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Monday, November 26, 2018

UW-River Falls vs Bethel 11-20-18


Tuesday evening on this Thanksgiving week found me over at Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University as the host Royals were getting set to host a key non-conference clash with UW-River Falls out of the WIAC.  Bethel had come off of an impressive showing at the Gustavus Classic the previous weekend as they handily defeated both Martin Luther and UM-Morris while the Falcons were coming into this contest with a so-so 3-3 record; their most previous outing being a heartbreaking loss at home to another MIAC team, St. Kate's.  Still, there was no reason to believe that this couldn't  be a very good, very close game given that the Falcons had already knocked off GAC in their season opener at home 73-67.

Indeed, UW-River Falls got off to a very solid start in this contest; building a 6-0 lead in the first few finutes as the Royals struggled offensively.  Freshman guard Jenna Zeman got things started for the Falcons with a lay-up at the 8:55 mark of the opening period and a drive into the lane and finish by strong junior guard Lori Wardynski at the 8:08 mark built the UW-River Falls lead to 4-0.  The Falcons capped this opening burst on an offensive rebound for a putback by senior post Madelyn O'Brien at the 7:11 mark before Bethel could finally get untracked to launch a 6-0 run of their own.  Sophomore forward Makenna Pearson's "3" from the right wing area cut the deficit in half at the 6:37 mark and one free throw after a steal by sophomore guard Danielle Williams at the 5:47 mark reduced the deficit down to two points at 6-4.  Willowy senior post Hannah Johnson's score in the paint with 4:34 left tied the game at six a piece and a lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz with 3:53 left kept the game tied at 8-all.  The Royals finally poked their nose out in front when junior point guard and former Maple Grove standout Haylee Barker made a hard drive into the lane for a finish with 3:17 left and a 10-8 advantage.  Right back came UW-River Falls, however, as strong junior forward Crystal Pearson connected with a lay-up and was fouled in the process and her "and one" propelled the Falcons back out in front by an 11-10 count.  That lead expanded when savvy senior forward Taylor Paulsrud drained a "3" from the right corner with 1:12 left that made it 14-10 but Bethel was able to climb back to a one-point game when freshman reserve guard Tessa Anderson banged home a "3" from the right wing area with :57 left that made it 14-13 as the game morphed into the second period.

The Falcons managed to hold the upper hand for the first five minutes of the second half.  Paulsrud dropped two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 9:04 mark and a Crystal Pearson lay-up at the 8:32 mark helped keep the UW-River Falls lead at three points at 18-15.  The Royals managed to poke their nose out in front momentarily as Johnson connected with a lay-up at the 7:27 mark and Williams was able to snare a steal of an inbounds pass and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 7:05 mark for a 19-18 Bethel lead but that lead was short-lived as the Falcons came right back to take it away.  Paulsrud struck again from three-point land at the 6:39 mark - this one coming from the right top area to give UW-River Falls a 21-19 lead and reserve junior guard Jane Lindstrom made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 5:41 mark to get the Falcon lead to four points at 23-19 and things at that point seemed pretty good for the visitors from the other side of the St. Croix River.  But the Royals calmly righted the ship and slowly set forth to take the reigns of this game.  A Johnson score in the paint narrowed the deficit down to two points at 23-21 and further complicating the situation for UW-River Falls was that Wardynski soon hobbled over to the Falcon bench with an apparent injury and would not return.  Barker came alive on defense for Bethel as she snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up at the 5:15 mark to tie the contest at 23 a piece and then Schwarz muscled into the paint for a score with 4:53 left and was fouled in the process and her obligatory free throw pushed the Royals out in front 26-23.  UW-River Falls tried to take the momentum back as a Lindstrom score in the paint with 4:43 left and a Crystal Pearson "3" from the top of the key with 4:02 left had the Falcons back out in front 28-26 but that advantage did not last long as the Royals ended the period with an 8-1 burst.  Johnson connected with a lay-up with 3:43 left to tie the game and two Williams free throws with 3:08 left pushed Bethel back out in front 30-28.  Then Barker made a drive and finished it with a pretty left-handed lay-up with deft touch with 2:43 left.  Two Johnson free throws with 1:44 left had the Royals up 34-28 before UW-River Falls could get one more point on the board in the form of a charity stripe shot by freshman reserve forward Brianna Leahy with 1:03 left.  That finished up the scoring for the first half but it was clear by now that Bethel had managed to grab control of the contest as both teams headed off to the locker room for the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score reveals a pretty close game as both teams shot reasonably well from FG range - UW-River Falls shooting 10-25 for 40% and Bethel going 13-29 for 44.8%.  The Falcons were hot behind the arc, too, going 6-7 for 85.7% compared Bethel's 6-11 for 54.5%.  Rebounding was close as well with Bethel holding an 18-16 edge there but what likely caught UW-River Falls first-year Head Coach Derek Staley's eyes at the halftime break was that the Falcons shot only 3-10 from the charity stripe for a measly 30%; thus leaving a significant amount of points on the table.

UW-River Falls managed to pull close again in the opening minutes of the third period as O'Brien connected with a lay-up at the 9:46 mark to get the Falcons back in single-possession range again down 34-31 and a short jumper by Paulsrud at the 9:20 mark cut the deficit to a single point at 34-33.  Bethel junior forward Taite Anderson; held scoreless in the first half, decided it was time to show up in the third period as she muscled into the paint for one score at the 8:57 mark and dropped one free throw at the 8:29 mark for a 37-33 Royal lead.  UW-River Falls would again close to one point when Zeman unleashed a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:41 mark but the Royals' Taite Anderson would not be denied when her team needed her.  A Taite Anderson lay-up at the 6:57 mark sparked an 8-0 Bethel run that really helped change the complexion of this one.  At the 5:42 mark, Taite Anderson muscled into the paint again for a score to push the Royals lead to five at 41-36 and a Taite Anderson lay-up at the 5:18 mark now made it a 43-36 ballgame.  Then Makenna Pearson connected with a lay-up with 4:52 left to get the lead to nine at 45-36 and UW-River Falls' Staley knew full and well this one was starting to get away from his team and he called for a halt to the action to get his troops reorganized.  But even that stoppage in play did not deter the Royals from expanding their lead as they went on a 6-0 run to end the third period and complicating the situation for the Falcons was that Crystal Pearson got saddled with her third foul with 4:09 left.  Bethel took its cue from there as one score in the paint by Taite Anderson with 3:54 left and another one by Schwarz with 2:36 left now had the Royals up double-digits at 49-36 and a Johnson lay-up with just :31 left in the third period pushed UW-River Falls to the brink as the Falcons were now down 51-36.

UW-River Falls tried desperately to cut into this cushion in the early moments of the fourth period as Leahy connected with a lay-up at the 9:39 mark and a hard drive into the lane and a finish off the glass by Zeman at the 8:57 mark got the deficit down to eleven at 51-40.  One Zeman free throw at the 8:12 mark kept the deficit at eleven points at 52-41 and a three-point bomb by Paulsrud who connected from the top of the key at the 7:41 mark offered a wisp of hope with the deficit at ten points at 54-44.  However, any momentum that the Falcons may have had at this point promptly went flying out the window when Wardynski; who had just committed an untimely turnover, apparently uttered something not appreciated by the officials and was slapped with a technical foul at the 7:00 mark.  Bethel's Johnson sank the two obligatory free throws to get the lead back to twelve points at 56-44 and a bit later Johnson would use her 6'1" frame to gracefully slither into the paint for a score that made it 58-44.  Taite Anderson would do the same as well with 4:56 left to make it 60-44 and this 6-0 push effectively ended any hopes UW-River Falls may have had.  Paulsrud would strike for the Falcons with her steal and lay-up the other way with 3:20 left but UW-River Falls could never threaten again.  Williams would sink two insurance free throws with :49.9 left and the Royals bagged an important 62-47 non-conference win. 

