Bethel vs Northwestern 11-29-17

Made my first visit over to Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this Wednesday evening to take in another MIAC - UMAC clash - this one involving Bethel which made the short hop over from Arden Hills and host Northwestern.  Both teams were coming off big wins coming into this contest - Bethel having knocked off highly-regarded and 12th-ranked George Fox out of the Northwest Conference at home this last Saturday and the Eagles having a huge offensive burst in their big win over at Macalester on Monday night.  The general consensus going into this game seemed to give a decided edge to the Royals but Northwestern may have finally "found itself"; so to speak after Monday night's win on the south side of St. Paul so all the elements were there for a very exciting early-season game.

The Eagles wasted little time going into their normal 2-3 "match-up" zone defense but Bethel still found cracks in it to grab an early lead.  One free throw by lanky junior post Hannah Johnson at the 9:07 mark and two more free throws by sophomore forward Taite Anderson at the 8:21 mark had the Royals up 3-0 and a three-point bomb from the right corner by senior sharp-shooting guard Jasmin Bretoi at the 7:06 mark made it a 6-2 ballgame.  Northwestern was able to gradually make up for the early deficit as junior guard Amy Berglund knocked down a short jumper at the 6:50 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior post Alex Peterson at the 6:19 mark knotted things up at 6 a piece.  Two Alex Peterson freebies with 4:28 left in the opening period again forged a tie at 8-all and the Eagles took their first lead of the contest with 3:35 left when senior reserve post Jessica Brown snared an offensive rebound for a putback that made it 10-8.  A lay-up by lanky sophomore forward Rio Landers had Northwestern up 12-10 but the Royals would tie the game when speedy senior point guard Abby Miller connected with a lay-up with :21 left to make it 12-all heading into the second period.

The Eagles would make a move in the early going of the second period as a short, turnaround jumper off the glass by Alex Peterson at the 8:59 mark and a pretty reverse lay-up by Berglund at the 8:29 mark had Northwestern out in front 16-14.  Berglund knocked down a jumper from the free throw line off the glass at the 6:50 mark and at the 5:56 mark Berglund; the Springfield, Virginia native struck again by draining a "3" from the left top area that suddenly propelled the Eagles to a 21-14 advantage and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer called a halt to the action to talk about things with his squad.  That stoppage in play seemed to give the Royals a bit of new life as the slowly closed the gap.  Freshman reserve forward Lainie Cox connected with a short jumper off the glass with 4:35 left and then it was Miller throwing down a three-point dagger from the left corner with 3:23 left that got Bethel back to within a single possession trailing 21-19.  Another Miller three-point bomb from that same left corner with 2:30 left drew the Royals closer trailing 23-22 and Bethel regained the lead when sophomore reserve guard and former Maple Grove standout Haylee Barker connected with a lay-up with 2:04 left.  Two Johnson free throws with :54.3 left and two more by Miller with :13.4 left now gave the Royals a five-point edge at 28-23 although Northwestern's Zimpel closed the gap to three points with her lay-up with just :01 left on the clock but the Royals seemed to have a bit of an edge up 28-25 going into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score seemed to point the edge to Bethel as well as they held a 16-11 edge in the rebounding department and had fewer turnovers than the Eagles (11 for Northwestern, 8 for Bethel) as well.  Northwestern shot decidedly better, however, as they were 11-23 from FG range for 47.8% and Bethel was only 3-13 from behind the arc for a paltry 23.1% which seemed to indicate that either Bethel was settling for shots they shouldn't have necessarily settled for or that Northwestern's 2-3 "match-up" zone was having the intended effect of bottling things up down low. 

The Royals looked to get an early jump on things in the opening minutes of the third period as another Miller "3" from the right corner at the 9:01 mark and a score in the paint by Johnson at the 6:59 mark gave Bethel an eight-point 33-25 lead and the Eagles could have been in some big trouble right then and there.  But this resourceful Northwestern team refused to break out the panic button as many other teams would have been tempted to and instead slowly battled back.  Alex Peterson knocked down a jumper from the left wing area at the 6:28 mark to spark a 6-0 Eagle push.  Berglund connected with a jumper from the right top area just inside the arc at the 5:51 mark and fellow junior guard Taryn Tumbleson; who was relatively quiet in the first half, snared a steal in the backcourt and got a jumper in the lane to drop with 4:58 left that got Northwestern back to within a single possession trailing 33-31.  The Royals managed to get a little more breathing room as Miller drained yet another trey - this one from the right corner again with 4:34 left - that pushed Bethel's lead to five at 36-31 but that would not deter the Eagles.  One Landers free throw with 4:12 left and a "3" by Zimpel from the left wing area with 3:53 left closed the gap to a scant point at 36-35.  Northwestern again took a brief lead when Tumbleson made a hard drive and finished with a lay-up with 1:01 left and although the Royals regained the lead on a jumper along the right baseline by Cox with :41 left, there was now a ton of uncertainty going into the fourth period that had to make the Bethel contingent very uneasy going into the fourth and final period.

Johnson would connect on a pretty one-handed turnaround shot at the 9:46 mark that gave the Royals a 40-37 lead but Northwestern would quickly counter and seize the momentum for good.  Alex Peterson muscled into the lane for a score at the 8:27 mark and a Berglund jumper from the right elbow area put the Eagles back out in front for good at 41-40 at the 7:27 mark.  Zimpel was the recipient of a pretty back-door pass that resulted in a lay-up at the 6:23 mark and two Brown freebies at the 5:20 mark now had Northwestern up four at 45-41.  Bethel was still certainly in this thing but the Eagles did a fantastic job of bottling up Johnson and Anderson down low and the Royals were simply bogged down on offense.  With 3:35 left, Bethel was now in the danger zone as the Eagles' Landers drained a three-point dagger from the left top area that pushed Northwestern's lead to 48-41 but the Royals now found a new sense of urgency and got back into single-possession range as Johnson made good on a one-handed jumper in the lane with 3:17 left and Bretoi; who was kept in check for the most part in this contest, finally found her groove again with a "3" from the left corner that cut the Eagles lead down to 48-46.  Alex Peterson would miss an easy lay-up in transition but made up for that a bit later with a short jumper off the glass with 2:22 left that gave Northwestern a bit more breathing room with a 50-46 lead.  The Eagles got a huge stop on Bethel's next possession when a Johnson lay-up attempt was foiled and the Royals' hopes for a comeback sank further into the abyss when Anderson was unable to connect on two charity stripe shots after getting fouled with 1:07 left.  Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl called a thirty-second timeout with :58.2 left to set up his squad's plan of attack with that four-point pad and with :49.7 left, Tumbleson was able to get one free throw to go down that increased the Eagles lead to 51-46.  Herbrechtsmeyer called a timeout shortly thereafter as Bethel's hopes were now very slim indeed and that last lifeline for the Royals died when Northwestern's Berglund snared a huge steal on the ensuing Bethel possession that, for all intents and purposes, pretty much put a bow tie on this one for the Eagles.  Berglund dropped two free throws with :30.7 left after getting fouled as did Tumbleson with just :06.7 left and although Royal senior guard Angie Kirchoff got a pull-up jumper to go down with :01.4 left, it would not change the outcome as Northwestern pulled off its likely biggest win in program history with a 55-48 upset of highly-regarded MIAC powerhouse Bethel.

Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer was not in much of a mood to talk about things afterward other than "We have to get to work" when he came down from the locker room after what was likely a long, long postgame chat with his squad.  A check of the final box score probably gave Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff many reasons to wince afterward and although the Royals did win the rebounding battle by a 35-29 count, that was more than offset by the 17 turnovers that Bethel was guilty of on this night.  Two more items that likely gave Herbrechtsmeyer fits on this night:  Northwestern had 19 points off of those Royal turnovers and the Eagles had a 20-12 advantage on points in the paint and for a Bethel team which prides itself on its defense, this especially had to be troublesome.  While I don't think this loss is the end of the world for Bethel, it does in a way minimize that win over George Fox this last weekend and more importantly, the Royals need to hunker down and regroup as the immediate future requires that.  The upcoming MIAC schedule contains no laughers as Bethel must go on the road to CSB on Saturday followed by a trip up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to Moorhead to face Concordia two nights later.  Two nights after that, it's a hop across town to face UST and then the following weekend is a trip down the River and the CP Rail River Sub mainline to Winona and a date with SMU.  Whatever is ailing Bethel, they've GOT to find a fix NOW and Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff are no doubt fully aware of that.  Their margin for error has significantly dwindled after this loss and it's not even December yet.  Meanwhile on the Northwestern side, Kahl was all smiles afterward as the Eagles have likely recorded their best week in the program's history - smacking Macalester on Monday night and now this huge, huge win over powerhouse Bethel.  Even more important when you consider how Northwestern stumbled out of the gate; losing at St. Kate's and then getting thumped by Carleton in Northfield before Thanksgiving.  I was hesitant after the Macalester game but now, after this win, I think it's safe to say that Northwestern has turned 21.  Kahl made mention of the fact that his squad wasn't able to have good, full practices early on this season as the Eagles were forced to relocate away from Ericksen Center due to the Northwestern volleyball team hosting regionals recently.  Injuries have taken their toll as well but these latest wins would seem to indicate that the Eagles may have finally turned the corner and not a moment too soon as a big roadie with WIAC opponent UW-Eau Claire is in the offing on Saturday night before Northwestern dives into UMAC play.  Berglund led the way for Northwestern on this night with her 17 points but perhaps even more important is that the Eagles have been able to get Alex Peterson involved on the offensive front as well and she responded with 14 points.  For Bethel, the Royals were led by Miller with 18 points and Johnson had 13 points.       

Northwestern vs Macalester 11-27-17

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this Monday evening over to the Leonard Center on the campus of Macalester College to take in this important non-conference matchup between visiting Northwestern which made the trek down Snelling Avenue and host Macalester.  This would be my first look at the Scots this season and I was definitely curious about the new faces that Head Coach Kelly Roysland was bringing in to her program.  For Northwestern, they needed something of not only a bounce back after going 1-3 in their first four games but with MIAC powerhouse Bethel paying a visit to Northwestern on Wednesday night, they needed something of a confidence boost as well.

In retrospect, I suppose I should have taken the pre-game injury to Scot senior guard Vivi Gregorich as something as an ominous sign as to how this game would go for Macalester.  Still, that didn't seem to faze the Scots in the early moments of this contest nor did Northwestern's 2-3 "match-up" zone defense as they built a 7-2 lead in the first three minutes of the first period.  Newcomer freshman guard Justine Barraza drained a "3" from the right corner at the 9:02 mark and a lay-up by reliable senior post Regan Fruh at the 8:17 mark along with two free throws by fellow senior guard Leah Gray gave Macalester the early edge.  A lay-up by sophomore guard Holly Hull at the 6:16 mark maintained the five-point lead at 9-4 before the Eagles began whittling away.  Senior guard Andrea Zimpel dropped two free throws after being fouled at the 6:02 mark and a jumper from the left wing area by junior guard Amy Berglund with 3:57 left cut the deficit down to a scant point at 9-8.  Fruh would extend Macalester's lead to three points at 11-8 when she knocked down two free throws with 3:39 left but Northwestern would eventually tie things up at 11 a piece as lanky sophomore post Rio Landers connected with a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane with 2:36 left and junior guard Taryn Tumbleson dropped one freebie with 1:55 left.  Two more Tumbleson free throws with 1:20 left gave the Eagles their first lead at 13-11 but that was wiped away when Macalester's Barraza uncorked her second trey of the first period alone - this one coming from the left wing area with just :01 left that gave the Scots a 14-13 lead going into the second period.

Both squads traded one-point leads in the opening two minutes of the second period but Northwestern would soon get the big boost they were looking for thanks to senior guard Andrea Zimpel.  With the Eagles trailing 16-15, the Isle, Minnesota native drained one three-point bomb from the left corner at the 7:24 mark and then did the same from the right wing area at the 6:47 mark that suddenly bolted Northwestern into a five-point lead at 21-16.  The Scots tried to recover from their initial shock as Fruh connected with a lay-up at the 6:36 mark but Northwestern got the lead back up to five points again as senior post Jessica Brown got into the paint for a score at the 6:05 mark to make it 23-18.  The Scots' Roysland called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of getting her squad calmed down but the Eagles kept gradually increasing their lead.  Tumbleson knocked down a short jumper at the 5:46 mark that sparked a 12-2 burst and totally changed the complexion of this contest.  Berglund connected with a jumper from the free throw line at the 5:04 mark to make it a 27-20 game and then senior reserve post Jessica Brown snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 4:27 left.  A Berglund jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc gave Northwestern its first double-digit advantage at 31-20 and then junior post Alex Peterson added to that total when she got into the paint for a score with 2:12 left and was fouled in the process and the former Como standout's "and one" pushed the lead to 34-20.  Another offensive rebound for a putback by sophomore reserve guard Audrey Lefto with 1:40 left capped the run and Macalester's Roysland felt compelled to call another thirty-second timeout to try and stop the onslaught.  Fruh was able to get into the paint for a score with 1:22 left and a Gray "3" from the left top area gave the Scots a glimmer of hope going into the locker room at the half but they were still staring at the wrong end of a 38-25 score when the buzzer sounded.  The one bright spot for Macalester in the first half was that they actually outrebounded the Eagles by a 17-13 count but with Northwestern shooting 55.6% from FG range and 40% from behind the arc, the Scots were not only going to have to step up defensively but they needed to overcome a paltry 30.8% shooting from FG range and 27.3% from behind the arc as well.

Eagle sophomore forward Rio Landers buried a "3" from the left wing area at the 9:02 mark of the third period that seemed to signal that Northwestern was picking up right where they left off although Macalester was able to counter somewhat as Barraza was able to knock down three free throws when she was fouled behind the arc at the 8:50 mark and a jumper along the right baseline by Hull at the 8:28 mark slimmed the deficit down to eleven points at 41-30 and at that juncture of the game, it seemed like a Scot comeback was a doable proposition.  But Northwestern would have none of it as they continually slammed the door shut in Macalester's face.  Berglund was able to connect with two pretty reverse lay-ups underneath - one at the 7:33 mark and again at the 7:04 mark - that had the lead back up to thirteen points at 45-32.  A short jumper in the lane by Brown at the 5:34 mark maintained the thirteen-point advantage at 47-34 but the Scots would try again to crawl closer.  One free throw by Fruh at the 5:14 mark and another one by sophomore guard Tyana Loiselle with 4:18 left had the deficit back down to eleven points at 47-36 and a jumper along the right baseline by freshman reserve forward Katherine Podoll with 3:40 left in the period kept Macalester in that eleven-point range trailing 49-38.  But the Scots could never get closer than that as Northwestern politely but firmly closed the door again.  Berglund connected with yet another reverse lay-up underneath with :30 left and a Tumbleson lay-up with just :00.3 left before the end of the third period that drew a foul and an obligatory free throw along with it now gave the Eagles a rather commanding 54-39 advantage going into the fourth period. 

