UST vs GAC 2-1-17

Left my place in the northwest suburbs in the mid-afternoon and made the trek down U.S. Highway 169 and the Mankato Sub portion of Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline down to St. Peter and Lund Arena on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College for perhaps the MIAC women's hoops Game of the Century between visiting undefeated and third-ranked UST and host undefeated and 17th-ranked GAC.  I got into town and found a good parking spot early to just get a feel of things inside Lund Arena and to also treat myself to a good meal in the world-famous GAC cafeteria where I downed a great burger and fries (I let myself indulge every now and then) and got settled into Lund Arena an hour ahead of game time so I could get a good spot.  Am glad I did because by tip-off time, Lund Arena was getting packed and loud like I had never seen it before and you could feel the excitement and anticipation of this monumental contest in the air.

The big question I had coming into this game from a GAC standpoint is how well would they handle their first "big moment" against a highly-ranked quality opponent.  That question was answered early on. The Tommies drew first blood in this game when senior point guard Gabby Zehrer calmly pulled up and drilled a "3" from the right top area at the 9:46 mark but that was answered on the ensuing Gustie possession as junior forward/post Miranda Rice grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" leveled this contest at 3 a piece.  At the 7:54 mark, Zehrer struck again from three-point land; nailing one from the right wing area that pushed UST back out in front 6-3.  That was answered quickly by GAC as sophomore guard Brooke Lemke; the lefty out of Delano, drained her first trey of the evening from the right top area that knotted things at 6-all. Tommie All-American senior post Kaitlin Langer put her squad up 8-6 at the 6:50 mark with her score in the paint but Lemke was catching fire for the Gusties as she drained back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the top of the key at the 6:17 mark and the other from the left corner at the 5:38 mark - pushed GAC ahead for the first time in the game at 12-8.  A jumper by sophomore reserve guard Taylor Anderson from the right top area just inside the arc with 4:55 left in the first period maintained that four-point edge at 14-10.  The Tommies would claw back and reduce the deficit to a single point as a drive and finish by senior guard Paige Gernes with 4:34 left and a drive and lay-up by freshman reserve guard Sarah Krynski with 3:38 left had GAC clinging to a tenuous 15-14 advantage but the Gusties would build a bit more breathing room thanks to senior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter.  The hometown St. Peter native sneaked into the paint for one score off of an inbounds pass with 3:23 left and was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:08 left that made it a 19-14 game.  Senior forward Hannah Howard's score in the paint with 1:34 left maintained the five-point edge at 21-16 and junior point guard Mikayla Miller's lay-up with :41 left gave GAC its largest lead so far at six points with a 23-17 advantage.  UST sophomore reserve guard Kaylie Brazil's drive and finish right before the buzzer ending the first period reduced the deficit to four points at 23-19 but with the partisan Gustie crowd rocking Lund Arena, GAC really had things going its way up to this point and appeared to have the upper hand heading into the second period.

But as much as the Gusties seemed to have the hot hand in the early going, an experienced UST team seemed to suck the momentum back into their favor right off the bat in the early moments of the second period.  Junior guard Maddie Wolkow got an open look in the left corner and promptly banged home a "3" at the 9:35 mark - and also drew a foul in the process by Rice who gambled and came out to guard her at the last moment.  Wolkow; the former Lakeville South standout, knocked down the ensuing "and one" and that four-point play not only tied the contest at 23 a piece but also seemed to pop the balloon of momentum that GAC was hoping to carry into the second stanza as well.  Rice was now saddled with her second foul of the game and Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly was in no mood to take any chances with her best player down low and had no choice but to sit the former Forest Lake standout for a spell.  At the 7:46 mark, Wolkow struck again from three-point land; nailing one from the left wing area that pushed the Tommies back out in front at 26-25 and a Langer score in the paint at the 7:17 mark pushed the lead to three points at 28-25.  GAC evened the contest on a rare "3" by Howard from the left top area at the 7:01 mark but UST would get the lead to four points as Zehrer snared a steal near mid-court and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 6:17 mark and another score in the paint by Langer at the 5:48 mark made it a 32-28 ballgame.  The Gusties would cut the deficit to one point on Miller's first trey of the evening - this one coming from the left top area with 4:08 left but that was quickly answered by Tommie junior guard/forward Lauren Fischer's "3" from the left wing area with 2:25 left for a 35-31 UST advantage.  The Gusties would temporarily get the game back to single-possession range on Howard's score in the paint with 2:08 left but a 6-0 Tommie push gave the visitors a bit more breathing room before the halftime buzzer. Two Langer freebies with 1:44 left and yet another Langer score in the paint with :52 left had UST up 39-33 and two charity stripe shots by sophomore reserve guard Lucia Renikoff with :21 left pushed that lead up to eight at 41-33.  Anderson's offensive rebound and putback with just :00.4 left gave GAC a bit of a reprieve as they went into the locker room at the half trailing only by six at 41-35 but the Tommies made the most out of the opportunities donated to them and took that early momentum away from the Gusties.  A quick check of the first half box score revealed the rebounds were even at 16 a piece but it just seemed like the Tommies were able to make the most out of the opportunities they had.  More importantly, the Gusties took a hit when Rice had to sit with those two fouls and they simply had no way of neutralizing - much less stopping - Langer down low.

