Robertson Center was packed to the max for the nightcap game on this Friday evening that featured the anticipated match-up between UMAC champion Bethany Lutheran and MIAC champ and host Bethel. I thought I had seen this place like never before the weekend before for the MIAC Championship Game but the student section was simply packed to the max on both the main and upper levels and was hyped and ready to go for this one as everyone else was, including your's truly. I, of course, had watched and covered this Viking team right before the first of the year when they came from behind to beat St. Kate's in overtime and Bethany Lutheran would maintain its grip on the UMAC throughout the season; losing only once at Northwestern. Bethel meanwhile had won its very first MIAC regular season title since 1994 and its very first MIAC Championship Game and had only one blemish on its record all year long - the loss at SMU - and this team appeared to be primed and ready to strut its stuff in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015.
The big surprise right before tip-off was that Royals senior point guard Haylee Barker would be held out of this contest due to concussion protocol and in her place on this night was her capable replacement in junior Michaela Craigan. Everything else, however, seemed to go according to form as Bethel would get off to a solid start in the opening period. Craigan would get the home team on the board first with her free throw at the 9:41 mark and despite the fact that Bethany Lutheran junior guard Abby Olson wowed the crowd with her coast-to-coast lay-up at the 8:27 mark, the Royals were clicking on all cylinders. Senior forward (and MIAC Player of the Year) Taite Anderson would connect with a lay-up at the 7:54 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by junior guard Bella Williams at the 5:34 mark gave Bethel a 5-2 advantage. That lead would grow to 8-2 when sophomore reserve guard Sydney Blandin; unfazed by the loud crowd and the pressure of the moment, casually drained a "3" from the right top area at the 5:02 mark. But the Vikings wouldn't be fazed either by this dynamic environment and they responded with a surprising 13-1 run. Olson would first drop a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:36 left and two more by junior reserve forward Natasha Young with 4:11 left had Bethany Lutheran back within a single possession down 8-6. Strong junior forward/post Hanna Geistfeld would get sent to the line as well with 3:49 left and her two freebies had this game tied at 8 a piece. Then junior reserve guard Emilee Gustin would race coast-to-coast and finish with a pretty lay-up with 2:58 left to push Bethany Lutheran out in front 10-8 and that lead would grow to 12-8 when junior forward Kenlie Pytleski knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 2:41 left. Pytleski would cap this run in grand fashion with her three-point bomb from the right top area with 1:41 left to give the Vikings a 15-9 lead. That got the attention of Bethel and they responded to get this game tied. Freshman reserve forward Emma Schultz buried a "3" from the right corner with :43 left and with just :00.2 left before this first period ended, Blandin would again calmly come to the rescue of her team with her "3" from the left top area as this one was now deadlocked at 15 a piece going into the second period.
Bethany Lutheran would poke its nose out in front again at the 9:06 mark of the second period on the strength of two Pytleski charity stripe shots but it was here that the Royals got their home crowd and student section in hysteria with an 11-2 run. Schultz would start this push with her second trey of this night - this one coming from the left top area at the 7:45 mark to push Bethel back out in front 18-17 and a Taite Anderson lay-up at the 7:17 mark would make it a 20-17 game. Junior forward Makenna Pearson would drop one free throw after getting fouled with 4:36 left and just less than thirty seconds later, the former Blaine standout would strike again behind the arc with a three-point bomb from the right top area with 4:07 left to extend the lead to seven at 24-17. Pearson's defensive prowess would come to the forefront a bit later when she snared a steal in the backcourt and got a lay-up out of it with 3:35 left to maintain the seven-point edge at 26-19 before the Vikings could find their groove again. Olson; the sharp-shooter out of Montevideo, drained her first trey of this game from the left top area with 3:15 left and another three-point bomb - this one by freshman reserve guard Skylar Cotten from the right corner with 1:17 left - suddenly had Bethany Lutheran back in business down by just a single possession at 27-25. The Royals, however, would get some of their breathing room back as junior reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz connected with a short shout and drew a foul in the process with 1:01 left and her ensuing "and one" got the lead back to five points at 30-25. With :44.6 left, Taite Anderson muscled her way in for a lay-up that drew a foul as well and her ensuing "and one" not only stretched the lead to eight at 33-25 but even worse for Bethany Lutheran was that Geistfeld had just collected her third foul of the night right before the halftime break which only had to compound the problems facing the Vikings and Head Coach Lyle Jones as both teams headed for their respective locker rooms for the halftime break. Meanwhile, Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had to feel good knowing that his pressure defense seemed to be doing its job as the halftime box score would suggest; forcing 15 Viking turnovers thus far. Moreover, the Royals held a sizable edge in points in the paint at 12-6 and had a 7-0 edge in those all-important "second chance" points. But while neither team necessarily shot the lights out in this first half, Herbrechtsmeyer's optimism had to dim a little bit when he saw that his squad was only 6-12 from the charity stripe for a straight 50% while Bethany Lutheran was a perfect 10-10 from the foul line; a number that likely was one of the reasons they were still very much in this game.