Northwestern made no mistake in showing how the rest of this contest was going to go in the opening minutes of the fourth and final period.  Zimpel drained another one of her patented three-point bombs - this one coming from the left corner at the 9:37 mark - and Berglund was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 8:21 mark that now gave the Eagles a twenty-point cushion at 59-39 and Macalester's Roysland was forced to take a match to a timeout in hopes of somehow salvaging this game that was quickly getting away from her squad.  About the only fly in the ointment for the Eagles at this juncture was that Alex Peterson was tagged with her fourth foul at the 7:49 mark.  But that wasn't going to deter Northwestern much on this night.  Brown was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:44 mark and although the Scots were applying some full- and half-court defense in hopes of forcing some turnovers, they could only make incremental dents down the stretch.  Fruh was able to get into the paint for a score with 4:45 left and one Fruh free throw with 3:59 left had the deficit down to fifteen points at 61-46 but another Zimpel three-point bomb - this one from the right wing area with 3:29 left - effectively ended any hopes Macalester had.  Alex Peterson; riding those four fouls, knocked down a jumper from the left elbow with 2:46 left that re-established the twenty-point edge at 66-46.  Berglund snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 2:09 left and one free throw by junior reserve post Brooklyn Plagge with :28.6 left gave the Eagles a big 69-46 win over a MIAC opponent. 

Glancing at the final box score of this one, Macalester simply could not overcome the red-hot shooting on this night by Northwestern which shot 49.1% from FG range compared to the Scots 24.6% from FG range and an icy 13% from behind the arc.  Northwestern actually didn't have that big of an edge on the boards at 39-36 but it seemed like it was more.  The only real bright spot on this night for Macalester was Fruh's "double-double" of 19 points and 11 rebounds but she didn't get a lot of help on this night and you have to figure that Gregorich's untimely injury during pre-game warm-ups robbed the Scots of a playmaker who can make things happen on both ends of the floor.  Meanwhile, Northwestern had three players in double figures:  Berglund with 18 points, Zimpel with 14 points and Brown surprisingly with 10 points.  I didn't get a chance to chat with Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl afterward but I'm guessing he probably would have been in agreement with me if I said that the Eagles played up to their potential on this night.  The big question now is if Northwestern can maintain this level of play which is a lot to ask in late November.  Still, you have to think that the Eagles can be a force in the UMAC if they're able to replicate this performance on a somewhat regular basis.

George Fox vs Bethel 11-25-17

Made my way over to Bethel's Robertson Center on the sunny and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday Saturday to take in the highly-anticipated non-conference clash between visiting and 12th-ranked George Fox out of the Northwest Conference and host Bethel.  Even though it was the Thanksgiving holiday, this game definitely had an NCAA Tournament-feel to it and you just never know if this game could be a little preview of things to come in March.  And this game was played like you would expect an NCAA Tournament game to be played - with a close, tight, hard-fought battle with each team seemingly fighting for its very life.

The Bruins showed a 2-3 "match-up" zone defense from the outset but that didn't seem to faze Bethel; at least in the early going anyway.  A short shot off the glass by lanky junior post Hannah Johnson at the 8:36 mark got the Royals on the board first and when sophomore forward Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up and was fouled in the process at the 8:25 mark, her ensuing "and one" had the home team up early 5-0.  But George Fox was able to slowly but surely wipe that early deficit away.  Junior guard/forward Haylee Hutzler knocked down the front-end of a "one-and-one" situation at the 8:04 mark and when her back-end attempt wasn't true, Bruin teammate junior guard/forward Tavin Headings was able to sneak through to grab the rebound and her putback cut the deficit down to two points at 5-3 at the 8:01 mark.  Bethel pushed the lead back up to four points at 7-3 on another short shot off the glass by Johnson at the 6:36 mark but the Bruins were able to forge a tie as senior forward/post Kaitlin Jamieson got into the paint for one score at the 6:12 mark and followed that up with a lay-up at the 5:38 mark.  George Fox would tie the score again at 9-all when reserve sophomore forward Emily Holder got into the paint for a score with 3:38 left and when Royal senior point guard Abby Miller put her squad ahead 11-9 on her short jumper with 3:26 left, the Bruins responded again.  Sophomore reserve guard Kylin Collman dropped one free throw with 3:16 left and then sophomore guard/forward Hailey Hartney drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:31 left in the opening period that pushed George Fox ahead 13-11.  Jamieson's lay-up with :31 left pushed the Bruin lead to 15-11 as George Fox not only weathered the opening minutes in a hostile environment but now had a bit of an advantage as well.

Now it was Bethel's turn to respond to a challenge.  Senior guard Angie Kirchoff connected with a jumper from the right elbow area at the 9:40 mark of the second period and a three-point bomb by fellow senior guard and sharpshooter Jasmin Bretoi at the 8:57 mark had the Royals back out in front 16-15.  Freshman reserve forward Lainie Cox added to that lead with one free throw at the 6:53 mark but George Fox's Jamieson's short, turnaround jumper off the glass at the 6:03 mark forged another tie at 17 a piece.  But Bethel would push ahead again as one Johnson free throw at the 5:36 mark and two more by freshman reserve forward Makenna Pearson with 4:27 left made it a 20-17 ballgame.  Then it was the diminutive Miller making a drive into traffic and finishing in grand style that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" now had the Royals in good shape up 23-17.  But that six-point cushion didn't last too long as George Fox's sophomore reserve guard Haley Strowbridge had a few things to say about that.  The Stanwood, Washington native drilled a "3" from the left top area off of the glass that cut the deficit in half at 23-20 and a Strowbridge score in the paint with 2:30 left drew the Bruins closer trailing 23-22.  Strowbridge would knock one freebie down after getting fouled with 1:55 left and then it would be Strowbridge unleashing another three-point dagger - this one coming from the left wing area with 1:36 left - that now pushed George Fox back out in front by a 26-25 count.  In the midst of a Royals dry spell, the Bruins took further advantage as sophomore point guard Emily Spencer drained a "3" from the top of the key with :27 left before the half as George Fox built its lead to 29-25.  The Royals refused to break out the panic button and instead responded in calm, cool fashion.  Bretoi uncorked her second "3" of the afternoon - this one from the left wing area with :09 left and then the wily Miller snared a steal on the ensuing Bruin inbounds pass and drew a foul in the process and got one free throw out of it with :03.9 left as both teams trotted to their respective locker rooms embroiled in a 29-29 tie at the intermission.  A quick check of the first half box score shows that both teams were solid on the rebounding front (Bethel with 22 and George Fox with 20) although the Bruins were guilty of nine first half turnovers compared to just four for Bethel.  Probably even more encouraging for Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff was that Bethel withstood a pretty torrid three-point shooting effort from George Fox as the Bruins went 4-6 from behind the arc for 66.7%.

