Augsburg vs St. Kate's 11-26-19

Made the journey over to the St Paul side of town on this Tuesday evening even as Winter Storm Dorothy had the Twin Cities in her sights to take in early-season MIAC clash over at Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University as visiting Augsburg prepared to take on host St. Kate's.  The Auggies were coming into this contest 4-0 with the latest win coming up in Moorhead last Saturday against Concordia.  The Wildcats meanwhile were 2-2 coming into this game and had come out on the short end of the stick against UST last Saturday so facing another top MIAC team was not going to be an easy chore for St. Kate's.

Wildcats Head Coach Don Mulhern probably couldn't have asked for a better start by his team as they bolted out to a quick 6-0 lead.  Sophomore post Katie Benjamin got into the paint for a finish at the 9:36 mark of the opening period and a pretty lay-up by senior guard Danica Cambrice off of an inbounds pass at the 8:59 mark made it 4-0.  Benjamin would finish off this opening burst with a lay-up at the 8:44 mark and things were certainly looking good for the home team at the moment.  The thing of it was, despite the sluggish start by Augsburg, they responded to this early hole by going on a 15-0 tear.  Senior forward Camryn Speese started this eye-opening run with a score in the paint at the 8:25 mark and would follow that up a few seconds later with a lay-up in transition after a Wildcat turnover at the 8:01 mark.  Fellow senior guard Aiza Wilson then drained one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one coming from the right corner - at the 7:24 mark to put the Auggies out in front 7-6 and a hard drive into the lane and finish off the glass by junior forward Jazmyn Solseth at the 6:38 mark got the lead to three points at 9-6.  Speese would strike again at the 5:57 mark with a burst that ended in a lay-up and a Solseth jumper along the right baseline at the 5:25 mark now made it 13-6 and St. Kate's Mulhern decided that it was time for a halt to the action to try and get his troops reorganized.  Still, Speese would cap this opening Auggie run with a lay-up with 4:15 left to get the lead to 15-6 before the Wildcats could finally dust off the cobwebs forming on their basket on 2 free throws by sophomore guard Mackenzie Kurczek with 3:49 left.  Augsburg would keep padding their lead, however, as senior guard Tamira McLemore drilled a "3" from the left corner with 3:40 left to make it a ten-point game at 18-8 and a lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Jen Masello with 3:06 left maintained the ten-point edge at 20-10.  Then McLemore would unleash another three-point bomb - this one from the right corner with 2:12 left - that made it 23-10.  Pairs of free throws by McLemore with 1:48 left and by senior reserve guard K'aezha Wubben with 1:22 left made it 27-10 and although the Wildcats' Cambrice would finish off this first period with a pretty spin and lay-up finish with :56 left, the early advantage that St. Kate's opened up with had long vanished into thin air.

Nothing seemed to change too much once the second period got underway as the Auggies continued to look sharp.  Speese whizzed downcourt for a lay-up in transition at the 9:02 mark and McLemore would finish off a transition opportunity with a short jumper at the 7:15 mark that gave Augsburg a somewhat cozy 31-14 advantage.  The 'Cats, however, finally started to figure out a few things and would slowly close the gap.  Senior guard Jackie Radford would bang home a "3" from the left top area at the 6:36 mark and one Benjamin freebie after she was fouled at the 6:10 mark had the deficit down to thirteen at 31-18.  Cambrice would then connect with a lay-up with 4:38 left and then Radford unleashed her second trey of this ballgame from the left top area with 4:04 left that reduced the deficit even more to eleven points at 34-23.  A somewhat alarmed Augsburg team quickly went back to work to pad their safety net.  McLemore would split a double-team and connect with a lay-up with 3:23 left and an offensive rebound and putback by the athletic Speese with 2:03 left had the lead back up to fifteen points again at 38-23.  One more McLemore free throw with 1:34 left increased the lead to 39-23 before St. Kate's could cut into that deficit again as Benjamin would sink two free throws after getting fouled with 1:17 left and one more by freshman reserve guard Cierra Ahlf with :42.1 left allowed the Wildcats to get the deficit down to thirteen points again down 39-26 as both teams retreated to the locker room for the halftime break. 

St. Kate's would make an early bid to crawl back into single-digit range in the early moments of the third period.  Two scores by Benjamin - a lay-up at the 9:17 mark and a score in the paint at the 8:44 mark - coupled with a lay-up by freshman forward Bree Glynn at the 6:27 mark gave some hope to the Wildcat faithful as they had now cut the deficit to nine points at 41-32.  But Augsburg quickly dashed these hopes as they proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to widen the margin again.  Solseth would first get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:08 mark and then freshman reserve forward Jayley Coplin would bang home a killer "3" from the right wing area at the 5:57 mark that had the Auggie lead up to thirteen again at 45-32.  Speese; like a thief in the night, would then snare a steal and whiz downcourt for a lay-up at the 5:22 mark and a strong drive and finish by McLemore with 3:48 left made it 49-32 and once again the Wildcats' Mulhern was clamoring for a timeout.  Masello would cap this important third period run with one freebie after getting fouled with 3:11 left before St. Kate's was able to pull itself up off the floor and respond with an 11-2 run that restored some faith among the partisan home crowd.  Cambrice would make a drive into trafiic and finish with a short jumper off the glass with 2:55 left to get things going and a Benjamin lay-up with 2:05 left had the deficit down to fourteen points at 50-36.  Two free throws by junior reserve guard Brooke Torvik with 1:34 left and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Mary-Claire Francois with 1:03 left now had the deficit reduced to ten points at 50-40.  The Auggies seemed to get their safety net built back up when Masello snared an offensive rebound for a putback with just :06 left but on the 'Cats ensuing possession, Masello would foul Cambrice behind the arc which allowed the former St. Croix Lutheran standout to get three free throws to go down with just :00.2 left.  Granted, St. Kate's had done it the hard way but the Wildcats were back in single-digit range again down 52-43 heading into the fourth period. 

Augsburg hoped to quash this comeback attempt for good in the early minutes of the fourth period as a Speese lay-up at the 8:22 mark had the Auggies back up by eleven at 54-43 and hurting the Wildcats' hopes at this juncture was that Glynn had picked up her fourth foul of the evening as well.  But this gritty and never-say-die St. Kate's team showed a lot of spunk and brought themselves back from the brink.  Ahlf would connect with a lay-up at the 7:13 mark to get the 'Cats back to within single-digit range again down 54-45 and then Kurczek would drain a "3" from the left corner at the 6:16 mark that suddenly reduced the lead to six at 54-48 and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso; now genuinely concerned about how his team's lead was quickly shrinking, called a timeout in hopes off cooling off this hot Wildcat team.  But not only were the Auggies now finding themselves in a battle, the hot shooting they were enjoying not so long ago had now seemingly betrayed them as St. Kate's started to draw dangerously close.  Benjamin muscled into the paint for a score at the 5:14 mark to reduce the deficit to a tantalizing four points at 54-50 and making matters worse for Riverseo and the Auggies was that Speese had collected her fourth foul of the night with 4:28 left.  With 4:17 left, Butler Center practically exploded when Ahlf snared a steal in the backcourt and got the ball to Radford who connected with a lay-up with 4:17 left that now had St. Kate's back to within a single possession down 54-52 with a mountain of time left.  Things arguably could have gone totally kablooey for Augsburg right then and there.  Riverso, however, called another timeout to try and get his squad calmed down and they came out of the stoppage in play cool and collected and righted the ship in this storm.  With 2:55 left, McLemore got an open look from behind the arc from the left top area and drained a cold-blooded "3" to get the lead back to five at 57-52 and a little more than a minute later, Wilson would unleash a back-breaking "3" of her own from the right wing area with 1:53 left to make it a 60-52 game that seemed to take a lot of the air out of Butler Center.  Still, an undaunted Wildcat team would make one last push to try and bring this one back.  Benjamin would bang home a "3" from the left top area with 1:22 left and after St. Kate's Mulhern called a timeout, Cambrice would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with just :25 left that drew the Wildcats back to within a single possession one more time down 60-57.  Mulhern would call another timeout to set up strategy but on the Auggies' ensuing possession, Solseth would get free on a fast break lay-up with :17 left to increase the lead to five at 62-57 and Cambrice would misfire from behind the arc on St. Kate's ensuing possession as Augsburg escaped Butler Center with a hard-earned and cherished road win. 

