MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-27-19

First, I want to apologize for not getting my power rankings in last week Sunday.  I was 100% caught up in the euphoria of my Los Angeles Rams winning the NFC Championship Game by beating the New Orleans Saints that I got very little done on that day.  Throw in the fact that it was my birthday as well and I'm sure you'll understand.  Now, let's see what I'm like next week Sunday for Super Bowl 53!  Alright, now, there have been some shake-ups and changes since the last set of power rankings came out so let's see how my crystal ball looks this time around:


1.  Los Angeles Rams
2.  UST
3.  Augsbu....


Uh, let's try that again.  :p


1.  UST
2.  Augsburg
3.  Bethel
4.  SMU
5.  GAC
6.  Hamline
7.  CSB
8.  St. Kate's
9.  Concordia
10.  St. Olaf
11.  Macalester
12.  Carleton


Not much of an argument at the top three spots.  UST continues with its winning ways with two easy victories this last week against Concordia and Carleton and the Tommies stay in the Twin Cities this coming week with dates at both Macalester and Hamline.  Since the loss at home to UST two weekends ago at home, the Auggies have quietly reeled off four straight victories; the latest conquests this last week coming at St. Kate's and then yesterday up in Moorhead against Concordia - never an easy place to win as Augsburg has now set a school record with their 16 wins thus far and everything seems to be pointing to another showdown with UST on February 9.  What a last three games for Bethel as they've gone over 90 points and have either hit or eclipsed the century mark in their last two games with easy wins at home against both Carleton on Wednesday night and then Macalester yesterday.  But this next week there's little time to celebrate as the Royals go up to CSB on Wednesday night and then over to St. Kate's next Saturday. 

SMU has now won five out of their last six games including important wins at home against both CSB on Wednesday night and yesterday's nail-biter against GAC.  The Cardinals have a home date with St. Olaf on Wednesday night but the next two games after that - on the road at both Augsburg and Bethel - appear to be daunting propositions.  Speaking of GAC, I think they finally realized the seriousness of their dire situation from a couple of weeks ago and have got the ship straightened out somewhat; winning three of their last four games although they're likely kicking themselves after the loss at SMU yesterday.  Right now, they seem to be pretty much "locked" into that fifth spot but a very dangerous opponent lies ahead for them Wednesday night - at Hamline - before returning back home to Lund Arena next Saturday to face Carleton.  Despite at losing to both Augsburg and Bethel on the road (which they were supposed to do), the Pipers rebounded nicely this last week getting nice home wins against both Macalester on Wednesday night and then CSB yesterday.  And - right now anyway - they've got that sixth spot all to themselves.  But everything could go awry for them this week as both GAC and mighty UST come calling to Hutton Arena and they'll do good to come away with a split. 

Had I been able to put this together a week ago, it's quite likely I would have the Blazers higher than what I do right now but what a disastrous week this last week was for CSB.  A 66-60 loss at SMU Wednesday night before yesterday's somewhat predictable 67-60 setback at Hamline.  The Blazers certainly aren't out of the playoff race by any stretch just yet but they not only need to take care of their own business but they need some help now as well.  And this coming week is likely a 50-50 proposition at best for CSB with home dates against Bethel on Wednesday night and then Macalester on Saturday.  St. Kate's slim hopes keep dwindling as this young team has dropped five of its last eight games and it took an overtime victory down in Northfield yesterday at St. Olaf to keep their playoff hopes on life support.  And things won't be easy for the 'Cats this coming week as well as Concordia makes the trip down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline for a Wednesday night date at Butler Center before big bad Bethel makes the crosstown trip next Saturday.  And the Cobbers have hit a rough patch dropping their last five games and while the playoffs are pretty much a forgone conclusion, they can at least play spoiler down the stretch and the game at St. Kate's on Wednesday night with a home date against St. Olaf are doable propositions for them. 

Macalester vs Bethel 1-26-19

Made the short but somewhat tricky and slow trip with the light snow that had hit the metro area on this Saturday A.M. over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University for this contest between visiting Macalester and host Bethel.  This has been a rough year for the Scots and first year Head Coach Pamela Findlay and the going has been rough since the first of the year with Macalester dropping five of their last seven games.  Bethel meanwhile was finishing up the last of its three-game homestand and was coming off lopsided wins over both Hamline last Saturday and Carleton on Wednesday night; where the Royals hit the century mark beating the Knights 100-52.  On paper anyway, this one had the same ingredients as the last two games but we all know that games have to be won on the court and not on paper. 

And Bethel certainly came out firing on all cylinders early on in the opening period.  Sophomore forward Makenna Pearson got the home team on the board first with a lay-up that drew also drew a  foul and the ensuing "and one" had the Royals up 3-0.  Macalester would cut the deficit to one point on a jumper from the left wing by sophomore guard Justine Barraza but the roof would soon cave in on the Scots.  Royal junior forward enforcer Taite Anderson made a hard drive for a finish at the 9:12 mark and a pretty lay-up in transition by willowy senior post Hannah Johnson at the 7:51 mark had Bethel up 7-2.  Taite Anderson would strike again with a lay-up after a steal at the 7:40 mark to make it 9-2 and Macalester's Findlay wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make some quick adjustments and get her team calmed down a bit.  But the Royals were just getting started with their pressure defense and the rewards that come with it.  Two Pearson free throws at the 6:47 mark and a lay-up in transition after a steal by freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson at the 6:32 mark made it 13-2.  An offensive rebound for a putback by sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz at the 5:37 mark and a Taite Anderson lay-up in transition at the 5:12 mark made it 17-2.  Junior point guard Haylee Barker; like a thief in the night, snared a steal and raced the other way for an easy lay-up to make it 19-2 with 4:56 left and Macalester's Findlay was forced to take a match to a full timeout as this one was clearly getting away from her team early on.  To their credit, the Scots were able to momentarily cut some of the fat off of the early deficit as one free throw by freshman reserve guard Celine Sabbagh with 4:00 left and an offensive rebound for a putback by junior reserve guard Holly Hull with 1:52 left had the deficit down to sixeteen at 21-5 and a "3" from the left corner by slender sophomore reserve forward Katherine Podoll with 1:29 left cut it to thirteen points at 21-8 but the Royals would not let Macalester reduce their safety net too much.  Two Tessah Anderson free throws with :55.6 left and two more by sophomore reserve guard Michaela Craigan with :42.3 left got the lead back up to seventeen at 25-8 and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Megan Boegel with just :00.6 left had Bethel up comfortably 27-9. 

Taite Anderson would not only increase the Royals' lead in the early portion of the second period but also got the spotlight to shine down on her as well.  After the former White Bear Lake standout connected with a lay-up at the 9:23 mark, she would connect with a lay-up in transition to tally her 1,000th point at Bethel and drew a foul in the process.  Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer called a timeout to let the moment be celebrated to a standing ovation at Robertson Center and Taite Anderson would complete this three-point play with the obligatory free throw to make it 32-9.  The Scots tried to stem this tidal wave as Barraza connected with a short shot at the 8:26 mark but Bethel would respond with an 8-1 push that only widened the already-large gap that much more.  Pearson would connect with a lay-up at the 8:16 mark as would Barker at the 7:49 mark that made it 36-11 and a score in the paint by Taite Anderson at the 7:10 mark made it 38-12.  Johnson; with her long reach, snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss at the 6:06 mark to make it 40-12 before the Scots could get some more points on the board as strong junior forward Caitlyn Burmester snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 5:28 mark.  Podoll would add another three-point bomb - this one coming from the right wing area with 4:37 left - but again, trying to bring this one back was out of the question with Macalester down 42-17.  Taite Anderson would retaliate for the Royals as she drained a "3" from the right top area with 4:25 left and would also connect with a lay-up in transition from the right top area with 4:25 left to make it 47-17.  To their credit, the Scots continued to focus on the fight and not the score as they mounted a 7-0 push.  Junior guard Tyana Loiselle connected with a jumper in the lane with 3:28 left and Sabbagh connected with a lay-up with 3:02 left.  Then it was Barraza finding the range from three-point land as she buried a bomb from the right top area with 2:22 left that had the deficit down to twenty-three points at 47-24.  Another 6-0 push by Bethel widened that gap again as Taite Anderson was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw with 2:01 left made it 50-24.  Pearson would connect with a lay-up in transition with 1:25 left and Taite Anderson would get an easy lay-up off of a steal with 1:11 left to make it 54-24.  Macalester's Hull would add a short jumper from the left side with :33 left but the Scots were still on the wrong end of a 54-26 score as both teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.  The Scots' Findlay could like only be staring at the first half box score with her jaw hitting the floor.  Forget that the fact that the Royals were shooting 22-41 from FG range for 53.7%.  Forget the fact that Bethel also had a sizable advantage on the boards as well at 26-18.  Macalester was already guilty of 14 turnovers and the Royals had ten first half steals to boot.  Throw in the fact that the Scots shot only 10-37 from FG range for 27% was more than enough to know that Findlay and her staff were looking at trying to build a bridge over the wide part of Lake Superior in hopes of getting back in this one.

Like he did a week before against Hamline, Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer switched up things on defense at the start of the third period by going to a 2-3 "match-up" zone to work on that with a sizable lead at his disposal.  And that only added to the Scots already sizable woes as the Royals widened the gap more with a 7-0 push.  Pearson drained a "3' from the right corner at the 9:50 mark and a Johnson lay-up at the 9:11 mark made it 59-26.  Johnson would also add two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 8:31 mark before Macalester could cut into things a bit as Burmester would connect with a lay-up at the 8:24 mark and sophomore reserve guard Luci Swift added two free throws at the 7:56 mark.  But Macalester was simply dealing with too many Royal runs on this afternoon.  Tessah Anderson connected with a jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass at the 7:36 mark and Pearson connected with a lay-up after another Bethel steal at the 6:18 mark to make it 66-30.  Taite Anderson connected with a short, turnaround jumper at the 5:53 mark and Tessah Anderson snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:01 mark to make it 70-31.  Again, the Scots never quit and got two nice retaliatory strikes.  Sophomore forward Kayla Togneri connected with a short, one-handed shot in the lane with 3:57 left and Barraza got to the charity stripe after getting fouled behind the arc with 3:22 left and she knocked down all three free throw attempts.  But still, another push by Bethel.  Craigan drained a "3" from the right corner with 3:13 left and Tessah Anderson would do the same from the left wing area with 2:43 left that made it 76-36.  Craigan would get a lay-up in transition as well with 1:45 left to make it 78-37 before the Scots could respond with a flurry of scores.  Loiselle connected with a jumper from the right top area just inside the arc with 1:20 left and then Sabbagh made a hard drive for a finish and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" with 1:02 left reduced the sizable deficit a bit at 78-42.  Sabbagh would add one more free throw after getting fouled with :42.5 left but the Royals would make it an 80-43 ballgame when Boegel connected with a lay-up in transition with just :14 left in the third period.

Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer had already been rotating in his second line of players during the third period but he let his starters get in a few more good minutes in the early moments of the fourth period before calling it a day for them.  Barker connected with a lay-up in transition at the 9:11 mark and Johnson connected with a lay-up of her own at the 8:37 mark to make it 84-43.  One Taite Anderson freebie at the 8:02 mark increased the lead to 85-45 and perhaps the only down point of the day for the Royals came a bit later at the 7:16 mark when Tessah Anderson went down with an apparent back injury.  After a lengthy delay, she was helped off the court and action resumed with reserves in action.  Schwarz connected with a lay-up at the 6:53 mark and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Sydney Blandin at the 6:15 mark made it 89-48.  Schwarz would snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 4:56 left to make it 91-48 before Macalester could respond with two scores as sophomore reserve forward Rose Lutz got into the paint for a score with 3:24 left as did Togneri with 3:03 left.  But the Royals' young reserves had a blast coming down the home stretch.  Freshman reserve guard Erin Tupy drilled a "3" from the right wing area with 2:48 left and a Boegel lay-up in transition with 2:20 left had Bethel up 98-53.  The crowd inside Robertson Center erupted when freshman reserve guard Jennifer Hicks banged home a "3" from the right wing area with 1:45 left to put the Royals over the century mark at 101-55.  Sophomore reserve guard Mackenzie Novak also drained a "3" of her own from the left wing area with :47 left as Bethel ran away with this one by a final count of 104-59.

As disappointed as Macalester's Findlay had to be on this afternoon, I had to give her and her squad a lot of credit for staying in the fight and never quitting despite the lopsided score.  This is an incredibly young team that Findlay has and they don't have a lot of size to boot either.  But they do play hard and they've already got some surprising wins in their pocket so far and they're going to be a dangerous foe for opponents down the road.  I managed to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer who was caught up afterward talking to some potential recruits after the game and he admitted that his squad was playing at a very high level right now and he's hopeful that they can continue to play at this level with road games this week at both CSB and St. Kate's in the offing.  I had to ask him about Tessah Anderson who got injured in the fourth period and he admitted that she's had some back issues.  Fortunately, the athletic department's chiropractor was on hand that day to give her some treatment afterward and Herbrechtsmeyer was hopeful that she'll be feeling better in a few days so that's definitely good news.  It was indeed a fabulous day for the Royals as they had four players in double figures for scoring.  Not surprisingly, it was Taite Anderson who had a monster day with her 26 points to easily lead all scorers and Pearson finished with 16 points.  Another solid, solid day for Johnson as she had a "double-double" with 12 points and 11 rebounds; a seemingly common occurrence for her anymore and Tessah Anderson finished with 11 points despite the injury and she is without question a big spark for Bethel coming off the bench.  Barraza's 12 points led the way for Macalester on this day while Podoll finished with 10 points.  The Royals set a school record with their 18 steals on this day; a credit to their awesome defense and also had a 42-33 edge in the rebounding department.  One thing Findlay and her staff at Macalester have to do a better job of down the road is protecting the rock as they were guilty of 28 turnovers on this day.  Yikes.   

Champlin Park vs Centennial 1-25-19

Made my way over to Circle Pines on this cold January Friday night for my very first visit to Centennial High School to take in a key Northwest Suburban Conference match-up between visiting Champlin Park and host Centennial.  The Rebels were coming into this conference on something of a wave; having won six straight games and naturally were hoping to ride that wave into this important showdown against one of the perennial top teams in the conference in Centennial.  I got into the Centennial gymnasium early enough during the JV game that I had an opportunity to talk with Cougar Head Coach Jill Becken about her team.  I asked her specifically about senior post Sara Stapleton and, although she was dressed on this night, Becken stated that she still was being held out of any contact and it will be a while yet before she gets cleared but it's definitely good to see her making progress and hopefully we'll see her back in action again soon.

Given what I had seen of the Rebels a little more than a week ago in their home win over Elk River, I expected this to be a very good game given Champlin Park's potential.  Still, it would be the Cougars getting off to a 6-0 start in this one as slender senior guard Taylor McAulay knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area at the 17:32 mark of the first half to get this push going.  Senior post Sarah Lavell got into the paint for another score at the 17:09 mark and after a Rebel turnover, willowy sophomore guard/forward Jodi Anderson would connect with a lay-up at the 17:00 mark and, just like that, it was 6-0 Centennial.  But Champlin Park was not about to let this one get away from them - at least not yet anyway - as the Rebels responded with a 6-0 push of their own.  Speedy junior guard Miyah Dubose made a hard drive for a finish at the 15:44 mark and a lay-up by fellow junior guard Izzy Quick at the 15:09 mark reduced the deficit to two points at 6-4.  An offensive rebound and putback in transition by senior post Makayla Johnson at the 14:44 mark had this one tied at 6-all and although the Cougars' Anderson would add a free throw at the 14:32 mark after getting fouled that allowed Centennial to poke its nose out in front again at 7-6, the Rebels grabbed their first lead of the evening when Quick made a hard drive for a finish at the 13:29 mark to make it an 8-7 game and there was every reason to believe at this juncture that this just might be a nip-and-tuck affair.  But what Champlin Park Head Coach Josh Steck and his staff likely could not have counted on was how the Rebels would have the wheels come off as Centennial started turning up the heat on defense that resulted in an astounding 35-2 run the rest of the first half that saw the Rebels denied on every possession save for two measly free throws.  A jumper from the left elbow area off of an inbounds pass by McAulay at the 13:09 mark started this assault and a short, turnaround jumper off the glass by Lavell at the 12:11 mark had the Cougars up 11-8.  Still, it wasn't that much of an alarming development from a Champlin Park standpoint at this particular moment but when Centennial senior guard Mady Sanders knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area at the 11:50 mark and Lavell added a score in the paint at the 11:33 mark, the Cougar lead expanded to 15-8 and the Rebels' Steck called for a thirty-second timeout in hopes of getting his young team regrouped and calmed down a bit.

The thing of it was, however, was that Centennial was just getting going.  Senior reserve post Cate Flynn snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:57 mark and a "3" from the left wing area by Anderson at the 9:17 mark now had the Cougars up 20-8.  Champlin Park finally ended its five minute scoring drought when Quick got one freebie to go down after getting fouled with 8:16 left but unfortunately for the Rebels, they were going to need a lot more than that to offset this scoring festival being put on by Centennial.  And a lot of the Cougar scores were coming off of untimely turnovers by Champlin Park thanks to some very good defense that Centennial was applying.  Lavell was able to connect with a short turnaround jumper off the glass with 6:23 left and a little more than a minute later Lavell would knock down a jumper from the right elbow area with 5:11 left to make it 24-9 and the Rebels' Steck was forced to take a match to a full timeout.  But there was nothing he nor his Champlin Park team could do in this first half to stem this tidal wave.  The Cougars' Anderson snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:28 left to make it 26-9 and, to just to give you an idea of how things were going so much in favor of Centennial on this night, Lavell would connect with a jumper from the right wing area that bounced perfectly off the back rim; straight up into the air where it brushed the top of the backboard and then came down perfectly through the cylinder.  An Anderson score in the paint with 3:37 left made it 30-9 and then Lavell snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" made it 33-9.  Senior reserve guard Anna DeBilzan connected with a lay-up in transition with 2;21 left and a "3" from the right top area by McAulay with 1:33 left ballooned the lead to 38-9.  Rebel freshman guard Mikaelah Counce got one more point for her squad with a free throw with 1:24 left but the Cougars were not done yet.  Senior reserve forward Annika Holmstrom knocked down a jumper in the lane with 1:01 left and a score in the paint by Sanders with just :22 left capped this fabulous first half by Centennial as they took a commanding 42-10 lead into the locker room at the half.

Champlin Park needed something - anything - to somehow give them a jump start once the second half got underway and a 6-2 Rebel push was certainly a step in the right direction.  Sophomore guard Maya Fitzpatrick got into the paint for a score at the 17:50 mark and Dubose would connect with a lay-up at the 16:52 mark.  Quick would add a lay-up of her own at the 15:59 mark but the Rebels were going to need a lot more of this if they hoped to realistically cut the deficit down.  And they were in no position either to be content to just trade scores with Centennial either.  The Cougars' Anderson would knock down two free throws after getting fouled at the 15:37 mark before Champlin Park could get two more scores as Makayla Johnson connected with a lay-up in transition at the 15:01 mark and Fitzpatrick connected with a lay-up of her own at the 12:51 mark.  The Rebels were still down at this point 49-20 and Centennial would add to those woes as one Anderson free throw at the 12:43 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by McAulay at the 12:12 mark pushed that lead to 52-20 and now Champlin Park was in a fight to stave off the MSHSL's mercy rule of "Running Time".  Freshman reserve guard Amelia Valentino came to the Rebels' rescue as she buried a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 10:49 mark and one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Dejah Jenkins with 8:20 left saved the cause - for now anyway - but being down 52-24 all hopes of trying to bring this one back had long since gone out the window. 

A McAulay drive into the lane and short jumper with 7:53 left pushed the Centennial lead to 54-24 but Champlin Park was not ready to throw in the towel.  One Counce free throw with 7:14 left and then a lay-up by senior reserve post Ally Crymble that also drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" had the cushion cut down to 54-28.  With such a sizable lead, it gave the Cougars' Becken a chance to unload her bench down the stretch to give her younger reserve players some quality game minutes.  The Rebels' Valentino would connect with a lay-up in transition with 3:30 left and would also get her second three-point bomb from the left top area with 3:00 left as well.  Centennial sophomore reserve post Jenna Guyer would get a score in the paint with 2:13 left and would get sent to the charity stripe with 1:36 left after getting fouled where she would get one free throw to go down.  Champlin Park sophomore reserve forward Gina Stefferud would knock down one free throw with :26.6 left but when the final buzzer sounded, the Cougars had the convincing victory by a 58-34 margin. 

