St. Kate's vs Augsburg 12-12-18

I found myself back over at Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this Wednesday night to take in this important early season clash between visiting St. Kate's and host Augsburg.  The Wildcats were coming into this contest on something of a hot streak with wins over both CSB and St. Olaf while the Auggies were riding a four-game win streak and, more importantly, were looking to improve on their current 8-1 record.  Given that the Wildcats had won an important late regular season game in this same venue just a season ago, this one had all the makings of a good one and no one who attended this game on this night would come away disappointed. 

Augsburg certainly got out to the start they had hoped for with their transition game clicking in the first few minutes of the opening period.  Junior forward Camryn Speese got into the paint for the first Auggie score at the 9:46 mark and two Speese free throws at the 9:18 mark made it 4-0.  Speese would strike again at the 8:51 mark with a lay-up to make it a 6-0 game and St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern; not at all liking how this one was going down thus far, called for a thirty-second timeout to get his troops reassembled.  Freshman forward Sam Orth finally got the cobwebs of the 'Cats basket with her lay-up at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up by junior Jackie Radford at the 6:32 mark kept the Wildcats in that four-point range down 8-4.  Augsburg, however, manged to widen the gap with two more Speese scores - a jumper in the lane off the glass at the 5:42 mark and another lay-up with 4:41 left - that now had the Auggies up 12-4.  A lay-up in transition after a steal by fellow junior Tamira McLemore with 3:46 left maintained the eight-point edge at 14-6 before St. Kate's could cut into it again as flashy junior guard Danica Cambrice drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:25 left and a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Katie Benjamin with 1:31 left kept the Wildcats in the five-point range down 16-11.  Benjamin would strike again with an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with :59 left to keep St. Kate's in that five-point range down 18-13 and when senior guard Audra Clark drained a "3" from the top of the key with :34 left in the first period, the Wildcats were suddenly within a single possession down 18-16 but Augsburg's McLemore got her team some more breathing room when she uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with :09 left to make it a 22-16 ballgame.

The Auggies tried to give themselves some more breathing room in the opening minutes of the second period as a lay-up by junior guard Kaezha Wubben at the 8:59 mark had Augsburg up 24-17 but the Wildcats' Cambrice single-handedly brought her team back.  The former St. Croix Lutheran standout dropped two free throws after getting fouled at the 8:37 mark and followed that up with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 7:32 mark that had St. Kate's down by only a single possession at 24-21.  That deficit was reduced to a single scant point when Cambrice connected with a lay-up at the 6:47 mark.  The Auggies' McLemore tried to stymie this onslaught with her lay-up at the 6:37 mark but two more scores by Cambrice - a short jumper at the 6:13 mark and a score in the paint at the 5:45 mark - finally propelled St. Kate's into their first lead of the evening at 27-26.  Both teams would then trade one-point leads over the next minute and a half before the Wildcats could grab a bigger lead.  Trailing 30-29, Radford got sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with 4:00 left where the former Cretin-Derham Hall standout got two free throws to go down and then Clark would add one free throw of her own with 2:41 left and two more with 1:53 left as St. Kate's now found itself with a 34-30 lead.  Augsburg junior sharpshooting junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson unleashed one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one coming from the right corner with 1:38 left - that quickly closed the gap to one point but the Wildcats would grow the lead to three when Cambrice made a hard drive for a finish with 1:20 left.  Auggie junior guard Ari Jones would proceed to knot the game at 36 a piece when she uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 1:03 left and Augsbrug would retake the lead with :23 left before the halftime buzzer when McLemore banged home a "3" from the left wing area to make it a 39-38 ballgame but St. Kate's Cambrice; having a fabulous first half, got the last points of this wild second period with her lay-up with just :04 left to let the 'Cats take a 40-39 lead into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score reveals that both teams shot well from FG range - St. Kate's going 15-29 for 51.7% and Augsburg 16-35 for 45.7%.  Rebounding was nearly identical with the Wildcats holding a 19-17 edge and turnovers were the same at five each.  In my mind, the biggest factor was Cambrice's ability to take over when her team needed her to do just that and the 17 first half points she had indicates that.

Orth would get things going for St. Kate's at the 9:21 mark of the third period with her lay-up but the Auggies got things tied up at 42-all when senior guard Camille McCoy made a hard drive for a finish at the 8:38 mark and Wubben dropped one free throw after getting fouled at the 8:07 mark.  It was here, however, where the Wildcats went on their first decisive move of the evening.  A Cambrice score in the paint at the 7:50 mark pushed the 'Cats back out in front and a jumper in the lane by Clark at the 6:41 mark gave St. Kate's a 46-42 lead.  Radford would connect with a short shot off the glass at the 6:06 mark and then Radford finished a transition opportunity in the lane at the 5:50 mark to cap an 8-0 push that gave the Wildcats a 50-42 lead and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso; not at all liking this latest development, called for a halt to the action.  That stoppage in play not only let the Auggies catch their collective breaths but seemed to give them a new sense of urgency as well.  Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound and got a pretty reverse lay-up out of it at the 5:22 mark and a jumper by Jones from the left elbow area with 4:49 left had the deficit down to four points at 50-46.  Then Wilson drained another one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one coming from the right wing area with 4:17 left - to reduce the deficit down to one point at 50-49.  St. Kate's would grow the lead to three on an Orth lay-up with 1:50 left but then Wilson would come through for the Auggies again as she drained another "3" - this one from the right top area with :46 left - that tied the game at 52-all.  The Wildcats would manage to take a four-point lead before the third period ended as two scores by Clark - one in the paint with :37 left and a coast-to-coast lay-up with :14 left - made it 56-52 but Augsburg likely had to feel infinitely better about themselves knowing that they had it within them to come back when the chips were down.