I caught up with Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer after the game and I gave him the three impressions I took away from this contest:  (1) Taite Anderson has definitely upped the level of her game from last year.  Herbrechtsmeyer - "Taite's probably playing her best basketball right now."  (2) I really thought Bethel turned up the defensive heat a notch or two beginning at the midway point of the second period.  Herbrechtsmeyer - "We were able to extend the floor with our defense to get some turnovers."  (3) If there was one fly in the ointment from this win, it was probably free throw shooting.  "Herbrechtsmeyer - "That's definitely an area we need to clean up.....We let UM-Morris hang around more than we should have in our last game with poor free throw shooting.  We've got to clean that up."  Probably the other thing that likely irked Herbrechtsmeyer afterward was that his squad got outrebounded by UW-River Falls on this night by a 38-35 count but that small advantage was likely negated by the fact that the Falcons were guilty of 32 turnovers on this night; many of them the product of the tough trademark Bethel defense.  The fact that the Falcons also shot only 17-47 from FG range for the game for 36.2% says a lot about how well Bethel played defensively on this night and you know it will only get better as the season progresses.  UW-River Falls had only two players in double figures on this night - Paulsrud with 15 points and Crystal Pearson with 11 points.  The Royals were paced by Hannah Johnson's 18 points while Taite Anderson was right behind with 16 points.  One more important stat to point out - Bethel had a sizable edge in those all-important points in the paint (thanks to both Johnson and Taite Anderson) by a 44-22 count. 

Friday, November 23, 2018

Northwestern vs Hamline 11-14-18


Was over at venerable Hutton Arena on this Wednesday night of Beat SC week to take in another intriguing UMAC-MIAC women's hoops matchup - this one featuring visiting Northwestern which made its way down Snelling Avenue to take on host Hamline.  The Eagles had to survive an overtime scare against St. Kate's at home two nights ago while the Pipers had cruised to an easy win against Crown just five days before.  This would be my first look at this incredibly young Hamline team that features three freshman starters and a host of youngsters coming off the bench. 

Northwestern would strike first in this contest on a lay-up by junior forward Rio Landers at the 9:26 mark of the opening period but the Pipers would poke their nose out in front on a three-point bomb by freshman guard Ayanna Gardner at the 8:16 mark.  The Eagles would answer that with another Landers lay-up at the 7:45 mark for a 4-3 Northwestern lead.  But one that was becoming evident early on even to the most casual observer was that this would be a contrast between styles with the Eagles preference for a slower, half-court game and the fast, up-tempo style favored by Hamline and it became quite clear over the next few minutes that the speed and athleticism of this young Piper team would be a handful and then some for Northwestern and it was here that the Pipers made their first significant move of the game in the form of an eye-popping 19-2 run.  Freshman guard and former Cretin-Derham Hall standout Chan'el Anderson-Manning drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 6:12 mark and one free throw by junior forward Reilly Geistfeld a bit later at the 5:58 mark had Hamline up 7-4.  A "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard Morgen Coleman at the 5:22 mark pushed the Piper lead to 10-4 and then fellow junior reserve guard Kaeli Stayer banged home a "3" from the same right wing area with 4:56 left that suddenly had Hamline up 13-4.  The Eagles temporarily halted this run on a lay-up by sophomore forward Miranda Crenshaw with 2:56 left but the Pipers were just getting started.  Freshman guard Sophie Findell drilled "3" from the left top area with 2:36 left and then Gardner drained her second trey of the night from the left top area with 2:10 left for a 19-6 Hamline lead and Eagle Head Coach Aaron Kahl had seen enough to know a full timeout was warranted.  Still, the Pipers were able to close out the first period on one more Geistfeld freebie with 1:40 left and then Gardner snared a steal and got a lay-up out of it and drew a foul in the process and although the former DeLaSalle standout couldn't cash in on the "and one", Hamline was holding a sizable 22-6 advantage to start the second period. 

Northwestern needed desperately to get off on the right foot once the second period got going and a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc by willowy freshman reserve guard Brooklyn DeKam at the 9:43 mark was certainly a step in the right direction but the Eagles needed to sustain a run of their own to significantly close the gap and that proved to be a daunting task.  Hamline would increase its lead to 26-8 on a lay-up by sophomore reserve guard Molly Wampler at the 8:42 mark and a Stayer jumper from the left elbow area at the 8:22 mark.  Eagle freshman guard Kelsea Lund drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 8:01 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior guard Jazinae Patterson with 4:09 left had the deficit down to fifteen at 28-13 but Hamline would proceed to bury its UMAC opponent again.  A Geistfeld score in the paint with 3:46 left and a lay-up after a steal by Anderson-Manning with 3:35 left got the Piper lead to 32-13 and Northwestern's Kahl was forced to take a match to another timeout.  The Eagles would manage to get on a 6-0 push to try and tighten things up as Patterson connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 2:31 left and two lay-ups by senior guard Amy Berglund - one with 2:07 left and another with 1:56 left - had the deficit down to thirteen points at 32-19 but Hamline's Coleman would put an exclamation point on this surprising Piper first half with a three-point bomb from the left wing area with :39 left as both teams went into the locker room at the half with Hamline up by a sizable 35-19 count.  It had to have been a doom and gloom atmosphere in the Northwestern locker room once Kahl and his staff got a hold of the first half box score that revealed that the Eagles shot only 9-26 from FG range for 34.6% and only 1-4 from behind the arc for 25%.  But what likely made Kahl reach for the Rolaids was the fact that the Eagles were guilty of 17 turnovers in the first half alone.  It wasn't that Hamline was necessarily shooting that much better but they definitely put up more shots than their opponent and the percentages worked in their favor as they went 13-40 from FG range for 32.5% and were 7-15 from behind the arc for 46.7%.  Plus the fact that the Pipers committed only five turnovers in that first half was a big number as well along with 11 steals to boot.

And things just seemed to go from bad to worse for the Eagles once the third period got underway.  One free throw by Findell at the 8:30 mark and another three-point dagger by Stayer - this one from the right corner at the 6:38 mark - gave the Pipers a twenty-point cushion at 39-19 and Northwestern's Kahl could clearly see that his team was awfully close to the point of no return (if it wasn't there already).  Hamline freshman reserve guard Isy Obiazor knocked down a jumper from the left top area in transition at the 6:10 mark and a lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Violet Kennedy with 3:41 left gave the Pipers a 43-21 lead and two Gardner free throws with 3:02 left after she was fouled in transition pushed the lead to 45-21.  Northwestern would make an attempt to cut into the cushion as Landers connected with a lay-up with 2:40 left and Lund made good on a drive and finish with 1:28 left and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing free throw briefly got the Eagles inside that twenty-point range at 45-26.  But the Pipers wasted little time in pushing their lead beyond the twenty-point range again as one free throw by junior forward Aly Sartain with 1:19 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by the versatile Geistfeld had Hamline up 48-26.  And the Pipers would cap this third period with a score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Sarah Loken with just :13 left to give Hamline an almost insurmountable 50-26 advantage. 

And if there was any doubt about how this one was going to end up, the Pipers embarked on a 15-0 blitz to start the fourth and final period.  Coleman unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 9:31 mark and the North Branch native followed that up with a lay-up at the 8:34 mark that also drew a foul and her "and one" now had Hamline up by thirty at 56-26.  Stayer would knock down two free throws after getting fouled in a transition opportunity at the 8:16 mark and then Coleman knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 7:48 mark.  Stayer connected with a short jumper in transition at the 7:02 mark and then Kennedy capped this run when she scored inside and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw ballooned the lead to 65-26.  DeKam finally ended this extended drought for Northwestern with two free throws with 4:21 left but any hopes the Eagles may have had about coming back in this one had long gone out the window by this point.  De Kam would also connect with a jumper from the right wing area with 2:59 left and a nifty steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore reserve guard Jordan Suave with 1:02 left added to Northwestern's total.  Eagle reserve guard Megan Stubbs also added two charity stripe shots with :36.3 left but Hamline sophomore reserve forward Jayda Bagstad wrote the final chapter of this book with her offensive rebound for a putback with :24 left as the Pipers rolled to a resounding 71-33 victory. 