I caught up with Centennial's Becken afterward who was basking in this latest win with family and friends.  She felt that the first half was arguably the best half she's been able to get out of this team thus far.  She was a bit disappointed that her squad seemed a bit sloppy at times in the second half and a bit unfocused as well but that can happen when you have such a large lead at your disposal.  I think one positive that has developed for the Cougars has been the emergence of Lavell as she's raised the level of her game during Stapleton's injury recovery period.  She's a very versatile player and can be a threat not only down low but she isn't afraid to take some shots from the outside either.  So when Stapleton is able to get back onto the floor, it has to be reassuring for Becken to know that she has not one good post but two to rely on and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see them on the floor at the same time doing the high-low thing.  Champlin Park's Steck and his squad arguably had a bad day at the office on this night and they arguably have to find a way to be a bit more consistent - particularly on the road.  Not sure if it was an unlucky omen for the Cougars or not but they had not one, not two but THREE players with 13 points on this night - McAulay, Anderson and Lavell.  Champlin Park's Valentino led the way with her eight points thanks to her three-point prowess.

Hamline vs Bethel 1-19-19

Made my way over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this sunny but very cold January Saturday to take in the contest between visiting Hamline which made its way up Snelling Avenue to take on host Bethel.  The Pipers were coming into this game mired in a slump as they had dropped three of four games since the first of the year while the Royals were coming off an incredibly tough loss at UST on Wednesday night.  While this looked to be the perfect opportunity for Bethel to rebound and get an easy win, this is an improved Hamline team and the Royals could scarcely hope to just show up and win. 

The Pipers, in fact, did draw first blood in this contest when junior guard Morgan Coleman got to the charity stripe after getting fouled at the 9:27 mark of the first period and Coleman would follow that up a bit later with a drive and finish at the 8:13 mark that also drew a foul and although she wasn't able to cash in on the ensuing "and one" Hamline still held a 4-3 lead at this point.  But what Piper Head Coach Alex Focke and his staff likely couldn't have counted on was the 19-0 blitz that Bethel would respond with in this opening period.  Sophomore guard Bella Williams got this run going as she was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for an easy lay-up at the 7:48 mark and a drive and pretty lay-up by junior point guard Haylee Barker at the 7:00 mark had the Royals up 7-4.  Perhaps the only fly in the ointment for Bethel at this point was that junior forward enforcer Taite Anderson got tagged with her second foul at the 6:22 mark but that didn't seem to faze the Royals any.  Understudy sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz came in and connected with a lay-up at the 5:41 mark and a routine score in the paint by willowy senior post Hannah Johnson with 4:41 left made it 11-4.  Then Johnson; the former Duluth East standout who has greatly improved her perimeter shooting, unleashed a three-point bomb from the left top area with 4:21 left to make it 14-4 and Hamline's Focke had seen enough to know that at least a thirty-second timeout was warranted.  Still, the Royals kept up this barrage as sophomore reserve guard Michaela Craigin connected with a lay-up with 2:06 left and then Johnson would strike again with 1:42 left when she connected with a short shot off the glass off of an inbounds pass to make it 18-4.  With :39 left Johnson would strike yet again with a lay-up and freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson completed this big run with just :10 left in this opening period to make it 22-4.

And nothing was going to get better for the Pipers anytime soon either as Bethel started the second period with a 6-0 push to expand their already-large lead.  Schwarz was able to muscle into the paint for a score at the 9:21 mark and a nifty drive and finish by Barker at the 8:55 mark made it a 26-4 ballgame.  Then Johnson was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 8:28 mark that made it 28-4 before Hamline was finally able to break its lengthy drought with a drive and finish by freshman guard Gabby Robinson at the 8:10 mark.  The Pipers' leading scorer; junior forward Reilly Geistfeld, held in check thus far, was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:38 mark and repeated the same act after one of her own misses at the 5:48 mark as well.  Trouble was that the Pipers were trailing by a 32-10 count at this juncture and badly needed stops and some semblance of a run to try and get back into this thing and that just wasn't happening.  Bethel's Johnson was able to get another score off of an inbounds pass when she lofted up a pretty, one-handed shot off the glass at the 5:16 mark and freshman reserve forward Megan Boegel connected with a lay-up with 3:57 left that made it 36-10.  The Pipers did find a bit of a scoring punch coming down the stretch as junior sharp-shooting guard Kaeli Stayer drained a three-point bomb from the left wing area with 3:36 left and Robinson banged home a "3" of her own from the right corner with 2:23 left.  Geistfeld was also able to get into the paint for a score with 1:03 left but again, Hamline was still staring at a 38-18 deficit at this juncture and Bethel would add to its pad as one free throw by Craigin with :53 left and a lay-up after a Piper turnover by Tessah Anderson with :17 left made it 41-18.  Hamline would add one more point on one free throw by freshman reserve forward Sarah Loken with :05.4 left but facing such a large deficit as both teams headed for the locker room for the halftime break, it seemed unlikely that there was much Focke and his staff could say in the locker room that would ease the sting.  A check of the first half box score shows how one-sided this affair was so far.  While the Royals had "only" a 19-16 advantage on the boards, they shot 19-32 from FG range for 59.4% and 2-6 from downtown for 33.3% compared to Hamline's 7-31 from FG range for 22.6% and 2-9 from behind the arc for 22.2%.  Throw in 13 first half turnovers by the Pipers as well and you get a pretty clear idea of the hole that Hamline found themselves in. 

The Pipers did find a ray of hope early on in the third period when Stayer drained a "3" from the right top area at the 9:12 mark.  Bethel; for whatever reason, looked a bit disjointed on both ends of the floor and although Barker was able to make a drive and lay-up at the 8:58 mark for a 43-22 lead, Royal Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer called a thirty-second timeout at the 8:30 mark to get his team regrouped and the Royals responded after the short stoppage in play with a 9-0 push.  Taite Anderson muscled into the paint for a score at the 7:23 mark and a nifty steal and lay-up the other way by Williams at the 6:15 mark gave Bethel a twenty-five point cushion at 47-22.  Johnson was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:57 mark made it 49-22 and the Pipers' Focke called another timeout in hopes of dousing Bethel's fire but that hope died when Royals sophomore forward Makenna Pearson buried a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:07 mark to make it a thirty-point spread at 52-22.  Hamline made another attempt to cut into this big safety net as freshman guard Chan'el Anderson-Manning connected with a lay-up with 4:47 left as did junior reserve forward Rian Lee with 4:19 left.  Lee would also snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:32 left and Anderson-Manning drained a "3' from the top of the key with 3:13 left but all that did was reduce the deficit to twenty-seven points at 58-31.  Stayer would add a jumper in the lane with 2:50 left and Anderson-Manning would get a "3" from the left corner to go down with 1:47 left as well but the Pipers were still staring at a sizable deficit at 60-36 and Bethel would turn up the heat before this period was over.  Pearson banged home her second trey of the afternoon with 1:30 left from the left corner and Taite Anderson would do the same from the opposite right corner with 1:09 left that made it 66-36.  Pearson would connect with a lay-up in transition with :49 left and then Barker; the former Maple Grove standout, got the spotlight on her.  She banged home a "3" from the left wing area with :30 left and with just :04 left before the end of the third period she was able to connect with a lay-up in transition after a steal and with a 73-36 lead that the Royals were enjoying, it was easy to see how this one was going to turn out. 

With such a large lead in the bag, it gave Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer a chance to (1) experiment with a few things on defense and (2) get his seldom-used reserves gradually into the game for clean-up duty.  The Royals were using a 2-3 "match-up" zone by the start of the period that seemed almost as effective as their suffocating man-to-man defense.  Barker would connect with a lay-up at the 9:31 mark and Taite Anderson connected with a sweet reverse lay-up at the 8:46 mark that made it a 77-36 game.  Hamline, though down by plenty, wasn't giving up the ship so fast and they still made a strong effort to score when they could.  Geistfeld was able to get into the paint for a score at the 8:14 mark and got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 7:09 mark and would also knock down a pair after getting fouled at the 6:38 mark.  Anderson-Manning got a "3" to go down from the left top area at the 6:05 mark and sophomore reserve forward Alyssa Bryan-Jeffries would drop one free throw after getting fouled at the 5:10 mark and would also connect with a lay-up with 4:35 left.  Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer now took his cue to start sending in the reserves as the Royals' chain-gang had done their work for the day.  Schwarz was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:04 left and then Boegel connected with a lay-up with 2:21 left and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" had Bethel up 87-47.  Freshman reserve guard Erin Tupy knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 2:15 left and would also drain a "3" from the left top area with 1:43 left.  Freshman reserve guard Hannah Rogers snared an offensive rebound for a putback for good measure and the Royals romped to an easy 94-50 victory. 

I caught up with Herbrechtsmeyer after the game who was finishing up a small post-game meal and enjoying the big win on this day as well.  After the tough loss at UST on Wednesday night, a big win at home like this was exactly what the doctor ordered for this team to not only feel good about itself again but to restore their confidence as well.  Herbrechtsmeyer confirmed my suspicions about the 2-3 zone defense he was using in that fourth period as he pointed out that he wanted to experiment with a few things on defense with such a big lead in a game situation and I'm guessing he had to be pleased with what he saw.  This is the start of a three-game homestand for the Royals as well and, on paper anyway, they should be able to take care of business during this stretch without too much difficulty.  The big challenge is keeping everyone healthy (or as healthy as possible) for the home-run stretch leading up to the MIAC playoffs.  But I think the Bethel faithful; after seeing what they saw on this day, have a lot of reasons to feel confident about this squad's near-term future.  It's no surprise, either, that the Royals had four players in double figures scoring-wise on this day.  Pearson's 19 points led the way for Bethel and Johnson recorded a "double-double" on this day with her 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Barker finished with 12 points and surprisingly Schwarz recorded 11 points on this day.  Hamline had two players in double figures for scoring as both Geistfeld and Anderson-Manning finished with 11 points.  It was just a miserable day at the office for the Pipers as they finished the game going 17-48 from FG range for 35.4% and 6-16 from downtown for a not-much-better 37.5%.  Throw in 32 turnovers for the day into the mix and it's possible that Focke was likely looking for the Tylenol PM when nighttime rolled around.  If there was one bright spot for Hamline on this day, it was in the rebounding department as both teams finished with 34 total rebounds. Here's two more stats that jump out at me.  True, Bethel did win 94-50 but what's astounding is that the Royals had a 60-18 advantage in points in the paint and also cashed in for 46 points on all those Piper turnovers. 

