Update For Friday 3-26-21

 My apologies for letting a few cobwebs get on my blog but have been incredibly busy as of late.  Throw in my alma mater, Iowa, getting into the semifinals of the B1G Men's Basketball Tournament (and then getting smoked by Oregon in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament  😭 ), the Iowa women who have battled their way into a Sweet 16 showdown with UConn and Ms Paige Bueckers tomorrow, and my employer, Canadian Pacific Railway; shocking the railroad and transportation world with its announced acquisition of Kansas City Southern this last weekend, I've had a lot going on.  But at least wanted to write a bit of a wrap-up on the MIAC season and my thoughts on it.  

The GAC - Bethel game that I watched online on Monday (3-8) was not the last game played lest anyone be confused here.  Late that same week on Friday (3-12), a young and up-and-coming Concordia team traveled down to St Joe and made the home finale for CSB a disappointing one as the Cobbers would come out on top 71-62.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's only a matter of time before Concordia battles their way into the thick of things in this conference again.  This is a time you definitely want to keep your eye on next season.  The next week; on Tuesday (3-16), St. Kate's and St. Olaf got a game in with the Wildcats topping the Oles 68-64.  That weekend, St. Kate's would mix it up with neighborhood rival Macalester with the Scots taking both games - 62-58 on Friday (3-19) and then 73-64 on Sunday (3-21).  

Going into this season, I had a lot of mixed feelings.  Yes, I was glad that the student-athletes of the participating teams got a chance to compete and do what they love to do.  At the same time, I also had to ask myself, "Is it worth it?"  The fact that both Hamline and SMU were forced to curtail their seasons early is one thing but even more so, the fact that there was no reward at the end for the conference champion or anyone else.  It was just "that's it" and "thanks for coming".  That aspect of it I didn't like.  In some ways, I wish the the MIAC could have at least had a postseason conference tournament like the neighboring WIAC, ARC and UMAC did.  For me, it was good to see action - even if I had to follow it online but the end result was a lot like falling off a cliff.  You come to the end and that's it.  But I suppose the most important thing in all this is that the student-athletes did get a chance to compete and I'll give the MIAC credit for laying out all the groundwork for making it happen in this environment.  Not an easy thing to do.  

And I'd be amiss not to mention that Northwestern definitely made the most out of their abbreviated season.  After getting dumped by rival Bethany Lutheran in the UMAC semifinals, the Eagles participated in the NCCAA Tournament and in their quarterfinal game, they scored a convincing 65-30 victory over Columbia International before falling to Alice Lloyd last Saturday in Winona Lake, IN.  So congrats to Northwestern on a nice run and, of course, to UMAC Champ Bethany Lutheran as well.

Well, tomorrow (Saturday 3-27) is definitely going to be an exciting day for women's college basketball as my alma mater, Iowa, will be taking on perennial powerhouse UConn in one of the Sweet 16 matchups in the NCAA Tournament.  This is, IMHO, really a big moment - not only for women's college basketball but for women's sports in general because this game will feature two of the best freshmen in the game today - Caitlin Clark of Iowa and former Hopkins star Paige Bueckers going head-to-head.  Without question, this is going to be fun and although I think UConn will have too much for the Hawkeyes in the long run, you can bet that Clark will be doing everything she can to keep her team in the hunt.  You won't want to miss this!          

MIAC Monday Evening Roundup - 3-8-21

 A little late in getting this in my blog but wanted to provide a recap of Monday night's game that had GAC coming back up to the Twin Cities for a rematch with host Bethel in the last conference game of the season that saw the Royals hang on for a 61-58 victory.  

Bethel would get off to a solid start in this game as senior forward Makenna Pearson's "3" at the 6:36 mark of the opening period gave the Royals a 5-2 lead.  That lead would grow to six points when senior forward Elizabeth Schwarz connected with a lay-up with 4:29 left and fellow senior guard Jennifer Hicks would drain a "3" with 3:45 left to make it 10-4 and Bethel would take a 14-9 advantage into the second period.  The Gusties would finally break out of their offensive doldrums and get things tied up at 16 a piece thanks to scores from senior guard Marisa Gustafson, sophomore sensation forward Caitlin Rorman and a three-point bomb by athletic sophomore guard Maddy Rice at the 7:16 mark of the second period.  Gustafson would bury a "3" of her own at the 6:38 mark to propel GAC into the lead at 19-18 but things would be deadlocked over the next two minutes.  Bethel would finally break this tie when Schwarz connected with a lay-up with 4:40 left that drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" gave the Royals a 25-22 advantage.  The Gusties, however, would go into a drought down the stretch which gave Bethel a chance to grow that lead which they did to the tune of 29-22 into the locker room at the half.

