 40-36 edge on the boards in this contest and it's a rare deal when the Royals get outrebounded.  But Pinkerton had to feel a similar irritation in seeing that his squad shot only 9-14 from the charity stripe for the game for 64.3% and that's one area where the Wildcats have to improve on for Wednesday night.  Another bothersome stat for Pinkerton and his staff:  A team that is normally deadly from behind the arc went 0-11 from downtown on this day and that's something that will keep any coach (or player for that matter) awake at night.