When I look back on this, I thought the one thing that stood out to me more than anything was how the Auggies showed a lot of character and resolve when things weren't going their way in that fourth period.  Instead of panicking, their seniors stayed calm and got the big shots from both McLemore and Wilson when they needed them.  On the other side of the coin, you can't help but admire how St. Kate's kept battling back when all hope seemed to be gone.  Early on in the contest, it was basically Cambrice and Benjamin shouldering the load but as the game progressed, you saw other players stepping up and contributing which is a good sign for this young team.  The next step obviously is finding a way to snatch the "W" in these types of games.  One downer, however, is that sophomore forward Sam Orth is lost for the season with an ACL injury and not having her on the floor takes away an important piece of the puzzle for Mulhern and his staff and he'll need others to continue to step up.  Certainly a big night for Augsburg's McLemore as she led all scorers with 21 points; the biggest being that last three-point bomb that she sunk.  Speese, too, had a solid night with her 16 points.  On the St. Kate's side, Benjamin was seemingly the go-to player down low and she led the Wildcat effort with her 20 points while Cambrice tallied 15 points.  Again, I've mentioned before how Augsburg relies heavily on their three-point shooting and they weren't great at it on this night going only 6-22 for 27.3% but perhaps more alarming for Riverso and his staff was the fact that the Auggies were beaten decisively on the glass this night by a 39-27 count and they've got to do a better job on the rebounding front going forward.  On the plus side for Augsburg, they suffered only 12 turnovers to St. Kate's 17.  Free throw shooting was another iffy area for the Auggies as they were only 8-16 from the charity stripe while the Wildcats did a much better job going 11-13 for 84.6%.  Two big numbers that likely played a big part in Augsburg's escape on this night was that they had 32 points in the paint compared to St. Kate's 26 and had 18 points off of turnovers compared to the Wildcats 12.     

UW-Superior vs UST 11-20-19

Made the trip over to Anderson Athletic Center and Schoenecker Arena on this Wednesday evening of Beat SC week to take in another interesting UMAC-MIAC clash; this one involving visiting UW-Superior and host UST.  The Yellowjackets had split their first four games of the season but were coming in with a little bit of momentum after winning the Max Ziel Tournament out at Oswego, NY the previous weekend.  The Tommies meanwhile had two tough games down in San Antonio, TX earlier in the month so having nearly a week and a half off before this contest probably gave UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn and her staff time to work on some things and iron out some early wrinkles.  Additionally, this was a new-look Tommie team with several new young faces and names that would take some getting used to.  Also on this night, I was lucky to have former Centennial Head Coach Jill Becken join me and getting her insight on what was happening out on the floor on this night was simply invaluable.   

The Tommies would bolt out to a 4-0 lead in the opening minutes of the first period as one score in the paint by junior forward/post Kaia Porter at the 9:05 mark and another by sophomore post Brynne Rolland at the 8:24 mark had UST up early.  The Yellowjackets would cut the deficit to one point when senior point guard Emily Carpenter swished a "3" from the left top area at the 8:07 mark but UST would then embark on a 14-1 burst.  Sophomore guard Amber Darge first connected with a lay-up at the 7:45 mark and Rolland would do the same at the 7:35 mark after the Tommies forced a turnover.  Freshman reserve guard Abby Mackenthun would also connected a lay-up of her own at the 6:45 mark to make it a 10-3 ballgame.  Sophomore reserve post Allie Spaulding would connect with a lay-up at the 5:33 mark and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw pushed the lead to 13-4.  Then junior point guard Macy Hatlestad made a drive into the lane and got a one-handed shot to go down to make it 15-4 and UW-Superior Head Coach Zach Otto-Fisher had seen enough to know that a full timeout was warranted to get his team settled down.  Still, the Tommies' Hatlestad would finish off this early run with a three-point bomb from the left corner with 4:26 left before the Yellowjackets could stop some of the bleeding.  Senior forward Eva Reinertsen would connect with a lay-up with 2:48 left and draw a foul in the process and her ensuing freebie reduced the deficit to eleven points at 18-7.  One of the changes that UW-Superior's Otto-Fisher made during that timeout was going to a 1-2-2 "matchup" zone defense that slowed the Tommies' drive a bit but UST would get two more score before the end of the opening period on a Rolland lay-up with 1:55 left and a lay-up in transition by freshman reserve guard Madi Schirmer with 1:29 left.  The Yellowjackets were able to get senior reserve guard Mackenzie Kmecik to the charity stripe with just :01.8 left in this opening period and the Superior, Wisconsin native dropped both free throw attempts but UW-Superior was still staring at a thirteen-point deficit down 22-9.

Although the Yellowjackets had to absorb some punches in that opening period, the 1-2-2 "matchup" zone defense that they were now employing was beginning to have the desired effect as it forced some uncharacteristic turnovers by UST and also allowed UW-Superior to gradually get back into this contest in the second period.  Junior forward Pashia Scott would snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:44 mark and a lay-up in transition by senior guard Marissa Ruiz at the 8:27 mark had the Yellowjackets back within single-digits again down 22-13.  A Reinertsen score in the paint at the 7:53 mark kept UW-Superior in that nine-point range down 24-15 and another offensive rebound for a putback by Scott at the 7:24 mark that also drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" suddenly reduced the deficit to six points at 24-18 and had the Yellowjackets - at least momentarily anyway - in very good shape.  An alarmed UST team responded to this like the ninth-ranked team in the country would - with a push of their own.  Darge; the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, tried to take matters into her own hands as she first got into the paint for a score at the 6:45 mark and then launched a three-point bomb less than a minute later at the 6:16 mark from the left corner that had the Tommie lead back in double-digit range again at 29-18.  Freshman reserve guard Jordyn Glynn drained a "3" of her own from that same left corner area at the 5:21 mark and a Spaulding lay-up in transition with 4:54 left gave UST  a somewhat cozy 34-20 advantage.  But before the Tommies could get too comfortable again this pesky UW-Superior team managed to battle its way back.  One free throw by freshman reserve guard Kaelyn Christian with 4:34 left and  steal and lay-up the other way by Ruiz had the deficit down to eleven points at 34-23.  Fellow freshman reserve forward Kaija Davies would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:26 left to keep the Yellowjackets in that eleven-point range down 36-25 before UST could stretch the lead out again.  One Schirmer free throw with 2:49 left and a short running jumper from the left baseline by Darge with 2:38 left got the lead back up to fourteen again at 39-25 and sophomore reserve guard/forward Shayla Wallin would drop a free throw of her own after getting fouled with 1:42 left that made it 40-25.  UW-Superior would get one last push before the halftime break thanks to Carpenter; the St. Peter native.  She would slither in for a lay-up with 1:30 left and then would drain a "3" just before the buzzer with just :00.6 left that reduced the deficit down to ten points at 40-30 and, considering the bad start that the Yellowjackets got off to in this one, Otto-Fisher likely felt good about where he his team was at on the road against the ninth-ranked team in the country.  Just to give you an idea of how well UST was shooting in this first half, the Tommies shot a blistering 10-14 for 71.43% from FG range in the first period and bettered that in the second period going 5-6 for 83.33%. 