A "3" from the right wing by Headings at the 9:35 mark of the third period got George Fox out in front by a count of 32-29 but that particular lead was short-lived as Kirchoff connected with a short jumper from the right side at the 9:03 mark and two Anderson free throws after a steal now had the Royals back out in front 33-32.  Both squads would trade one-point leads over the next minute and a half before the Bruins could make another push.  Jamieson connected with a lay-up at the 7:22 mark and one Jamieson freebie at the 7:02 mark had George Fox out in front 37-35.  Hutzler got into the paint for a score at the 6:35 mark that now had the Bruins up four at 39-35 but now Bethel had to answer.  Bretoi banged home her third trey of the game - this one coming from the left corner at the 6:22 mark - that cut the deficit to a single point at 39-38 and a Johnson lay-up with 4:48 left kept the Royals in that single-point range trailing 41-40.  George Fox would establish a five-point advantage as Jamieson got into the paint for a score with 3:42 left and a Holder lay-up with 2:20 left now had the Bruins ahead 45-40.  Again, a calm but assured response from Bethel.  Miller drained a "3" from the right top area with 1:51 left and followed that up with a lay-up with 1:51 left that drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted standout cut that deficit down to one point again at 47-46.  A Johnson score in the paint with :49 left knotted the issue at 48 a piece but Jamieson was able to give the Bruins the lead again as she got into the paint for a score that drew a foul and her obligatory free throw pushed George Fox ahead 51-48.  The Royals would have the last laugh of the third period, however, as two Kirchoff free throws with :35.4 left and a Kirchoff pull-up jumper in transition with :13 left pushed Bethel ahead 52-51 going into the fourth period.

The Bruins looked to put their hosts in another hole in the opening minutes of the fourth period.  Jamieson got into the paint for yet another score at the 9:42 mark and one Strowbridge free throw at the 8:37 mark had George Fox up 54-52.  Then Jamieson got into the paint for a score off of an inbounds pass at the 7:54 mark that pushed the lead up to 56-52 and there were probably some in the stands that wondered if the home team might have found itself in too big of a jam.  But this Bethel team had something to prove to not only those who watch the game but maybe something to themselves as well as this was a huge opportunity for them at home.  Johnson connected with a short, turnaround jumper in the lane at the 6:12 mark and an Anderson score in the paint with 4:56 left tied the contest again at 56 a piece.  Jamieson's score in the paint with 3:43 left pushed the Bruins ahead again at 58-56 although two missed freebies by Jamieson a bit earlier with 4:39 left would prove costly down the stretch.  As such, Bethel's experienced squad took the lead when they needed to.  Kirchoff was fouled with 3:10 left and promptly dropped two free throws that not only tied the game at 58 but now Jamieson was saddled with her fourth foul as well.  Kirchoff would strike again from the charity stripe with 2:49 left after getting fouled and two more free throws by the Barrington, Illinois native now had the Royals back out in front by a 60-58 count.  Perhaps just as important, Bethel's stellar defense which is their trademark, came through when they needed to get stops.  Miller was able to snare a steal a short time later and although George Fox had plenty of time left, Jamieson was covered by a swarming Royals defense when her lay-up attempt went awry with 2:19 left.  Kirchoff was unable to connect with a three-point shot with just under two minutes left but Hutzler missed a three-point shot for the Bruins with 1:35 left and although George Fox was able to come away with the long rebound, Bethel's Johnson came up with a huge defensive play as she swatted away what appeared to be an easy lay-up by the Bruins' Spencer with just a little over a minute left.  George Fox Head Coach Michael Meek called a thirty-second timeout to try and set up a play but a three-point attempt by Headings missed its mark as well with a minute left and now Bethel had a chance to put just enough cushion between itself and its opponent to bag a huge win over a ranked in-region opponent.  With :35 left, Anderson slithered into the paint for a lay-up that had Robertson Center exploding and, more importantly, gave the Royals a 62-58 lead.  Spencer would drop two free throws with :27 left that drew George Fox back to within a single possession trailing 62-60 but Kirchoff would be fouled with :24.1 left and she got both free throw attempts to go down for a 64-60 Royal lead.  Meek would call another timeout as George Fox was now in desperation mode.  Headings would miss a jumper with :15 left and when Johnson was fouled after the rebound, her two free throws with :13.4 left appeared to all but seal the deal for Bethel which was now up 66-60.  The Bruins, however, would attempt to throw one last scare into their host.  Hutzler was able to get one free throw to go down after she was fouled with :06.3 left and, after an untimely Bethel turnover, senior reserve guard Julie Litchfield's "3" from the top of the key with just :00.7 left suddenly had the Bruins back within a single possession trailing 66-64.  But Bethel would not make the same mistake twice.  Bretoi was fouled with just :00.4 left and the former Centennial standout put the daisy on this game with her two free throws as the Royals got a huge signature victory by a final score of 68-64.

I was able to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and congratulated him on the win.  I asked him specifically about his squad's defensive effort; particularly coming down the stretch, as the key to victory in this game.  Herbrechtsmeyer felt that this was the first time this season that his squad played defense the way he wanted to see it done.  He noted that in the previous three games, his squad's defense had been inconsistent at best but today he finally saw what he wanted to see from his team on that front.  Certainly if they can maintain this level of defense throughout the season, this is going to be a very tough team to beat.  All five of Bethel's starters were in double figures scoring-wise on this afternoon.  Johnson led the way with a "double-double"; 17 points and 16 rebounds while Kirchoff had 14 points followed by Miller with 12 points and both Bretoi and Anderson tallied 11 points.  Jamieson led all scorers on this day with her 22 points and Strowbridge was the only other player for George Fox in double figures with 10 points.  Both team had 41 rebounds although Meeker will undoubtedly look at his squad's 17 turnovers on this day and going only 10-19 from the charity stripe as well with those two missed free throws by Jamieson with 4:39 left proving very costly. 

St. Scholastica vs Augsburg 11-21-17

Was over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this Tuesday night of Thanksgiving week to take in the home opener for the Auggies as they hosted St. Scholastica out of the UMAC.  Having got both the UCLA-USC and LA Rams-Minnesota Vikings games out of my system from this last weekend, I was anxious to see the Auggies in action as they were looking for their first win of this 2017-18 season.  The task would not be easy, however, as the Saints feature a team not only long in length but also bolstered by some very quick and capable backcourt players as well.

St. Scholastica appeared to have the upper hand in the early moments of this contest as the Auggies had trouble getting their patented run-and-gun game going.  Two free throws by senior guard Emelia Miner at the 8:30 mark and a lay-up by fellow senior guard and former Anoka standout Sam Brannen gave the Saints a 4-0 lead by the 7:39 mark.  Augsburg would push ahead by a 5-4 count on the strength of two scores by K'Aesha Wubben - a jumper from the right corner at the 6:30 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 5:53 mark.  But junior reserve guard and former Anoka-Ramsey star Rashonna Thomas' "3" from the left top area at the 5:15 mark pushed St. Scholastica ahead 7-5 and the Saints maintained that two-point edge on a Miner lay-up with 4:48 left for a 9-7 advantage.  The Auggies though would respond with a 9-0 push as a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Abby Jordan with 4:30 left knotted the score at 9-all and a score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth with 4:01 left pushed Augsburg ahead 11-9.  Two Solseth freebies with 3:02 left and one more with 1:27 left pushed the lead to 14-9.  Sophomore reserve guard Aiza Wilson completed the run with her lay-up with 1:10 left that made it 16-9 but St. Scholastica was able to cut into that deficit with just :15 left in the opening period on a lay-up freshman reserve guard Kaylee Kennedy.