I managed to catch up with Hamline second-year Head Coach Alex Focke afterward to congratulate him and his squad on the big win on this night and I mentioned to him that I didn't know if his team was trying to make a statement on this night but given the lopsided victory, it sure seemed like they did.  "I really didn't know what to expect" he replied.  "We could have won by twenty or we could have lost by twenty."  But a beaming Focke had every reason to feel optimistic after what he witnessed on this night from his team and he was in agreement when I mentioned the next big challenge is to try and find some consistency which is always a big task for a young team such as Hamline.  I also managed to catch up with Northwestern Assistant Coach Katie DeWitt-Severson afterward as well and while this game certainly seemed like a big step backwards for a squad that had such high hopes coming into the season, she was in agreement when I said that championships are not won or lost in November.  I think the Eagles can certainly be in the thick of things in the UMAC race but they can ill-afford to have totally off-nights like this.  What may have pleased Focke on this night more than anything is that he got contributions from so many different players on this night.  And it would be the Texas native; Stayer, leading the way for Hamline on this night with her 12 points while Coleman was right behind with 11 points and Gardner had 10 points.  Northwestern on the other hand had no player in double-figures scoring wise as Berglund, Lund and Landers had six points a piece on this dismal outing.  Hamline outrebounded the Eagles on this night by a 48-38 count but the 33 total turnovers that Northwestern had on this night likely made Kahl look for that ubiquitous bottle of Tylenol PM when he got home that night.       

Monday, November 19, 2018

St. Kate's vs Northwestern 11-12-18


Was back over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this Monday night of Beat SC week as the host Eagles were preparing for yet another non-conference opponent - the always-dangerous Wildcats of St. Kate's out of the MIAC.  The Eagles, of course, were coming off the disappointing home opener on Saturday night with UW-Eau Claire while this would be the first game for the Wildcats of this new 2018-19 season with a whole handful of new faces filtering out the roster.

Northwestern would get off to a solid start on this night as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening minutes of the first period.  Two free throws by sophomore forward Miranda Crenshaw at the 9:47 mark and a three-point bomb from the left wing area by speedy junior guard Jazinae Patterson at the 9:08 mark got the Eagles a 5-0 lead and a jumper along the left baseline by senior guard Amy Berglund at the 7:09 mark gave Northwestern that aforementioned 7-1 lead.  The Wildcats meanwhile struggled mightily with their shooting out of the gate and it wasn't until senior guard Audra Clark's short pull-up jumper in transition at the 6:31 mark that St. Kate's finally shook off the early doldrums.  Flashy junior backcourt mate Danica Cambrice finally got her stuff going and that helped the Wildcats mightily as well.  The former St. Croix Lutheran standout first got into the paint for a score with 4:30 left that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" suddenly had St. Kate's back to within a single possession down 9-6.  With 3:16 left, Cambrice would strike again with a short, turnaround jumper that cut the deficit down to one point at 9-8.  With just :49 left, Cambrice's athletic ability shined brightly again as she connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass that kept the Wildcats in that one-point range down 11-10 going into the second period.

St. Kate's managed to grab its first lead of the night when freshman newcomer forward Sam Orth made a hard drive for a finish at the 9:38 mark of the second period to make it a 12-11 ballgame but the Eagles quickly retook the lead as freshman guard Kelsea Lund connected with a short jumper at the 9:22 mark and a pretty one-handed shot in the lane by lanky junior forward Rio Landers at the 8:02 mark had Northwestern up 15-12.  Two Landers free throws at the 6:29 mark maintained the three-point lead at 17-14 but the Wildcats would knot the game at 17 a piece when freshman reserve guard Taylor Johnson drilled a "3" from the left corner at the 6:05 mark.  The Eagles would again take the lead on two Crenshaw charity stripe shots at the 5:40 mark but St. Kate's managed to poke its nose out in front again as Clark got sent to the charity stripe with 4:42 left.  While her front-end attempt was true, she missed on the back-end attempt but Orth managed to slither through Eagle defenders to grab the offensive rebound for a putback with 4:37 left to give the Wildcats a 20-19 edge.  Right back came Northwestern, however, as sophomore reserve guard Megan Stubbs dropped one free throw with 3:56 left to tie the game and a short turnaround jumper by Landers with 2:47 left had the Eagles back out in front 22-20.  Two free throws by junior reserve guard Audrey Lefto with 2:12 left not only increased that lead to 24-20 but the bigger concern on St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern's mind was the fact that his senior guard, Clark, got tagged with her third foul of the evening and now he had no choice but to get her on the pine for the remainder of the first half.  Fortunately for the 'Cats, Johnson; the newcomer out of Park High School, drained her second trey of the evening; this one from the left wing area with 1:53 left that cut the deficit down to one point at 24-23 and although Lund would drop two more free throws for Northwestern with just :04.2 left before the halftime buzzer, it had to be a glass half-full proposition for the 'Cats as the teams headed for the locker room for the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score shows that St. Kate's shot only 9-33 from FG range for for 27.3% and things were even more bleak from behind the arc as they went 2-10 for 20%.  Actually, Northwestern didn't shoot a whole lot better either going 8-20 for 40% from FG range and the Eagles were only 1-5 from three-point land for 20% as well.  And Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl had to grimace just a bit when he saw that his squad was guilty of ten first half turnovers.  So for Mulhern and his staff, being down by three at 26-23 wasn't an entirely bad proposition given how poorly they shot the ball.

St. Kate's quickly cut the deficit down to one point again in the opening moments of the third period when Clark wiggled through traffic for a lay-up at the 9:36 mark but the Eagles managed to respond with a push to pad their cushion.  Landers uncorked a "3" from the left corner at the 8:51 mark and a three-point bomb by Lund from the left wing area at the 8:19 mark suddenly had Northwestern up by seven at 32-25.  And the Wildcats problems were further complicated a short time later when Clark got slapped with her fourth foul of the night at the 6:38 mark and Mulhern was in no mood to take any chances and he quickly yanked the former Kenyon-Wannamingo standout off the floor for the time being.  With Clark off the floor, the Eagles were able to maintain the cushion they had.  Patterson made a drive into the lane for a finish with 4:36 left in the third period for a 34-27 Northwestern lead and two Landers charity stripe shots with 4:09 left maintained that seven-point edge at 36-29.  Then willowy freshman reserve guard Brooklyn DeKam knocked down a jumper from the right wing area with 3:03 left that increased the lead to nine points at 38-29 and things were starting to look a bit dire for St. Kate's at that moment.  But the Wildcats managed to regain themselves with their senior leader off the floor and closed the gap thanks to some timely three-point shooting.  Johnson banged home her third trey of this night with a bomb from the right wing area with 2:48 left and junior guard Jackie Radford; who had thus far been having a pretty quiet night, finally found her touch from behind the arc with a bomb from the right top area with 2:20 left that suddenly had St. Kate's back to within a single possession down 38-35.  With just :48 left in the third period, Radford struck again from behind the arc; this time from the left top area that now had the 'Cats down by just two at 40-38 and although Lefto would add to Northwestern's total with two free throws with :37.3 left, the Wildcats had to feel a lot better about themselves than they did in the early just a few short minutes ago.

