UST vs CSB 1-20-18

Made my way up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to St. Cloud and veered over to nearby St. Joe to take in this highly-anticipated showdown of the two remaining teams unbeaten in MIAC play - visiting UST and host CSB.  The Tommies were coming into this game on the heels of a big road win at Bethel on Wednesday night while the Blazers had easily dispatched Macalester in St. Paul on the same night.  There was also a lot of anticipation in the air as well as this was NFC Championship Game weekend and both sides were hoping for a resounding Viking win on Sunday that would send this whole state into a frenzy.  For me it was a special day since it was my birthday and while I won't divulge my age, let's just say that it ends with the number "8".  :p

One thing that is becoming increasingly clear for opponents when they play UST is that the last thing you want to have happen is to fall behind early and play catch-up.  And that's exactly what happened to the Blazers early on as the purple-clad Tommies came out of the gate with both barrels blazing.  Two three point bombs from the left wing area - one by senior sharp-shooting forward Lauren Fischer at the 9:27 mark and another one by junior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 8:54 mark - quickly had UST up 6-0.  The Blazers would get on the board with a "3" of their own by freshman guard Megan Thompson from the top of the key and a drive and finish by sophomore guard Sidney Schiffler at the 8:03 mark had CSB in single-possession range trailing 8-5.  But the Tommies embarked on a 6-1 push to widen the gap some more.  Junior post sensation Hannah Spaulding twice got into the paint for a scores - once at the 7:46 mark and again at the 7:10 mark - to get the UST lead up to 12-6 and a short shot off the glass by Spaulding with 4:36 left increased the lead to eight points at 14-6.  The Blazers got a bit of a reprieve when Schiffler was fouled behind the arc with 4:26 left in the opening period and the former Albany standout got two of the three charity stripe attempts to go down that narrowed CSB's deficit down to six points at 14-8.  But when Tommie sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson drained an unlikely "3" from the left wing area with 4:04 left to up UST's lead to nine points at 17-8, the Blazers indeed looked to be in a heap of trouble.  Fortunately for CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, his young team managed to pick things up down the home stretch of the first half.  Freshman reserve guard/forward Haylee Fingalsen banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:06 left and a jumper from the left corner off of an inbounds pass by junior reserve forward Courtney Nelson with 1:24 left had the Blazers down by just four at 17-13.  UST answered as Spaulding snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 1:00 left but Blazer senior post Kate Banovetz finished off the first period with a drive and finish with just :05 left to get CSB back in that four-point range again trailing 19-15 so while Durbin and the Blazer contingent felt perhaps a bit better about things during the period-ending break, there was likely also a feeling of uneasiness as well as the Blazers had several missed "bunny" shots in the opening period that could have easily changed the complexion of things if not having them in the lead instead.

UST went to work again once the second period got underway with a 10-2 push that widened the gap again.  Spaulding connected with a pretty jumper along the left baseline at the 9:30 mark and a three-point bomb by junior guard Lucia Renikoff from the left corner at the 8:11 mark had the Tommies up 24-15.  UST's rising fortunes took a bit of a hit when Spaulding was tagged with her second foul of the afternoon at the 7:55 mark and, to add insult to injury, she was the recipient of an inadvertent shot to the head as well but she appeared to be okay as she went to the bench to sit for a spell.  Still, another Fischer "3" from the right corner at the 7:37 mark gave the Tommies their first double-digit lead of the day at ten points at 27-17 and a Fischer drive and finish at the 7:07 mark upped the lead to 29-17.  Renikoff had to come off the court as well at the 6:36 mark with a minor injury but appeared to be okay and that may have allowed CSB to temporarily slow the enemy push.  6'3" senior post Niki Fokken connected with a lay-up at the 5:53 mark and with 4:30 left, freshman reserve forward Maddie Schmitz made a hard drive and finish and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" had the Blazers back in single-digit range again trailing 31-22.  Problem was though that CSB simply was unable to get stops on the defensive end that could have brought them a bit closer and, as a result, the Tommies finished up with a 11-6 push before the halftime break.  Senior guard Maddie Wolkow unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 3:56 left to get UST's lead back to double-digit range at 34-22 and a score in the paint by freshman reserve guard Kaia Porter with 3:24 left maintained the twelve point edge at 36-24.  One Renikoff freebie with 2:12 left and another Wolkow three-point bomb - this one from the left corner with 1:18 left - got the Tommie lead to sixteen points at 40-24.  Elsa Anderson got into the paint for a score with :42.5 left to maintain the sixteen point edge at 42-26 before CSB's Fokken knocked down a jumper in the lane with :28.5 left.  Just as Bethel had on Wednesday night, the Blazers shuffled off to their locker room looking a bit dazed and beat up down two touchdowns at 42-28 when the halftime buzzer sounded.  A check of the first half box score gives a good indication as to why when you see that UST outrebounded CSB by an 18-10 count and that the Blazers suffered six turnovers in the process.  The Tommies shot 17-29 for 58.6% from FG range and 7-13 from behind the arc for 53.8% as well.  CSB didn't necessarily shoot that badly but they arguably left some points on the table at the charity stripe as they went 6-10 for 60%.  Despite the rivalry between the two schools over the years, Claire Lynch Hall came together for a resounding SKOL chant in support of the Minnesota Vikings during the halftime break.  I, of course, did not participate being a Los Angeles Ram clad in LA Rams gear but it was fun to take in nonetheless. 