But the Auggies could scarcely feel safe once the second period got underway.  Thomas would strike again for St. Scholastica with two free throws after being fouled in a transition opportunity at the 9:33 mark and lanky 6'2" senior post Holly VanKempen connected with a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane at the 9:04 mark that cut the deficit down to two points at 16-14.  Augsburg would twice get their lead up to four points in the next three minutes as freshman reserve forward Abbey Koenig-Meehan knocked down a short jumper from the left side at the 8:10 mark for an 18-14 Auggie lead and strong sophomore guard Tamira McLemore connected with a lay-up in transition at the 5:41 mark that made it 20-16 Augsburg but the Saints were not going away anytime soon.  That, plus the fact that the Auggies seemed to be drowning in a sea of errors with turnovers and bad passes galore.  The Saints cut the deficit to a scant point on another Thomas "3"; this one from the right wing area with 4:20 left in the second period and one free throw by junior guard Michala Walther with 3:32 left after she was fouled in a transition opportunity had things tied up at 20 a piece.  Two more Miner free throws with 1:53 left had St. Scholastica back out in front by a 22-21 count before Wilson came to the Auggies' rescue with a three-point bomb from the left top area with 1:40 left and two freebies with 1:05 left for a 26-22 Augsburg lead.  The Auggies would maintain that four-point edge at 28-24 with :31 left on a lay-up in transition by McLemore but St. Scholastica would again cut the deficit to one point just before the half on Thomas' third three-point bomb of the first half - this one from the left wing area with :12 left before the half so the Saints had to feel pretty good about their chances going into the intermission down just one at 28-27.  Both teams were guilty of double-digit turnovers (Augsburg with 14 and St. Scholastica with 13) but the ones Augsburg had seemed to hurt them more.  Had it not been for Thomas' heroics in the first half, the Saints arguably would have been in a much bigger hole given the fact that they shot only 25% from both FG and three-point land.

Whatever Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso told his team in the locker room during the halftime break must have had some sort of effect as Augsburg ramped up the intensity in the opening two minutes of the third period and embarked on a 6-2 push thanks to their trademark full- and half-court pressure.  Speedy sophomore guard Ari Jones snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 9:36 mark and Wubben's lay-up in transition a short time later at the 9:14 mark had the Auggies up 32-27.  Sophomore Camryn Speese's score in the paint at the 8:16 mark capped this little run for a 34-29 advantage.  The Saints would close to within a possession on a lay-up by Brannen at the 7:04 mark at 34-31.  VanKempen's score in the paint would narrow the gap to two points for St. Scholastica at 35-33 but Augsburg would widen the gap even more as one free throw be McLemore at the 6:36 mark and two more by Jones at the 6:17 mark made it a five point game again at 38-33.  Speese's acrobatic reverse lay-up at the 5:48 mark then made it a seven-point game at 40-33 and St. Scholastica Head Coach Stacy Deadrick definitely did not like how things were unfolding and she promptly called a timeout.  Junior reserve guard/forward Mariah Pearson's short, turnaround jumper with 3:41 left helped the Saints narrow the deficit back down to five points at 40-35 but Augsburg would close the third period on a 9-2 run.  Jones made good on a drive into the lane for a finish with 3:16 left and another three-point dagger from the wily Wilson - this one from the left wing area with 2:42 left - now had the Auggies up double-digits at 45-35.  One Speese free throw with 2:07 left and another with 1:37 left got the lead to twelve points at 47-35 and two more Speese freebies after she was fouled in a transition opportunity with :43.9 left now made it 49-35.  St. Scholastica was able to sneak in a bucket before the buzzer ending the third-period on sophomore reserve forward Taylor Nowling's jumper from the free throw line but the Auggies definitely had things going their way at this point.

The Saints found themselves in even more dire straits in the opening moments of the fourth period.  McLemore's offensive rebound and putback of a blocked shot at the 9:40 mark and a drive and finish by Jones at the 9:17 mark made it 53-37 and St. Scholastica's Deadrick was once again clamoring for a timeout.  But the Auggies seemingly had no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.  One free throw by senior forward Bridget Bednar at the 8:48 mark and two Speese freebies at the 8:22 mark suddenly made it a nineteen-point game at 56-37 and things certainly looked hopeless for the Saints who were sputtering offensively.  St. Scholastica tried to cut into the bulge as a umper off the glass off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Danielle Cieluch at the 8:03 mark and two Walther free throws at the 7:36 mark had Augsburg's lead down to 58-41 but the Auggies would again step on the gas pedal.  A score in the paint by junior reserve forward Carlee Kobow at the 6:41 mark and two Wubben free throws at the 6:05 mark gave Augsburg a seventeen-point cushion at 60-43 and one Kobow free throw at the 5:35 mark along with a three-point bomb by McLemore from the right corner at the 5:24 mark now made it 64-43 and it seemed like the Auggies were all but ready to shovel in the dirt and put the daisy on this contest.  But just when St. Scholastica appeared to be dead and buried, they rose from the ashes and proceeded to put in a scare into their hosts.  A VanKempen lay-up at the 5:12 mark sparked an unlikely 18-2 run that drastically changed things.  Walther uncorked a "3" from the left corner with 4:41 left and then Thomas, who had been quiet for a good chunk of the second half, found her magic again as she stole an inbounds pass and whizzed the other way for an easy lay-up that cut the deficit to fourteen points at 64-50.  Pearson got into the paint for a score with 3:54 left and VanKempen used her long frame to get a lay-up with 3:16 left.  Walther found the range from three-point land again; this time from the top of the key with 2:51 left that got the Saints back to within single-digit range trailing 66-57 and Augsburg's Riverso was clamoring for a timeout to try and stop the unforseen bleeding.  But the stoppage hardly deterred the Saints as Thomas was able to snare yet another steal and fly the other way for a lay-up with 2:17 left and a VanKempen rebound and putback with 1:46 left now had the Auggie lead down to a precarious five points and Riverso was forced to take a match to another timeout to try and get his squad calmed down.  Two free throws by Augsburg's McLemore with :43.5 left finally stopped some of the bleeding but a steal and lay-up the other way by the Saints' Walther with :26.3 left again had St. Scholastica in the five-point range trailing 68-63.  Alas, that's as close as the Saints would get.  Two free throws by Speese with :20.3 left allowed the Auggies to hang on for dear life to claim their first victory of this young season by a 70-63 count. 

