Southwest Minnesota State vs Concordia St. Paul 1-19-18

Made my way over to Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia St. Paul University for the first time in way too long to cover this important match-up of two NSIC South Division teams struggling to work their way up in the standings - visiting Southwest Minnesota State and host Concordia St. Paul.  The Mustangs were coming into this contest with a 4-11 overall record and 3-9 in NSIC play while the Golden Bears were 4-13 overall but only 1-10 in NSIC play.  Tonight's contest would be the beginning of a five-game homestand for Concordia St. Paul and getting a win to start things out would certainly get the Golden Bears off to a good start in this stretch.  And as I would find out later, I picked an incredibly good game to end my dry streak of covering the Golden Bears as well.

Concordia St. Paul certainly couldn't have asked for a better start in this one as they bolted out to an early 11-2 lead.  Two scores by junior guard Hanna Vidlund - a jumper from the right elbow at the 9:15 mark and a jumper from the free throw line at the 8:43 mark - had the Golden Bears up 4-0 right off the bat and the fact that Concordia St. Paul was in a 2-3 "matchup" zone defense probably added to the offensive woes that the Mustangs encountered early on.  Senior sharp-shooting guard Anna Schmitt drained her first trey of the evening - this one coming from the left top area at the 7:54 mark - that stretched the Golden Bear lead to 7-2.  A Schmitt lay-up in transition at the 7:11 mark and a Schmitt jumper from the left wing area at the 6:26 mark made it 11-2 and Southwest Minnesota State was behind the eight-ball early on in the first period on the road and Head Coach Tom Webb called for a timeout to try and get his troops reorganized.  That breather seemed to get the Mustangs untangled a bit as senior forward Lauren Hedlund got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:13 mark and a Hedlund score in the paint at the 5:39 mark had the deficit down to six points at 11-5.  Concordia St. Paul would step on the gas again at this point as a Schmitt drive and finish at the 5:00 mark and a pretty jumper along the right baseline by freshman guard Ellie Gess with 4:34 left in the opening period gave the Golden Bears a ten-point advantage at 15-5.  Southwest Minnesota State would now respond and get the deficit back down to six points again as two free throws by sophomore forward Caleigh Rodning with 3:30 left and a Rodning score in the paint with 2:49 left had the Mustangs in better shape down 15-9 and two more Rodning freebies with 1:51 left kept Southwest Minnesota State in that same six-point range trailing 17-11.  The Golden Bears would try and widen the gap on a score in the paint by lanky junior post Lindsay Dorr with 1:42 left but a lay-up by willowy freshman forward Erin Baxter with 1:17 left again Southwest Minnesota State in reasonably good shape considering the bad start down 19-13.

The Mustangs held onto hope in the early moments of the second period that they could close the gap right away but Concordia St. Paul had vastly different ideas.  Schmitt drained her second trey of the night from the right wing area at the 9:08 mark and junior reserve guard and former Maranatha Christian Academy standout Lexi Lee unleashed two three-point bombs of her own - one from the left wing area at the 7:53 mark and another one from the left corner at the 7:08 mark - that doubled-up the Mustangs by a 30-15 count.  Even more encouraging from a Golden Bear standout was that they were getting contributions from some of their other bench players as well.  After junior guard Kayla Miller snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:17 mark that helped maintain Concordia St. Paul's fifteen-point edge at 32-17, lanky freshman reserve post Sydney Weierke got back-to-back scores in the paint - one at the 5:26 mark and another one with 4:56 left - to boost the Golden Bear lead to sixteen points at 36-20.  Then it was a sweet stroke from behind the arc in the right top area by Gess with 3:18 left that ballooned the lead to 39-20 and Southwest Minnesota State's Webb knew full and well his team was in a heap of trouble by this point and had no choice but to call a timeout.  Again, the Mustangs came out of the stoppage in play a bit more refocused as freshman guard Meleah Reinhart banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 2:34 left and one free throw by junior guard and former Marshall standout Sarah Buysse with 1:51 left helped trim some of the fat from the deficit with Southwest Minnesota State down 39-24.  Golden Bear freshman reserve forward Ayla Lemke upped her team's lead to seventeen points with her lay-up with 1:38 left but the Mustangs ended this first half on a 6-0 push courtesy of Rodning.  Pairs of free throws - with 1:29 left and with :50.3 left - along with an offensive rebound and putback with just one tick on the clock had Southwest Minnesota State in much better shape down 41-30 at the half.  A quick glance of the first half box score shows just how well the Golden Bears shot in this first half - 17-32 for 53.1% from FG range and 5-10 from three-point land for 50%.  And Schmitt was on fire in the first half alone racking up 14 points.  Not nearly the gaudy numbers for the Mustangs as they shot 9-31 for 29% from FG range and a dismal 1-7 from behind the arc.