So being down by ten at the halftime break really wasn't all that bad of a propsition from a UW-Superior standpoint but getting into a big hole again would almost certainly spell impending doom and that's exactly what happened to the Yellowjackets as UST opened up the third period on a game-changing 10-0 run that pretty much ended any doubt as to how this one was going to turn out.  Rolland started this run with a short, turnaround jumper off the glass at the 9:36 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Wallin at the 9:05 mark grew the lead to 44-30.  Then Porter would bang home a "3" from the right top area at the 8:31 mark and Darge would follow that up with a three-point bomb of her own to give the Tommies a twenty-point cushion at 50-30 and UW-Superior's Otto-Fisher had seen enough to know that a halt to the action was warranted.  Still, UST would get more separation as Hatlestad drained a "3" from the right top area at the 6:51 mark and a Rolland lay-up at the 6:17 mark made it a 55-32 ballgame before the Yellowjackets could begin the arduous process of trying to cut into the cushion.  A short, turnaround jumper by Reinertsen at the 5:57 mark and another Carpenter three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area with 4:38 left - had the deficit down to eighteen points at 55-37.  Reinertsen would then connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 3:53 left and freshman reserve forward Destiny Haldeman would sink one free throw after getting fouled with 3:19 left to complete this 8-0 push.  UST's Hatlestad had also collected her fourth foul of the evening, too, which forced the Tommies' Sinn to sit her for a spell.  Still, UST had a double-digit advantage at 55-40 and they quickly went to work to build that lead up again.  Rolland would connect with a lay-up with 2:17 left and a Wallin "3" from the left corner with 1:23 left quickly got the lead back up to twenty again at 60-40.  Darge would unleash a "3" of her own from the left top area with :24 left in the third period and although the Yellowjackets would get the deficit trimmed a bit on a Reinertsen lay-up with :07 left, they were still on the wrong end of a 63-44 score once the fourth period got underway. 

UW-Superior would again try and make a bid to get this one reasonably close again once the fourth period got underway.  Scott would connect with a short, turnaround jumper off of an inbounds pass at the 9:44 mark and two Reinertsen scores in the paint - one at the 8:45 mark and another one at the 8:17 mark - had the deficit down to sixteen points at 66-50 but the Tommies would soon close the door for good on this attempted comeback.  Spaulding connected with a lay-up at the 7:02 mark and a jumper by Darge just inside the arc from the left wing area at the 5:21 mark had the lead back up to twenty again at 70-50.  A Spaulding lay-up with 4:45 left and a short one-handed jumper by Wallin with 3:42 left upped the lead to 74-52 and two free throws by Glynn with 2:09 left maintained the twenty-two-point cushion at 76-54.  The Yellowjackets would get late scores as a score in the paint by Haldeman with 1:56 left and two Christian free throws brought UW-Superior back within twenty down 76-58 and Haldeman would get two free throws to go down with :19.8 left but UST still got the comfortable win by a 78-60 margin. 

In retrospect, I was impressed with how hard this UW-Superior team played on this night and they were arguably playing a bit short-handed with one player out with an injury and another player out sick but it's easy to see this team will have to be reckoned with once UMAC play gets underway here soon.  Meanwhile for UST, it's easy to see this team is still very, very good but it's also a team that's still very much in the process of carving a new identity for itself with all the new young faces and names that abound.  And Sinn will probably be in the process of tinkering with all the moving pieces that she has at her disposal to find the best "mix" that will work together best.  I still think it's a stretch to believe that this team can dominate the way previous teams have in the MIAC but they'll still be very, very good and certainly in the title mix.  The Tommies had four players in double figures scoring-wise on this night with Darge leading the way with her 20 points and Rolland not far behind with her 17 points.  Spaulding had a solid night with her 11 points and Wallin, too, had a nice night with her 10 points.  Reinertsen led the way for UW-Superior on this night with her 15 points and Scott tallied 13 points while Carpenter finished with 11 points.  I had expected the Tommies to have a sizable advantage on the glass but that wasn't the case on this night as both teams finished with 23 rebounds.  But what probably bother UST's Sinn more was the fact that her squad was guilty of an un-Tommie-like 17 boo-boos and that's something that UST will undoubtedly have to clean up as the season progresses along.  On the bright side however, UST still shot 30-45 from FG range for 66.7% compared to UW-Superior's 22-47 for 46.8%.  That early third period run by UST obviously killed the Yellowjackets' chances but going 3-14 from behind the arc for 21.4% didn't help either. 

Northwestern vs Augsburg 11-13-19

Made the relatively short run over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this Thursday evening to take in another UMAC/MIAC clash between visiting Northwestern and host Augsburg.  The Eagles had already dropped two games to MIAC opponents - Bethel and Hamline - coming into this contest and tonight's clash with highly-regarded Augsburg was certainly not going to be any easier for Head Coach Aaron Kahl's team.  The Auggies meanwhile were coming off a convincing win up in the Twin Ports against another UMAC team; UW-Superior, just two nights before so having the Eagles coming in to Si Melby seemed to be a perfect set-up for another easy victory.

Northwestern, however, had vastly different ideas from the outstart as they took the bull by the horns and opened up a lead.  After the Auggies had assumed a 2-0 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by senior forward Camryn Speese at the 9:05 mark of the opening period, Eagle junior forward Miranda Crenshaw would knock down two free throws after getting fouled at the 8:47 mark and less than a minute later Crenshaw; the former Eastview standout, muscled into the paint for a score at the 8:06 mark to give Northwestern a 4-2 advantage.  Sparkplug sophomore point guard Kelsea Lund would then drill a dagger "3" from the left top area at the 7:31 mark to push the Eagles lead to 7-2.  One more charity stripe shot by Crenshaw at the 6:44 mark and a short jumper by Lund from the left side at the 5:53 mark pushed Northwestern's lead to 10-4.  Junior reserve guard Courtney Schmidt's drive into the lane and finish with 3:28 left helped the Eagles maintain that six-point edge as Northwestern's offense; in a moribund state against Bethel in their opener, was now suddenly showing signs of life.  The Auggies, however, finally started showing some signs of life as well in the closing minutes of this first period.  Senior point guard Ari Jones drained a "3" from the left wing area with 2:17 left that brought Augsburg back to within a single possession down 12-9 and then junior forward Jazmyn Solseth struck like lightning with her steal and lay-up the other way with 1:52 left that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" now had this game tied at 12.  The Eagle though would manage to step on the gas pedal again to get the lead as senior forward Rio Landers uncorked a "3" from the left corner with 1:33 left and a score in the paint by Crenshaw with just :05 left once again had Northwestern in seemingly good shape up 17-12.  But perhaps a sign of things to come in this contest came right before the buzzer on the Auggies ensuing possession when senior guard Tamira McLemore; who struggled with her touch for most of the first period, launched a desperation "3" from the top that found nothing but cotton and now Augsburg was only looking at a two-point deficit down 17-15 going into the second period.