And St. Kate's would waste little time in the early moments of the fourth period getting this one all knotted up again.  Cambrice connected with a jumper from the free throw line off of an inbounds pass at the 7:08 mark and Clark; now back in the game with those four fouls on her back, got two free throws to go down after getting fouled herself at the 5:57 mark to cut the deficit down to two points at 44-42.  Then the wily Clark snared a steal and went the other way and managed to connect with a jumper in the lane to tie the game at 44 a piece at the 5:37 mark.  The 'Cats would finally poke their nose out in front when Cambrice connected with a short jumper in transition with 3:10 left and both teams went into a bit of a defensive mode over the next minute and a half denying each other opportunities.  The Eagles managed to tie the game at 46 a piece when Lund was able to make a hard drive for a finish with the shot clock expiring at with 1:43 left and forced a turnover on the subsequent St. Kate's possession.  Kahl called a timeout with 1:12 left in hopes of setting up a play to push ahead and the defensive strategy afterward.  But a Patterson jumper missed its mark shortly thereafter and the Wildcats' Radford blocked a lay-up attempt by Northwestern's Berglund a short time later so now St. Kate's had their chance.  Mulhern called a timeout with :33.5 left but the Wildcats unwittingly turned the ball over with :23.5 left so now the pendulum swung back over the the Eagles and with :01 left, Berglund put up a shot from near the left elbow area but the ball wouldn't cooperate and off we went to overtime tied at 46. 

St. Kate's appeared to get a big boost at the 4:38 mark in OT when Clark nailed a "3" from the left wing area to propel the 'Cats into a 49-46 lead but that was matched when Northwestern's Landers muscled into the paint for a score at the 4:19 mark and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" knotted this contest again at 49-all.  To make matters worse for the Wildcats, Clark was tagged for her fifth and final foul of the night at the 3:14 mark when St. Kate's was in a transition opportunity and the former Kenyon-Wanamingo standout was inadvertently caught up in traffic and made contact.  With her out, the Wildcats could have easily faltered right then and there but instead found a way to strike back.  Freshman reserve guard Chloe Venegas made a gutsy drive into the lane in traffic and got a shot off the glass to go through the hole with 2:17 left and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw now had St. Kate's up 52-49.  The Eagles chances appeared to sag when Crenshaw was unable to connect in the paint on Northwestern's subsequent possession and St. Kate's would have put their opponent in a big hole if a three-point attempt by sophomore guard Ashley Fossness would have fallen with 1:37 left.  Landers would get fouled on the Eagles' subsequent possession but she was only able to get the back end of the two-shot attempt to go down so the 'Cats were in position to nurse that one-point lead.  But Northwestern thwarted the Wildcats next possession with a blocked shot and with :52 left, Kahl called a timeout to set up the Eagles offensive strategy.  I'm not sure if the actual result was what he called but with :35 left, Northwestern's Patterson found herself open at the top of the key from behind the arc and she uncorked a dagger that found nothing but cotton and suddenly the Eagles were up 53-52.  Still plenty of time for St. Kate's but on the Wildcats subsequent possession, they again suffered an untimely turnover as Northwestern's Berglund swooped in for a steal and she would get fouled with :21.4 left.  The Springfield, Virginia native calmly knocked down both free throw attempts to push the Eagles lead to 55-52.  Still one more chance for the Wildcats, however, and Mulhern called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of setting up the three-point attempt to tie the game.  But a Cambrice three-point attempt with :15 left missed its mark from the left corner and the Eagles were there for the rebound.  Patterson would be quickly fouled and she sank two critical free throw attempts to now make it a two-possession game at 57-52 with :13.1 left.  St. Kate's freshman reserve guard Grace Amacher missed a jumper with :08 left and the Eagles would snare the defensive rebound.  Berglund would be fouled with :03.8 left and she got one more insurance free throw to go down as Northwestern claimed a hard-fought 58-52 overtime win. 

An incredibly disappointed Mulhern of St. Kate's muttered afterard that "We've got to shoot the ball better" when he saw the final box score that revealed that the Wildcats went only 20-68 from FG range for 29% and 6-23 from behind the arc for 26.1%.  Clark fouling out in the extra session hurt as well and Mulhern was quick to acknowlege that.  I pointed out to Northwestern's Kahl that the Wildcats had his team in a bad spot not once but twice in this contest and given the fact that the Eagles did not really have much time to prepare for St. Kate's since they didn't practice on Sunday, Kahl handed out praises for his team hanging tough when things looked bleak.  Northwestern's Landers just missed out on a "double-double" on this night with her 19 points and nine rebounds to lead all scorers.  Lund finished with 11 points and Patterson was right behind with 10.  Cambrice not surprisingly led the way for St. Kate's on this night with her 16 points and Audra Clark added 14.  Two other factors hampered the Wildcats on this night as well:  They were outrebounded by 38-34 count (not huge) and they were also guilty of 22 turnovers as well and that's a number that Mulhern knows must come down.  Surprisingly, however, St. Kate's held a big advantage in points in the paint by a 22-10 margin.   

Thursday, November 15, 2018

UW-Eau Claire vs Northwestern 11-10-18


My first real game of this new 2018-19 season had me over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this cold, snowy, blustery Saturday evening as the host Eagles were getting ready to take on UW-Eau Claire out of the WIAC.  The Blugolds were coming into this new season with arguably something to prove after going 18-9 last season (9-5 in WIAC play) and getting left out of the NCAA Tournament and with only one senior on the squad, there were likely a lot of questions swirling around this team.  Northwestern meanwhile was coming into this new season with a bit of a revamped roster that includes some new size (and faces) down low so naturally I was anxious to see how they'd fare against a quality opponent from the WIAC.

It was evident from the get-go that this game would be a contrast of styles as UW-Eau Claire was using man-to-man defense while Northwestern stayed true to its 2-3 "match-up" zone defense.  With the game tied at two a piece, the Eagles took the lead at 4-2 when lanky 6'2" junior forward Rio Landers snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:07 mark.  UW-Eau Claire came right back to claim the lead as a score in the paint by strong sophomore post Katie Essen at the 5:40 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback in transition by sophomore reserve forward Brooke Harris with 4:32 left in the opening period put the Blugolds out in front 6-4.  Northwestern would come right back and grab a one-point lead when freshman point guard Kelsea Lund drained a "3" from the left wing area to make it a 7-6 ballgame with 4:13 left and at that point it looked like this could very well be a back-and-forth contest.  It was here, however, that UW-Eau Claire went on a 17-0 tear that really turned this game around.  Freshman post Elli Carver formerly of Coon Rapids got this run going with a score in the paint with 2:54 left and a "3" from the top of the key by junior guard Hallee Hoeppner with 2:19 left had the Blugolds out in front 11-7.  Junior reserve guard Caryn Donahue drained a trey of her own from the left corner with 1:51 left that upped the lead to 14-7.  Two Harris free throws after the Green Bay, Wisconsin native was fouled in a transition opportunity with 1:15 left made it 16-7 and then slender senior point guard Maddie Dunathan let loose with a dagger "3" from the left corner with :26 left in this first period that suddenly made it a 19-7 ballgame that left the Eagles somewhat shocked and stunned as the team retreated to the bench at the first quarter buzzer.

The Blugolds were not finished with this run just yet as a "3" from that same left corner - this one by junior guard Kelsey Bakken - at the 9:40 mark of the second period along with one Bakken freebie at the 9:18 mark capped this big run to make it 23-7 before Northwestern was finally able to dust off the cobwebs from its own rim.  Lund banged home a much-needed "3" from the left top area at the 8:53 mark to get the deficit down to thirteen at 23-10 but the Blugolds would get their lead to 24-10 on one Essen charity stripe shot at the 8:42 mark before the Eagles could start making some inroads on the deficit.  Lund would connect with a short jumper from the left side at the 7:49 mark and a jumper from the left wing by senior guard Amy Berglund at the 7:21 mark cut the deficit down to ten points at 24-14 and UW-Eau Claire Head Coach Tonja Englund; perhaps fearing a bit of a letdown by her squad, called a timeout to discuss things with her team.  The Blugolds; hoping to pad that double-digit lead, got a bit of a boost when Dunathan connected with one free throw after getting fouled in transition at the 6:51 mark and a jumper by Harris along the left baseline had UW-Eau Claire in good shape up 27-16 at the 5:19 mark but a determined Eagles team got on a 7-0 run that put them right back into the thick of things.  Lanky freshman reserve guard Brooklyn DeKam knocked down a jumper from the right corner just inside the arc with 4:40 left and a score in the paint by Landers with 3:59 left had the deficit down to seven points at 27-20.  Then it was Lund reigning terror from three-point land as she unleashed a bomb from the right wing area with 3:01 left that reduced the deficit down to four points at 27-23.  UW-Eau Claire; perhaps somewhat alarmed by this development, went on a 6-0 push that got their lead back up to double-digits.  Two Essen scores - a drive and finish with 2:17 left and an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 1:32 left - got the lead up to eight points at 31-23 and a pretty rebound and tip-in by Bakken with 1:06 left improved the Blugolds safety net back up to double-digits again at 33-23.  But Northwestern would make one last little surge before the halftime buzzer.  Junior guard Jazinae Patterson connected with a lay-up with :43 left and a desperation "3" from the right top area by sophomore reserve guard Megan Stubbs right before the halftime buzzer went off got the Eagles back to within single digits again down 35-28 as both squads trotted to their respective locker rooms for the halftime recess.  Not a perfect situation mind you but a damn sight better than what they were looking at when the second period began.  A check of the first half box score reveals that Northwestern did indeed struggle for the most part from both FG and three-point range; going 12-37 for 32.4% from FG range and 4-15 from behind the arc for a paltry 26.7% and they probably settled for some shots that they shouldn't have settled for.  The Blugolds shot 12-30 for 40% from FG range and 4-10 from behind the arc for the same 40%.  Rebounds were surprisingly even as each team snared 20 and turnovers weren't that big of a factor with UW-Eau Claire guilty of seven and the Eagles committing two more than that.