Obviously this Augsburg team has a ton of potential but as Riverso pointed out to me afterward, they've got to cut down on the turnovers that have plagued them in their first three games.  He knows it's only November but there's a lot of work ahead for this group if they want to better last year's finish.  First, on the positive side, the Auggies had four players in double-figures scoring-wise in this contest:  McLemore with 13 points, Speese with 12 points and both Wubben and Wilson with 11 points, respectively.  Rebounds were even on this night at 42 a piece but both coaching staffs likely had to wince at the number of turnovers in this contest as St. Scholastica had 24 turnovers and Augsburg had 21.  For the Saints, they had three players in double-figures scoring-wise with both VanKempen and Thomas netting 14 points and Walther adding 11 points. 

Northwestern vs St. Kate's 11-15-17

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town last night to take in the season opener for both host St. Kate's and Northwestern out of the UMAC.  This would be first real look at the Wildcats now under new Head Coach Don Mulhern's tutelage and I was curious as to what tweaks and adjustments he would make to this team.  Hobbling in on crutches, I was greeted by Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl and I got to speak to him for a bit about his team and his squad has already been hit by the injury bugaboo; most notably to sophomore guard Jazinae Patterson who injured her knee in practice recently.  I asked if Kahl would stray much from his patented 2-3 zone defense and was surprised when he told me that we could expect to see some man-to-man at times.  With that in mind, I was settled in at Butler Center ready for action.

Two scores by senior point guard Audra Clark - a drive into the lane and finish at the 9:51 mark and two free throws at the 8:02 mark  - had the Wildcats up 4-0 but Northwestern would knot the score at 4 a piece as sophomore guard Audrey Lefto connected with a jumper from the right wing at the 7:38 mark and junior guard Amy Berglund knocked down a jumper from the free throw line at the 7:06 mark.  Berglund would connect with a jumper from near the free throw line at the 6:15 mark that would get things tied up again at 6 a piece.  St. Kate's would push out in front again as flashy sophomore guard Danica Cambrice was able to connect on a tough drive and finish at the 5:59 mark; falling on her knees in the process and one free throw by senior guard Meg Clark at the 5:36 mark had the 'Cats up 9-6.  A lay-up in transition by Eagle junior reserve guard Morgan Retzlaff with 4:54 left had the St. Kate's lead down to one at 9-8 but then Audra Clark launched a three-point bomb from the top of the key with 4:34 left that made it a 12-8 game and two Audra Clark free throws with 4:03 left made it 14-8.  Retzlaff would try to get Northwestern closer again with another lay-up in transition with 3:58 left but one free throw by Wildcat sophomore reserve guard Sam Skwarek with 3:28 left had the lead back up to 15-10.  Then Cambrice struck again for St. Kate's as she got into the paint for a score with 2:29 left and was fouled in the process and the resulting "and one" had the 'Cats up 18-12.  A rare score in the paint by Audra Clark with 2:01 left and a Cambrice lay-up with 1:12 left capped a 7-0 push and now Northwestern found itself down by ten points at 22-12.  The Eagles would get back into single-digit range with :48.6 left in the opening period on two Berglund freebies but clearly Northwestern had its work cut out for it on this night.

The first two things I noticed about St. Kate's from the opening tip-off was that (1) they're small and (2) they really push the ball in an up-tempo style and they aren't afraid to bring out the full- and half-court pressure defense to try and create turnovers.  The latter was really causing problems for Kahl and his Eagle team and when sophomore reserve forward Jaelyn Miltz knocked down a jumper from near the free throw line at the 9:53 mark to up the Wildcat lead to ten points again at 24-14, you had to wonder if Northwestern had the firepower to respond.  Still, the Eagles were nowhere even close to breaking out the white flag just yet as sophomore forward Rio Landers drained a "3" from the right top area at the 8:38 mark and senior guard Andrea Zimpel drilled a "3" of her own from the left wing area at the 6:44 mark that cut the deficit down to six points at 26-20.  Reserve senior post Jessica Brown snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:58 mark and another Zimpel trey - this one from the left corner at the 5:21 mark - had Northwestern back in the thick of things trailing by five at 30-25.  A short jumper by Retzlaff with 4:29 left and a Brown lay-up with 3:25 left now had the Eagles back to within a single possession trailing 32-29 and although Cambrice would temporarily increase the lead for St. Kate's with her pretty reverse lay-up with 2:03 left, a Landers  score in the paint with 1:31 left kept the Eagles close trailing 34-31.  A Cambrice lay-up with 1:14 left would give the Wildcats a bit more breathing space going into the locker room at the half but Northwestern did a nice job recovering from what could have been an early disaster.  But a quick check of the first half box score had to be a bit disconcerting to Kahl and his staff as his squad was outrebounded in the first half by a 23-13 count.  Moreover, the Eagles were guilty of ten turnovers in the first half and the 37.5% from behind the arc was going to have to get better as well. 

Presumably anyway, Northwestern had recovered enough and was close enough now to make more inroads in this game at the beginning of the third period but the Wildcats had vastly different ideas.  One Audra Clark free throw at the 9:37 mark had the lead up to six at 37-31 and then fellow senior sharp-shooting guard Alexis Garcia; who struggled a bit in the first half, finally found her stroke and promptly drained a "3" from the left top area after an untimely Eagle turnover at the 9:11 mark and then Cambrice, like a thief in the night, snagged a steal and dashed in for an easy lay-up the suddenly had the St. Kate's lead back up to double-digits at 42-31 and a startled Northwestern team was now reeling and Kahl quickly called timeout to try and save the boat from sinking.  Still, Audra Clark's short shot off the glass at the 7:58 mark had the lead up to 44-31 before the Eagles finally stopped some of the bleeding on a lay-up by junior guard Taryn Tumbleson at the 7:00 mark.  However, the menacing full- and half-court pressure that was being thrown at the Eagles by Mulhern and his squad was reaping huge rewards and Northwestern simply wasn't able to cope.  A short jumper by freshman reserve guard Brooke Torvik from the right side with 4:09 left and a score in the paint by Cambrice with 3:27 left had the 'Cats up 48-36 although Northwestern would attempt to make a run.  Two free throws by reserve junior post Alex Peterson with 3:07 left and a "3" from the right corner by Retzlaff with 1:54 left had the Eagles back in single digit range trailing 48-40 but any hopes of a real comeback were dashed permanently as a drive into the lane and finish by Audra Clark with :44 left and one Garcia freebie with :27 left had the lead back up to double-digits where it would stay at 51-40.  Audra Clark capped off this fabulous third period for the Wildcats with her drive into the lane and finish in transition with just one tick left on the clock as St. Kate's now had a 53-40 lead going into the fourth period.

The Wildcats slowly increased the lead as the fourth period got underway.  A lay-up in transition by Garcia at the 9:40 mark and two free throws by freshman reserve forward Morgan Kurth at the 8:12 mark had the lead up to 57-42 and a score in the paint by sophomore guard Jackie Radford at the 7:38 mark upped the lead to 59-42.  A short shot off the glass by Audra Clark at the 6:24 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Radford at the 5:56 mark capped an 8-0 run and left no doubt to the final outcome with St. Kate's now up 63-42.  Cambrice snared an offensive rebound and scored on a pretty turnaround jumper with 4:44 left and Radford connected with a lay-up with 4:21 left for a 67-44 Wildcat lead.  Northwestern was able to pad its total for the evening on two Landers free throws with 3:54 left and a Brown lay-up with 2:50 left but they could never muster a serious comeback bid.  Mulhern was able to gradually get more and more of his reserves in the game down the home stretch as freshman reserve forward Kaitlyn Struemke got into the paint for a score with 2:22 left and St. Kate's started out the regular season on a positive note with a convincing 69-51 victory.