The Eagles were able to stretch their lead out to four points at 19-15 at the 9:50 mark of the second period when Crenshaw bullied her way into the paint for a score but things quickly unraveled for Northwestern from that point on as the Auggies unleashed a 12-0 spurt on four consecutive three-point bombs:  One by junior reserve sharp-shooting guard Nicole Zielsdorf from the top of the key at the 9:33 mark.  Another one by McLemore from the left corner at the 8:46 mark and still another one by Zielsdorf at the 7:43 mark from the left wing area now had Augsburg in the lead by a 24-19 count and the Eagles' Kahl had no choice but to call for a thirty-second halt to the action in hopes of cooling down a suddenly hot Augsburg team.  Still, Auggie sophomore reserve guard Selena Lor would drain a back-breaking "3" from the left top area at the 7:01 mark that grew the lead to 27-19 before Northwestern could finally stop some of the bleeding on an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve forward Hailey Paup at the 5:59 mark.  Augsburg would counter this with a 6-0 push as senior guard and three-point specialist Aiza Wilson banged home a "3" from the right corner at the 5:39 mark to make it a 30-21 ballgame.  More misfortune soon struck the Eagles as the Auggies' Speese would get fouled at the 5:16 mark.  Speese would drop the front end okay but the back end attempt went awry.  Northwestern, however, forgot to box out the Auggies' Solseth who promptly grabbed the offensive rebound for a putback and this three-point play now had Augsburg up 33-21 and Northwestern's Kahl had seen enough to know a full timeout was warranted.  The Eagles did manage to get the deficit back into single-digit range again as one free throw by Crenshaw with 3:53 left and two more by Schmidt with 3:20 left made it a 33-24 game but Augsburg wasted little time expanding their lead.  Solseth would connect with a lay-up with 3:09 left and another Wilson three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area with 2:36 left - got the Auggies a fourteen-point cushion up 38-24.  Jones would uncork a "3" as well from the right wing area with 1:01 left and although Crenshaw would get another score in the paint for Northwestern with :42 left, the Eagles were still staring at a thirteen-point deficit down 41-28 at the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score reveals some deceiving numbers.  On the one hand, the Auggies were "only" 15-40 from FG range for 37.5% but that was almost twice as many shots as Northwestern had from the same range as they were 10-22 for 45.5%.  Northwestern was 2-6 from downtown for 33.3% and while Augsburg wasn't that much better from a percentage standpoint going 9-25 for 36%, the fact that they were able to get that many more shot attempts off worked in their favor.  Another stat line that had to make Northwestern's Kahl and his staff cringe a bit during the halftime break:  The Eagles were guilty of 13 first half turnovers compared to the Auggies 6. 

Augsburg would steadily put more distance between themselves and their opponent in the opening minutes of the third period.  A score in the paint by Speese at the 9:41 mark and one McLemore freebie at the 8:54 mark made it a 44-28 ballgame.  McLemore would unleash one of her trademark three-point bombs from the left wing area at the 8:16 mark and the ever-improving Lor would drain her second "3" of the night from the left corner at the 7:00 mark that now had the Auggies up 50-32.  Northwestern would try and counter on a Landers lay-up in transition at the 6:50 mark but that was quickly wiped away by two three-point bombs by Augsburg's Wilson from the right corner - one at the 6:35 mark and another at the 5:51 mark - that now had the Auggies up by twenty at 56-36.  Northwestern sophomore reserve forward Megan Roberts would single-handedly try and come to the rescue of her team as she would drain a "3" from the right corner with 4:48 left and also connect on a lay-up in transition with 4:11 left that had the deficit down to fifteen at 56-41 but the Eagles simply were unable to come up with critical stops that might have allowed them to draw closer which allowed Augsburg to calmly right the ship again.  Lor would uncork her third trey of this night - this one from the right top area with 3:59 left and another Wilson "3" - this one from the right top area as well - put the lead back to nineteen points at 62-43.  The Eagles would make another bid to try and draw closer as two Schmidt free throws with 2:39 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Landers with 2:03 left had the deficit down to fifteen again at 62-47 but getting any closer than that was proving to be a tough proposition as the Auggies kept firing away.  Solseth unleashed a "3" from the top of the key with 1:40 left and two more McLemore free throws with :23.4 left got the Augsburg lead back to twenty at 67-47.  Although the Eagles' Lund would bang home a "3" from the left top area with just :10.3 left in the third period, Northwestern's chances of bringing this one all the way back were dim indeed. 

And the Auggies wasted little time once the fourth period got underway to put this one out of reach for good.  McLemore would drain a "3" from the left top area at the 8:54 mark to get the lead back to twenty points again at 70-50 and a Speese lay-up at the 7:59 mark maintained the twenty-point edge at 72-52.  Northwestern would desperately try to make another bid as junior guard Jordan Sauve drilled a "3" from the top of the key at the 7:43 mark and two Schmidt free throws at the 7:02 mark along with a Crenshaw lay-up at the 6:21 mark had the deficit down to seventeen points at 75-58 but bringing this one back by now was out of the question as Augsburg would apply the finishing touches to this one.  Another McLemore "3" from the left corner at the 5:10 mark got the lead back to twenty again and freshman reserve forward Jaley Coplin would drain a "3" from the left corner as well with 4:10 left to make it 81-60.  Speese would connect with a lay-up in transition with 3:52 left and Coplin would get one more "3" to go down - this one from the left corner again with 1:44 left as the Auggies rolled to an 86-63 win.

I think the thing that stood out most for me in this game was that you're starting to see some of the reserve players from Augsburg - particularly Lor and Zielsdorf - really step up and contribute.  I was especially impressed with Lor on this night because you can just tell how much more confident she is on the floor this year as compared to last year and that has to be a big plus for Riverso and his staff to know that he has some reserves who can provide key minutes out on the floor with significant contributions on both ends of the floor.  I think the only area of concern that I have when it comes to the Auggies right now is that they seem very reliant on the three-point shot.  Not that there's necessarily anything "wrong" with that but I think at some point they're going to have to develop a bit more inside presence once the meat of the MIAC schedule comes along.   Northwestern I thought looked much better offensively on this night but there's still a lot to shore up on the defensive end yet.  When you look at the final box score of this game, again, the Auggies did not shoot a blistering percentage from either downtown or field goal range.  Rather, they just had so many more shots than Northwestern did and the math caught up with the Eagles.  Augsburg wound up going "only" 30-70 from FG range for 42.9% and 20-48 from downtown for 41.7% while Northwestern shot 22-48 for 45.8% and 6-14 from behind the arc for 42.9%.  Turnovers on this night were likely another big concern for Northwestern's Kahl and his staff as they were guilty of 21 boo-boos compared to Augsburg's 11.  The one bright area for Northwestern on this night was on the boards where they held a 40-33 edge.  The Auggies had four players in double figures on this night as both Wilson and McLemore tallied 18 points a piece to lead the way while Speese had 13 points and Solseth had 10 points.  Crenshaw led the way for Northwestern with her 18 points while Lund added 10.       

Bethel vs Northwestern 11-8-19

My first official game of this 2019-20 season found me over at Ericksen Center on the campus of the University of Northwestern as the host Eagles out of the UMAC got ready to host nearby neighbor Bethel of the MIAC.  This is a very young Northwestern team with only two seniors while Bethel really wasn't much different with only one senior and peppered with juniors, sophomores and freshmen so I knew this would be an interesting opportunity to see which young faces might stand out in this contest.

The Eagles got off to a solid start in this one, building an early 6-2 lead as slender sophomore guard Brooklyn DeKam started things off with a lay-up that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" at the 9:40 mark of the opening period.  Junior guard Jordan Sauve would drill a "3" from the right top area at the 9:01 mark as well before the Royals finally got some noticeable offense going.  Newcomer freshman guard Kat Brown-Erdal drained a "3" from the right top area as the shot clock was expiring at the 7:40 mark and junior reserve guard Michaela Craigan banged home a "3" as well from the right wing off the glass at the 5:52 mark to give Bethel their first lead of the evening at 8-6.  Northwestern would get things tied up at 8 a piece on a lay-up by sophomore point guard Kelsea Lund at the 5:27 mark but the Royals would build a three-point advantage on one Craigan free throw at the 5:03 mark and less than a minute later, Brown-Erdal struck like a thief in the night with her steal in the backcourt and quick lay-up with 4:33 to give Bethel an 11-8 advantage.  The Eagles would manage to knot the game again on two free throws by senior forward Rio Landers with 3:32 left and one more by Sauve with 2:49 left before the visitors just down the road would take a 14-11 lead on a three-point bomb from the right wing area by sophomore reserve guard Erin Tupy with :42 left.