The train of thought amongst the partisan Northwestern contingent on hand is that the Eagles would settle down and stay close and possibly get themselves in position to get their nose back out in front again.  And an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore post Miranda Crenshaw at the 9:41 mark of the 3rd period helped the Eagles cut the deficit down to five points at 35-30 and in prime striking distance.  But UW-Eau Claire was in no mood for a nip-and-tuck affair and they quickly set out to pad their cushion back into double-digit range.  Dunathan uncorked a "3" from the right top area at the 9:00 mark that sparked a key 12-0 Blugold run.  A Bakken lay-up in transition at the 8:26 mark got the lead to ten at 40-30 and at the 7:15 mark Dunathan struck again like a thief in the night with a steal and lay-up the other way that pushed the lead to 42-30.  A lay-up in transition by Essen at the 6:36 mark got the lead to 44-30 and the Blugolds capped this run in grand style as Bakken snared a steal and connected with a short jumper in the lane and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" at the 6:27 mark now had UW-Eau Claire in great shape up 47-30.  The Eagles would desperately try to claw their way back into the thick of things as they were effectively put back at Square One but they would never get close enough to where they could really threaten.  Landers connected with a rare "3" from the top of the key with 4:48 left and a DeKam drive into the lane and finish with 3:59 left trimmed the deficit down to fourteen at 49-35.  Junior reserve guard Audrey Lefto drained a "3" from the right top area helped Northwestern cut into the cushion even more down 49-38 but they could never find that one big responding run that could have got them back to within single-digit range.  The Blugolds calmly responded to this challenge as Carver connected with a lay-up with 3:11 left and two Harris scores - a jumper from near the right elbow area with 2:37 left and a short one-handed jumper with 1:17 left - now pushed the lead back to seventeen at 55-38.  Northwestern would get one more free throw from Berglund with :22.5 left in the third period but down 55-39, the Eagles were in a tough spot to say the least.

Northwestern tried desperately to get back into this one in the early minutes of the fourth and final period as a score in the paint by Berglund at the 9:32 mark and a score in the paint by Landers at the 8:50 mark cut the deficit down to fourteen points at 57-43 and a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane off the glass by Landers at the 8:22 mark had the Eagles down by fifteen at 60-45 but there was no extended run that might have given this team a spark to be had on this night.  And UW-Eau Claire simply had all the answers when they needed them.  A little jumper along the right baseline by Bakken at the 8:19 mark and one Carver freebie at the 7:29 mark pushed the lead to eighteen at 63-45 and then Harris made a hard drive and connected with a shot off the window and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" extended the lead to 66-45.  A Hoeppner three-point bomb from the right wing area with 4:19 left pretty much sealed the deal and made it a 69-50 game and Donahue would add a trey of her own with 2:40 left from the left wing area that made it 72-52.  Dunathan would add one insurance free throw with 1:00 left and Essen would add two more with :31.1 left and the Blugolds walked out of Ericksen Center with a 75-56 win under their belt to start the season. 

I caught up with Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl afterward and although disappointed about the outcome of this one, he wasn't in a bad mood.  "We played some very good basketball tonight in stretches" he said; likely referring to the second period when the Eagles clawed their way back into single digit range after getting down big early.  "But we weren't consistent enough" he lamented.  And Kahl was quick to point out that they were playing a very good team in UW-Eau Claire on this night that may very well have a shot at the WIAC title this season.  What was impressive about the Blugolds on this night was their incredibly balanced scoring attack with four players in double-digits.  Essen led the way with her 17 points and both Hoeppner and Bakken had 13 points and Bakken also snared 10 rebounds on this night for a double-double.  Dunathan, the experienced point guard had a solid night as well with her 12 points and six assists.  Total rebounding was actually close with UW-Eau Claire holding a 37-34 edge.  As a team, the Blugolds shot reasonably well going 27-58 from FG range for 46.6% and 7-16 from behind the arc for 43.8%.  UW-Eau Claire's defense probably had a lot to do with it but poor shooting brought down the Eagles on this night as they went 22-67 from FG range for 32.8% and 7-24 from three-point land for 29.2% which won't win you many games.  And Kahl could scarcely feel good about the 18 turnovers his team was guilty of on this night.  Lund led the way for Northwestern with her 16 points while Landers added 13 and DeKam had 10 points.   

Sunday, November 11, 2018

MIAC Predictions For 2018-19 Season


Am a little late with getting this out.  Blame it on me being back to work at CP Rail again.  Blame it on my LA Rams having a stellar season.  Blame it on this being UCLA vs USC week.  Anyway, time to roll out the old crystal ball; shine it up and see what it says.  :)


The Title Contenders:

1.  UST
2.  GAC
3.  Bethel

It's hard to go against the Tommies for what has become routine for them - rolling to yet another MIAC title and I just don't see anything - at least right now anyway - that would stop this happening again save for nuclear holocaust.  You've got All-American senior post Hannah Spaulding back to rule down low where she's virtually unstoppable along with an experienced senior duo in the backcourt of Lucia Renikoff and Kaylie Brazil and junior guard Sarah Krynski is pretty solid as well.  Throw in the emergence of lanky sophomore Madi Radtke and fellow sophomore Macy Hatlestad and a host of others and you have to like what you see.  To be sure, they have a demanding early-season schedule which puts them out in the Pacific Northwest this next weekend to take on highly-regarded George Fox on Friday night and then Lewis & Clark the next day just for starters.  But UST seems to thrive on these big challenges and they certainly don't shy away from them.

FINALLY, finally, GAC did this last season what I had been waiting so long for by making a deep run into the NCAA Tournament and what a ride it was.  So I can no longer harp on the Gusties not being able to win the Big One - well, save for UST anyway.  I think the main thing here - the big positive going forward for GAC now is that the bar has been set high (as it should be for them); that simply having a good season is no longer just enough.  That said, they lost two big pieces of what happened for them the last couple of years to graduation - Mikayla Miller and Miranda Rice - to graduation.  But they still have a pretty solid core of players coming back along with the emergence of some newer, younger faces.  You've still got the senior trio of Brooke Lemke, Justine Lee and Kendall Thompson but now you've also got 6'0" sophomore Paige Richert beginning to make a name for herself as well.  I would expect also that the sophomore Wagner duo of Maddie/Marnie starts to make its presence felt as well.  Is it enough to derail the Tommie Express?  Probably not this time around but there's no reason that they shouldn't at least be in the mix. 