I was able to catch up with Mulhern afterward to congratulate him on this season-opening win.  I asked him how hard it has been to instill a new system and a new philosophy of sorts to this Wildcat team and he admitted that it's been hard but, the good thing is that they've just tapped their potential when it comes to applying the pressure defense.  If that's the case, MIAC opponents had better beware of this St. Kate's team that has the ability to throw everything but the kitchen sink at you.  Mulhern had plenty of praise to throw around on this night but he had special praise for some of his younger players; particularly Radford who Mulhern claims is "especially high in basketball IQ".  Audra Clark had a fabulous opening night as she led all scorers with her 26 points and Cambrice recorded a "double-double" with her 21 points and 12 rebounds.  For Northwestern, Berglund was the only scorer in double figures with her 12 points.  No doubt Kahl and his staff had to wince at the final box score which showed his squad was outrebounded by a count of 43-27 on this night and shooting 37.8% from FG range and 26.7% behind the arc simply isn't going to get the job done although a lot of the credit for that has to go to St. Kate's and the pressure defense it was able to apply on this night.

MIAC Predictions For 2017-18 Season

It's early November which means it's time again to roll out that proverbial crystal ball and make a stab at how the incredibly tough MIAC Women's hoops season is going to go this time around.


The Title Contenders:

1.  UST
2.  GAC
3.  Bethel

The Tommies came oh, so close last year to tasting ultimate victory in the Final Four last year but inexplicably blew a 12-point lead late against Tufts in the national semifinals which is still likely fresh on the Tommies' minds as they enter this new season.  To be sure, they lost some great players to graduation; notably All-American post Kaitlin Langer along with the backcourt duo of Paige Gernes and three-point bomber Gabby Zehrer.  But UST still has a solid nucleus coming back to build around.  Reliable guard Maddie Wolkow and three-point specialist Lauren Fischer are the two seniors who will lead the way for Head Coach Ruth Sinn.  Also figuring prominently in the Tommie attack this time around are juniors Lucia Renikoff and Hannah Spaulding who is the heir apparent to Langer's post spot.  Fellow juniors McKenna DuBois and Bobbi Brendefur could also be key links to the Tommies overall success as well.  That said, I don't know a whole lot about the new faces that Sinn has coming in so I can't say for sure if this squad can expect the same kind of success they had last year.  However, until somebody figures out a way to knock this squad off of the top of the mountain, you have to give them the nod again although I will say UST's margin of error appears to be smaller than what it was last year.

Happy times returned down on U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline as GAC set the MIAC ablaze; racing out to a record-setting 19-0 start before the joyride ended with that tough home loss to said UST team in what was arguably the MIAC Women's Hoops Game of the Century.  And while the Gusties may or may not replicate that 19-0 start we saw the last time around, they certainly seem to have pretty much everything in place that would allow them to get themselves into position to contend for MIAC honors as well as another trip to the Big Dance.  They have arguably the best point guard in the MIAC (and maybe the entire West Region) in senior Mikayla Miller along with juniors Brooke Lemke and Justine Lee to bolster the backcourt.  Fellow junior Kendall Thompson is slowly coming into her own and senior forward Miranda Rice is as tough as they come.  The one big glaring question mark remains at that post spot and I'm not sure how Head Coach Laurie Kelly and her staff plan to address that.  Kelly does bring bring in an exciting group of new faces that includes Marnie and Maddie Wagner from NRHEG and Paige Richert out of Comfrey.  Last year's 25-3 overall record was outstanding but, at the same time, ended in incredible disappointment as they were unceremoniously dumped by UST (again) in the MIAC Championship Game and then were ushered out by DePauw in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Getting yourself into position to win the MIAC and making a run in the Big Dance is one thing but actually doing it is another thing altogether as the Gusties found out last season.  Can they take things a step further this time around?  We'll see.

It was the best of times and the worst of times last year for Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his Bethel Royals as they went 22-5 overall (16-2 in the MIAC).  But, along the way, senior guard Kalli Zimmerman was lost for the season with a knee injury which would have doomed most squads but the Royals found a way to overcome that loss and had themselves on the brink of the MIAC Championship Game before losing a heartbreaker at GAC.  Their body of work should have been more than enough to get them a berth in the NCAA Tournament but the Tournament Committee saw things differently and, as a result, the Royals found themselves on the outside looking in.  Surely that experience must have left a bad taste in their mouths and, presumably anyway, the Royals must have revenge on their minds.  Still, Herbrechtsmeyer has to deal with not only the loss of Zimmerman but also that of Shanni Moorse who likely was the best defender in the MIAC last season.  However, Bethel does return a solid group of players that should help them stay right in the thick of things.  Senior point guard Abby Miller and fellow backcourt senior Angie Kirchoff give the Royals a guard duo second-to-none in the conference and senior three-point sharpshooter Jasmin Bretoi will likely terrorize MIAC opponents with her three-point prowess.  Junior post Hannah Johnson is slowly blossoming into a solid post player and sophomore Taite Anderson had a fantastic freshman season.  And don't forget about junior guard Hannah Simpson who elevated her game down the stretch last season when the Royals needed someone to step up.  That said, the only big question mark I have with this squad is their depth.  I don't think they can withstand a rash of injuries to key components if they want to have a shot at the MIAC title.  Perhaps just as important, if they want to make amends for last season, they've got to find a way to win games against quality opponents and they'll have two high-quality opponents in the month of November alone:  At UW-River Falls on 11-21 and at home against George Fox on 11-25.


Solid Playoff Contenders:

4.  CSB
5.  Augsburg

Not a bad outing last year for the Blazers as they recorded a 16-11 overall record (11-7 in MIAC play) which was good enough to snare the fourth seed in the MIAC playoffs where they survived a tough home playoff game with St. Kate's before falling to eventual Final Four participant UST in the semis.  While Head Coach Mike Durbin returns a pretty good nucleus from last year, he still has to deal with a very nice triumvirate group lost to graduation that includes Annie Dittberner, Alison Newton and Macy Kelly that accounted for a bulk of CSB's scoring punch last season.  Still, the Blazers will be very long on length and reach this year as seniors Kate Banovetz (6'0"), Nikki Fokken (6'3") and Chelsey Guetter anchor the CSB front line.  And Durbin must feel pretty good about some of the young faces he has to back up that front line with the likes of Megan Anderson (fr) out of Omaha, Nebraska and Shae Olsen from Wayzata.  The big question is who inherits that all-important point guard spot but right now it would appear that sophomore Sidney Schiffler will get the nod as she logged a lot of key minutes last season and is probably the most experienced of the current backcourt group.  Unless either GAC or Bethel somehow falter during the season, it's difficult for me to see the Blazers being a contender for the title but they should be more than good enough to snare a spot in the MIAC playoffs.  In the end, it's how consistent they can be.