Bethel vs UST 1-16-19

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this Wednesday evening to take in this big MIAC clash between visiting Bethel and host UST.  After a tough loss at home to Augsburg the week before, the Royals took out their frustrations on Concordia up in Moorhead last weekend and were hoping to ride that wave into this contest tonight.  The Tommies meanwhile had won four straight after the somewhat shocking setback at Wartburg just before the first of the year and also appeared to have a chokehold on the MIAC again after the big win at Augsburg last Saturday.  Still, I had the feeling that Bethel would be up for this game tonight and that they might actually play the Tommies better on the road than they would at home.

Bethel would draw first blood in this contest as willowy senior post Hannah Johnson unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 9:18 mark of the opening period but the Tommies would respond with a 7-0 push.  Senior guard Lucia Renikoff first connected with a lay-up at the 8:55 mark and then the former Minneapolis Washburn standout drained a "3" from the left top area at the 7:21 mark that had UST ahead 5-3.  Fellow senior guard Kaylie Brazil connected with a lay-up at the 6:39 to cap this opening push and make it a 7-3 ballgame before the Royals could close the gap to two points and a short turnaround jumper by sophomore forward Makenna Pearson at the 6:21 mark.  Still, the Tommies would spread the gap to seven points as another Renikoff lay-up at the 5:57 mark and a three-point bomb by Brazil from the left wing area at the 5:18 mark made it 12-5.  Bethel would then mount a resourceful 7-0 push of their own.  Junior forward Taite Anderson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:51 left and a score in the paint by Johnson with 4:28 left had the Royals back within a single possession down 12-9.  Two free throws by Johnson with 3:51 left reduced the deficit to a scant point and one more by Taite Anderson with 3:16 left in the first period after she was fouled in a transition opportunity had this one knotted at 12.  A Taite Anderson score in the paint with 2:31 left tied things again at 14 and one by sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz with 1:51 left had the game tied at 16-all before UST could manage two scores before the end of this first period.  Sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter connected with a jumper from the left top area with 1:32 left and a jumper by Renikoff from the free throw line area with :33 gave the Tommies a four-point pad at 20-16 but it felt closer than that. 

Bethel would stay right in the thick of things as well in the early moments of the second period.  A score in the paint by Johnson at the 9:40 mark closed the gap to two points at 20-18 and then a drive into the lane and a pretty one-handed finish by Pearson at the 8:56 mark kept the Royals in that two-point range down 22-20.  A Taite Anderson lay-up at the 8:02 mark tied the contest at 22 before UST could recover somewhat as sophomore reserve guard Madi Radtke snared a steal and made a spectacular off-balance reverse lay-up at the 7:44 mark and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw propelled the Tommies back out in front again at 25-22.  A jumper from the free throw line by Brazil and her deft touch at the 7:16 mark maintained that three-point edge at 27-24 but Bethel started turning up the heat on defense which also gave them opportunities on the other end and a 7-0 push got everyone's attention.  Sophomore guard Bella Williams dropped two free throws after getting fouled at the 6:48 mark to close the gap to one point and the Royals took a 29-27 lead when freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson drained a "3" from the top of the key at the 6:07 mark.  Less than a minute later Tessah Anderson would strike again as she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 5:44 mark to make it a 31-27 ballgame and UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn; likely startled by this development, called a thirty-second timeout to get her team calmed down and re-directed.  That short stoppage in play allowed the Tommies to catch their collective breaths and get refocused again for the stretch run before the halftime break.  Still, they had to withstand Bethel junior point guard Haylee Barker growing the Royal lead to six points when she made a drive for a finish with 3:22 left.  But the Tommies would put together an 8-3 spurt to gain the upper hand again.  Senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding; hounded by the Royals thus far, got to the charity stripe with 2:39 left after getting fouled where she dropped one free throw and with 2:08 left Spaulding got into the paint for a score and also drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" got the deficit down to two points at 33-31.  Bethel got a bit more breathing space when Tessah Anderson knocked down a short jumper off the glass with 1:41 left but the Tommies' Renikoff would drop one free throw after getting fouled with 1:06 left and then Radtke came up with another big moment as she banged home one of her patented lefty three-point bombs from the right corner with :27.5 left to tie the contest at 35 and although the Royals would take a one-point lead into the locker room when Taite Anderson knocked down one free throw with :01.3 left, UST had to feel a bit better about itself than it did perhaps five minutes beforehand.  A check of the first half box score gives some indication as to why the Tommies struggled somewhat as they were guilty of nine turnovers thus far due to Bethel's suffocating defense and although UST had a 17-12 edge on the boards, those turnovers seemed to negate that edge.  The Tommies did shoot reasonably well from FG range as they were 13-25  for 52% but struggled from behind the arc; going 3-10 for 30%.  Bethel was 14-30 from FG range for 46.7% but like UST they struggled from downtown going only 2-7 for 28.6%. 

The Tommies went right back to work in the opening moments of the third period as Spaulding got one free throw to go down with 9:49 left to tie the game at 36-all and a Porter lay-up at the 8:42 mark got UST the lead again at 38-36.  The Royals would tie the game on a Taite Anderson lay-up at the 8:28 mark but then they made the mistake of leaving UST's Renikoff open from downtown and she buried a "3" from the right top area at the 6:48 mark to give the Tommies a 41-38 lead.  Then Spaulding would come up big as the former Annandale standout got into the paint for a score at the 6:21 mark and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" pushed UST's lead to six at 44-38.  The Royals would try and counter with a Taite Anderson lay-up at the 6:03 mark but then Brazil would come up big for the Tommies at the 5:36 mark when she drained a "3' from the right top area to grow UST's lead to seven at 47-40.  Bethel would answer this as Johnson unleashed a "3" of her own from the right top area with 4:34 left but the Tommies would end this third key period with a 5-0 push.  Freshman reserve post Brynne Rolland knocked down a jumper along the right baseline with 2:38 left and a score in the paint by Spaulding with 1:58 left now had UST up 51-43.  Rolland would add one free throw with 1:07 left to push the lead to nine points at 52-43 and although Bethel was still very much in this game, the earlier momentum they had was now gone. 

The Royals started the arduous comeback process once the fourth period got underway as Johnson made a graceful move for a lay-up at the 9:07 mark and a "3" from the right corner by Pearson at the 8:22 mark had the deficit down to six points at 54-48.  UST got the lead back to nine points when Spaulding was left alone at the right top area behind the arc and she drained a "3" at the 7:49 mark but it looked as if Bethel would promptly answer when Taite Anderson was in position to connect with a lay-up with 6:29 left and although she couldn't cash in, she got the rebound and appeared to be fouled in trying to go up again.  But the officials whistled Taite Anderson for the foul and the former White Bear Lake standout's reaction to the call did not please the officials and she was promptly whistled for a technical foul.  UST's Porter got one free throw out of that to not only push the Tommie lead to ten points at 58-48 but now Taite Anderson thanks to the untimely technical had garnered her fourth foul of the night.  Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer called a timeout to try and get his squad settled down.  To their credit, the Royals indeed settled down, regrouped and battled back.  Pearson drained a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:52 mark and followed that up less than two minutes later with a short turnaround jumper off the glass after a steal with 4:18 left that had the deficit down to six points at 59-53.  Herbrechtsmeyer would subsequently call a thirty-second timeout to set up some strategy for the home stretch.  With 3:31 left, Schwarz was able to knock down two free throws to get the deficit down to four points at 59-55 but Bethel needed to get critical stops as well and that was proving to be tough to do.  The Tommies' Spaulding got into the paint for an important score with 3:08 left to make it 61-55 and one Renikoff free throw with 2:27 left maintained the six-point edge at 62-56 plus the fact by now that UST was in the bonus.  Still, the Royals were able to get tantalizingly close one last time.  Taite Anderson would knock down two free throws after getting fouled with 2:16 left and after a foiled Tommie possession, Schwarz was able to get into the paint for a score with :56 left that now had Bethel back within a single possession down 62-60.  The Tommies' Brazil would be fouled on their next possession but she could only get the back end of the two-shot deal to go down that kept the Royals within a single possession down 63-60.  Herbrecthsmeyer would call a thirty-second timeout and with :22 left, Schwarz was able to maneuver in for a lay-up that now had the deficit down to a single scant point at 63-62.  On UST's subsequent possession, junior point guard Sarah Krynski would get fouled with :19.4 left and she dropped both free throw attempts to make it 65-62.  Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer would call a timeout to set up a three-point play but on their subsequent possession, a three-point shot attempt by Pearson from the right corner was blocked and stolen away by UST's Porter.  The Tommies' Sinn would call a timeout to make sure her squad had the ducks in order and with :01.3 left, Renikoff would be fouled and she was able to get one free throw to go down for good measure and UST earned a tough, hard-fought 66-62 win to stay all alone at the top in the MIAC. 