UST opened up more space in the early moments of the third period as they embarked on a 6-2 run that had the Gusties in further dire straits.  A Langer lay-up at the 8:27 mark and a short turnaround jumper by Langer at the 7:53 mark had the Tommies up 45-37 and that lead increased to ten points on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward MacKenzie Denk at the 6:55 mark for a 47-37 lead and GAC's Kelly called a timeout to try and get her squad refocused.  The Gusties were able to slim the deficit down to single digits momentarily on pairs of free throws by Miller at the 6:35 mark and by Howard at the 6:01 mark that trimmed the UST lead down to 49-41 but another 6-0 Tommie push threatened to put GAC beyond the point of no return.  Two Langer freebies at the 5:41 mark got the lead back to double digits at 51-41 and then Gernes; like a thief in the night, snared a steal and zipped the other way for an easy lay-up at the 5:19 mark that made it 53-41.  Then it was Langer finishing up a transition opportunity with a lay-up with 4:53 left that made it 55-41 and a raucous Gustie student section that had been quite vocal all night, fell silent like much of the rest of the partisan GAC crowd and feared the worst.  But unlike the Gustie teams of years past that would have folded up the tent and conceded defeat right then and there, this squad reached down and found its collective fighting spirit and slowly but surely battled its way back.  A Miller three-point bomb from the left wing with 4:25 left swished home and an offensive rebound and putback by Rice with 3:09 left along with two Rice freebies with 2:02 left had GAC back to within single-digit range again trailing 57-48.  Then sophomore guard Justine Lee got into the scoring column as she unleashed a three-point bomb from the right wing area with :57 left that suddenly cut the deficit to six points at 57-51.  One Anderson free throw with :35.3 left brought the Gusties even closer trailing by five at 57-52 before UST could finally bring a bit of a halt to this valiant GAC comeback effort on a "3" by Fischer from the left corner with :16 left.  Still, an eight-point deficit at 60-52 was looking a heckuva lot better than that fourteen-point bulge they were staring at just five minutes earlier and perhaps even more important, the Gusties had recaptured some much-needed momentum going into the fourth period.

Two Langer free throws at the 9:23 mark of the fourth and final period had the Tommies up by ten again at 62-52 but a determined GAC team would not sit still.  A tough Miller lay-up at the 8:59 mark and another Lee "3" - this one from the top of the key - had the Gustie student section roaring again as the deficit was reduced to seven at 64-57 at the 8:27 mark.  Langer again came to UST's rescue as she made good on a drive and finish that also drew a foul and the former Hill-Murray standout's "and one" at the 7:05 mark seemingly had the Tommies safe again with a ten-point 67-57 advantage.  Two quick GAC scores, however, were the beginning of a 9-0 Gustie blitz that turned everything helter skelter.  Rice was able to connect with a short shot off the glass at the 6:51 mark and Howard connected with a lay-up at the 6:13 mark that reduced the lead to six again at 67-61.  Gernes called a timeout for UST at the 5:55 mark after she was harassed by a menacing Gustie defense but the short stoppage in play did not have the desired effect the Tommies were seeking.  GAC was able to get a stop and on the ensuing Gustie possession, Miller got an open look from the left wing area at the 5:18 mark and promptly unleashed a three-point bomb that had GAC back to within a single possession at 67-64 and then Lemke worked her magic again - this time from a defensive standpoint as the lefty snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up at the 4:55 mark which cut the deficit to a single scant point at 67-66.  The Gustie student section, which had been on its feet at the beginning of the period, was now in a total frenzy and ready to bring Lund Arena crashing down.  I myself had to stand as well just to make sure I was catching the action as was the rest of the GAC contingent on hand and with plenty of time left, it seemed almost certain that this Gustie team was a team of destiny and ready to snatch the opportunity in front of them.