Scoring would come at something of a premium for a good chunk of the second period and part of that was because Bethel was trying to figure out how to attack the "match-up" zone that Eagles Head Coach Aaron Kahl normally employs on defense.  Northwestern would manage to grab a five-point lead as DeKam would connect with a short, turnaround jumper off the glass at the 8:59 mark and a jumper from the left elbow area by Lund at the 6:32 mark gave the Eagles a 15-14 advantage.  Sophomore reserve forward Megan Roberts would connect with a lay-up at the 5:56 mark to push Northwestern's lead to 17-14 and two DeKam freebies with 3:48 left made it a 19-15 game before the Royals finally dusted off the cobwebs forming on their basket.  Freshman reserve forward Emma Schultz uncorked a '3" from the right corner that cut the Bethel deficit down to one point at 19-18 and then senior forward Taite Anderson snared an offensive rebound for a putback to push the Royals back out in front 20-19.  Northwestern would come right back to reclaim the lead on a Sauve lay-up with 2:15 left but the Eagles were unable to hold onto the lead as Bethel junior forward Makenna Pearson drained a "3" from the right wing off of an inbounds pass with 1:30 left to make it a 23-21 ballgame.  Northwestern would come right back on their ensuing possession as a score in the paint by Landers with 1:10 left had things deadlocked at 23-all.  Both teams would trade one free throws over the next twenty seconds that had this one tied at 24 a piece and although the Royals would manage to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room at the half on the strength of a Pearson "3" from the top of the key with :22 left, the Eagles Kahl had to feel relatively good at the moment as they were hanging right with one of the top teams in the MIAC.

But any of the "good" feelings that Kahl and his staff may have had during the halftime break quickly went out the window once the third period commenced as Bethel not only went on a game-changing 17-0 blitzkrieg but turned the screws on their trademark defense that all but shut out the Eagles in a remarkable third period.  Taite Anderson would first connect with a lay-up at the 9:05 mark and when fellow senior point guard Haylee Barker drilled a "3" from the left wing area a bit later at the 8:46 mark that suddenly made it an eight-point game at 32-24, Northwestern's Kahl quickly called a timeout in hopes of making some quick adjustments that would put a halt to this onslaught but the Royals were smelling blood and had no intention of letting up on the gas pedal.  Forcing several turnovers and making the halfcourt-minded Eagles play and up-and-down game, things quickly spiraled out of control for the home team.  Barker would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:05 mark and two free throws by Taite Anderson at the 6:30 mark got Bethel's lead to double-digits at 36-24.  Junior reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz muscled into the paint for one score at the 5:20 mark and would add one free throw with 4:14 left to get the Royals lead to 39-24.  Tupy would get a look from behind the arc in the left corner and casually drain a "3" with 3:05 left and a Pearson lay-up in transition with 2:15 left now had Bethel up twenty at 44-24 before the Eagles could finally dust off the cobwebs forming on their basket on one Landers freebie with :32 left but the damage was already done and asking Northwestern to recover from this deluge was simply a bridge too far.   

And the Royals continued to lay more wood to their opponent in the opening minutes of the fourth period that widened the gap further.  Pearson banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 9:46 mark and a routine score in the paint by Taite Anderson at the 9:15 mark ballooned Bethel's lead to 49-25.  Junior guard Bella Williams finally got into the books with her three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 7:36 mark to make it a 52-25 ballgame before the Eagles could finally stop this latest round of bleeding on a score in the paint by junior forward Miranda Crenshaw at the 7:25 mark.  The Royals answered this with a 6-0 burst as Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up in transition at the 7:15 mark and Barker drove into the lane for finish off the glass at the 6:33 mark to make it 56-27.  Still another Taite Anderson score down low at the 6:14 mark made it 58-27 that pretty much made things academic at this point.  Northwestern would get a short, turnaround jumper from DeKam at the 5:31 mark and Lund would drop a pair of free throws at the 5:02 mark but none of this was going to affect the outcome of the game at this point.  Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer would gradually start inserting his reserves into the game in the final minutes.  Craigan would uncork a "3" from the top of the key off the glass with 4:50 left and a score in the paint by Schwarz with 3:42 left had Bethel safely up 65-32.  Schwarz would add another score in the paint with 1:39 left and sophomore reserve guard Jennifer Hicks would connect with a lay-up with 1:07 left.  Fellow sophomore reserve forward Megan Boegel would add a lay-up in transition with :22 left as the Royals breezed to a resounding 71-37 victory. 

Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer told me afterward that it really wasn't so much about making any adjustments during the halftime break.  Rather, it was a matter of going out and executing the gameplan he and his staff had laid out for this one.  And it was clear that once the Royals started executing it, this one was in the bag.  I also spoke briefly with Bethel's Barker afterward who was beaming after this win and she couldn't help but admit how fun it was to be able to play defense the way she and her team did tonight.  And once the Royals get the heat turned up on their trademark defense, it can simply suffocate opponents.  Northwestern's Kahl had to concede that once the heat got turned up on his team, it really took them out of what they had hoped to do.  That and the fact that Kahl has begun tinkering with things on the offensive side this season as well could mean some time for adjustment for this squad.  Pearson led the way for Bethel on this night with her 14 points while Taite Anderson was right behind with her 13 points.  But the Royals also had nine other players contributing on the scoring front on this night.  Northwestern meanwhile was led by DeKam's 14 points.  A close check of the final box score shows that the 38 turnovers that the Eagles were guilty of on this night led to their demise on this night with a majority of those coming in the second half.  Bethel also had a decided edge on the glass at 29-21 and Northwestern only had two offensive rebounds on this night.  Moreover, the Eagles shot only 10-29 from FG range for an icy 34.5%.   

MIAC Predictions For the 2019-20 Season

Again, a little bit late in getting this out but thought now was as good as time as any to break out the crystal ball and try and make some fearless predictions for this upcoming season of MIAC Women's Basketball.


The Title Contenders:

1.  Augsburg
2.  UST
3.  Bethel

Yep, you're seeing this correctly.  For the first time in a LONG, long time, I'm picking someone other than UST to win both the regular season and MIAC Playoffs this year.  And my pick is Augsburg primarily because (1) they have all the important parts back from last year and (2) I think they're much more hungry this time around considering how they were unfairly snubbed from the NCAA Tournament last season after going 22-5 and making it to the MIAC Championship Game.  When you look at the Fab 5 group that are now seniors - Tamira McLemore, Ari Jones, K'aezha Wubben, Camryn Speese and Aiza Wilson and the experience they have, it's not a bad choice to go with this group.  Plus you have fellow senior Abby Jordan along with junior sharpshooter Nicole Zielsdorf to add depth to a solid backcourt and junior forward Jazmyn Solseth who can muscle down low with the best of them.  I just like rolling the dice with this group more than anyone else right now.  I think the only thing that changes for Augsburg this time around is that they'll be wearing a bigger target on their back than they did before.

It's definitely changing times at UST for a variety of reasons.  First, when you lose a great group in Hannah Spaulding, Lucia Renikoff and Kaylie Brazil to graduation, that's tough enough as it is.  But, things were made much more complicated for the Tommies when expected returners Madi Radtke, Sarah Krynski and a few others left the team before the season started.  I won't get into speculating as to what may or may not have happened but the bottom line here is that I just don't think this will be the same kind of team that dominated night in and night out like UST has over the last few years.  They'll still be good, mind you and they should certainly be in the mix but I think the reality is that they'll be much more vulnerable than they have in years past; particularly when you consider that the roster is predominantly made up of freshmen and sophomores.  Two juniors that are back though will have a huge role in UST's success this season - forward Kaia Porter and Macy Hatlestad.  Sophomore Brynne Rolland got some valuable experience last year as a back-up in the post spot and she'll also be heavily relied upon this year as well.  Lastly, should we expect this to be UST's MIAC swan song?  Your guess is as good as mine.

We shouldn't forget about Bethel either in this discussion.  Although there's a big hole to fill in the post spot vacated by the graduated Hannah Johnson, the Royals are still loaded and will almost certainly have something to say about who wins the conference this time around.  IMHO, the Royals have the best on-ball defender in senior guard Haylee Barker and when this team turns up the heat on defense, it can be curtains for opponents.  Another big part of this team is fellow senior forward Taite Anderson who can dominate on the glass and get those tough points down low.  There's a lot of other moving parts on this team that got valuable minutes last year and this Bethel team will almost certainly be in the title chase. 