CSB finally appeared to get untracked offensively once the third period got underway and the Blazers started things out with a 7-2 push.  A "3" from the right top area by Thompson at the 9:00 mark and a short, turnaround jumper by Fokken at the 8:04 mark cut the deficit down to eleven points at 44-33.  Thompson would then get sent to the charity stripe at the 7:19 mark after getting fouled and her two free throws had CSB back in single-digit range again trailing 44-35 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sin felt compelled to call a thirty-second timeout in hopes of reversing this trend.  A Renikoff score in the paint at the 7:06 mark helped UST slow the enemy drive a bit but the Blazers kept scratching and clawing away.  Fingalsen connected with a lay-up at the 6:53 mark and one Fokken free throw at the 6:28 mark reduced the deficit to eight points at 46-38.  A Fokken jumper in the lane at the 5:57 mark and two free throws by Schiffler with 4:06 left now had the deficit cut down to five points at 47-42.  The Tommies were able to increase their saftey net a bit as Porter snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:37 left and two Renikoff free throws with 1:27 left got UST's lead back to nine points at 41-42 although the Blazers trimmed that gap to eight points when Fingalsen dropped one free throw with :04.4 left.  Still, CSB's deficit was much more manageable at eight points at 51-43 and the fact that the Blazers outscored UST 15-9 in the third period provided a measure of hope going into the fourth period. 

But one thing about the Tommies that so many other opponents have learned the hard way over the years is that they really have a knack for upping the level of their game when challenged and any hope that the Blazers had of a comeback were dashed quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth period as UST embarked on a 12-1 run that changed this one for good.  A Spaulding lay-up at the 8:53 mark got the Tommie lead back up to double digits again at 53-43 and then things really started spiraling out of control for CSB.  After the Blazers' Durbin called a thirty-second timeout, UST really went to work.  Spaulding got into the paint for a score at the 8:29 mark and a jumper from near the left elbow area by Fischer at the 8:07 mark got the Tommie lead to thirteen points at 57-44.  Two three-point daggers by Renikoff pointed the way to ultimate victory - one from the left corner at the 7:31 mark and the other one from the right corner at the 7:00 mark for a 63-44 UST lead - and CSB's Durbin saw this one getting away from his team as clearly as a candle goes out and he was clamoring for a halt to the action to try and prevent the inevitable.  But the Blazers were only able to make nicks and dents in the deficit the rest of the way as UST slowly put surely pulled away for good.  After Fokken connected with a pretty reverse lay-up at the 6:36 mark, the Tommies finished things up.  Spaulding snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" by the former Annandale standout got UST's lead to 66-46 at the 6:10 mark.  Brazil dropped two free throws at the 5:47 mark and two more by Elsa Anderson at the 5:07 mark got the Tommie lead to 70-47.  Elsa Anderson would get a three-point play herself with 1:36 left when she knocked down a jumper in the lane and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" had UST up 73-51.  Freshman reserve guard Macy Hatlestad got two late scores for the Tommies as well - a jumper from the right elbow with :51.4 left and two free throws with :24.5 left as UST rolled to a 77-52 victory. 

While extremely pleased with her team's efforts, UST's Sinn did express some frustration afterward about the foul count as CSB was able to get to the charity stripe more often and the Tommies foul count far exceeded that of the Blazers.  Still, Sinn was able to get beyond that and look at the bigger picture as UST faces yet another test this next Wednesday when GAC comes into Schoenecker Arena for another big showdown.  I asked both Sinn and Assistant Coach Brian Silk afterward if they were at all concerned about the Tommies peaking perhaps too soon but both pooh-poohed the notion and said that they can indeed get even better.  Sinn thinks that one of the areas that her team has made progress since the loss to Luther is on the mental front.  She noted that in this game today her squad did miss some easy "bunny" shots at times and in the Luther game she felt that that would hurt them on the defensive end.  But in this game today and last Wednesday at Bethel, the squad didn't let those things bother them.  I think the other impressive thing about UST right now is that Sinn can go to her bench and get her younger players some quality minutes and in turn, get them some valuable experience as well.  Hatlestad, freshman reserve guard Madi Radtke, Porter, Elsa Anderson and junior reserve guard and former Park Center standout McKenna DuBois all got minutes and are able to contribute on both ends of the floor.  And, keep in mind as well that UST was still without the services of sophomore guard Sarah Krynski who missed the game with Bethel as well and Porter was able to come back today after missing out last Wednesday.  Meanwhile, a disappointed Durbin pointed to several factors in his squad's downfall on this day but couldn't help point out that UST is simply stronger and bigger than his team; and that appears to be especially true in the backcourt area.  The Blazers did a very good job of getting the deficit down to five points in the third period but even there Durbin admitted that his squad had to work awfully hard just to achieve that and that "they were gassed afterwards."  Still Durbin believes in his squad and that they can still do a lot of big things down the stretch of the regular season and get themselves into position for an NCAA Tournament bid.  UST had four players in double figures scoring wise and it was yet another outstanding day for Spaulding who is making an incredibly strong case for POY honors as she netted 23 points on this day.  Renikoff had 14 points and both Fischer and Elsa Anderson had 10 points a piece.  CSB had three players in double figures with Fokken leading the way with her 15 points while both Thompson and Schiffler had 10 points a piece.  I imagine that Durbin could only shake his head in total dismay when he saw that UST pounded the Blazers on the boards on this day by a 42-24 count not to mention the fact that the Tommies had a sizable edge in those all-important "second chance" points by a 14-7 count and that UST had a 28-16 edge in points in the paint as well.