Bethel vs UST 12-6-17

Made my way over to UST's Schoenecker Arena on the St. Paul side of town on this cold, windy, somewhat snowy Wednesday evening to take in a critical early season clash between visiting Bethel and host UST.  The Royals; whose fortunes looked so incredibly bright right after Thanksgiving with the big non-conference home win against highly-regarded George Fox have sagged as of late with a loss at neighbor Northwestern out of the UMAC and then a MIAC season-opening loss at CSB last weekend.  The Tommies, despite a loss to highly-regarded Bowdoin in the second game of the season, have recovered nicely since then and they opened up their MIAC portion of the schedule this last weekend with a convincing win at Hamline.  Going into this contest, however, there was no question that Bethel was in desperation mode and they needed to right the ship - now. 

It would be the Tommies setting the tone early in this contest with some very hot three-point shooting.  A score in the paint by lanky 6'2" junior post Hannah Spaulding at the 9:45 mark helped UST draw first blood and back-to-back three-point bombs by fellow junior guard Lucia Renikoff had the Royals on their heels - one from the left corner at the 9:00 mark and another from the right wing area at the 7:36 mark as the shot clock was winding down - as the Tommies established an 8-2 advantage.  Bethel senior guard Angie Kirchoff dropped a jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:45 mark that allowed the Royals to temporarily draw closer but UST answered that with a "3" from the left wing area by senior three-point specialist Lauren Fischer at the 6:15 mark and a Spaulding score in the paint at the 5:45 mark that now had the Tommies up 13-4.  Bethel cut into the deficit on an offensive rebound and putback by willowy 6'1" junior post Hannah Johnson at the 5:24 mark but Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer didn't want to see his squad in a big hole early on and called a thirty-second timeout to talk with his squad and make some adjustments.  That short stoppage in play allowed Bethel to draw closer down the stretch of the opening period.  Sophomore forward Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up with 3:32 left that whittled the deficit down to five points at 13-8 and a short jumper in the lane by Johnson with 2:02 left kept the Royals in that five-point range trailing 15-10.  One free throw by speedy senior guard Abby Miller with 1:44 left and a lay-up by senior reserve guard Hannah Simpson with 1:26 left now had Bethel back within a single possession trailing 15-13.  UST senior guard Maddie Wolkow would uncork a "3" from the right wing area with :24 left that pushed the Tommie lead up to five again at 18-13 but the Royals would get back to single-possession range again as freshman reserve forward Makenna Pearson knocked down a jumper from near the free throw line with just one tick left in the first period so Bethel at least avoided an early disaster and had - for the time being anyway - a much more manageable situation.

The Royals still appeared to be in decent shape in the early moments of the second period as Kirchoff knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 8:12 mark that still had Bethel in single-possession range trailing 20-17.  But a 7-0 Tommie push changed the dynamics once again.  Spaulding got into the paint for a score at the 7:22 mark and another Wolkow three-point bomb - this one from the right wing area at the 6:41 mark - got UST's lead out to 25-17.  A Fischer score in the paint at the 5:53 mark capped this run that made it a 27-17 ballgame and the Royals once again had to try and work their way back.  Kirchoff single-handedly tried to do just that as she wiggled into the paint for one score at the 5:37 mark and the Barrington, Illinois native then unleashed a "3" from the left corner on a subsequent Bethel possession that cut the deficit down to a somewhat more manageable five-point range at 27-22.  But the Tommies would increase their lead before the halftime break.  Renikoff made a hard drive into traffic for a finish with 4:41 left and one Spaulding freebie with 2:23 left had UST's lead up to eight at 30-22.  Bethel would be unable to capitalize on at least two different opportunities down the stretch and Spaulding would add one more free throw with :32.1 left as the Tommies took a 31-23 lead into the locker room at the half.  One item that had to be bothering Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer during his halftime talk to his squad was that UST held a sizable advantage in "second-chance" points at 22-7 and rebounding; which is a Bethel staple, was a sore spot at this point.

The Tommies would establish their first double-digit advantage in the early minutes of the third period as Wolkow would uncork a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:31 mark for a 34-23 UST lead and a short jumper in the lane by Renikoff at the 8:27 mark maintained the eleven-point edge at 36-25.  Then it was Fischer again showing her three-point prowess by unleashing a dagger from the right corner at the 7:56 mark for a 39-27 Tommie lead.  Fischer would also connect with a short jumper off the glass at the 6:20 mark that made it 41-29 UST and perhaps the only fly in the ointment from a Tommie perspective was that Spaulding would get tagged for her third foul at the 5:11 mark.  UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to make the decision to let Spaulding sit for a spell but that didn't seem to affect the Tommies offensive production any.  Leading 42-30, sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson got into the paint for a score with 4:55 left that gave UST  a 44-30 advantage.  The Royals now had the difficult task of battling back from this double-digit deficit but it looked for a moment that they might be able to make some inroads.  Two free throws by Taite Anderson with 4:39 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Miller with 4:21 left gave Bethel some hope down ten at 44-34.  But the Tommies would douse those Royal dreams as an offensive rebound and putback by Fischer with 3:03 left and a "3" from the left corner by junior guard Kaylie Brazil with 1:58 mark now had UST up fifteen at 49-34 and the Royals' Herbrechtsmeyer definitely did not like what he was seeing and called a full timeout to try and rectify the situation.  But the Tommies' Fischer would unleash more hurt as she drilled another three-point bomb - this one coming from the right top area that gave UST its largest lead of the evening at 52-34 and although Miller would connect with a jumper from the right wing off the glass with :42 left, Bethel did indeed appeared buried as they were staring at the wrong end of a 52-36 score heading into the fourth period.