Perhaps the most exciting team to watch in the MIAC last year was Augsburg and its very own version of the "Fab 5" with Tamira McLemore, K'Aezha Wubben, Camryn Speese, Aiza Wilson and Ari Jones.  This fun group of freshmen from last year now have a year of experience under their belt and, presumably anyway, should be a year wiser which will no doubt make Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso smile.  Still, don't expect Riverso to have his team forgo its up-tempo style and aggressive defense which led to a lot of easy transition points along with major headaches for fellow MIAC coaches.  Even better for Augsburg is that they have a solid front-line returner in senior Bridget Bednar who could be a difference-maker for this Auggie team.  Last year, Augsburg got off to a solid 6-0 start but had a disastrous stretch in December and January before they were able to turn things around late to grab that sixth playoff spot.  If they can find some consistency and avoid that mid-season swoon they had last year, they may be able to take things a step further this time around.


Fighting For The Sixth Spot:

6.  St. Kate's
7.  SMU
8.  Carleton
9.  Macalester

I see at least four teams this time around that could possibly be in play for that sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs.  Based on their experience, I'm inclined to give the edge to St. Kate's here but, they too, have a ton of questions to answer.  Most notably is the change in the head coaching spot where Don Mulhern comes in after an 11-year stint up at UW-Superior.  Coaching changes can be a tough transition for many programs but this is one guy who can flat-out coach the living daylights out of you.  All Mulhern did at UW-Superior is take a near-moribund program and turn it into a contender in the always tough WIAC.  When the Yellowjackets made the big switch over to the UMAC, they literally took that conference by its throat and Mulhern led UW-Superior to the NCAA Tournament in his last two seasons there.  To be sure, the Wildcats lost a talented senior triumvirate of its own to graduation in Mari Lee, Kennedy Jennings and dazzling LaShay Holt.  However, Mulhern does have a very talented and experienced nucleus of players coming back led by the twin sister senior duo of Audra and Meg Clark making St. Kate's incredibly strong in the backcourt.  Also back is senior sharpshooter Alexis Garcia who will be counted on heavily with her three-point prowess.  Another player to keep your eye on is flashy sophomore Danica Cambrice who could very well be the next big playmaker for the Wildcats.  Still, there's a lot of untested youth on this team and the post position will likely continue to be a big question mark for St. Kate's.

Things were looking rosy for Head Coach Brent Pollari and SMU last year - until they hit the home stretch where the Cardinals went into an absolute tailspin; losing nine out of their last 11 games that cost them the sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs.  And, just like CSB and St. Kate's, they lost a talented group to graduation in Emma Schaefer, Brigette Audette and Sam Jones along with Raelynn Speltz.  This 2017-18 version is an incredibly young team with only one senior on the roster - Alexa Huisman.  But there's also two experienced underclassmen with juniors Brandi Blattner and Brittney Flom which gives SMU an incredibly tough front line.  Once you get beyond that, however, a ton of question marks remain and they'll need to get off to a solid start and hopefully withstand a grueling stretch if they want to reverse last season's misfortunes.

Carleton made definite strides last season and had a solid January; winning five games in a row before the wheels came off in February.  This time around, however, Head Coach Cassie Kosiba finally has a solid group of seniors that just might possibly allow the Knights to make that decisive move into the MIAC playoffs.  This experienced group includes Sarah Paller, Sarah Waldfogel, Lindsey Chavez, Katherine Miles and, most importantly, Anne Hamilton.  Along with fellow senior Anna Flitner, Kosiba now has a seasoned group of returners for the first time and, perhaps just as important, some elements of depth as well.  Again, Carleton's margin for error is not large here.  They can ill-afford to have a rash of injuries that they've had in years past and they certainly can't fold the tent once February comes around.  But this could be a team to keep your eyes on should things go right for them.

Macalester has been able to take a step forward in each of the last two years under Head Coach Kelly Roysland and there's no reason to believe that the Scots aren't capable of taking things another step forward this time around.  Roysland and her staff did bid adieu to a nice group of seniors - Park Masterson, Lauren Clamage, Karen Rathjens and Emilie McGuire but the Scots do return a lot of experience this time around in seniors Grace Dickman, Regan Fruh, Leah Gray and playmaker Vivi Gregorich along with G. G. Gunther off the bench.  A healthy Dickman could be key in Macalester's hopes this time around as she missed a good chunk of last season due to injury.  In addition, Roysland has a nice incoming class of freshman that could provide some depth in the front-court area.  The Scots get tested early with a trip down to Decorah to play IIAC powerhouse Luther but the rest of the non-conference portion of the schedule looks halfway manageable.  The big questions for Macalester is (a) Can they stay healthy and (b) Can they find some consistency along the way and perhaps beat a team or two that they wouldn't normally be expected to beat?


Looking For Brighter Days:

10.  Concordia
11.  St. Olaf
12.  Hamline

It seems weird to be talking about Concordia in this position as opposed to where they normally are anyway in playoff contention, doesn't it?  Yet the Cobbers slipped badly last season; saddled with a losing record of 8-17 overall and 5-13 in the MIAC for the first time in a long, long time.  Even worse is the fact that three of the players who provided most of the scoring last year were lost to graduation - namely Greta Walsh, Jenna Januschka and Crystal Amundson.  Without having a current roster on their website to rely on, it's hard to shed much light on what new faces Head Coach Jessica Rahman and her staff have coming in.  However, they do have some important pieces coming back in senior guard (and Jessica's daughter) Cassidy Rahman and with juniors Jamie Mentzer and Grace Wolhow.  Fellow junior Lincoln Haiby saw considerable playing time last season as did sophomore Shelby Duckstad in the post spot.  So obviously the jury's still out on this squad and while I wouldn't necessarily expect significant improvement this time around, don't understimate Rahman who will undoubtedly roll up her sleeves and do whatever is necessary to get Concordia back to the ranks of the elite.

Another incredibly young and fresh-faced team in the MIAC resides on the west side of Northfield as St. Olaf looks to build on a 8-17 overall record (4-14 in MIAC).  To get an idea of how young this team is, all you have to do is look at their roster.  Four freshman, nine sophomores and two juniors so if Head Coach Dave Stromme wants to play the "We're young but fun" card, he's got every right to.  Still, it's not a team without some notable talent.  Junior Makenna Ash is a solid player down in the post spot and fellow junior Meg Andersen is a willowy wing player who can be a threat out on the perimeter.  The big loss, of course, is Betsey Daley to graduation who could virtually do it all and kept the Oles in many games last season.  Replacing her is bad enough but an even bigger question might be as to who Stromme decides to insert into the all-important point guard spot.

New Hamline Head Coach Alex Focke takes the reigns of the Pipers program and has a lot of work to do over on Snelling Avenue as Hamline comes off of a disappointing 5-20 (2-16 MIAC) record.  And it won't be easy for Focke to replace a graduated Chloe Graves who averaged 11.8 ppg and had 40 steals last year to boot.  Also gone are Tia Diggins and Ivannie Robertson.  Like St. Olaf, this will be an incredibly young team as well but it's not without talent either.  Junior guard Alaina Quaranta who led Hamline last year with 12.1 ppg also snared 62 steals last year which gives you a bit of an idea of what a menace she can be on defense.  Also returning are sophomores Reilly Geistfeld, Kaeli Stayer, Aly Sartain and Morgen Coleman so Focke does have a nice little nucleus to work with.  But Hamline faithful have to stay patient and let the seed grow in a highly competitive MIAC.

Anyway, this is how I see things shaping up right now.  As always, feel free to chime in with your thoughts and comments.