Sure Bets For MIAC Playoffs:

4.  GAC
5.  CSB

Of all the areas that seem relatively certain in making MIAC picks for this season, this is one seems like almost a lock when it comes to these two teams.  In GAC's case, one could make an argument that perhaps the Gusties should be picked higher than this.  Certainly with all the returners they have coming back and with the experience they gained last season, it's reasonable to think that the Gusties could possibly find a way to break back into that upper echelon where they were back in 2017 and 2018.  At the same time, there's enough questions about this squad that could make the casual observer diss this Gustie squad.  But I personally think this team has a very good chance of exceeding expectations - if things go right for them.  Junior point guard Gabby Bowlin is slowly but surely coming into her own and there's a pretty decent supporting cast to go along with that.  The Wagner Twins - juniors Maddie and Marnie - will certainly provide contributions and I saw a lot of good things from junior forward Hailey Sorenson this last summer.  Junior forward Paige Richert made good strides this last season and I expect that she'll be even better and now GAC has a "big" down low in 6'5" sophomore post Betsy Schoenrock.  Newcomer freshman guard Maddy Rice is an exciting player as well so the Gusties certainly have weapons.  The big question is - how long will it take for all these elements to come together cohesively that could propel GAC into being a factor for the MIAC title?  That's why I'm taking the safe course here and putting them at the number four spot.

There's even more question marks swirling around St. Joe these days when it comes to this year's CSB team.  You do have some very solid returnees in senior guard Sidney Schiffler, junior point guard Megan Thompson, fellow junior guard Haylee Fingalsen and junior forward Maddie Schmitz.  Senior post Alex Johnson will anchor the post spot down low.  Beyond that, there's just so many new faces that I just don't either know or can get a feel for that would allow me to consider the Blazers (I can't bring myself to call them the Bennies) any higher than the fifth spot.  Last season ended on something of a sour note when GAC came to town and ran CSB off their home floor in the MIAC Playoff Quarterfinals so there's likely an added incentive there for CSB to make amends for that.


Fighting For that 6th Playoff Spot:

6.  SMU
7.  St. Kate's

IMHO, this is where it gets really, REALLY tricky.  I could probably down a few beers, play rock/paper/scissors or scream myself hoarse watching my LA Rams and UCLA Bruins like I've been doing this fall and I still probably couldn't come to a certain pick.  I just basically listed them 6th and 7th for how they finished this last season.  First off, when you look at SMU, they lost the big driving force of their modus operandi in Brandi Blattner to graduation and there's just no way she can be completely replaced.  However, there are some solid starters returning for the Cardinals that will at least keep them in the hunt for the playoffs this year.  Sophomore guard Shayley Vesel may very have likely been the best kept secret in the MIAC last year and she'll only be better this season.  Junior guard Claire Patterson is perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated player in the MIAC and she has the capability to make plays on both ends of the floor.  Fellow junior guard Isabel Bettag showed me some things this last season during their MIAC Playoff game vs Bethel to make me think that she can be a force as well.  Not knowing a lot about this squad, I probably need to see more of them to form a better opinion but they may very well have the capability to win some games that they maybe shouldn't win - at least on paper anyway.

Perhaps the most intriguing team in the MIAC is the St. Kate's Wildcats.  Head Coach Don Mulhern; in his third season at the helm of the Wildcat program, is bringing in some very good players that will help Mulhern and his staff take the 'Cats to the next level.  Now, just how soon that happens is anyone's guess but I would expect that this squad will at least be in the playoff mix.  It'll be a little different in the backcourt without the other half of the Clark twin sister duo, Audra, now graduated.  Still, there's a lot of talent back and leading this group will be senior guards Danica Cambrice and Jackie Radford with fellow senior Emma Nelson providing her experience and leadership.  Sophomore forward Sam Orth is a tremendous presence down low for St. Kate's.  There's a nice mix of freshman and sophomores ready to contribute as well including Mary-Claire Francois out of DeLaSalle.  Keep your eye on this group.  Mulhern knows how to coach the living daylights out of you and this group could easily pull off some big surprises this season. 


The Not Quite Ready For Primetime Group:

8.  Hamline
9.  St. Olaf

Like Mulhern, Head Coach Alex Focke is in his third season leading the Piper program and is hoping to build on Hamline's 14-12 record from last season.  Leading the way for the Pipers this season will be versatile senior forward Reilly Geistfeld who can rebound as well as anyone and knock down the tough jumper as well along with fellow senior guard Kaeli Stayer who can be absolutely deadly behind the arc.  Still, there's a lot of unproven youth on this team and although I think this squad has the potential to be "better" this season, it's just really hard to pinpoint how that "better" translates into more "W's" this time around.

St. Olaf is another program looking to make amends after the last few disappointing seasons and this time around they might just have the goods to do just that.  There's a nice blend of experience and youth on this team with senior post Britta Koenen leading the way and she'll have help from experienced senior guard Ella Skrien and fellow seniors Kelsie Gerovac, Katie Crowley and Allyson Fuller.  Again, a lot of untested youth on this team that will have to quickly come along as this season progresses for Head Coach Dave Stromme if the Oles hope to make a major move this time around.


Bringing Up The Rear:

10.  Concordia
11.  Macalester
12.  Carleton

It seems weird seeing the Cobbers this low, doesn't it?  It just doesn't seem right when you consider that it wasn't all that long ago that Concordia was in the mix for MIAC titles and playoff appearances.  It's been a painful spiral downward for the Cobbers over the last few years and it'll likely be an equally painful journey as they get back on the road to respectability again.  Without question, this is the one team that just leaves me putting one big question mark next to their name.  Given that this is not only an incredibly young team with no seniors on it plus the fact that new Head Coach Kim Wagers has taken over for Jessica Rahman, it's indeed a new era up in Moorhead.  Because this team is so incredibly young, inconsistency will likely be the result but at the same time, you almost have to figure that this could be the most dangerous team in the conference if they get their act together. 

It's a similar story at Macalester where new Head Coach Katie Kollar has taken the reigns of the Scot program.  But unlike Concordia, Macalester does have some good experience coming back; particularly in the backcourt where seniors Holly Hull and Tyana Loiselle will bring a lot of experience.  Perhaps one of the most exciting players from last year is back as well as junior Justine Barraza will add a lot of stability to the backcourt as well.  The big thing for Macalester is trying to get some depth at the key positions that could boost their chances. 

And there's a change at Carleton as well but in a different sort of way as they've gone retro in bringing back Tammy Metcalf-Filzen for at least the 2019-20 campaign.  Now, we all remember the glory days of the Knights in the 2000s.  Unfortunately, this isn't one of those teams this time around but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect this team to be better in some ways.  The Knights do have a couple of stellar players returning for this season in senior guard Katie Chavez and senior forward Samantha Cooke.  Beyond that, it's going to be up to Metcalf-Filzen to develop her young players to provide some much-needed depth.  As Jerry Reed once sang, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there."


So there you have my fearless picks for this year.  Feel free to fire away with thoughts.     

Wartburg vs St. Kate's Scrimmage 10-31-19

Ventured back over to the St Paul side of town on this Halloween night to take in a scrimmage between Wartburg out of the American Rivers Conference (formerly the IIAC) which ventured up to the Twin Cities to face host St. Kate's.  The Knights have received several accolades in the preseason; ranked as high as #3 in the nation in the coaches preseason poll and #4 in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll; rankings that are very well-deserved, IMHO, and Head Coach Bob Amsberry has the goods in his stable to back up those lofty expectations.  This would be a good test and learning experience for Head Coach Don Mulhern's St. Kate's squad which is looking to make a major move up in the MIAC.

