CSB vs UST 2-17-18

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town and UST's Schoenecker Arena on this sunny and very pleasant Saturday afternoon to take in the titanic clash of the top two teams in the MIAC - visiting CSB which made its way down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline and host UST.  The Blazers were coming into this contest on something of a roll since losing to the Tommies back on 1-20-18; winning seven straight including the Wednesday night battle at home with GAC and were 16-1 in MIAC play and 22-2 overall.  The Tommies meanwhile were unblemished in MIAC play at 17-0 and were 22-2 overall and it seemed clear not only that both teams were likely "locks" for the NCAA Tournament but that this regular season finale could likely be a little preview of things to come next Saturday in the MIAC Championship Game.  I got over to Schoenecker Arena early enough but because it was a doubleheader day with CSB's neighbor SJU taking on UST in the 1:00 P.M. men's game, the place was jam-packed and over-capacity and I was forced to sit upstairs for nearly 45 minutes before the men's game finally concluded and spectators could enter the Arena.  This was also Senior Day at UST as well as Tommie seniors Maddie Wolkow and Lauren Fischer were honored before the game.

The one thing that CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin likely hoped wouldn't happen would be for his team to get into a big hole early on yet that is precisely what happened as the Tommies came out of the gate on fire.  Junior post Hannah Spaulding started things off with a score in the paint at the 9:37 mark and a "3" from the left corner by Wolkow at the 8:52 mark quickly had UST up 5-0.  Another score in the paint by Spaulding at the 8:37 mark had the Tommies up by a touchdown at 7-0 and CSB's Durbin wasted little time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make some quick adjustments.  Blazer senior forward/post Nikki Fokken finally broke the ice with her lay-up at the 7:28 mark but a 19-4 UST blitz turned the screws even tighter on its opponent.  Fischer drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:13 mark and another routine Spaulding score in the paint at the 6:48 mark got the lead to ten points at 12-2.  Fokken tried to reverse CSB's crumbling fortunes with another lay-up at the 6:30 mark but the Tommies' Fischer found the range again from the top of the key behind the arc at the 6:16 mark to make it 15-4.  A short shot off the glass by Spaulding at the 5:31 mark and a jumper in the lane by freshman reserve guard Kaia Porter at the 5:04 mark pushed the lead to 19-6 and a three-point bomb from the left corner by sophomore reserve guard Sarah Krynski with 4:37 left got the lead to 22-6 and the Blazers' Durbin was now clamoring for a full timeout seeing this thing disintegrate before his eyes so early.  Still, UST would cap this run with two more scores as sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson knocked down a jumper along the right baseline with 4:02 left and a score in the paint by Porter with 3:19 left gave the Tommies a twenty-point cushion at 26-6 before Fokken could try and come to the rescue for CSB is her score in the paint with 2:53 left.  To make matters worse for the Blazers, UST would end this first period on a 7-2 push.  Elsa Anderson connected with a jumper along the left baseline with 2:25 left and then Spaulding got into the paint for yet another score that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" got the Tommies' lead to 31-8.  Still another score in the paint by Spaulding with 1:37 left got the UST lead to 33-8 before Blazer freshman guard Megan Thompson got a bit of spotlight with a coast-to-coast lay-up with just :00.2 left in the opening period but CSB was caught between a rock and a hard place down 33-10 going into the second period.