The Royals appeared to have their opponent in a vice grip in the early moments of the third period as slender freshman guard Kat Brown-Erdal knocked down a short jumper off the glass after a steal in the backcourt at the 9:35 mark and another Pearson "3" - this one from the left top area at the 9:08 mark - seemed to put Bethel in full control up 38-25 with the Vikings suddenly reeling; especially when Olson picked up her third foul a bit later at the 8:34 mark. But while Bethany Lutheran appeared to be at its most vulnerable spot yet, they were able to steady the ship as they had done all season long when the waters got rough. Two scores by Geistfeld - an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 6:36 mark and a score in the paint at the 6:00 mark - had the Vikings back in single-digit range again down 38-29. Then Olson; undaunted by that third foul, banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 5:10 mark to pull Bethany Lutheran closer down 40-32. The Royals looked to be off and running again when Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up with 4:45 left and would also drop two free throws with 4:26 left and with a 44-32 lead, Bethel certainly did appear to be in great shape. It was here, however, where this contest seemed to turn on a dime as this Viking team showed incredible character and grit and unleashed a shocking 14-2 run that now had this raucous Bethel student section suddenly on edge. It started innocently enough when Pytleski slithered into the paint for one score with 4:10 left but exploded in full force when Gustin buried a cold-blooded "3" from the top of the key with 3:28 left that had Bethany Lutheran back in single-digit range again down 44-37. Olson would bury a "3" of her own with 1:35 left from the left corner to reduce the deficit to six at 46-40 and then senior guard Emily Skrien; held in check for most of this game, finally found her touch from behind the arc with :59.1 left with a bomb from the left corner that suddenly pulled the Vikings back to within a single possession down 46-43. With just :14.7 left, Olson used a burst of speed to connect with a lay-up that drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw now had this one all knotted at 46 and all of the momentum that Bethel had just a short while ago had vanished mysteriously into thin air.
The excitement on the Viking side meanwhile tempered a bit when Geistfeld had to retreat to the pine when she collected her fourth foul of the night at the 8:37 mark and order looked to be restored when Bethel's Brown-Erdal drained a "3" from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass at the 8:31 mark to push the Royals back out in front 49-46. But Bethany Lutheran wouldn't stay down for long, however, as Gustin would connect with a lay-up at the 6:27 mark and despite the fact that Geistfeld would foul out of this contest at the 5:51 mark, the Vikings now seemed to have a ton of confidence - as well as momentum - on their side. At the 5:24 mark, Olson would race down the court like a tardy "City of Los Angeles" passenger train for a coast-to-coast lay-up to put Bethany Lutheran out in front for the first time since early in the second period at 50-49. The Royals would regain the advantage on their subsequent possession when Schwarz muscled into the paint for a score at the 5:07 mark and with 4:09 left, Taite Anderson was able to get into the paint for a score off of an inbounds pass to give Bethel a 53-50 lead. But less than a minute later, the Vikings had this game tied again with Gustin unleashed a three-point bomb from the left top area with 3:25 left. That was matched by the Royals as Brown-Erdal buried a "3" of her own from the right corner with 3:08 left to give Bethel the lead back at 56-53. But that lead wouldn't last long as the Vikings would regain it on the strength of a short jumper in the lane by Olson with 2:55 left and two Skrien free throws with 2:32 left to make it 57-56. But right back would come the Royals as Schwarz would get into the paint for a score with 2:23 left that also drew a foul and although Schwarz couldn't cash in on the ensuing "and one", Bethel was back up 58-57. With the tension inside Robertson Center very real and the crowd on the edge of its seats, Bethany Lutheran would show the calm resolve of a champion when it counted. The Vikings would get a critical stop when Bethel's Brown-Erdal was unable to connect on a lay-up attempt with 1:25 left and with 1:11 left, Skrien would get sent to the foul line and the former Nicollet standout got both free throw attempts to go down to put the Vikings back out in front at 59-58. Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer would call a thirty-second timeout to set up strategy for the next possession but the Royals would inexplicably turn the ball over a short time later. With :22.2 left, Bethany Lutheran's Gustin would be fouled and she would knock down both attempts to now make it 61-58. Now Bethel needed a three-point shot to force overtime but the Vikings were doing everything to harass every perimeter look the Royals were getting. With :11 left, Pearson probably got the best look she was going to get behind the arc and launched a bomb attempt but it was off the mark and Bethany Lutheran's Olson was there for the defensive rebound. She would be immediately fouled and got the front end to go down to now make it a two-possession game at 62-58. Bethel would have one last chance and, in desperation, Pearson would launch an errant three-point bomb attempt that fell harmlessly into the arms of the Vikings' Gustin and Bethany Lutheran celebrated in a shocked and stunned Robertson Center to advance to the second round.
Bethany Lutheran's Jones was joined by Olson, Pytleski and Gustin in the postgame press conference. Jones: We came into the tournament; we'd been fighting all year to get here....Once we got here, as far as the play went, it was really tough....Our girls, they just kind of gutted it out and it was a real grind the whole way in....And, in the end, we scored more points.....And it was just a good win for us.....Just the teamwork, all year they've never let up. They've just ground it out all the time. We've come back in games being nineteen down and, so, those things are good in the tourney, especially now." Right off the bat, I asked Jones about how this team seems to keep finding a way to win these types of games in the most dire situations. I specifically brought up the St. Kate's game just before the first of the year when they had to come from behind to win in overtime. "I just think, since we started the year, they're just a group....They all get along together and they work hard and compete hard in practices; I mean, it's very competitive. But they know that when they leave the floor, that all goes away so it's not like they just come out and practice. They just come out and get after it. They're used to a lot of stress in practice. We (the coaches) work them really hard....They just never give up....I mean, that's just one of the things with this group that is just outstanding; they will never give up." I also asked Jones about that critical coast-to-coast lay-up by Olson and how fast she's able to get up and down the floor in those situations and what a boost that was for the team late in the game. "It was....We talked to her (Olson) about it and when she gets someone on her hip, I don't think there's anyone faster so we want her to go north and south as fast as she can.....And you saw she does; she goes pretty fast.....And all year she's done that; she's stopped and pulled up and hit some '3's even on a 2-on-1 break; she'll do that or she'll take it all the way in so, just a tough player for us and she's really hard to guard north and south. I haven't had anyone or seen anyone yet that can stop her." I also asked Jones about the challenge of the short turnaround time in this situation; to enjoy this win tonight and then come back and play a very good UW-Oshkosh team on Saturday night. "Well, not egotistically, but we've prepared all year for a lot of teams.....We're watching the MIAC all the time and we're watching the UMAC.....We've watched everybody......But yes, we'll go back and look at some more film on them but we've seen them play about three or four times." You can watch the entire Bethany Lutheran press conference on You Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTeFfJSfU8c
As lighthearted and fun as the Bethany Lutheran press conference was, it was in stark contrast to the Bethel postgame press conference where the pain and tears were clearly etched on the faces of Herbrechtsmeyer along with Taite Anderson and Barker who was unable to play on this night due to concussion protocol. Herbrechtsmeyer: "Forgive us....This is kind of a hard time for us....I want to first of all say....It's not about the loss; that we're sad.....We're sad because it's over.....And we're sad because it's over because it happened....This does not take away from everything this group accomplished...And I want to first of all, thank these two (Taite Anderson and Barker) for their growth over four years....It's been amazing; particularly this year to see how they've both stepped up and landed.....We've done things that have never been done; a MIAC regular season conference championship for the first time in almost thirty years.....A first ever MIAC Playoff Championship.....A loss tonight does not take away from that....We're disappointed obviously but the growth in them and what they're going to do later in life because of the experiences and the hardships they've had to fight through have prepared them for what's next. And I know it's hard for them right now but I couldn't be more proud of everything