Still, the 'Cats were determined to try and hang onto this slim lead they had.  A short shot by Radford at the 7:24 mark of the fourth period maintained the four-point edge at 58-54 as did two free throws by sophomore reserve guard Ashley Fosness at the 5:43 mark that made it a 60-56 game.  Augsburg though managed to get things tied at 60 a piece when Speese dropped two freebies at the 5:30 mark and McLemore muscled into the paint for a score with 4:21 left.  Riverso would subsequently call a timeout with 3:44 left to set up strategy for the Auggies for the stretch run and one Speese free throw with 3:10 left not only propelled Augsburg back into the lead but now the Wildcats' situation was complicated even more by the fact that their main threat - Cambrice - had just collected her fourth foul of the evening.  Augsburg's Speese would also get tagged with her fourth foul of the night a short time later with 2:35 left and when Radford got two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 1:57 left, the 'Cats found themselves back out in front by a 62-61 count.  That lead, however, didn't last long as the Auggies' McLemore drilled a "3" from the right wing with 1:35 left and after a foiled Wildcat possession, Wubben got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 1:16 left to give Augsburg a 65-62 lead.  Now it was St. Kate's turn for dramatics as Clark drained a "3" from the left corner off of an inbounds pass that knotted this one at 65-all with 1:03 left.  But the Wildcats' hopes dimmed when Augsburg's Jones connected with a lay-up with :34 left along with an untimely turnover ten seconds later.  One Jones freebie with :22 left expanded the Auggie lead to three at 68-65 with :22 left and St. Kate's Mulhern called a timeout in hopes of setting up something for his squad from three-point land.  Probably only fitting, of course, that the Wildcats would lean on Cambrice and she came through when she drained a cold-blooded "3" from the left wing area with :12.5 left that had this one deadlocked at 68 a piece that sent the St. Kate's contingent into a frenzy.  Still one last chance for the Auggies in regulation, however, and after Riverso called a timeout, they quickly worked the ball around on the perimeter and with :03 left, Wilson got just enough of an opening to fire a three-point attempt from the left wing area but that shot missed its mark.  Augsburg's McLemore was able to snare a tough offensive rebound put her putback wit just :00.2 wouldn't cooperate either so off to overtime we went tied at 68. 

The Wildcats' Fosness had an opportunity to propel her team into the lead at the 4:06 mark of the extra session when she was sent to the charity stripe but the Britton, SD native was unable to get either free throw attempt to go down and this gave Augsburg the opening they were hoping to get.  Wubben would get sent to the charity stripe at the 2:58 mark where she got one free throw attempt to go down that not only pushed the Auggies back out in front at 69-68 but now the main threat for St. Kate's - Cambrice - had now fouled out and with her on the bench the Wildcat hopes sank.  Augsburg sophomore reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth would add two more free throws with 2:09 left to push the lead to three points at 71-68.  The 'Cats got a glimmer of hope when Clark slithered inside for a drive and finish with 1:55 left to narrow the deficit to one point at 71-70 but St. Kate's could never get themselves over the top from then on.  The Auggies' Riverso would call a timeout with 1:10 left to set up strategy for the last minute.  Wubben would get a key score for Augsburg with her drive into the lane and finish with :52 left to get the lead to 73-70.  The Wildcats still had a chance but on their subsequent possession, Clark was unable to get a lay-up attempt to go down with :38 left.  The Auggies' McLemore would get fouled with :29.6 left and she dropped two important free throws that now had Augsburg up two possessions by a 75-70 count.  St. Kate's Mulhern would call a timeout shortly thereafter and with :22 left, freshman guard Taylor Johnson got to the line where the former Park standout got two freebies to go down to get things down to a three-point margin at 75-72 but now the Wildcats needed a stop or, better yet, a turnover - which they never got.  Augsburg's Jones would be fouled with :20.9 left and she also sank two important charity stripe shots to make it a 77-72 game and after another St. Kate's timeout, a missed lay-up attempt by freshman reserve guard Lauren Isaacson all but sealed the Wildcats' fate.  The Auggies' Jones would get fouled with :12.8 left and her two insurance free throws allowed Augsburg to get a relieving 79-72 victory. 

A disappointed Mulhern could only mutter about the missed chances his squad had coming down the stretch in regulation and early on in the overtime period.  Still, the fact that his team was able to hang with one of the upper echelon teams in the conference on the road I think is encouraging for his squad going forward.  Augsburg Assistant Coach and former Minnesota standout Jackie Voigt thought this win was important for the team on two different fronts:  One, knowing that they have the ability to fight through adversity in a tough game and second, going into the New Year undefeated in MIAC play.  You have to think that things are really looking up for this Augsburg team now and that they'll go into 2019 with a big head of steam.  When you look at the final box score for this one, it may be a little surprising to see that rebounds were basically even with the Auggies holding a 40-39 edge.  What probably added to Mulhern's disappointment on this night was that his squad was guilty of 24 turnovers and the fact that Augsburg got 24 points off of those turnovers.  St. Kate's certainly shot well on this night; going 27-54 from FG range for a straight 50% although three-point shooting could have been a bit better as they were 4-13 from downtown for 30.8%.  Free throw shooting needs to come up more as well as the 'Cats were 14-20 from the charity stripe for 70%.  And St. Kate's had a big edge in points in the paint by a 44-32 margin.  It's no surprise that Cambrice's 22 point led the way for the Wildcats on this night while Clark had a solid night as well with her 19 points and Radford added 14 points.  On the Augsburg side, McLemore led all scorers on this night with her 26 points and had a "double-double" with her 11 rebounds as well.  Speese finished with 15 points and Jones had 12 points.