When I caught up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward, I had to congratulate him on his team's great effort and the tremendous defense his squad played on this night.  I personally don't think there's any team in the MIAC - not even UST - that plays defense as well as Bethel does.  It was one of the reasons the Royals were able to get themselves into position to steal a huge win on the road and although they didn't on this night, you can't discount the fact that they were right there.  I pointed out to Herbrechtsmeyer that I thought his team played a lot "looser'" on this night unlike when they played UST at Robertson Center.  He admitted that they were tight in that game and said that coming into this contest, he tried to keep things "lighter"; if such a term could be used.  It was serious, of course, but he managed to keep the mood lightened up a little and you could just tell that the Royals played so much better in this outing.  It was still a disappointing outcome for Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff and naturally they hope they can get another shot at UST in the MIAC Playoffs next month.  I was also able to touch base with a greatly relieved Sinn of UST as well.  She pointed out that the third period where the Tommies outscored Bethel 17-7 was the key.  "We got the separation there" she said.  One of the adjustments that Sinn and her staff had to make at the half was to try and choke off the lane where the Royals were getting points in the paint and lay-ups and that helped them get some breathing room in that third period.  Sinn was not happy, however, with the 21 turnovers that her squad was guilty of tonight (compared to Bethel's nine) and muttered "We gotta stop turning the ball over."  The Tommie attack was paced by three different players on this night:  Renikoff led all scorers with her 17 points and Spaulding recorded a "double-double" of 15 points and 15 rebounds while Brazil had a solid night as well with her 13 points.  It was a similar situation with Bethel as Taite Anderson's 15 points led the way while Hannah Johnson was right behind with 14 points and both players just missed out on recording "double-doubles" as well as they both had nine rebounds.  And Pearson had 12 points on this night.  Bethel cooled off somewhat in the second half as they finished the game going 23-59 for 39% from FG range and 5-18 from downtown for 27.8% and Herbrechtsmeyer lamented on some of the easy missed opportunities they had in that critical third period that could have easily changed things.  UST meanwhile finished shooting 22-44 for a straight 50% from FG range and 6-15 from behind the arc for 40% so overall they didn't dip too much.  Bethel did have the edge in points in the paint by a 32-22 count but UST had a sizable edge in overall rebounds by a 39-24 count. 

Elk River vs Champlin Park 1-15-19

Decided to do something a little different on this Wednesday evening and one Northwest Suburban Conference game that looked enticing was the one that pitted visiting Elk River against host Champlin Park.  While I had already been able to get a glimpse of the Elks last month when they beat Rogers at home, this would be my first look at the Rebels this season.  This was a solid team last year that made it to the Section 5AAAA semifinals where they fell to eventual champ Roseville.  This is also a team that lost a handful of great players to graduation from last season - Erica Hicks, Gabby Mocchi, Megan Munneke, Amanda Pollard and Sydney Fields - so I wasn't really sure what to expect from them.  Elk River had lost a tough game on the road to Centennial just a few short days ago as well and presumably life wasn't going to be any easier for them on this night either.

Things would be tight in the first four minutes of the first half.  Rebel junior guard Miyah Dubose got the home team on the board first with a lay-up at the 17:01 mark and a jumper from the left elbow area by strong sophomore guard Maya Fitzpatrick at the 16:24 mark had Champlin Park up 4-0.  The Elks came right back, however, as a lay-up by sophomore guard Ellie Maass at the 15:18 mark and two free throws by diminutive junior guard Lydia Haack at the 14:07 mark had this one knotted at 4-all.  The Rebels were able to gain the upper hand on a three-point bomb by freshman guard Mikaelah Counce at the 13:52 mark for a 7-4 lead and a Counce score in the paint at the 13:23 mark maintained the three-point edge at 9-6.  Elk River's Haack brought her team right back, however, as she sank one free throw at the 13:07 mark and then connected with a lay-up at the 12:52 mark to again tie the contest at 9 a piece.  Two free throws by Champlin Park freshman reserve post Izzy Quick got the home team up again at 11-9 at the 11:51 mark but then the Elks got their very first lead of the evening when sophomore reserve forward Sophia Tobin nailed a "3" from the left top area at the 11:17 mark that made it a 12-11 ballgame so even though it took Elk River a bit to get their first lead of the night they were, thus far anyway, hanging tough on the road.

Much to the dismay of Elk River Head Coach Jeremy Digiovanni, things soon started falling apart for his young Elk team as Champlin Park was able to make its first decisive move of the evening.  After sophomore reserve guard Amaya Doree knocked down two free throws to put the Rebels back out in front 13-12 at the 10:29 mark, Fitzpatrick would follow that up with a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 10:03 mark that made it 16-12.  A Fitzpatrick score in the paint at the 9:14 mark maintained the four-point edge at 18-14.  A Dubose lay-up with 8:32 left increased the lead to 20-14 and although that wasn't an insurmountable lead from an Elk River standpoint, Digiovanni had every reason to break out the panic button with 7:55 left when Champlin Park's Fitzpatrick banged home another three-pointer - this one from the same right wing area with 7:55 left - that now pushed the Rebel lead to nine and the Elk's Digiovanni immediately called for a halt to the action to try and get his young team calmed down.  Champlin Park, however, had no plans to slow down this assault anytime soon and they were able to steadily grow their lead.  Dubose would sink two freebies after she was fouled in a transition opportunity with 7:38 left and lanky senior post Makayla Johnson connected with a lay-up with 6:45 left that now had the Rebels up double digits at 27-15.  Counce would slither through for an easy lay-up with 5:12 left to make it 29-15 and then freshman reserve guard Amelia Valentino got into the act as she drained a "3" from the right wing area with 4:08 left to increase the lead to 32-15.  Elk River's Haack tried to counter with a "3" of her own from the top of the key with 3:53 left but that was bettered by a 7-0 Rebel burst.  Johnson was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 3:27 left and then another Valentino three-point bomb from the right wing with 2:29 left now had Champlin Park up 37-18.  A Counce lay-up with 1:50 left made it 39-18 and yet another Fitzpatrick "3" - this one from the right corner with 1:13 left - gave the Rebels their biggest lead of the night at 42-19.  Elk River managed to cut into this sizable cushion before the halftime break as junior forward Alexa Engebretson drilled a "3" from the top of the key with :49 left and Haack was able to make a drive along the left baseline for a pretty finish with :24 left but down 42-24 when the halftime buzzer sounded, the Elks had a lot of making up to do.

Undoubtedly, the Elks indeed faced a daunting task in attempting to whittle this big cushion down but they slyly began the arduous task of picking away once the second half got underway.  After Champlin Park's Quick got the lead to twenty at 44-24 with her lay-up at the 17:44 mark, Elk River's lanky 6'2" sophomore post Johanna Langbehn dropped two free throws after getting fouled at the 16:58 mark and then junior guard Mikayla Kanenwisher provided a big spark when she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" had the deficit down to fifteen points at 44-29.  The Rebels would answer this dent as Counce connected with a lay-up at the 15:58 mark and one Fitzpatrick freebie at the 13:33 mark got the lead back to 47-29.  A Dubose "3" from the left wing area at the 12:06 mark got the lead to nineteen at 50-31 and it seemed as if Elk River was simply treading water at this point.  But a 10-0 Elk run really helped change the complexion of this contest.  Langbehn got into the paint for one score at the 11:45 mark and then the Elks started going bombs away from behind the arc.  Haack unleashed a "3" from the right wing area at the 11:11 mark and Mikayla Kanenwisher drained a "3" from the left top area at the 10:08 mark that suddenly had the deficit down to eleven points at 50-39.  Elk River started turning up the heat on defense as well and Haack was able to connect on an incredibly pretty reverse lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 9:51 mark and now the Elks had the deficit back into single-digit range again for the first time since the midway point of the first half.   

Champlin Park senior reserve post Ally Crymble's two free throws with 8:14 left got the Rebels lead back to double digits briefly again at 52-41 but Elk River refused to go away.  Junior reserve guard Abby Barschdorf came up huge for the Elks in this unlikely comeback bid.  She unleashed her first trey of the evening with 7:45 left from the top of the key that cut the deficit down to eight points at 52-44 and a short time later she would drain another three-point bomb - this one from the right corner with 7:22 left that suddenly had the deficit whittled down to six points at 53-47.  Somewhat alarmed by these developments, Champlin Park tried to curb this comeback attempt.  Two Doree free throws with 7:07 left and a drive and lay-up by Quick with 6:06 left got the Rebels significantly more breathing room up by ten again at 57-47 but again the Elks were able to find some more magic.  Langbehn was able to muscle into the paint for one score with 5:50 left and would connect with a lay-up as well with 4:58 left that had the deficit down to seven points at 58-51.  Digiovanni would call a timeout to set up strategy for the home stretch and Elk River would manage to get tantalizingly close.  Barschdorf unleashed her third trey of the ballgame with 4:22 left from the right that had the deficit down to six points again at 60-54 and a rare offensive rebound and putback by Haack with 3:10 left kept the Elks in that six-point range down 62-56.  After a foiled Champlin Park possession, Elk River's Langbehn snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:36 left that now had the deficit down to four points at 62-58 with plenty of time left.  Curiously, however, the Elks' dreams of bringing this one all the way back died at this juncture.  And what made it all more frustrating is that they had opportunities to get back to within a single possession as Champlin Park's Counce was unable to sink a free throw attempt with 2:21 left and Rebel Head Coach Josh Steck could hardly feel good went down with an apparent ankle injury with 1:47 left.  But Elk River was unable to cash in on their ensuing possession and the Rebels; nursing that four-point, went into a stall game to try and eat up as much clock as possible.  Steck would call a timeout with :55.3 left and after the ensuing in-bounds pass, Fitzpatrick would get fouled with :53.5 left that put Champlin Park in the double-bonus.  Fitzpatrick was only able to get one of the two attempts to go down, however, and that did leave the door open for the Elks to try and get this down to one-possession but they were unable to capitalize when they needed a score desperately.  Champlin Park's Johnson would get fouled with :36.8 left but she too was unable to get any of the obligatory free throws to go down that should have still left Elk River with a sliver of a chance.  But the Elks failed to box out and Johnson would get sent to the line again with :36.1 left and she got one free throw to go down this time that upped Champlin Park's lead to 64-58.  Elk River's Digiovanni would call a timeout although by now the Elks' best chance had already come and gone.  Champlin Park would snuff out Elk River's last possession and Johnson would get one more insurance free throw to go down with :22.2 left and Crymble would connect with a lay-up in transition with just :05 left for good measure and the Rebels got an important home court win by a 67-58 count.