If there's one team that SHOULD be playing with a chip on its shoulder this season, it's the Bethel Royals.  Just an incredible disappointment for the Royals on how things ended this last season with them getting knocked out in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs at home.  To be sure, they lost some significant pieces of last year's team which does leave some question marks but you've also got some important pieces coming back - chiefly with senior post Hannah Johnson who's no slouch down low and can hang with the best of them.  Junior forward Taite Anderson bolsters the front line and junior guard Haylee Barker is slowly carving a niche for herself in the backcourt.  The early part of their schedule does contain two WIAC opponents - at home against UW-River Falls and at UW-Eau Claire - so coming away with a split in that scenario wouldn't be a terrible proposition to go into the meat of the MIAC schedule with.


Solid MIAC Playoff Contenders:

4.  Augsburg
5.  CSB

The one team I'm rolling the dice on making a significant improvement over last year is the Auggies.  They''ve got the goods to do it with Tamira McLemore, Camryn Speese, Arianna Jones, Aiza Wilson and K'aezha Wubben all being juniors along with a decent supporting cast.  Their all-around athleticism and speed simply makes them the most difficult team in the conference to match-up with.  The big thing from Augsburg that I'm looking for - and we haven't seen yet - is some degree of consistency.  They faltered down the stretch last season which kept them out of the MIAC Playoffs and their early-season schedule which includes three WIAC opponents - UW-Superior, UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse - may tell a lot about this team before the MIAC schedule even begins.

Just so, so many questions when it comes to CSB.  I could (and probably should) put them higher than what I have them at.  I could make a case for putting them lower.  When you lose a talented trio in Chelsey Guetter, Niki Fokken and Kate Banovetz that helped lead this squad to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament this last season, that alone is reason to be uncertain about this group.  At the same time, you do have some very good talent coming back in senior Breanna Gates, junior point guard Sidney Schiffler and junior post Alex Johnson plus improving sophomore Megan Thompson.  So the cupboard's certainly not bare up in St. Joe.  I just, I just have to see more of this team and see if/when they make an impact to be a true believer in them. 


Fighting For That Sixth Spot:

6.  SMU
7.  St. Kate's

There's a big part of me that says I know I should have the Cards up a lot higher than this.  When you have a roster that includes the likes of senior forward Brandi Blattner and fellow senior guard Kirsten Keefe and sophomore phenom guard Shayley Vesel, that alone should put them up higher than this.  Yet SMU has a new captain guiding the ship in Head Coach David Foley so while the Cardinals have all the goods to be very solid team, I just have to see how they adapt to a new system.  Meanwhile, St. Kate's has an incredibly young team led by senior guard Audra Clark who has a wealth of experience in the backcourt and she'll get a lot of help from dynamic junior guard Danica Cambrice and fellow junior guard Jackie Radford who can wreak havoc on both ends of the floor.  Head Coach Don Mulhern is a wizard when it comes to coaching and if he can keep his group healthy, this is a team that will get better and better as the season progresses and definitely a group that you'll want to keep your eye on. 


The Not Quite Ready For Prime Time Group:

8.  Concordia
9.  Carleton

Like St. Kates, the Cobbers have an incredibly young group led by only two seniors - guard Grace Wolhowe and post Kirstin Simmons.  Beyond that, there's just so many young new faces to get to know that it's really difficult to form an opinion on how good this Concordia team can be.  However, there's little question when it comes to the head coaching spot as Jessica Rahman is certainly one of the best and she's certainly had her share of great teams up in Moorhead.  The big question is how long will it take to develop the younger players into a consistent force - especially when you see how incredibly competitive the MIAC has become.  I mean, it wasn't that long ago when the Cobbers were always in the upper echelon of the conference so we'll just have to see how long it takes for them to get back up there. 

Ditto on the east side of Northfield where the Carleton Knights have senior forward Cece Leone back along with a host of fresh, new and unproven young faces.  Junior post Samantha Cooke is always a force down low but the Knights have yet to show that consistency that is so desperately needed along with keeping their main parts healthy for an entire season. 


The Cellar Dwellers:

10.  Hamline
11.  St. Olaf
12.  Macalester

The thing that pains me perhaps more than anything right now is that, had I done this a week earlier, it's very likely that I may have had Hamline up a notch higher than what I have them at right now.  But the fact that the Pipers have already lost senior Alaina Quaranta to a situation that I'm simply not at liberty to discuss right now, that really throws a monkey wrench to any hopes that Hamline may have had to possibly making a significant move upward this season.  To be sure, Head Coach Alex Focke still has some exciting young players to watch in junior forward Reilly Geistfeld and fellow junior guard Kaeli Stayer who I felt made great strides this off season.  But there's just too many question marks right now surrounding this group that would make me think that they can have a big impact.  Maybe they can but they'll have to show me first.

There haven't been many celebrations on the west side of Northfield in the last few years and while I don't expect that trend to change anytime soon, there's still a nice group coming back.  Senior forward Makenna Ash is certainly a force down low as is fellow junior Britta Koenen.  I just haven't seen the consistency from this squad yet.  The early part of their schedule is interesting as the Oles face two WIAC teams - UW-River Falls and UW-Stout along with a trip out to the Front Range over the Thanksgiving holiday where they'll play both Colorado College and Johnson & Wales. 

Macalester has a new Head Coach in Pamela Findlay who comes from Lewis & Clark to take the reigns of the Scots program left vacant by Kelly Roysland's return to her alma mater, Minnesota.  While Macalester has a lot of young, unproven faces on the roster, they do have two players you should keep your eye on - juniors Tyana Loiselle and Holly Hull who are both electric in the backcourt. 


So there you have it.  Let's see how this thing goes.  Feel free to fire away with thoughts.     

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Northwestern Practice 11-2-18


Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this Friday evening to take in one of the early practices of the Northwestern women's basketball team.  I got over to Ericksen Center early and saw that the women's volleyball team was in the midst of their practice as they were going to be in the UMAC Championship Game the next day.  I soon met up with Head Coach Aaron Kahl and we talked about the team and the upcoming season not to mention my LA Rams, UCLA and Iowa.  Kahl and his assistants had a short pre-practice meeting and were soon out in the hallway ready to enter the gymnasium area.  When the volleyball team left the gym, they were greeted with whoops and cheers from the basketball team to wish them the best of luck in the UMAC Championship Game on Saturday.

After some stretching and shooting to get ready for the night's practice, the first drill Kahl has his team go through a 4-on-0 "shell" drill to work on movement and setting screens.  Some more warm-ups and stretching ensue for the team and then it's time to work on some defensive aspects of the game; particularly the team's 2-3 "match-up" zone defense that is a favorite of Kahl's and a Northwestern staple.

Next, the team splits into two groups to work on cutting on a defender and finishing at the rim.  It may seem like a trivial matter at first glance but in actuality it's an incredibly important element of the game; particularly at the college level.  Kahl has two of his assistants - former Northwestern standout Katie DeWitt-Severson and Tyler Schmidt - work as defenders at the top and the players have to make a variety of moves to elude the defender.

Next is a drill that Kahl terms as 3-person, 2-ball shooting.  Here, you have three players at each basket to work on a variety of jump shots and lay-ups and the action is continuous as there's always a player ready to catch the ball for a jumper or a lay-up. 

Next, Kahl has the team do a three-person weave to work on ball-handling and passing in transition.  It's not as easy as it looks and Kahl wants the team to up the tempo as the drill progresses. 

After the team does some 4-on-4 half-court work to work on setting screens and proper ball movement, the team then morphs into doing a drill that Kahl terms as "42 Off A FT" which is essentially a 5-on-5 drill that starts out as a free throw situation.  The opposing group inbounds the ball and goes the other way and the team that shot the free throw tries to employ a trapping defense on them at the mid-court area. 

Kahl has the team do one more drill before wrapping up things for the evening as the squad will be participating in a scrimmage up at UM-Crookston on Saturday afternoon.  It's some more 5-on-5 work to work on the half-court offensive sets.  Despite stopping the drill on a few occasions to point out a few flaws here and there, Kahl seems satisfied with the work his squad has put in on this night and call the team for a final huddle before calling it a night.