Whatever Herbrechtsmeyer told his team in the huddle before the start of the fourth period must have been awfully good as the Royals embarked on a huge comeback attempt that few inside Schoenecker Arena on this night (including your's truly) did not see coming.  Taite Anderson's "3" from the right wing area at the 9:41 mark was the start of an utterly shocking 17-2 Bethel run.  Sophomore reserve guard Haylee Barker's steal and lay-up the other way provided another big spark that reduced the deficit down to eleven points at 52-41.  UST tried to calm the waters as Spaulding connected with a lay-up at the 8:37 mark but the Royals were just getting started.  Johnson knocked down a jumper along the right baseline at the 8:19 mark and a Johnson score in the paint at the 7:43 mark now had Bethel back in single-digit range trailing 54-45.  The Tommies' Sinn recognized the imminent danger facing her squad and called a thirty-second timeout to try and get her squad calmed downed and refocused but the Royals were not done yet.  Another Johnson foray into the paint that resulted in a score at the 7:14 mark reduced the deficit further and a bit later at the 6:56 mark, Sinn was forced to yank Spaulding when she picked up her fourth foul of the night.  Bethel took full advantage as Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:21 mark and another Johnson score in the paint at the 5:48 mark now had the Royals back in single-possession range trailing 54-51.  Finally, it was Miller; the former Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted standout delivering the seeming coup de etat with her three-point bomb from the right top area that found its mark that suddenly had this one knotted up at 54 a piece before a shocked crowd inside Schoenecker Arena.  Elsa Anderson would give UST a brief 56-54 with her score in the paint with 4:21 left but two charity stripe shots by Taite Anderson with 4:09 left allowed the Royals to knot things up again at 56 a piece.  At this point, it just seemed like Bethel had so much going for it and that they were a hair away from taking over this game.  Strangely, however, the dream died right then and there for the Royals as the Tommies slowly but surely recovered from what could have been a disastrous setback.  Spaulding; riding those four fouls, got into the paint for a score with 3:11 left to put UST out in front for good at 58-56 and less than a minute later, Johnson picked up her fourth foul that further damaged the Royals hopes.  Renikoff would be fouled shortly after that and her two free throws with 2:26 left now gave the Tommies a bit more breathing room with a 60-56 advantage.  Bethel would manage to climb back to trail by just one when Taite Anderson unleashed another "3" - this one from the left top area with 2:14 left but that was offset when the Tommies' Renikoff did the exact same thing with 1:35 left that reestablished the four-point edge at 63-59.  The Royals still had one last hope left when Spaulding finally fouled out but Johnson; the recipient at the charity stripe, was unable to get either free throw attempt to go down.  Elsa Anderson; the understudy at the post spot for UST, was fouled with :38.2 left and she did knock down both free throw attempts that got the lead to six at 65-59.  Sinn would call back-to-back timeouts; the latter to avoid a five-second call on an inbounds pass attempt but the Tommies had all the edge they would need.  Fischer would knock down two free throws after getting fouled with :24.5 left and Wolkow, Brazil and Renikoff would add more insurance free throws in the last gasp as UST escaped with a 72-65 victory. 

I managed to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and complimented him on his team's courageous comeback effort but also pointed out two things that likely contributed to his team's eventual downfall in this one - the rebounding department where UST had a sizable 42-31 edge and also the "second-chance" points where the Tommies had a 22-7 advantage.  "Not good enough" he replied of his team's effort and noted that his squad's rebounding has just got to get better.  It's hard to pinpoint exactly the reason or reasons for this latest Royal free-fall with their third straight loss that leaves them with an overall record of 3-4 and 0-2 in MIAC play.  I suppose you could look at it from afar and list some different possibilities:  (a) Maybe they're not as good as everybody thought they were, (b) they need to rebound better, and possibly (c) plain bad luck.  I would opt towards b and c myself.  It would be one thing if the Royals were getting blown out but in each case, they're right there at the end and just can't quite seem to get over.  Whatever the reason, the fact remains that their  margin for error is now zilch, nada, nothing.  It's highly, highly unlikely that they'll be able to count on getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament on an at-large basis (assuming, of course, they're in the MIAC playoffs which I still think they will be).  They'll have to find a way to bounce back from whatever ails them and put all their marbles in one basket which is winning the MIAC Championship Game.  I just don't see any other way for them at this point and it's only early December.  Meanwhile, UST's Sinn was obviously relieved from having avoided a near-disaster and was quick to give praise on how her team recovered from that big Bethel run.  She mentioned that her squad is still trying to carve an identity for itself; there are still some things they've got to figure out yet and they're nowhere near to hitting their stride yet.  Moreover, Sinn admitted that she didn't think that her squad was quite ready for the tough, early season schedule that featured the likes of Bowdoin, George Fox, UW-Stevens Point, Bethel and next week at GAC.  Coming out of this with only the loss being to Bowdoin out at an early season tournament in Saratoga Springs, New York has to have Sinn and her staff feeling pretty good at this point although another big one awaits next week Wednesday down in St. Peter.  Both teams had four players in double-figures scoring-wise on this night.  Taite Anderson led the way for Bethel with her 17 points while Johnson was right behind with 16 points and Miller had 14 points while Kirchoff added 11 points.  Renikoff led the way for UST with her 17 points and Fischer added 15 points with many of those coming from behind the arc.  Spaulding had a solid night despite fouling out with 14 points and Wolkow added 10 points.