I caught up with Elk River's Digiovanni afterward and I had to congratulate him on his team's marvelous comeback attempt when things looked all but hopeless at the halftime break.  The thing that struck me about Champlin Park was the size down low that they have with Quick and Fitzpatrick and I asked him (Digiovanni) if the Rebels' overall size advantage bothered his team.  He downplayed that aspect and replied that his squad simply has to do a better job of protecting the ball.  He made mention of the fact that the Elks were in a similar situation against Centennial where they got down big and fought their way back only to come up short.  Such I think is the life for this young Elk team that is still learning and growing and I think they're likely a year away from becoming legitimate contenders in the conference and Section 8AAAA again.  Champlin Park had an incredibly balanced scoring attack on this night as Fitzpatrick was the only player in double figures with her 12 points but both Dubose and Valentino had nine points while Quick, Doree, Johnson and Counce all finished with eight points.  Elk River was paced by three players on this night as Haack's 19 points led all scorers while Barschdorf; thanks to her three-point prowess, finished with 13 points and Langbehn had 12 points. 

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-13-19

I'm feeling infinitely better after my Los Angeles Rams dispatched Dallas last night in the NFC Divisional Playoffs last night and with that worry out of my head for the time being, let's take a look at my latest power ranking for MIAC Women's Hoops after this last week of action.


1.  UST
2.  Augsburg
3.  Bethel
4.  SMU
5.  Hamline
6.  CSB
7.  St. Kate's
8.  Concordia
9.  GAC
10.  St. Olaf
11.  Macalester
12.  Carleton


I had some really, really tough decisions to make this time around based on the latest results.  I don't doubt that there'll be some squawking from some (and I can't help that) but I'm simply going by what I see in trends and the latest results.  First off, there's no doubt at the top spot with UST having a seeming choke-hold on the rest of the conference by virtue of the way they shut down Augsburg yesterday over at Si Melby Hall by taking the Auggies completely out of their up-tempo game.  But the Tommies have little time to celebrate their latest conquest as they have a very tough Bethel team coming into Schoenecker Arena on Wednesday night before SMU makes the jaunt up the River and the CP Rail River Sub to take on the Tommies next Saturday afternoon.  Augsburg meanwhile had better recover fast from this latest setback as they have a very tricky and equally athletic Hamline team coming into Si Melby Hall on Wednesday night before they travel down to Northfield to take on St. Olaf next Saturday.  For Bethel meanwhile, this could be the toughest week for them of all this season and this may be where they have to make their last stand and come through wrt their MIAC title/NCAA Tournament hopes.  A visit to UST on Wednesday night before Hamline comes to Robertson Center on Saturday.  I just think the Royals have to come away with a sweep this week to salvage their sagging hopes after last Wednesday night's loss at home to Augsburg. 

Below these three teams, it's a complete mess and, as I said, I had to make some very difficult decisions in attempting to shake this out.  I shoved SMU up to the fourth spot after they took care of cellar-dwellers Carleton and Macalester at home but now comes the rough part - a looonnnggg roadie up to the Fargo-Moorhead area on Wednesday night to take on an improving Concorida team and then a visit to  Schoenecker Arena on Saturday to take on said UST.  The Cardinals had better hope for a split to avoid complete disaster.  Hamline meanwhile dropped a close one to said Cobber team up in Moorhead Wednesday night but got the job done yesterday at home against Carleton.  This next week though is daunting:  At Augsburg on Wednesday night and then at Bethel next Saturday and this young team will definitely have its mettle tested.  CSB had a solid week this last week; getting a big road win at GAC on Wednesday night and then getting a nice home victory yesterday against St. Olaf with members of the 1998-99 Final Four team in attendance.  And the opportunity is there this week for the Blazers to consolidate on these latest gains as they host St. Kate's on Wednesday night before a roadie down to Northfield Saturday to face Carleton.

For the time being, I have St. Kate's on the outside looking in despite yesterday's big home win over a slumping GAC team.  Nobody expected the 'Cats to beat UST this last Wednesday night anyway so coming away with a split wasn't a terrible proposition.  But now Don Mulhern's squad has a big chance this next week to make a significant move as they go up to CSB on Wednesday night before going over to Macalester next Saturday.  Tricky, but not out of the question.......Despite taking it on the chin yesterday to Bethel, you have to admire how the Cobbers were riding a nice little four-game win streak going into that game and although I think realistically that Concordia's likely still a year away from being able to make a significant move upward again, you still have to give Head Coach Jessica Rahman and her staff a lot of credit for bringing this young team along and they'll always play with grit - a Concordia trademark and they'll have a chance to make a statement this week with SMU coming to town on Wednesday night before a trip down to GAC next Saturday.....Speaking of the Gusties, my goodness.  Is there possibly a more disappointing team in the conference, maybe the entire upper Midwest, than this group right now?  A bad, bad home loss to CSB this last Wednesday night before yesterday's not-so-shocking loss at St. Kate's.  For a program that has always made the MIAC Playoffs since its inception back in 2001; for a program that made the fabulous run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season, it's a shocking come-back-to-earth splash of cold water in the face to say the least.  I can't bring myself to say that it's completely over for GAC at this point.  There's still a LOT of young talent on this team (key word here is YOUNG) but if they're going to keep this streak of MIAC Playoff appearances alive, then this week is where they absolutely MUST make their last stand and reverse this tailspin.  And it won't be easy either.  A roadie up to Macalester on Wednesday night where the Scots are always tough at Leonard Center before Concordia comes to town next Saturday. 

Fire away with thoughts....   

UST vs Augsburg 1-12-19

Made my way over to Si Melby Hall on this overcast NFC Divisional Playoff Day for my Los Angeles Rams on the campus of Augsburg University to take in this huge MIAC Women's Basketball match-up between visiting and fourth-ranked UST and host Augsburg.  Both teams were undefeated in MIAC play and both were sporting solid overall records; 13-1 for UST and 12-2 for Augsburg.  The Auggies were coming off a thrilling road win at Bethel on Wednesday night and had won eight out of their last nine games while the Tommies had survived a tough road test in their Friendly Neighborhood rivalry at St. Kate's on Wednesday night and had thus far recovered nicely after the setback at Wartburg just before the first of the year.  While this game didn't have the same feel as the MIAC Women's Hoops Game of the Century two years ago between UST and GAC, it was still a critical game for both teams and arguably the biggest game for this Augsburg program to this date and if they could snag a win today, you could make the argument that Head Coach Ted Riverso's team had officially arrived.

The Auggies in fact did get off to a decent start in this one thanks in large part to senior guard Camille McCoy as one short jumper off the glass at the 8:34 mark and another one at the 7:15 mark had the home team up 4-3 and one free throw by junior forward Camryn Speese at the 5:48 mark expanded that lead to 5-3.  UST, however, soon dug in their heels defensively and took over this game.  Sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter banged home a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:24 mark to propel the Tommies back out in front 6-5.  One free throw by junior guard Sarah Krynski with 4:01 left and two more by sophomore reserve guard Macy Hatlestad grew that lead to 9-5 which still wasn't necessarily all that problematic for the Auggies but when UST senior guard Lucia Renikoff made a hard drive for a lay-up with 1:44 left that also drew a foul and allowed the former Minneapolis Washburn standout to sink the obligatory free throw, Augsburg was now looking at a seven-point deficit at 12-5 and that deficit grew to nine points when Hatlestad deftly snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:18 left in the first period.  The Auggies trimmed the deficit back to seven points when junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson made a hard drive for a finish with :38 left at 14-7 but then UST's Hatlestad would unleash a dagger "3" from the right wing area with :13 left that now had the Tommie lead at ten points at 17-7 and although the Auggies got the deficit back to single-digit range on two McCoy free throws with :05 left in this opening period, it was obvious that the Tommie gameplan was jump on Augsburg early and take away their up-tempo transition game and make them play half-court ball instead. 

The Auggies spirits got a bit of an uplift when junior guard Kaezha Wubben was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:57 mark of the second period that cut the deficit down to six points at 17-11 but UST quickly went back to work to make that space larger again.  Two free throws by senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding at the 8:41 mark got the lead back to eight points at 19-11 and a three-point dagger by senior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 8:01 mark had the Tommie safety net back in double-digit range at 22-11.  Augsburg managed to cut into this cushion again as one free throw by strong junior guard Tamira McLemore at the 7:31 mark and a lay-up by speedy junior guard Ari Jones at the 5:08 mark had the deficit back down to eight points at 22-14 but the Auggies situation was more complicated by this point as McLemore was now saddled with two fouls.  This forced the former Eagan standout to play a bit more cautiously on defense and UST jumped on this situation.  Freshman reserve guard Mia Krogseng got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 4:20 left and a pretty one-handed short jumper by Spaulding with 2:37 left had the lead back up in double-digit range again at 25-14.  With 1:06 left, Porter made a hard drive for a finish to give the Tommies their biggest lead thus far at 27-14 and although Augsburg's Wubben was able to trim the deficit down to eleven at 27-16 with her drive and lay-up with :48 left, you could just detect how down the Auggies were given the fact that UST had set the tone with their defense as both teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score revealed some pretty grim numbers for Augsburg's Riverso and his staff:  6-23 from FG range for 26.1% and 0-9 for downtown.  Throw in the fact that the Tommies also held a 17-13 advantage on the boards as well only made this situation more dire.  And not that UST was necessarily shooting the lights out either.  They were 8-19 from FG range for 42.1% and 4-13 from three-point range for 30.8%.  It was just that the Tommie defense had taken Augsburg completely out of their comfort zone.

The Tommies managed to put Augsburg in a bigger hole in the opening moments of the third period as well.  Brazil knocked down a jumper from the right corner inside the arc at the 9:27 mark and although the Auggies' McLemore would drain a "3" from the left wing area off of an inbounds pass at the 8:50 mark, that was negated when UST's Porter drained a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 7:01 mark that had the Tommies up 32-19.  It was here where Augsburg was finally able to mount significant resistance and put together a 7-2 run that finally offered a glimmer of hope for the partisan Auggie crowd in Si Melby Hall.  Although Speese had to take a seat after picking up her third foul at the 5:45 mark, Wilson would get sent to the line after getting fouled behind the arc at the 5:16 mark and although she could get only one free throw to go down, it was something of a spark.  McLemore would bury a "3" from the right wing area with 3:58 left that had the deficit down to eleven points at 34-23 and when Wilson was able to bang home a "3" from the left wing off the glass as the shot clock was expiring with 3:08 left, there was genuine excitement buzzing amongst the Auggie faithful that now reduced the deficit down to eight points at 34-23.  But when UST appeared most  vulnerable, they calmly righted the ship and went back to work.  Spaulding knocked down a jumper from the free throw line with 2:09 left and a pretty one-handed short jumper in the lane by Porter with 1:21 left had the cushion back to twelve points at 38-26.  Then the wily Renikoff would deliver a heart-breaking three-point bomb from the left wing area with :44 left in this third period that made it a fifteen-point game at 41-26 and although the Auggies' Wubben would get one free throw to go down with :30.1 left, it was apparent that the wind had quickly gone out of Augsburg's sail again. 