Outtakes - The one thing that caught my eye right away once I saw the team on the floor was an ingredient that most of Kahl's previous teams at Northwestern have lacked - size.  Besides returning 6'2" junior post Rio Landers and 5'11" senior Brooklyn Plagge, the front line is bolstered with the likes of 6'0" freshman Miranda Crenshaw formerly of Eastview, 6'0" freshman Hailey Paup, 5'11" freshman Megan Roberts out of Colorado and 5'10" freshman Brooklyn DeKam......Guard and wing play looks solid as well with senior Amy Berglund leading the way bolstered by junior Audrey Lefto.  Junior Jazinae Patterson is back after missing most of last year with an injury and it wouldn't surprise me to see sophomore Courtney Schmidt get some quality minutes as well.....UW-Superior is still the team to beat in the UMAC and Kahl was quick to acknowledge that but he feels his squad along with Bethany Lutheran and UM-Morris can all contend.  The opening portion of the schedule is an interesting one to say the least with six non-conference games - first with UW-Eau Claire out of the WIAC this Saturday night (11-10) then with five straight MIAC teams:  At home against St. Kate's on Monday (11-12), at Hamline on Wednesday night (11-14), home to Augsburg on Saturday (11-17), home to Macalester the following Tuesday (11-20) and then at Bethel on Saturday (12-1) before delving into UMAC play.  Right around the Christmas break, the squad will be taking on some more non-conference opponents - first at Grinnell out of the MWC on Friday (12-14).  The following weekend, a trip to the Motherland will be in the offing as the team will play Whitman of the NWC on Friday (12-21) then against UC-Santa Cruz the next day (Saturday 12-22) with both games to be played at UC-Santa Cruz so that's a huge opportunity for Northwestern to have a chance to go up against unfamiliar opponents in something of an NCAA Tournament setting while also getting a chance to soak up a little sun and warm weather before returning to Minnesota.           

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Exhibition Game - UST vs Concordia St. Paul 11-1-18


Fought some heavy traffic on the way over on I-94 but got over to Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia St. Paul University in plenty of time to get settled in for this enticing non-conference exhibition clash between defending MIAC champ UST and host Concordia St. Paul.  This was a bit of an odd set of circumstances because for the Tommies, this game would be considered an exhibition game for them and for Concordia St. Paul it would be considered a scrimmage.  The bottom line is that the sun would come up the next day for both squads no matter the outcome and, more importantly, it was a chance for both teams to iron out some kinks before things start for real.

Both teams started out in man-to-man defense but neither team looked particularly sharp in the early moments.  The Golden Bears were finally able to break the ice at the 8:25 mark of the opening period thanks to senior point guard Anna Schmitt as she first connected with a short jumper in the lane at the 8:25 mark and followed that up with a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:49 mark to give Concordia St. Paul a 5-0 lead.  But the Tommies had no intentions of being fazed by their DII opponent and a 9-0 UST burst was a good indication of that.  Sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter's score in the paint at the 7:26 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Lucia Renikoff at the 6:04 mark cut the deficit to one point and a score in the paint by senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding that also drew a foul and resulted in the obligatory "and one" pushed UST out in front by a 7-5 count.  Sophomore reserve guard Macy Hatlestad's lay-up with 4:30 left in the first period completed this run before the Golden Bears could finally shake off the doldrums.  Schmitt knocked down two freebies after getting fouled with 4:05 left and also got a score in the paint with 2:52 left that helped pull her squad back within a single possession down 11-9 but it had to be a bit unsettling for Concordia St. Paul Head Coach Amanda Johnson to see that her squad was thus far getting offensive production from only the Waconia native and when freshmen phenom forward Riley Wheatcraft went down after an inadvertent collision with 1:47 left, there may have been a tendency towards full-fledged panic.  Fortunately for the Golden Bears, Wheatcraft was able to get up and walk off under her own power and a score in the paint by senior guard Hanna Vidlund with :14 left kept Concordia St. Paul down by only two at 13-11 at the end of the first period.

The Golden Bears got things even-steven at 13 a piece at the 9:37 mark of the second period when senior post Lindsay Dorr connected with a lay-up but UST would respond with a 7-2 push.  Porter; the former Roseville standout, started this foray with a "3" from the right corner at the 9:19 mark and followed that up for a jumper from the left corner just inside the arc at the 8:26 mark for an 18-15 Tommie advantage.  A routine Spaulding score in the paint at the 7:58 mark pushed the lead to 20-15 before Concordia St. Paul could respond.  Vidlund breezed along the right baseline for a finish at the 7:41 mark and then Wheatcraft; who was earlier on the floor with an apparent injury, was able to connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:22 mark that also drew a foul and her ensuing free throw had this contest tied up again at 20-all. Tommie junior point guard Sarah Krynski put her team back up on top with her three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 7:04 mark but Concordia St. Paul's Schmitt got a lay-up in transition at the 6:24 mark to cut the deficit to one point at 23-22 and when senior guard Lexi Lee drained a "3" from the left top area at the 6:06 mark to give the Golden Bears the lead back at 25-23, it looked as if maybe Concordia St. Paul might be in position to take this game over.  The Tommies held strong, however, as pairs of free throws by Krynski at the 5:53 and 5:39 marks had UST back out in front 27-25 and one more by Porter at the 5:09 mark increased the lead to 28-25.  The Golden Bears would come back to tie the game when Wheatcraft connected with a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing free throw had things deadlocked again at 28 a piece.  A drive into the lane by Schmitt with 4:03 left did likewise to make it 30-all and one lay-up by senior guard and former Anoka standout Kyrah Fredenburg with 2:43 left and one in transition by Wheatcraft with 1:38 left had things tied at 34 so at this point it appeared that the worst-case scenario for Concordia St. Paul would be going into the locker room tied up or down a single-possession.  But the Tommies have always prided themselves on getting one last burst before the halftime break and they were able to do that on this night.  One Renikoff free throw with 1:24 left nudged UST back out in front 35-34 and then senior guard Kaylie Brazil made a pretty little spin move near the top of the key and drove into the lane for a one-handed finish to push the Tommie lead to 37-34.  Then it was Spaulding's score in the paint with :26.5 left to push the lead to five at 39-34 before Concordia St. Paul could trim the deficit back down to four points on one free throw by Schmitt with :05.2 left.  Though being down by only four points at the half was certainly not insurmountable by any stretch, it did seem to take some of the wind out of the Golden Bears sail.

Concordia St. Paul set out in the opening moments of the third period to right the wrong of the last few moments of the second period.  Dorr connected with a lay-up at the 9:26 mark that cut the deficit down to two points at 40-38 and then a hard drive along the baseline and finish by Schmitt at the 7:41 mark kept the Golden Bears in that two-point range down 42-40.  Then Dorr connected with a lay-up at the 7:25 mark and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing free throw now had Concordia St. Paul down by only one at 44-43 and seemingly in great position to make a move.  However, it would be the Tommies who would now make a move and put some more space between them and their opponent.  First, Brazil with her deft touch connected with another short jumper in the lane at the 6:55 mark and then Porter unleashed her second three-point bomb of the night - this one from the left corner off of an inbounds pass at the 6:37 mark that now pushed UST's lead to six at 49-43.  Put back at Square One again, the Golden Bears chipped away at the cushion.  Dorr got inside for another score and drew a foul in the process and the obligatory free throw had Concordia St. Paul back to within a single possession down 49-46.  One more Dorr freebie at the 5:23 mark and two more by Schmitt at the 5:10 mark cut the deficit down to just two points at 51-49.  The Golden Bears; now making it a priority to get the ball inside to their senior post from Otsego, got Dorr to the charity stripe with 2:35 left in the third period and the former Rogers standout dropped two more free throws that once again now had Concordia St. Paul in prime position to make a move down only by one at 53-52.  And once again, they were promptly denied by the Tommies.  Krynski drilled a "3" from the right top area with 1:06 left and one free throw by freshman reserve post Brynne Rolland with :42.8 left got the lead back up to five at 57-52.  Then it was lanky sophomore reserve guard Madi Radtke delivering a stunning blow as the southpaw from Lester Prairie nailed a savage three-point bomb from the left wing as the shot clock expired with just :02 left as UST ended this wild third period with their largest lead so far at 60-52.