Southwest Minnesota State tried desperately to make up ground once the third period got going but, for the most part anyway, it seemed like all they could do was tread water.  After the Golden Bears upped their lead on a score in the paint by Dorr at the 8:12 mark, Mustang freshman reserve guard Sadie Stelter drilled a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:38 mark that cut the deficit down to ten points for Southwest Minnesota State at 43-33.  But that chess move seemed to be negated when the Golden Bears' Gess banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:16 mark for a 46-33 Concordia St. Paul lead.  Another Schmitt three-point bomb - this one from the right corner off of an inbounds pass at the 6:22 mark - had the Golden Bear safety net up to fourteen points at 49-35 and a Dorr score at the 5:41 mark maintained the fourteen point advantage at 51-37.  A short shot off the glass by Miller with 4:59 left and a Dorr lay-up with 4:25 left increased Concordia St. Paul's lead to sixteen points at 55-39 and at that point it simply looked as if it would a bridge too far for the Mustangs.  But an undeterred Southwest Minnesota State team was not quite yet ready to give up the ship and they again started making inroads again.  Rodning dropped one free throw with 3:57 left and then Baxter; the former Apple Valley standout, really picked up her game.  She dropped the front-end of a one-and-one situation after getting fouled with 3:06 left and when the back-end attempt rattled out, she sneaked through traffic to grab an improbably offensive rebound and promptly got fouled again with 3:04 left where she would drop another freebie that reduced the Mustang deficit down to thirteen points at 55-42.  Freshman reserve forward Sara Teske then drained a "3" from the left top area with 1:54 left and a drive and finish by Stelter with 1:21 left now had Southwest Minnesota State down by just ten at 57-47.  The Mustangs were finally able to claw back into single-digit range when Rodning got to the charity stripe after getting fouled with :41.5 left to drop two free throws to make it a 57-49 ballgame and although Concordia St. Paul was able to get their lead back to ten points again at 59-49 when freshman reserve point guard and former Park Center standout Danielle Schaub uncorked a pretty running jumper in the lane with just :00.2 left on the clock, the Golden Bears likely didn't feel as safe as they may have a few minutes before.