In the first ten-minute stanza, Wartburg looked every bit as good as their preseason rankings suggest; bolting out to a quick 8-0 lead.  Senior forward Amanda Brainerd knocked down two free throws at the 8:50 mark to get things going and a pretty three-point bomb by fellow senior forward Emma Gerdes from the left wing area at the 8:18 mark pushed the Knights lead to 5-0.  Then it was Brainerd showing off her three-point shooting skills with a bomb from the right wing area at the 7:42 mark before St. Kate's finally snapped this early run on a lay-up by junior post Kassidy Jenkins at the 7:23 mark.  But Wartburg senior forward Bailey Naig got into the paint for a score at the 7:05 mark to push the Knight lead to 10-2 and the Wildcat's Mulhern had seen enough bleeding to know that a halt to the action was warranted.  St. Kate's would try to cut into the deficit on an offensive rebound and putback by strong sophomore forward Sam Orth at the 6:34 mark but trying to slow down the high-octane motion offense that the Knights run was proving to be difficult at best as Wartburg soon increased their lead to 16-4 on a pair of three-point bombs - one by senior forward Katie Lindeman from the left corner at the 6:23 mark and another from the left wing by junior forward Kaitlyn Volesky at the 5:36 mark.  The Wildcats would reduce the deficit to ten points on a lay-up by newcomer freshman guard Cierra Ahlf at the 5:12 mark but Wartburg would quickly answer that as a score in the paint by junior guard Payton Draper with 4:59 left and one Lindeman free throw with 4:47 left pushed the Knights lead to 19-6.  St. Kate's senior guard Danica Cambrice would attempt to take matters into her own hands with back-to-back scores - a pretty pull-up jumper in transition with 3:28 left and a "3" from the right wing area with 3:04 left - that pulled the 'Cats back to within single-digit range down 19-11 but Wartburg would close the door for good as Draper would get into the paint for a score and draw a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" got the Knights back up by twelve at 25-13.  Junior guard Ally Conrad would bang home a "3" from the left top area with 1:01 left that allowed Wartburg to take this first ten-minute stanza by a 28-17 count.

In the second ten-minute stanza, St. Kate's managed to keep things much tighter this time around.  After a Brainerd lay-up at the 9:46 mark and a Naig lay-up a bit later at the 9:10 mark that allowed the Knights to assume a 4-1 advantage, Wildcat newcomer freshman Maggie Trnka single-handedly helped St. Kate's take the lead in this one.  Two free throws at the 8:40 mark and a lay-up at the 8:32 mark by the former Tri-City United standout put the 'Cats out in front 5-4 and then a short, turnaround jumper by Trnka suddenly had St. Kate's ahead 7-4.  Another freshman newcomer for St. Kate's; Mary-Claire Francois out of DeLaSalle, connected with a short, one-handed jumper at the 6:23 mark that kept the Wildcats ahead by a 9-7 count.  Sophomore reserve guard Chloe Venegas' lay-up at the 5:57 mark gave St. Kate's its largest lead at 11-7 and with 3:33 left, a jumper from the left wing by Orth seemed to have St. Kate's in very good shape at 14-10.  But this experienced Knight team finished this second ten-minute stanza on a 9-0 tear.  Junior forward Tori Hazard first connected with a lay-up with 2:27 left and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" reduced the deficit to one point.  Then senior forward Emma Gerdes connected on a lay-up in transition to give Wartburg the lead at 15-14.  Pairs of Hazard freebies - two with 1:07 left and two more with :17.2 left - allowed the Knights to take this second stanza by a 19-14 count.

The third ten-minute stanza was another tight battle.  Wildcat junior post Kassidy Jenkins got St. Kate's going with a "3" from the right corner at the 8:34 mark that helped them assume a 5-2 advantage early on.  Wartburg would come right back, however, as two Draper lay-ups - one at the 7:31 mark and another at the 6:48 mark - put the Knights out in front by a 6-5 count.  The teams would trade one-point leads over the next minute before Wartburg could get a bit more breathing room on two Gerdes free throws at the 5:26 mark for a 10-7 advantage.  Two more free throws by Hazard with 3:27 left maintained the three-point lead at 12-9 but the Wildcats were not going anywhere anytime soon.  Ahlf would connect with a jumper from the left elbow area with 3:08 left to pull St. Kate's to a one-point deficit down 12-11 and two free throws by freshman forward Bree Glynn with 2:38 left kept the Wildcats in that one-point range down 14-13.  Then Jenkins would drain a "3" from the right corner with 2:16 left that suddenly pushed St. Kate's into the lead at 16-14 and with 1:55 left, the 'Cats were trying to preserve an 18-15 advantage.  But Wartburg would manage to forge at least a draw out of this one thanks to Volesky as two scores in the paint - with :32 left and again with just :02 left - had this one winding up in a 19-19 tie. 

The fourth ten-minute stanza looked to mirror the last two - at least early on anyway.  After Wartburg's Draper was able to knock down three free throws (one on a technical foul) at the 6:54 mark for a 3-1 advantage, the Wildcats came right back as junior guard Brooke Torvik connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:15 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by the wily Cambrice at the 6:02 mark had St. Kate's up 5-3.  The Knights' Conrad would drop two free throws after getting fouled at the 5:45 mark to knot this one at 5 a piece but the 'Cats' Jenkins would get one free throw of her own to go down to give the home team a 6-5 advantage at the 5:35 mark.  However, this is where things started falling apart for St. Kate's as Wartburg ended this stanza on a tear.  Two Draper scores in the paint - one at the 5:24 mark and another at the 4:50 mark - put the Knights ahead for good at 9-6 and one Volesky free throw with 4:35 left extended that lead to 10-6.  Gerdes would score in the paint with 4:11 left to maintain the four-point edge at 12-8 and one Naig freebie with 3:45 left got the lead to five points at 13-8.  Wartburg sophomore reserve guard Hannah Anderson unleashed a "3" from the right top area with 2:03 left and Volesky would let loose with a three-point bomb of her own from the right corner with :42 left as the Knights took this stanza by a 19-10 count.         

             

Exhibition Game - Augsburg vs Concordia St Paul 10-29-19

Made my way over to Gangelhoff Center on this cold late October evening to take in this exhibition game between Augsburg of the MIAC and host Concordia St Paul of the NSIC.  This would be a great opportunity to see what both teams have to offer this season as hopes are definitely high on both sides.  Probably the best thing about this game is that it was indeed an exhibition; no marks would go for or against either team regardless of the outcome and the sun would come up in the east the following morning without any ramifications.

Both squads showed man-to-man defense from the opening tip-off but scoring would initially come at a premium on both ends with the Golden Bears doing most of their damage from the charity stripe.  Junior forward and former Elk River standout Sidney Wentland got the home team on the board first with her lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 8:26 mark of the opening period and after Augsburg assumed a short-lived 3-2 advantage on a lay-up in transition by senior guard Tamira McLemore at the 8:16 mark and one freebie by fellow senior guard Camryn Speese at the 7:48 mark, Concordia St Paul would make four straight trips to the free throw line.  Wentland would get one free throw to go down at the 7:39 mark and one by willowy junior guard Riley Wheatcraft a few seconds later at the 7:36 mark had the Golden Bears up 4-3.  A little more than a minute later, reserve sophomore guard/forward Sydney Schultz got one freebie to go down after getting fouled at the 6:34 mark and slender sophomore guard Meghan DuBois would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 5:42 mark to give Concordia St Paul a 7-3 lead.  The Auggies managed to trim the deficit down to two points on a lay-up by Aiza Wilson at the 5:17 mark but a 5-0 by the Golden Bears gave them a bit more breathing room.  The speedy DuBois whizzed in with a lay-up in transition at the 5:08 mark and one Schultz free throw with 4:39 left and two more by DuBois who was fouled in a transition attempt with 4:05 left made it a 12-5 ballgame.  Augsburg again attempted to draw closer on a lay-up by junior reserve guard Nicole Zielsdorf with 3:56 left but the Golden Bears would soon stretch their lead to nine points as two free throws by Schultz with 3:24 left along with a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Makayla Johnson with 3:00 left gave Concordia St Paul a 16-7 lead.  A lay-up by junior point guard and former Park Center standout Danielle Schaub with 2:28 left in the first period maintained the nine-point lead at 18-9 and another score in the paint by Johnson with 1:43 left now had the Golden Bears up double digits at 20-9 before Augsburg could stop some of the bleeding on one free throw by junior reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth with 1:24 left.  Still Concordia St. Paul would get their lead to 22-10 on another lay-up in transition by DuBois before the Auggies reduced the deficit to ten points on a short jumper in the lane by senior guard Ari Jones with :51 left.

