Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 8-1-18

The last night of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League wrapped up with two semifinal games and a championship game and here's how things unfolded on this night:


6:00 P.M. Game

Southwest Minnesota State - 55
Rusty Pipes - 51  OT


6:55 P.M. Game

UST Purple - 41
Concordia St. Paul - 37


7:45 P.M. Game

Southwest Minnesota State - 42
UST Purple - 40


Three very good games on this night and fittingly so to close things out for this summer.  First, in the 6:00 P.M. slot, the Southwest Minnesota State team got off to a very good start against the Rusty Pipes team with a three-point bomb and held a 5-0 lead early on and led 10-5 midway through the first period.  But the Rusty Pipes soon got their groove back thanks to former Hamline standout Jordan Sammons ('15) and they turned the tables with a run to hold a 16-15 lead by the start of the second period.  The Southwest Minnesota State team responded with an 8-3 run to retake the lead at 23-19 midway through the second period and they maintained that four-point edge to lead 31-27 by the halftime break.  The Southwest Minnesota State team still held that four-point edge at 35-31 midway through the third period and some timely three-point shooting helped them stretch that lead to 43-33 but the Rusty Pipes team soon got on a run of their own and a three-point bomb by former St. Kate's standout Alexis Garcia ('18) helped the Rusty Pipes team cut the deficit down to five points at 45-40 by the start of the fourth period.  The Rusty Pipes team soon had the deficit down to one point at 45-44 early in the fourth period and a short jumper by former St. Kate's standout Kennedy Jennings ('17) got the Rusty Pipes team the lead back at 49-48 with 7:00 left and they held that lead at the midway point of the fourth period.  The Southwest Minnesota State team regained the lead at 50-49 with 2:10 left but the Rusty Pipes team soon took it back at 51-50 with 1:46 left.  One free throw by the Southwest Minnesota State team tied the game at 51-all with under a minute left and the Southwest Minnesota State team would get a crack at winning this one in regulation when a foul was called with :06 left but they missed the free throw attempt and a desperation three-point attempt by the Rusty Pipes team missed at the buzzer so off to the extra two-minute overtime period we went.  With :30 left, the Southwest Minnesota State team took a 53-51 lead but the Rusty Pipes team still had one good opportunity left.  Sammons tried to connect down low but her shot just missed its mark and had to foul after the defensive rebound by the Southwest Minnesota State team.  The Southwest Minnesota State team this time made good on the two insurance free throw attempts to hang on for an incredibly exciting win.   

Another great semifinal game took place in the 6:55 P.M. slot between the Concordia St. Paul team and the UST Purple team.  This one was very tight in the early going with the game tied at 6-all midway through the first period although the Concordia St. Paul team managed to get on a bit of a spurt down the stretch of the opening period to hold an 11-7 lead once the second period got underway.  But the UST Purple team had an answer of its own once the second period got underway and a jumper by senior-to-be Hannah Spaulding put the UST Purple team out in front by a 14-13 count midway through the second period.  Now it was the Concordia St. Paul team's turn for a run and a 7-0 push by them put them up 20-14 late in the second period although the UST team would trim the deficit down to four points at the half at 22-18.  The UST Purple team got a boost early on in the third period as a tough score by Spaulding in the paint that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" cut the deficit to one point at 22-21.  But the Concordia St. Paul team responded with a 6-0 burst that had them up 28-21 midway through the third period and they still held a 30-25 advantage once the fourth period got underway.  The UST Purple team pulled to within one again early on in the third period thanks to a Spaulding score in the paint making it a 31-30 game and a short time later a Spaulding "3" had this one tied up at 33 a piece.  The UST Purple team took at 35-33 lead early on in the fourth period but freshman newcomer Riley Wheatcraft's lay-up in transition for the Concordia St. Paul team had this one tied at 35.  The UST Purple team reclaimed the lead at 37-35 with under 2:00 left and pushed the lead to 39-35 with just :50 left.  Two free throws by the Concordia St. Paul team cut the deficit down to two points but senior-to-be Lucia Renikoff's two free throws with :18 left iced this one for the UST Purple team as they advanced to the championship game.

So finally it all came down to the championship game in the 7:45 P.M. slot and it definitely was a great one to watch.  The Southwest Minnesota State team jumped out to a 4-0 lead and they led 6-2 midway through the first period.  The UST Purple team may have been feeling a little fatigue early on and a late "3" by the Southwest Minnesota State team got them a 9-4 advantage by the start of the second period.  The UST Purple team got back to within a single possession on a pretty shot off the glass by Renikoff that made it a 14-11 game and that helped propel them on a push that allowed them to jump into the lead for the first time in this game at 15-14 late in the second period and the UST Purple team pushed that lead to three points at 19-16 by the halftime break.  The UST Purple team looked to take control early on in the third period and a Spaulding score that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" gave them a 25-18 lead and had them in good shape.  But back-to-back three-point bombs by the Southwest Minnesota State team soon cut the deficit down to two points at 27-25 midway through the third period and although the UST Purple team led 35-34 by the start of the fourth period, the momentum they had built after the halftime break seemed to be slowly slipping away.  Still, the UST Purple team got a big boost on a three-point bomb by senior-to-be and former Park Center standout McKenna DuBois early on in the fourth period that briefly got the safety net back up to four points at 38-34 and they still led 39-37 midway through the fourth period.  The UST Purple team still had the lead at 40-37 with under 2:00 left but a three-point bomb by the Southwest Minnesota State team suddenly knotted this game at 40 with just under a minute left.  With :36 left, the Southwest Minnesota State team got a lay-up to take the lead at 42-40 and the UST Purple team would commit a costly turnover on their ensuing possession.  The Southwest Minnesota State team was unable to push the lead further at the charity stripe and the UST Purple team had one last chance with :06 left but they were unable to connect when they needed to.

It was definitely a great time at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League this year and I just want to thank Tanysha Scott and her staff along with the players and parents and fans who attended.