After Sarah Buysse helped Southwest Minnesota State crawl back into single-digit range again at 59-51 with her offensive rebound and putback in transition at the 9:32 mark of the fourth period, the Golden Bears may have felt a sense of urgency to try and open up more distance as Gess let loose with another one of her pretty three-point bombs from the right wing area at the 8:40 mark and a Schmitt lay-up a bit later at the 8:18 mark had Concordia St. Paul's lead back in double-digits again at 64-51.  Complicating the situation for both teams by this point was that foul trouble was beginning to become a factor for some of the key players.  After Reinhart got the Mustangs a bit closer with her jumper from the free throw line at the 7:53 mark, her teammate Rodning got tagged with her fourth foul of the night at the 7:16 mark and shortly after that, Concordia St. Paul's Miller was sent to the bench with her fifth foul at the 7:07 mark.  The Golden Bears were trying desperately to stay safely out in front and when Schmitt made a hard drive for a finish that drew a foul, her ensuing "and one" at the 6:48 mark appeared to have Concordia St. Paul in reasonably good shape up 67-55.  But this never-say-die Mustang team was again primed to make a major move that finally got them close.  Stelter connected with a short jumper from the right side off the glass at the 6:29 mark and a Baxter drive and finish at the 5:48 mark now had Southwest Minnesota State back in single-digit range again trailing 67-59.  At the 5:06 mark, Baxter unleashed a "3" from the top of the key that trimmed the deficit down to seven points at 69-62 and with 4:38 left, Stelter made a hard drive along the right baseline for a finish and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" suddenly reduced the Mustang deficit down to five points at 70-65.  With 4:02 left, things got even tighter as Hedlund muscled into the paint for a score and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw finally had Southwest Minnesota State back in single-possession range again trailing by just two at 70-68.  The Golden Bears' Schmitt put her team on her back in an attempt to establish a bit more breathing room.  The former Waconia standout knocked down a short jumper with 3:51 left and dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 3:14 left for a 74-70 Concordia St. Paul lead.  One Dorr free throw a bit later with 3:02 left increased the Golden Bear lead to five points at 75-70 but this pesky Southwest Minnesota State team simply would not go away.  Hedlund snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" with 2:45 left allowed the Mustangs to cut the deficit back down to two points at 75-73.  Again, Concordia St. Paul's Schmitt came to the rescue for the Golden Bears with a drive and finish that drew a foul and her "and one" with 2:20 left made it a 78-73 ballgame.  Two more free throws by Lee with 1:47 left maintained that five-point edge for Concordia St. Paul at 80-75 but then the 'Stangs' Baxter came to the rescue for her teammates.  She dropped one pair of free throws with 1:13 left and after two foiled Golden Bear possessions, Southwest Minnesota State got another chance as Baxter would get fouled with :33.9 left and two more free throws now had the Mustangs trailing by a tantalizing point a 80-79.  Concordia St. Paul Head Coach Amanda Johnson called a timeout to set up her squad's gameplan and with :22.8 left, Schmitt would get sent to the charity stripe where she calmly dropped two free throws to extend the Golden Bear lead back to three points at 82-79.  Considering the fact that Southwest Minnesota State had to work so incredibly hard to get things tight again by this point was a remarkable feat in itself and there were probably several Mustang parents and fans in the stands who probably would have been satisfied with that alone.  But this Mustang team had higher aspirations than that and with seemingly all lifelines all but used up, it was an all or nothing proposition.  But Southwest Minnesota State; playing without any fear, rolled the dice and took its chance.  With :11.9 left in regulation, Rodning got free behind the arc in the left wing area and she uncorked a cold-blooded "3" that suddenly had this one knotted at 82 a piece.  There was still time for the Golden Bears to respond but on their ensuing possession they lost control of the ball with time expiring so off we went to an extra five-minute session.

The Mustangs' fortunes appeared to take a serious hit in the first few minutes of the extra session as another Gess three-point dagger from the right wing area with 4:42 left got Concordia St. Paul back out in front 85-82 and with 2:51 left Southwest Minnesota State's Rodning was tagged with her fifth and final foul on a somewhat controversial call by the officials that eliminated a big piece of the Mustang offensive attack.  Two Gess free throws extended the Golden Bear lead to five points at 87-82 with 2:51 left and the Mustangs' prospects looked dim at best by this point.  Baxter would get her Southwest Minnesota State team back into single-possession range with two free throws with 2:37 left but when Concordia St. Paul's Dorr got into the paint for a score with 2:23 left and Schmitt followed up with a lay-up with 1:50 left to make it a 91-84 ballgame, the Mustangs' hopes appeared to be dead in the water again.  But, as we saw earlier, this Southwest Minnesota State team has an incredible knack for turning even the most dire situations into something positive.  Baxter would give Southwest Minnesota State a three-point play with her drive and finish that drew a foul with the obligatory free throw with 1:33 left and then Sarah Buysse came up big on defense as she blocked a Lee jumper with 1:10 left and was fouled when she got the ball and her two free throws suddenly had the Mustangs back in single-possession range again down by two at 91-89.  On Concordia St. Paul's ensuing possession, Southwest Minnesota State momentarily looked like it was going to get a big break when Schmitt's running jumper in the lane rattled off the rim - presumably into the waiting arms of a Mustang player but the 'Stangs forgot to box out Concordia St. Paul's Dorr who snared the offensive rebound and got a putback out of it to extend the Golden Bear lead to four points at 93-89.  But Southwest Minnesota State's Stelter would be fouled with :38.8 left on the ensuing Mustang possession and her two charity stripe shots narrowed the gap to two points again at 93-91.  Concordia St. Paul's Johnson called a thirty-second timeout and on the ensuing Golden Bear possession, Schmitt was unable to knock down a jumper but the officials had brought the action to a halt as they had to review the shot clock.  Action would again be delayed by yet another officials' review to determine ball possession and once it was determined that Concordia St. Paul would retain possession, Golden Bear senior reserve guard Haydn Becker was fouled with :18.5 left but the former Andover standout could only get the back-end of the two shot attempt to go down which still had the Mustangs in single-possession range trailing 94-91.  Now it was Southwest Minnesota State's turn to call a timeout and Webb undoubtedly was going to set something up for a three-point shot attempt to try and force a second overtime.