A short pull-up jumper by Tommie junior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 9:19 mark of the second period extended UST's lead to 35-10 and it looked as if this could be a rout of similar proportions to what we saw last year when the Blazers visited Schoenecker Arena.  But whatever CSB's Durbin told his squad during the end of period break seemed to have an enormous effect on his squad as they slowly but surely started cutting into the sizable cushion they were facing.  Fokken knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 8:49 mark that started a 9-2 Blazer push.  One free throw by senior forward/wing Chelsey Guetter at the 8:09 mark and a score in the paint by Fokken at the 6:39 mark had the deficit down to twenty-two points at 37-15 and a Guetter lay-up in transition at the 6:16 mark cut the deficit down to twenty points at 37-17 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn; not liking how her usually-stout defense was suddenly giving up points, called a timeout to try and make some adjustments.  But CSB was just getting warmed up as they made a 16-7 push down the stretch of the second period.  Two free throws by senior post Kate Banovetz at the 5:13 mark started this second push and although UST retaliated with a three-point bomb by junior guard Lucia Renikoff from the left top area with 3:19 left but the Blazers' Thompson would get on a hot streak of her own.  The former Holy Angels standout drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:55 left and followed that up with two free throws with 2:18 left that not only slimmed the deficit down to sixteen points at 40-24 but now the Tommies' Wolkow had collected her second foul of the afternoon as well.  Then Thompson; with ice water running in her veins, dropped a cold-blooded "3" from the left wing area with 1:33 left that closed the gap to thirteen points at 40-27.  Blazer freshman reserve forward Maddie Schmitz also got in on the act and the former Albany standout banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 1:09 left that now had the deficit down to twelve points at 42-30.  UST's Fischer tried to give her team some more breathing room with a jumper from the left elbow area with :53 left but CSB's Guetter would have the last hurrah of this wild first half with her three-point bomb from the right corner off of an inbounds pass with :29 left that now had the deficit down to eleven points at 44-33.  To make matters even more alarming for the Tommies right before the halftime buzzer was that Wolkow was slapped with her third foul of the afternoon with :13.6 left so what once looked to be a tiptoe through the tulips for UST was suddenly turned into a lot of uncertainty as the teams shuffled off to their respective locker rooms for the halftime break.  A check of both the first and second period box scores reveals what a tale of two periods this game really was up to this point.  In the first period, UST shot an amazing 14-16 from FG range for a red-hot 87.5% and was 4-6 from behind the arc for 66.7%.  The Tommies fell off in the second period going just 5-15 from FG range for 33.3% and 1-8 from behind the arc for 12.5%.  CSB meanwhile was just 5-15 in FG range for 33.3% in the first period but that jumped to 7-15 for 46.7% in the second period and they were also 4-5 from behind the arc in the second period for 80%.  Looking at the first period as a whole, CSB had a slight edge in total rebounds by a 16-14 count and turnovers were about the same with the Blazers guilty of eight and the Tommies of seven.  So while things were looking far better for CSB by the halftime break, you can bet that Durbin would have loved to have been able to replay that first period again.

But to the Blazers credit, they seemed to find that same spark at the beginning of the third period and that spark was ignited by a great defensive play by Guetter; the former Wabasso standout as she picked off an errant pass and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 9:08 mark that now had CSB back in single-digit range down 44-35.  Another Fokken score in the paint at the 8:29 mark and another Thompson three-point bomb - this one from the right top area at the 7:50 mark - suddenly had the Blazers down by only six at 46-40.  A lay-up by Blazer junior reserve guard/forward Breanna Gates at the 7:04 mark had the deficit down to five points at 47-42 and it looked as if CSB was ready to pounce on the opportunity.  It was here, however, where the the Blazers seemed to run out of some gas and UST started to slowly right the ship.  A Spaulding score in the paint at the 6:27 mark got the Tommies some more breathing space with a 49-42 advantage and with 4:35 left in the third period, CSB's Guetter was tagged with her third foul of the afternoon which momentarily took away a big piece of the Blazer attack.  UST's Wolkow delivered a dagger "3" from the left wing area with 3:15 left to get the Tommie lead to ten points at 52-42 and another Spaulding score in the paint with 1:23 left maintained the ten-point edge at 54-44.  Then it was Brazil; the former Norwood-Young America standout delivering back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the right corner with :44 left and the other one from the right wing with just :00.4 left - that bulged UST's lead to a much safer sixteen-point margin at 60-44 and the Blazers definitely appeared to be right back in the same spot that they were at the end of the first period.