But just when it appeared that the Gusties were ready to wrest away control of this game from UST; when they needed that one big shot to finally get their nose out in front again, it just simply was not there and a cool and collected Tommie squad slowly but firmly got control of things.  It's not like GAC didn't have its share of chances as they had plenty.  Rice had a good look from the top of the key behind the arc and let loose with a three-point attempt with 3:43 left that for sure would have brought the whole house down.  Instead it rattled off the rim and into the waiting arms of UST's Renikoff and on the ensuing trip the other way, Zehrer was wable to connect with a drive and finish in transition that got the lead back up to three at 69-66 with 3:32 left.  Still with plenty of time and within a single possession, the Gusties had another opportunity as Miller got a look behind the arc and uncorked a bomb.  This one, too, did not find its intended mark and Gernes was there for the rebound for the Tommies.  With UST carefully working the ball around the perimeter, they got an entry pass into Langer who was fouled with 2:32 left and her two free throws pushed the lead to five at 71-66.  Still more than enough time for GAC to try and get things back to within a single possession again but a three-point attempt by Lee wouldn't fall and when Howard was there for the rebound and attempted putback, Langer got a piece of the ball.  The Gusties were able to retain possession of the ball but Miller was unable to get a jumper to fall with 1:55 left and after UST was able to regain possession, time was now the Gusties enemy.  GAC was able to get a stop on the ensuing Tommie possession and then Rice was able to connect with a short jumper in the lane with :59 left that at least had the Gusties back in that single-possession range again trailing 71-68.  Kelly called a timeout in hopes of setting up a defensive maneuver that would thwart UST's ensuing possession but Renikoff was able to connect with a dagger lay-up with :48 left that got the lead back up to five at 73-68 and now the Gusties were truly in desperation mode.  The Tommies were able to force a turnover with :34 left that effectively killed any last sliver of chance that GAC may have had. Gernes was fouled with :28.7 left and she calmly dropped two insurance freebies that increased the lead to 75-68 and although Rice was able to drop one free throw after she was fouled with :16 left, it had little effect on the outcome as the Tommies claimed an emotional and dramatic 75-69 win in front of a record-setting crowd (2,896) at Lund Arena.

I was able to catch up with a disappointed but upbeat Kelly after the game who was incredibly proud of her squad's effort on this night and, at the very least, had to feel good about the record-setting crowd on hand for this much-anticipated contest.  Inevitably, she pointed out to some of the small things that cost GAC in this game:  A missed lay-up here, an open jumper or "3" there, a couple of missed free throws or a turnover.  It's those small things that, when you play a highly-ranked team that feasts on every small mistake like UST can do, does you in at the end.  But here's what I pointed out to Kelly and what I said in my preview.  The real beauty of this game is that, whoever winds up on the short end of the stick in this one, will see the sun come up again the next morning.  And for GAC, this is far, far from the end of the world for them.  Kelly has brought this team a long way in her five years at St. Peter and though this one will hurt for a while, this team will be just fine.  UST's Sinn couldn't help but heap a lot of praise on the Gusties after this one calling them "scary good" and she was in agreement with me when I mentioned to her that this contest definitely had an NCAA Tournament-like atmosphere to it.  And I think that one of the big factors in this game when things got tight late was all the experience that UST has had in these types of games.  Sinn pointed out that they've had some instances just this season alone where they were down against a powerhouse Hope team back in late December on the road and battled their way back to victory.  They just showed such calm and resolve when everything could have gone kablooey for them.  I asked Sinn as well about the next two games coming up this weekend - at home against St. Kate's on Saturday and then a quick turnaround the following day with a roadie down to IIAC powerhouse Luther.  Sinn pointed out that she'd rather have that kind of set-up for two reasons:  First, she loathed the idea of having to get back to the Twin Cities around 2:00 A.M. on a Tuesday morning (after a Monday night game) and second, she wants to have her team get those back-to-back game experiences now so they'll be better prepared for it come NCAA Tournament time.  So while this weekend (indeed, this whole five-day stretch) could be a taxing one for UST, it could at the same time pay dividends for them down the road.

A check of the box score reveals some interesting numbers as the Gusties actually outrebounded UST by a 38-37 count.  The Tommies also had more turnovers than GAC did at 18-12 which likely made Sinn wince a bit.  But there's a caveat to this as well.  The Tommies made the most of the turnovers they were able to create; having a 16-8 advantage on points off of turnovers.  Another important item that I pointed out in my preview that I thought was going to be critical:  The Gusties had to limit the points in the paint by UST and the Tommies had a decided edge there at 38-30.  One bright spot for GAC is that they did have the advantage in the so-called "second chance" points at 21-12 but that was somewhat negated by the fact that the Gusties shot only 36.8% for the game from FG range and the three-point shooting percentage wasn't any better at 36% for the game.  UST was much more efficient on the offensive end as they shot 52% from FG range and 42.9% from behind the arc.  For Langer, it was simply a magnificent outing that you would expect from an All-American as she tallied 32 points and 10 rebounds for a "double-double".  Zehrer was the only other player in double-figures scoring-wise for UST on this night with her 10 points.  The Gusties meanwhile had four players in double-figures as Miller led the way with her 18 points and Howard was right behind with her "double-double" of 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Rice added 12 points and likely would have had more had she not had to sit for most of the second period while Lemke had 11 points and she did a lot of damage from behind the arc early on in this contest.  It's hard to envision a scenario (at least in my mind anyway) where the MIAC doesn't have at LEAST two teams in the Dance come March and if Bethel can run the table down the home stretch and get one win in the MIAC playoffs, it would be incredibly hard to keep them out.  Those 2,896 people in attendance on this night (which included several former Gustie players) helped showcase MIAC women's hoops at its finest and I was lucky to have the opportunity to cover it.  When you have two great teams going at it like this with the house rocking the way it was, it just goes to show you that the MIAC is the best conference around.