The Mustangs got the ball into play near the half-court line to try and set up their desperation attempt.  It appeared as if Baxter was the designated "go to" person if possible but Concordia St. Paul was not going to let the former Apple Valley standout get a decent look so Baxter had to pass the ball over to Stelter who got a nice screen near the top of the key and with :07.5 left Stelter launched her attempt that found nothing but cotton and the Mustang contingent inside Gangelhoff Center was going nuts with the thought of forcing a second overtime.  But what Southwest Minnesota State likely could not have counted on was the Golden Bears getting one last shot which is all they needed.  Schmitt quickly got the ball up the court and with the Mustangs doing everything possible not to commit a costly foul which would have doomed them, they had to pick their poison and risk Schmitt making a desperation NBA-range three-pointer.  But Schmitt was as cool as a cucumber as she got to the left top area and, with just under a second left, delivered the dagger of the night that made the net dance and the crowd inside Gangelhoff Center erupted as Concordia St. Paul came away with a dramatic 97-94 victory in overtime.

It's unlikely that one could have asked for such drama and, coming off last Sunday's "Minneapolis Miracle" that the hometown Minnesota Vikings pulled off against New Orleans to advance to Sunday's NFC Championship Game, it's uncanny to say the least.  Even wilder was the fact that this game featured three participants from the monumental 2014 Class AAA State Championship Game between Marshall and Park Center - Southwest Minnesota State's Sarah Buysse and younger sister sophomore reserve guard Emily Buysse and Concordia St. Paul's Schaub.  Just like she had in that unforgettable game for Park Center, Schaub hit a running jumper in the lane as the clock was expiring - this time before the halftime buzzer.  And although this night's contest featured only one overtime unlike the three overtimes back in 2014, there were still some eerie parallels nonetheless.  Despite the loss, it was a great effort from the Mustangs who had to fight, scratch and claw their way back from almost certain defeat more than once.  Southwest Minnesota State had four players in double figures scoring-wise on this night as Baxter; who caught fire in the second half, led the way with her 25 points.  Rodning was right behind with 22 points while Stelter had 15 points and Hedlund had 11 points.  Unnoticed in all this was Sarah Buysse's ten rebounds on this night and she grabbed some big ones when the Mustangs needed them.  For Concordia St. Paul, no guessing as to who stole the spotlight on this night as Schmitt cashed in for an unbelievable 37 points that included the biggest three points of the night at the very end.  Dorr had a solid night as well with her "double-double" of 19 points and 16 rebounds while Gess added 16 points and the former Bloomington Jefferson standout was 4-5 from behind the arc on this night.  Two things that stand out in looking at the box score closely that likely had a big part in Southwest Minnesota State's downfall on this night was that the Golden Bears had a 27-17 advantage in those all important "second chance" points and Concordia St. Paul also enjoyed a sizable 42-30 edge in points in the paint as well.