The Golden Bears made a determined effort to cut into that UST cushion in the opening moments of the fourth period.  1 Dorr freebie at the 9:41 mark and another Lee "3" - this one from the right wing area at the 9:07 mark - certainly had Concordia St. Paul right back in the thick of things down only four at 60-56 with a mountain of time left.  But UST would never allow the Golden Bears to get into position to retake the lead and did everything possible to grow that cushion.  Another Spaulding score in the paint at the 8:20 mark got the lead up to six at 62-56 and then Spaulding; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, let loose with a dagger "3" from the right top area at the 7:13 mark that grew the lead to seven at 65-58 and the Golden Bears' Johnson had seen enough to know that a timeout was needed to get her troops reorganized.  UST's Spaulding, however, refused to be cooled off after the impromptu break in the action as she got into the paint again for one score at the 6:30 mark and then connected with a lay-up at the 5:51 mark that gave the Tommies their biggest lead of the night at nine points at 69-58.  Concordia St. Paul made one last strong attempt to narrow the gap with Dorr going to work.  One score in the paint at the 5:37 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:52 left got the deficit down to eight at 70-62.  Two Schmitt free throws with 4:44 left allowed the Golden Bears to get a bit closer down 70-64 and then Fredenburg uncorked a "3" from the left corner with 4:08 left that suddenly got Concordia St. Paul back to within a single possession one more time down 70-67.  Alas, the wisp of hope the Golden Bears may have had at that point vanished quietly into the dark early November night as UST would find a way to slam the door shut when it counted.  Two scores by Porter - a lay-up with 3:42 left and an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 2:59 left - pushed the Tommie lead to seven at 74-67 and there was really no looking back from there.  Renikoff would sink insurance freebies with :22.2 left and Brazil got one to go down with :15.6 left for a 77-71 UST lead.  Two more Renikoff free throws with :08.5 sealed the deal and although Lee would get an obligatory lay-up with :04.7 left for the Golden Bears, UST would walk out of Gangelhoff Center with a 79-74 victory.

Because this was considered a scrimmage from a Concordia St. Paul standpoint, I didn't have the benefit to rely on any stats afterward; much less keep track of fouls or know who had how many points.  But it was easy to see that the Golden Bears will be relying heavily on both Dorr and Schmitt for point production this season and while both can certainly be counted on, it's also something of a fragile proposition as well.  The other thing that raised a few red flags on this night from a Golden Bear standpoint was that I felt that their defense was a bit suspect at times.  That's one area that they'll need to shore up before delving into NSIC play.  While it's too early to crown UST as MIAC champions again just yet, I think Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to feel pretty good for the most part about how her team performed on this night.  Defensively, I felt that they were simply outstanding at times and they really made life difficult for the Concordia St. Paul backcourt.  Spaulding is as every bit as good as everyone thought that she would be and I like how both Radtke and Hatlestad are coming off the bench and making contributions on both ends of the floor. 

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Augsburg Practice 10-31-18


Despite fighting some heavy traffic on this Halloween evening, I got over to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in decent time to catch this Wednesday night practice for the Augsburg women's basketball team.  The team was getting in a pre-practice workout downstairs and that gave me some time to drop in to Head Coach Ted Riverso's office to say hello to him and his assistants, former Golden Gopher standout Jackie Voigt and former Augsburg standout Jill Tichy.  After the team's workout, we all head upstairs to the gym to get this practice  session underway.

Riverso has the squad start things out with lay-up work as the team gets into two lines to work on a variety of lay-ups and short shots.  Then it's time to do some more stretching and warming-up before the squad delves into some heavier aspects of the practice session.  But before getting into the meat of practice of this night, Riverso has the squad come over to where I'm sitting to say hi to me.  That is really cool.  :)

After working on some ball screen defense, Riverso has his squad work on an Auggie staple - transition - which helps make this Augsburg team so incredibly tough to prepare for with its athleticism and speed.  It starts out as a 5-on-4 situation down the court but actually finishes as 5-on-5 half-court.

Next is a 5-on-5 half-court drill where the emphasis is on defense.  The team then works on free throws for a bit and gets a well-deserved water break as well and then runs sprints to keep them conditioned.  Then another transition drill is in the offing as the team does a 3-on-0 shell-type drill.  The drill gets modified by Riverso as he makes it continuous with two-groups going at the same time with wing players finishing with jumpers.

Next, Riverso has the team do a 5-on-0 transition "shell" drill The point of this drill is for each group of five players to get as many points as possible within a thirty-second window; first with a transition lay-up and then with jumpers. 

More free throw work comes next and then Riverso has the team work on a 5-on-0 half-court "shell" drill to emphasize movement and spacing.  Riverso also has the squad work on 5-on-0 inbounds situations as well. 

Then it's time for some 5-on-5 full-court work as Riverso hopes to have some of the finer points showing up that the squad worked on earlier showing up in an actual game-type situation.  Riverso has to stop the scrimmage several times, however, to point out flaws and mistakes and what the corrections are.

Some more free throw work followed by another round of sprints follows then Tichy has the squad split into 2 groups for a competitive shooting drill with the losing team doing push-ups afterward.  Riverso gathers the team up afterward for a short pep-talk and adjourns thing for the evening.  The team has got a good amount done on this night and Riverso wanted to lighten things up a bit on this practice session anyway because they had been going hard the last two outings.

Outtakes - What makes this Augsburg so incredibly different and exciting to watch these last couple of years is their unbelievable athleticism and speed with their very own version of the MIAC's "Fab Five" with Tamira McLemore, Camryn Speese, Aiza Wilson, Ari Jones and K'aezha Wubben - now all juniors.  With that aspect in mind, I asked Riverso about now that his core group of returning players have some solid experience under his belt if that would translate into this program making a move from the middle of the pack to the upper echelon of the conference.  Riverso seemed to indicate that that's a possiblity, of course.  Given how the team faltered down the stretch of the regular season last year that kept them out of the MIAC Playoffs, you would think that they'll definitely play with a bit of a chip on their shoulder this time around.......One thing that Riverso talked about was playing an "equitable" schedule as compared to the other MIAC teams.  Last year for instance, the Auggies had a brutal home stretch in which six of their last nine game were away from Si Melby Hall.  A glance of the 2018-19 schedule seems a bit more on the friendly side so we'll see if that makes a difference......And speaking of the schedule, the Auggies non-conference portion is an interesting slate to say the least.  They open up against three different UMAC opponents -  at home on 11-15 against Crown College then two days later travel across town to take on Northwestern.  Then UW-Superior, comes calling at Si Melby Hall on Monday 11-19 so it will be interesting to see how they fare with at least two of the top teams in the UMAC.  Thanksgiving weekend has the Auggies taking a trip down the Mighty Mississippi and the CP Rail River Sub mainline down to La Crosse where they'll face two different WIAC opponents - UW-Platteville on Saturday (11-24) and then host UW-La Crosse the next day (Sunday 11-25).  Augsburg opens up conference play at home against Bethel on Wednesday night (11-28) and I look at that game as absolutely pivotal to Augsburg's chances if they indeed intend to make a move into the upper echelon of the MIAC.  Then it's a trip up to Duluth on Saturday (12-1) to face one more UMAC opponent, St. Scholastica.  A trip over to Hamline is in the offing on Wednesday evening (12-5) before two more conference homes games with Concordia on 12-8 and St. Kate's on 12-12.  But perhaps the most enticing game on the Auggies schedule this season happens right before Christmas break on Saturday 12-15 when Trinity (Texas) out of the SCAC comes up to the Twin Cities to take on the Auggies at Si Melby Hall so that will definitely give Riverso's group some real exposure to a non-familiar opponent with a different playing style.