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.