To their credit, the Auggies attempted an early push in the opening moments of the fourth period as a Jones lay-up at the 9:39 mark and a short jumper by sophomore reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth at the 7:56 mark had the deficit down to ten points at 41-31 and perhaps offered up one last ray of hope for Augsburg on this day.  But those hopes were quickly snuffed out for good as the Tommies clamped down on defense again and got key scores to leave no doubt as to how this one was going to turn out.  A Spaulding score in the paint at the 7:00 mark got the lead back to twelve points at 43-31 and then Brazil was able to turn on the jets for a quick move and a lay-up at the 5:34 mark that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Norwood-Young America standout had the lead back to fifteen points at 46-31.  Augsburg's Speese would try to counter as she connected with a lay-up with 3:22 left but a little more than a minute later with 2:17 left Speese would collect her fifth and final foul of the afternoon that choked off what little hope the Auggies may have had left.  Porter would drop one insurance free throw with 1:59 left and a Spaulding drive and finish with 1:00 left for good measure made it game, set and match UST by a 49-34 count that was not as close as the score indicated. 

I knew that the final box score numbers had to be pretty miserable for Augsburg's Riverso and his staff afteward but until I actually got a glance of them from someone nearby in the stands on his phone, I had no idea the numbers were that daunting.  Consider:  UST's defense on this day held Augsburg to 12-51 from FG range for 23.5% and 3-18 from behind the arc for a pedestrian 16.7%.  I think the number that got me more than anything else was that the Auggies were only 7-15 from the charity stripe on this day for 46.7% and I posed this thought to Auggie Assistant Coach and former Minnesota standout Jackie Voigt afterward and she was in quick agreement that, although this item alone maybe wouldn't have changed the outcome itself, it still left a significant amount of points on the table that, at the very least, would have changed the complexion of things and strategy down the stretch.  Voigt lamented that the Auggies simply never got their "mojo" going with their transition game that normally leads to easy points and it was easy to see how out of sync Augsburg looked on this day as they were pretty much relegated to playing the half-court game; something that is simply not their strong suit.  Indeed, UST did not let the Auggies have ANY fast break points on this day at all and the Tommies also held a 33-28 advantage on the boards as well; limiting those "second chance" points.  UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn offered up that this game definitely had an NCAA Tournament "feel" to it and she was proud with how her team responded.  I brought up the fact that it was her team's defense that really set the tone in this contest early and that I thought her squad did a good job of protecting the "rock" on this day.  "Yes and no" Sinn countered.  She explained that her squad had a bit of an iffy moment in that third period when Augsburg was able to make a bit of a run to get the deficit down to single digits but she was able to get her squad calmed down and refocused and then they went on a run to take control of this one for good.  Enhancing UST's effort on this day was that they had a very balanced scoring attack.  Porter led the way with her 11 points and Spaulding was right behind with 10 points while Renikoff, Brazil and Hatlestad were right behind with nine, eight and seven points, respectively.  It was just a rough day at the office against a very, very good team for the Auggies on this day and it was McLemore who led the way on this day with her seven points.  One other item took me a bit by surprise on this day:  Sophomore reserve guard Nicole Zielsforf, who provided a big spark for the Auggies in the first half on Wednesday night against Bethel with her timely three-point shooting, curiously did not get into the game until late in the contest when the issue was already decided.  The  Auggies needed a spark like this desperately on this day and they simply didn't get it when they needed it.     

Augsburg vs Bethel 1-9-19

Made my way back over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this cold January night to take in this huge MIAC women's matchup between visiting Augsburg and host Bethel.  Despite losing a non-conference game to Trinity at home just before Christmas break, the Auggies were arguably on a roll; undefeated in the conference at 6-0 and had already handed Bethel an earlier defeat in the friendly confines of Si Melby Hall back on November 28.  The Royals meanwhile were on something of a hot streak themselves as they were coming into this contest on a six-game win streak including a 65-64 win over ninth-ranked George Fox on the road so this team's confidence was sky high - and rightfully so - coming into this all-important MIAC clash to try and keep pace with UST.

Scoring would come at an absolute premium in the first six minutes of the opening period.  After Augsburg senior guard Camille McCoy connected with a jumper from the free throw line at the 9:41 mark and Bethel junior forward muscled into the paint for a score at the 9:18 mark for a 2-2 deadlock, defense then ruled the day as each side saw several opportunities gobbled up, swatted or stolen away and you could tell right away that the tone was being set for an incredibly physical game.  The Royals finally ended this impasse when Taite Anderson drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:05 left but that was met and matched by Augsburg junior reserve sharp-shooting guard Aiza Wilson when she delivered a bomb from the right wing area with 3:39 left to forge a 5-5 game.  The Auggies would reclaim the lead when fellow junior guard Kaezha Wubben connected with a lay-up with 3:15 left at 7-5 but Bethel would come right back to tie the game at 7-all when sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:52 left.  Augsburg would nudge their nose out in front again with Wubben was able to knock down one free throw after getting fouled in a transition opportunity with 2:19 left but the Royals would snatch it right back when sophomore reserve guard Michaela Craigan made a pretty drive along the left baseline and got a finish off the glass with 1:48 left to make it 9-8 Bethel and the back-and-forth ebb and flow so far along with the intense and physical play was a sign of the craziness to come in this one.

The Royals' immediate hopes seemed to take a hit at the 9:25 mark when Taite Anderson was whistled with her second foul of the evening and with the former White Bear Lake standout having to take a seat on the pine for the time being, Bethel could have stalled.  Instead, they hunkered down and went on a 6-0 push.  Two Schwarz freebies after she was fouled at the 9:04 mark and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson at the 8:24 mark had the Royals up 13-8.  That lead grew to 15-8 when willowy senior post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up at the 7:50 mark and Bethel appeared to be in firm control.  The Auggies, however, decided to crash this little pre-victory party with unabashed flair and aplomb.  Two Wubben free throws at the 7:34 mark reduced the deficit to five points and two more by speedy junior guard Ari Jones at the 7:13 mark not only cut the deficit down to a single possession at 15-12 but now Augsburg was in the bonus as well.  Then an unheralded Auggie stepped up to the spotlight - sophomore reserve guard Nicole Zielsdorf - and she calmly dropped two huge three-point bombs:  One from the left wing area at the 6:11 mark to tie the game at 15 and the other from the right wing area at the 5:15 mark that pushed Augsburg ahead 18-17.  Zielsdorf would also get sent to the charity stripe with 4:44 left where she was able to knock down two free throws as well to get the lead to 20-17 before the Royals could catch their collective breaths and sail the ship out of these rough waters.  Schwarz would maneuver into the paint for a score with 4:33 left that cut the deficit to one point and was also the start of a 9-0 Bethel push.  Junior guard Haylee Barker connected with a lay-up with 4:00 left to give the home team a 21-20 lead and some thirty seconds later with 3:31 left, sophomore guard Bella Williams connected with a lay-up as well and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" pushed the lead to 24-20.  With 2:49 left, Schwarz would strike again on the offensive end with an offensive rebound for a putback to make it 26-20 and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso; fearing that perhaps some of the sail had gone out on his squad, call for a thirty-second timeout to try and reverse the trend.  That stoppage seemed to give Augsburg a bit of a lift as Zielsdorf struck again from three-point land - this time from the right wing area with 2:29 left to pull Augsburg back to within a single possession down 26-23 and a McCoy lay-up with 1:52 kept the Auggies in that three-point range down 28-25.  Bethel would seek to widen the gap again as Williams would connect with a lay-up with :59 left and two Johnson freebies with :20.9 left had the Royal lead at 32-25.  Augsburg's Wubben would trim the deficit down to five point with her lay-up with :11 left but Bethel certainly seemed to have the momentum and the answers as the teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.  And a check of the first half box score certainly indicates that the Royals had every reason to feel good about themselves at the halftime break.  Despite going only 1-8 from downtown in the first half, they shot 13-27 from FG range for 48.1% and were 5-5 from the charity stripe.  Augsburg meanwhile struggled some shooting only 8-24 from FG range for 33.3% and were only marginally better from behind the arc going 4-9 for 44.4% and Zielsdorf arguably bailed the Auggies out of a potential hole in that second period.  Bethel also held a sizable edge on the boards at 18-12 and even though both teams suffered their share of turnovers thanks to some tough defense, it sure seemed as if Bethel had the upper hand at this point. 

In fact, Augsburg's hopes initially appeared to sink in the opening moments of the third period when McCoy made a drive into the lane at the 9:04 mark and, although she was able to get a finish out of it that cut the deficit down to three points at 32-29, the former Park Center standout was down on the floor and had to be helped off with an apparent ankle or knee injury.  That setback, however, didn't seem to bother the Auggies too much as they came out much more aggressive on both ends of the floor.  Junior forward Camryn Speese; held scoreless in the first half, got into the books for the first time on this night when she connected with a lay-up at the 8:19 mark and also drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw had this game tied up at 32-all.  Bethel's Tessah Anderson got her team back out in front when she uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 8:11 mark but Augsburg was quick to reply as another Auggie held scoreless in the first half; junior guard Tamira McLemore, finally got untracked as she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 8:00 mark and Wubben followed that up with a drive along the right baseline and finish at the 7:17 mark that put the visitors up 36-35.  Now the Royals rose to this challenge as Taite Anderson got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:57 mark and a graceful short, one-handed jumper by Johnson at the 6:07 mark pushed Bethel back out in front 38-36.  The craziness continued as Augsburg's McLemore proceeded to bury a "3" from the right wing area at the 5:43 mark that gave the Auggies a 39-38 lead but the Royals would answer this when Tessah Anderson connected with a jumper in the lane at the 5:29 mark to give Bethel the lead back at 40-39.  But the big difference that finally gave Augsburg the upper hand that they had been seeking throughout the night came shortly thereafter thanks to both Wilson and Jones.  With 4:21 left, Wilson banged home a "3" from the top of the key to put the Auggies back out in front by a 42-40 count and after Bethel came up empty on their ensuing possession, Augsburg's Jones' made them pay dearly for that as she unleashed a three-point bomb of her own from the right top area with 3:57 left and Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; sensing a danger point, called a timeout to try and get his troops calmed down as they were now on the wrong end of a 45-40 ballgame.  Still, the Auggies got the lead stretched to seven points when McLemore was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with 3:04 left and her two free throws made it 47-40 before Bethel could cut into the deficit a bit on one free throw by Taite Anderson with 2:49 left and a Taite Anderson lay-up with 1:17 left that had the deficit down to four points at 47-43.  The Auggies' Wilson would manage to sink one free throw after getting fouled with :55.8 left in this bizarre third period and although the 48-43 score certainly wasn't insurmountable, the momentum pendulum had clearly swung in favor of Augsburg. 