But Augsburg would get themselves into a heap of trouble in the first few minutes of the second period as back-to-back scores by the Golden Bears - a Wheatcraft "3" from the top of the key at the 9:18 mark and an offensive rebound and putback in transition by Schultz at the 8:56 mark - pushed Concordia St Paul's lead to 27-12 and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso quickly called a timeout to stop the hemorrhaging.  Still, a three-point bomb by DuBois from the left top area at the 8:17 mark pushed the Golden Bear lead to 30-12 before Augsburg was able to right the ship somewhat.  McLemore would unleash a "3" of her own from the right corner at the 8:06 mark and one McLemore free throw at the 6:43 mark had the deficit down to fourteen points at 30-16.  Then Jones would find the range with her three-point bomb from the left wing off the glass no less at the 6:12 mark that had the deficit down to eleven points at 30-19 before Concordia St Paul stepped on the gas again.  Wheatcraft would drain a "3" - this one from the right wing area at the 5:44 mark - and a Schultz lay-up in transition with 4:39 left along with a Wentland lay-up now had the Golden Bears in great shape again up 37-19.  Now it was Augsburg's turn to go on a run and two free throws by senior guard K'aezha Wubben with 3:59 left prompted a 7-0 push.  Fellow senior sharpshooting guard Aiza Wilson finally found her touch behind the arc as she let loose with a "3" from the left wing area with 2:24 left and a McLemore lay-up with 1:43 left had the Auggies back within lurking distance down 37-26 and prompted Concordia St Paul Head Coach Amanda Johnson to call a timeout of her own in order to cool off the visitors out of the MIAC.  The Auggies, however, managed to sneak back to within single-digit range on a McLemore "3" from the left corner with 1:20 left that made it a 37-29 game before Concordia St Paul's Wheatcraft could get the cushion back up to double digits with her three-point bomb from the left top area to make it 40-29.  Augsburg's McLemore would knock down one free throw with :55.2 left that allowed her team to go into the locker room down ten at 40-30 which was arguably a glass half-full proposition for both teams.

The Auggies got off to a solid start at the beginning of the third period on a 5-0 push as a Solseth jumper from the left elbow at the 9:37 mark and a Wilson three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 8:06 mark suddenly had Augsburg back within striking distance down five at 40-35 and perhaps the only fly in the ointment came a bit later at the 6:43 mark when Speese was tagged with her fourth foul of the night and the Auggies' Riverso had no choice but to yank her from the floor to sit her for a spell.  Still, Augsburg seemed to have the momentum now but pulling closer than five points was a tough proposition for the time being as the Golden Bears seemed to have an answer when they needed it.  Wheatcraft would drain a "3" from the left wing area to extend the Concordia St Paul lead to 43-35 and after the Auggies' McLemore banged home a "3" from the left wing area at the 6:27 mark, the Golden Bears' Wentland would muscle into the paint for a score at the 6:06 mark and a pretty drive and finish by Wheatcraft at the 5:15 mark had Concordia St Paul back up by seven points at 47-40.  Schultz would add a lay-up with 4:08 left and would also snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:15 left that expanded the Golden Bear lead to nine points at 51-42.  Schaub would add a short jumper with 2:45 left that maintained the nine-point edge at 53-44 and Augsburg effectively seemed to be back at Square One again.  But this resourceful Auggie team would battle back with a 7-1 push.  Two freebies by Wubben with 2:33 left and a McLemore lay-up with 2:10 left had the deficit reduced to five points again at 53-48 and one Jones free throw with 1:29 left kept Augsburg in that five-point range down 54-49.  Then McLemore, acting like a thief in the night as she does so often on the court, snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up that suddenly had the Auggies back within a single possession down 54-51.  Concordia St Paul tried to quickly hammer away to establish more breathing room again as a Wheatcraft score in the paint with :59 left and two Wentland free throws with :31.7 left had the Golden Bears up by a 58-51 margin but Augsburg's Wilson would get the last laugh of this third period when she uncorked one of her patented three-point bombs from the top of the key with :17 left and with Concordia St Paul's lead reduced to four points at 58-54, a lot of uncertaintly swirled around Gangelhoff Center as this contest morphed into the fourth period.

The Golden Bears again tried to establish some distance between themselves and their opponent in the opening moments of the fourth period as Wentland made a hard drive for a finish and drew a foul in the process as well and her ensuing "and one" pushed Concordia St Paul's lead back to seven at 61-54 at the 9:53 mark but that was quickly answered by the Auggies as sophomore reserve guard Selena Lor drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 9:37 mark.  Again, getting back to within a single-possession was proving to be problematic for Augsburg and after the Golden Bears' Schaub connected with a lay-up in transition at the 8:43 mark, the Auggies' Riverso called a timeout to try and come up with some more defensive answers.  Augburg's immediate hopes, however, took a major hit at the 7:19 mark when Speese drew her fifth and final foul of the evening and Concordia St Paul was able to get some more breathing room again as a short, turnaround jumper by Schaub at the 7:12 mark and one free throw by junior post Sydney Weierke at the 6:40 mark got the Golden Bear lead back up to seven points at 66-59.  That lead would increase to eight points when DuBois banged home a "3' from the left wing area with 3:46 left for a 69-61 advantage.  Augsburg tried to answer quickly with a Wilson "3" from the left wing area with 3:13 left but that was countered by Concordia St Paul when freshman reserve forward Sydney Zgutowicz made a hard drive for a finish and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw had the Golden Bears back up by eight points again at 72-64.  Right back, however, came the Auggies as McLemore would make a hard drive and finish of her own that drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" kept Augsburg's slim hopes alive down 72-67 with 2:42 left.  Riverso would soon call timeout to set up strategy for the home stretch but again, getting key stops was proving to be problematic as the Golden Bears' DuBois would slither into the lane for a finish with 2:21 left that had Concordia St Paul's lead back at seven points at 74-67.  Still, the Auggies had one last gasp as Zielsdorf got a three-point bomb to go down from the left wing area with 2:10 left and two free throws by Jones with 1:13 left finally had Augsburg back within a single-possession again down 75-72.  On the Golden Bears' ensuing possession, Schaub would be fouled with :43.1 left but she was only able to come away with a split at the charity stripe that still left the door partially open for Augsburg.  But the Auggies best and last chance came with :17 left when a McLemore three-point shot missed its mark and the Golden Bears were there for the rebound.  Schaub would be fouled with :08.7 left in the contest and came away with an insurance free throw as Concordia St Paul claimed a tough 77-72 victory.

The Golden Bears had a very balanced scoring attack on this night as Wheatcraft's 17 points led the way for Concordia St Paul.  Right behind was DuBois with her 16 points while Wentland had 12 points and Schultz finished with 11 points and Schaub added 10 points.  Augsburg's McLemore easily led all scorers with her 28 points on this night while Wilson was the only other Auggie in double-figures with her 14 points.  One of the keys for Concordia St Paul on this night was their dominance on the boards as they outrebounded the Auggies by a 55-29 count including a 20-6 advantage on offensive boards.  On the other hand, the Golden Bears were guilty of 25 turnovers on this night as Augsburg did a much better job of getting into the passing lanes in the second half.