But one thing that I'm sure had to make Durbin and the large CSB contingent in the stands on this afternoon was the heart and fight this Blazer team showed when they appeared to be on the brink.  Last year's team likely would have folded much earlier and this contest long since decided.  But this group; down by double-digits, battened down the hatches and hunkered down and fought its way back.  One of the reasons that CSB was able to make its way back in the second period and a good chunk of the third period was the 2-3 "match-up" zone defense that Durbin was employing on this day and having Gates; the 5'10" Lake City native out on the front end of it really helped pay dividends in slowing the normally potent Tommie attack.  A Fokken lay-up at the 9:16 mark of the fourth period started an 18-4 Blazer push that definitely changed the complexion of this contest.  Another Fokken lay-up at the 8:29 mark cut UST's lead down to 62-48 and less than a minute later the Tommies suffered a near triple-whammy.  For starters, the speedy Thompson of CSB whizzed downcourt for a lay-up in transition at the 7:56 mark and drew a foul in the process from UST's Wolkow which was her fourth and she was slow in getting up after the collision.  Thompson dropped the obligatory free throw to cut the deficit down to eleven points at 62-51 but what was even worse for the Tommies was that, even when Thompson was speeding her way down the court, UST's Spaulding took an inadvertent shot to the head on the other end and was down and had to come off after the officials blew their whistles.  To make matters worse, Renikoff took an inadvertent shot to the head area as well a bit later at the 7:15 mark and she too, came off the court slowly and both her and Spaulding were led off the court for concussion protocol.  As such, this gave CSB an opening to draw closer.  Fokken knocked down a short jumper at the 7:01 mark to get the Blazers back into single-digit range down 62-53 and a coast-to-coast lay-up by Guetter at the 6:43 mark cut the deficit down to seven points at 62-55 and UST's Sinn called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of slowing this Blazer drive.  CSB was doing a great job with their 2-3 "match-up" zone defense as the Tommies went into an extended drought; and without Spaulding down low UST found few cracks to penetrate.  A Guetter drive and finish drew the Blazers closer down 62-57 and after Durbin called a timeout to go over strategy and to give his squad an opportunity to catch their collective breaths, CSB continued with their comeback bid.  Schmitz connected with a jumper from the left corner just inside the arc with 3:04 left that suddenly had the Blazers back within a single possession and a Fokken jumper from the right elbow area with 2:35 left kept CSB in that three-point range down 64-61.  With 1:52 left, Fokken would get sent to the charity stripe and she got the front-end of the one-and-one to go down that now had the Blazers down by a tantalizing two points at 64-62.  But with things now hanging in the balance, UST's experience and leadership came through for them in the clutch.  With the Tommies carefully working the ball around the perimeter, trying to stretch out that 2-3 zone of CSB, Renikoff finally got the look she wanted and with 1:28 left, she buried a cold-blooded "3" from the right top area to give the Tommies some much-needed breathing room with a 67-62 lead.  But UST was far from out of the woods just yet and with 1:07 left, Fokken connected with a lay-up that once again brought the Blazers back to within a single-possession down 67-64.  Wolkow would misfire on a three-point attempt on UST's ensuing possession so now CSB had the chance it was waiting for all game long.  Fokken would get sent to the charity stripe with :46.4 left but the former Pine Island standout was unable to connect on either free throw attempt which still left the deficit at three points.  The Tommies tried to eat as much clock as they could and with :15 left, Fischer misfired on a three-point attempt so now CSB had one last chance left.  Durbin called a timeout to try and set up a play and on the ensuing Blazer possession, Guetter; perhaps a bit anxiously, let loose with a three-point attempt from the right top area that missed its mark completely.  Thompson was able to grab the offensive rebound and she got the ball to Guetter again but she was unable to connect with her lay-up attempt with scant seconds left and UST escaped with a 67-64 victory to claim yet another undefeated MIAC regular season title.

As disappointing as this was for the Blazers to come up just short, I couldn't help but be impressed by the resolve and heart and their ability to fight back when they got down by so much early on.  That was something we obviously didn't see last year and I think that alone shows you how much this team has grown since then.  Moreover, I think this CSB team has made great strides since I saw them get thumped by this same UST team up at Claire Lynch back in January.  Part of the reason I think has been the emergence of Gates who came up big in the road win at Bethel a few weeks back plus I think the Blazer backcourt has improved immensely as well.  It appeared to be a possible weak link not that long ago but Thompson has shown that she can definitely be a real threat from behind the arc which helps take some of the load off of the front line trio of Fokken, Banovetz and Guetter.  Durbin, too, was very proud of his squad when I caught up with him afterward.  "These kids will never disappoint me" he said.  "They may frustrate me at times but they'll never disappoint me."  Again, I think the Blazers are a "lock" for the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens this next week but I suspect that this CSB group may not be content with just getting in.  They now know what they have to do in order to win the MIAC Playoffs this next week and you certainly can't put that goal out of their reach.  Meanwhile for UST, you simply have to give credit where credit is due.  Time and time again this group has been challenged and, more often than not, they find a way to respond.  Great leadership and equally great coaching have had their roles in this program's continued success.  As Sinn told me afterward, "We managed!"  The big question now looming in the Tommies' immediate future is the availability of Spaulding who was diagnosed with a concussion afterward and had a pretty good bump on her forehead according to Sinn.  She'll have to go through the normal protocol when it comes to concussions so let's hope that she can get through this with flying colors and get back on the court where she belongs.  Despite coming out early, Spaulding still finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tommie attack and, somewhat surprisingly, it was Brazil who was the only other UST play in double-digits with 14 points.  Despite the disappointing outcome for CSB, it was a fantastic day for Fokken as her 25 points led all scorers while Thompson wasn't far behind with her 18 points - with nine of those points coming from behind the arc - and Guetter finished with a solid 12 points.  Durbin certainly can't gripe too much with how his squad shot on this day as they went 26-59 from FG range for 44.1% and 5-10 for a straight 50% from behind the arc.  UST cooled off dramatically after that hot first period but still finished with a decent 28-62 from FG range for 45.2% and were 9-29 from behind the arc for 31%.  UST had a slight edge on the boards by a 36-33 count although the Tommies had more turnovers at 18-15.  CSB did have a decided edge in points in the paint by a 36-24 count which has to be encouraging for Durbin and his staff.  IMHO, the big thing in a tight contest; particularly when you're playing a great team like UST, is that your margin for error is so (expletive deleted) small and you've simply GOT to take advantage of every opportunity that you get.  CSB didn't always do that - especially when things got tight late.  And Augsburg found that out the hard way as well a mere week and a half ago.