Even though the Auggies stretched the lead to seven points again early on in the fourth period when Speese connected with a short jumper at the 9:39 mark at 50-43, Bethel by no means was out of this thing.  Taite Anderson would connect with a lay-up at the 9:24 mark and sophomore forward Makenna Pearson made a hard drive along the right baseline for a finish at the 8:50 mark that got the Royals back in business down a single possession at 50-47.  Although Pearson would foul out of the contest at the 8:13 mark, Bethel certainly was not giving up the fight.  Down 52-47, Schwarz would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:41 mark to pull the Royals back to within a single possession down 52-49.  Augsburg's McLemore would deliver another demoralizing blow when she buried a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:25 mark to make it 55-49 but again Bethel would attempt another comeback bid.  Taite Anderson would drop two free throws after getting fouled at the 7:03 mark and when Barker banged home a "3" from the left top area at the 6:32 mark, the Royals had now cut the deficit down to a single scant point at 55-54 with a mountain of time left and no one among the partisan Bethel contingent in Robertson Center doubted that the home team counted complete the comeback.  Strangely enough, this is where the Royals' comeback hopes started to crumble.  Augsburg's Jones' would get sent to the charity stripe twice where she would drop pairs of free throws - once at the 6:06 mark and again at the 5:27 mark - that got the lead back to five points at 59-54 but the biggest blow came courtesy of Wilson and after the Auggies forced a turnover, the former DeLaSalle standout got an open look from the left wing area behind the arc and she promptly unleashed a dagger "3" that expanded the Augsburg lead to eight points at 62-54 and you could almost feel the last air of hope go out of Robertson Center as the Auggie bench was now rightfully jubilant while a frantic Herbrechtsmeyer called timeout knowing his squad was now in dire straits.  But things would only worsen for the Royals down the stretch.  Augsburg's Jones would unleash another "3" - this one from the right wing area with 4:25 left - that now had the Auggies up double-digits at 65-55 and Speese would connect with a lay-up in transition with 3:09 left that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" got the lead to 68-56.  The Royals had one last wisp of hope as Johnson would get one free throw to go down with 2:53 left and Barker was able to slyly snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 2:30 left that had the deficit back in single-digit range at 68-59.  After forcing a stop on the other end, Bethel got another lift from Barker when she was able to sneak into the paint for a score with 1:42 left that had the deficit down to seven points at 68-61.  Herbrechtsmeyer would call a timeout to set up strategy and less than ten seconds later it appeared as another door might have opened for the Royals when Williams had apparently snared a steal on Augsburg's Jones.  The officials, however, determined that Williams had actually committed a foul instead; much to the chagrin of the Bethel contingent.  That effectively snuffed out the Royals' last hope and the Auggies set out to close this one out once and for all.  Jones would drop the two obligatory free throws with 1:35 left and Speese would get one to go down with :50.6 left to make it 71-63.  Bethel's Barker would connect with a lay-up with :42 left but now all the Royals could do was foul and Augsburg continued with their closeout.  McLemore would get one free throw to go down with :40.5 left as would Jones with :29.6 left.  McLemore would get one more insurance free throw with :06.5 left and the Auggies escaped Robertson Center with a huge 74-67 road win.

The first thing I said to Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward when I caught up with him was, "Herbie, you gave up too many '3's tonight" and he was in quick agreement.  Foul trouble and some other things had forced Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff to gamble a bit on defense at times as they tried some zone defense in some stretches but the Auggies obviously made them pay in spades for that.  Herbrechtsmeyer wouldn't elaborate on the health of his squad or certain players but did say that "We weren't 100% tonight."  Augsburg's Riverso had enough time to get calmed down after such a big win but it was hard for him to hide his smile on this night.  After congratulating him on the win, I asked him how big this win was going into the big tilt at home on Saturday against UST.  The overriding theme from Riverso was that these are unchartered waters for his players and he's not even sure how they'll respond come Saturday.  The thing I couldn't help but point out to him was that I was so impressed how his squad came out much more aggressive at the beginning of the third period and they took the battle to the Royals.  I think it's safe to say that UST will be favored against Augsburg on Saturday.  But I'll also say this:  If the Auggies can consistently play like they did tonight -  particularly like they did in the second half - they're going to be awfully tough for anyone to beat.  One thing that made it so tough for the Royals tonight is that they had to guard four different Augsburg players who wound up with double figures tonight.  Jones' 15 points led the way but McLemore was right behind with 14 points (and all of those 14 points came in the second half).  Zielsdorf surprised everyone finishing with 11 points tonight while Wilson had 10 points.  Another surprise came on the Bethel side as it was Schwarz leading all scorers with her 16 points while Taite Anderson was right behind with 15 points and Barker had 13 points.  Bethel did finish the night with a big advantage on the boards but that seemed to be negated by the fact that the Royals also committed 26 turnovers on this night.  Bethel also had a big advantage in points in the paint by a 46-22 count.  But again, the one big thing is that the Royals allowed Augsburg to shoot 6-8 from downtown for 75% in the second half alone and for a team that prides itself on its defense, this was a killer.  One other item stands out to me as well:  Bethel shot only 7-12 from the charity stripe in the second half for 58.33% and while that alone didn't necessarily cost them the game, it still left some crucial points on the table that could have, at the very least, changed the complexion of things. 

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-6-19

Well, it's the first Sunday in January so you know what that means.  It's time to reveal my first power rankings in the MIAC for this 2018-19 season and there's some interesting developments thus far along with some things that still need to shake out a bit.

1.  UST
2.  Augsburg
3.  Bethel
4.  Hamline
5.  (tie) GAC & SMU
6.  (tie) St. Kate's & Concordia
7.  CSB
8.  St. Olaf
9.  Carleton
10.  Macalester


While I don't think there's too much debate about who should be at the top spot as the Tommies handily took care of both GAC and Hamline this last week, there's still probably some concern that lingers after the twenty-point loss they absorbed down in Waverly, IA just before the first of the year at the hands of Wartburg.  So while UST has the top spot - for now anyway - it's not necessarily a sure thing that they'll be able to keep it.  And one team that would certainly like to take it away from them is Augsburg and the Auggies got two big road wins this last week - at CSB on Wednesday night and then at SMU yesterday.  Now comes the big test for Ted Riverso's squad - at Bethel this Wednesday night and then at said UST next Saturday.  We should know a lot more about the Auggies and their chances a week from now.  I toyed with the idea of putting Bethel alongside Augsburg in that second spot - I think they're certainly deserving anyway.  Consider:  The Royals have now won six in a row - including a huge win on the road just before the first of the year to ninth-ranked George Fox.  Certainly a win such as that can pay big dividends down the road if Bethel manages to keep this up.  As I said, this match-up Wednesday night at Robertson Center between the Royals and said Augsburg team is going to be huge for both. 

You get beyond the first three teams and then it becomes a real crapshoot.  I had to look at each team, draw sticks and play rock, paper and scissors in trying to sort this mess out and I'm still not 100% sure if I like what I came up with but I put the Pipers in the fourth spot (my God, have I EVER had Hamline THAT high before?).  I can forgive the loss yesterday at UST; I don't think anyone realistically had the Pipers winning that one but this is a team that has won four out of its five last games including that heart-stopping win this last Wednesday night over SMU when junior Kaeli Stayer drained a "3" at the buzzer (damn, I STILL kick myself for not going over there that night :p).  Head Coach Alex Focke just has this young team playing better and while I don't know if they can keep this up, if they can show some consistency they're definitely going to be the most-feared team in the league.  GAC recovered from their annual pounding at the hands of UST as they did similar to Carleton down in Northfield yesterday but it's becoming clearer and clearer that this Gustie team has simply lost too many pieces from last year's squad that made the amazing run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and though they're not necessarily in a bad spot right now, there's no guarantee that they'll be able to hold their positioning.  Meanwhile, down the River and the CP Rail River Sub in Winona, it was an absolute disaster of a week for SMU and new Head Coach David Foley as they suffered that buzzer-beating loss at Hamline on Wednesday night and then got popped at home by Augsburg yesterday.  Fortunately for the Cardinals, this next week looks much more manageable as both cellar-dwellers Carleton and Macalester come to town on Wednesday night and Saturday, respectively.  But then again, we all know how incredibly dangerous it is to count wins on paper.

St. Kate's came away with a split this last week; winning down at Carleton this last week before losing a tough one at Bethel yesterday.  The thing of it is, the 'Cats can likely best hope for a split this next week as mighty UST pays a visit to Butler Center on Wednesday night to renew the friendly Neighborhood Rivalry and then the Wildcats host GAC this next Saturday.  I view this next Saturday's game with GAC as critical for both teams but especially for St. Kate's.  Meanwhile, you have to admire the progress this young Concordia team is making as they've won three straight including a big road win at St. Olaf yesterday.  This week could be a rather bumpy ride for the Cobbers, however, as they have a huge home game with Hamline on Wednesday night before Bethel makes the journey on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline to pay a call on Saturday.  For a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, this year has been nothing short of utter disappointment for CSB thus far and they had to hold on for dear life at Macalester yesterday to at least come away with a split this last week.  And things aren't going to be easy for the Blazers this next week as they visit GAC on Wednesday night and then host St. Olaf next Saturday.