they've done and the culture they've helped create; it will live on past them." Both Taite Anderson and Barker gave brief, tear-filled statements about what their four years at Bethel has meant to them and how special it's been for them. I asked Herbrechtsmeyer about one stat that stood out right away on the final box score - the fact that Bethany Lutheran outrebounded his team by a 41-32 count on this night and how that doesn't happen very often. "No.....But that's a tribute to their defense.....They made us miss a lot of shots....But if you look, we out-rebounded them 10-5 on the offensive boards.....We missed a lot of shots and their defense was in a better position to get those rebounds than we are.....It certainly wasn't a lack of effort on our part....Simply, our execution wasn't quite what we wanted it to be and, you know, it's tough because our senior point guard (Barker).....We didn't quite get the same looks tonight without (Haylee) as we might have had with her....But, that's the way these things go....It's the next girl up and I couldn't be more proud of some of the kids who stepped in for her and, shots didn't go in but, at the end of the day, you tip your hat at Bethany Lutheran.....They played a good game....We made some shots, they made a few more....And it doesn't take away from a great season." I also asked Herbrechtsmeyer about the key run that Bethany Lutheran had down the stretch of the third period that was the turning point in this game and perhaps if some panic might have set in with his team. "No...., no....I maybe should have taken a timeout there but, all season, I've trusted this group....And, in a media timeout game where you only have four....My feeling was that I could trust this group and, the bottom line is that Bethany Lutheran's a pretty good ball club and, we still forced twenty-six turnovers.....We didn't shoot free throws very well and we missed some shots that we normally make and if a few of those go our way and you don't lose the lead, maybe we're feeling differently right now but...."
Herbrechtsmeyer, of course, pointed out the 26 turnovers his team forced on the Vikings on this night but a closer look at the final box score reveals some shocking and ugly numbers from a Bethel standpoint. Right away, the first one that tends to jump out at you was that the Royals were 8-17 from the charity stripe for 47.1%.
8 of 17!!! Let that one sink in for a moment. Then, to break this one down further, consider the fact that, in that critical third period when the Vikings got things turned around, Bethel was only 1-7 from behind the arc for 14.3% while Bethany Lutheran was a perfect 4-4. Indeed, for the game, the Royals finished 21-66 from FG range for 31.8% and 8-33 from downtown for 24.2% and even the layman will tell you that, those two figures; combined with the dismal free throw shooting, likely won't get the job done. Now, compare that with the final numbers for Bethany Lutheran where, maybe they didn't set the world on fire from FG range going 18-46 for 39.1%, they did considerably better from behind the arc going 8-15 for 53.3% and, perhaps even more important, were 18-21 from the foul line for 85.7%. Throw that in with the earlier-mentioned rebounding aspect and those are numbers that will help you win a basketball game against a very good team. There's a part of me, too, that looks back on all this (and don't think I didn't think about this beforehand because I did) and wonders if the idea of having your very first NCAA pod and game at home in your facility might have been more of a pressure-cooker for Bethel than what they initially anticipated. Let's be honest here.....They're a very good team but when you do something like this for the very first time, there's always going to be a certain amount of added pressure placed on you to perform and win and that might have caught up with them more than what they might like to admit. I'll also say this as well: My heart couldn't help but break for Barker who had to sit out this game due to the concussion protocol. Had the Royals been able to snare this game, it's quite likely she would have been cleared to play Saturday night and it's a shame she didn't get to at least show her stuff on both ends of the floor. It's something that'll likely haunt her for a long time to come.
Bethany Lutheran's Olson did indeed shine brightly on this Friday night as her 21 points led all scorers and Gustin had a surprisingly strong night coming off the bench and finished with 12 points and was 2-2 from behind the arc. Geistfeld; who finished with "only" eight points on this night and fouled out with more than five minutes left in the game, was still a beast underneath as her 12 rebounds would suggest. Taite Anderson finished a fabulous career at Bethel as her 15 points led the way for her team on this night and Schwarz finished with 12 points.