GAC's offensive woes would continue into the third period as the Royals slowly but surely built their lead.  Schwarz would add a couple of lay-ups early on and Pearson would find the range again with a "3" at the 8:21 mark to make it a 36-22 ballgame.  Pearson would strike again from downtown at the 5:50 mark and Schwarz connected with yet another score in the paint with 4:57 left to give Bethel its largest lead at 43-27, GAC did indeed appeared buried.  But this resourceful Gustie team found it within themselves to mount a comeback.  Two quick scores by freshman guard Emma Kniefel and a lay-up by Rorman with 3:33 left had the deficit down to ten at 43-33 and two Rorman freebies with 1:16 left in the third period and one more by freshman forward Izzy Quick with :34 left had GAC feeling infinitely better about itself going into the fourth period back in single-digit range again down 44-36.  The Gusties would keep chipping away at this deficit and a Rorman lay-up at the 8:56 mark now had the deficit cut to six at 46-40.  A Rice lay-up at the 8:39 mark had the deficit down to four at 46-42 and although Bethel's Pearson would come to her team's rescue with a three-point bomb at the 8:25 mark, GAC was far from finished.  Senior point guard Ava Gonsorowski and Rorman would help get the Gusties close again and free throws by senior Gabby Bowlin - one at the 6:02 mark and another at the 5:24 mark - suddenly had GAC back within a single possession down 51-48.  The Royals would stretch their cushion back to six points with 4:12 left but again the Gusties would battle back.  Two free throws by freshman guard Riley Queensland with 2:40 left had GAC back withing a single possession again down 56-54 and a Kniefel lay-up with 2:02 left now had the deficit down to a scant point at 57-56 and there was every reason to believe that the Gusties could complete this miracle comeback attempt.  But at the crucial moments in the home stretch, GAC would come up short.  Bowlin would connect with a lay-up to again cut it to one point at 59-58 but a last-ditch three-point attempt by Gonsorowski would miss its mark as the Royals escaped with the win.  

Bethel's two seniors - Schwarz and Pearson - made good in their final home game at Robertson Center as Schwarz's 20 points led all scorers and Pearson wasn't far behind with her 17 points.  Sophomore guard Kat Brown-Erdal also had a good outing finishing with 11 points.  Rorman again would pace the Gusties on this night with her 15 points while Gonsorowski talled 10 points.  Rorman had to shoulder a heavy load on this night due to the fact that GAC was without the services of two of its post players - senior Paige Richert (concussion protocol) and junior Betsy Schoenrock (undisclosed).  Despite that, the Gusties still had a 35-32 edge on the boards but the Bethel defense forced a bad shooting night for the Gusties from both FG and downtown.  Somewhat ironically, Bethel survived a horrid night from the charity stripe; going 11-21 for 52.4% and though the Royals got away with it this time around, they won't be able to make a living doing that night in and night out.  

MIAC Saturday Afternoon Roundup - 3-6-21

 Saturday was an incredibly busy day from watching all the hoops on TV that included UCLA vs USC along with the Iowa Girls State Tournament but did manage to watch the MIAC action on this day as well.

In their very last game in the MIAC as a DIII opponent, UST traveled across town to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University to take on host Bethel in the 2:00 P.M. slot and came away with a 67-54 victory.  The Tommies had a 12-7 lead after one period and enjoyed a 29-21 advantage at the halftime break.  After struggling offensively in the first half, the Royals finally came out swinging in the third period.  After trailing 34-27 early in the third period, Bethel was finally able to close the gap to a single possession down 34-32 after senior forward Elizabeth Schwarz connected with a lay-up at the 6:21 mark.  But just when the Royals seemed primed to get this one tied up and possibly poke their nose out in front, things started falling apart for them again as UST would embark on an 8-2 push to grow its lead to 42-34 thanks to a timely "3" by sophomore forward Abby Mackenthun with 4:04 left in the third period.  Bethel would attempt another comeback bid early in the fourth period and when sophomore guard Kat Brown-Erdal connected with a lay-up at the 9:45 mark that drew a foul with the resulting "and one" the Royals certainly seemed to have a new lease on life again down by a scant point at 44-43.  Once again, however, Bethel would be turned back at the critical juncture as the Tommies started putting this one away for good.  Junior post Brynne Rolland would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled at the 9:30 mark and a jumper by senior guard Noelle tomes at the 9:02 mark along with a back-breaking "3" by senior forward Kaia Porter at the 8:25 mark gave UST breathing room again up by six at 51-45 and the Royals never could get over the hump down the stretch as the Tommies ended their DIII and MIAC tenure with the victory.  And what a day it was for two of the seniors on this UST team - Porter and Tomes - as they led the way with their 20 and 19 points, respectively.  Freshman guard Katelyn Stanley played a key role as well with her 11 rebounds on this day as well.  Bethel meanwhile relied heavily on Schwarz as she led all scorers on this day with her 23 points while fellow senior guard Makenna Pearson finished with 13 points.  UST did have a 30-23 advantage on the boards thanks in large part to Stanley's heroics and a stingy Tommie defense held Bethel in check as the Royals were 20-58 from FG range for 34.5% and 3-18 from downtown for 16.7%.

The real surprise came in the 4:00 P.M. slot as an unheralded and winless Augsburg team traveled up to St Joe and pulled off a huge upset by knocking off host CSB 59-51.  The Auggies started off hot on this day; grabbing an 18-11 lead after one period and although the Bennies were able to close the gap a bit by the halftime break down 26-22, they just looked flat on this day.  They were still very much in the thick of things down a single possession at 37-34 going into the fourth period, they could never find that one spark that might have given them a huge boost to propel them over the top.  Auggie freshman guard Kalena Myers was sensational on this day with her 18 points while both junior forward Jen Masello and fellow junior guard Selena Lor tallied 11 points on this day to pace the Augsburg attack.  Senior forward Maddie Schmitz again led the way for CSB on this day with 23 points to lead all scorers while freshman guard Carla Meyer had 10 points.  Inevitably, CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin will quickly point to his teams 24 turnovers on this day that proved to be fatal in the end.  That stat alone effectively wiped out the huge 42-26 advantage the Bennies had on the boards.  Throw in 19-51 shooting from FG range for 37.3% and 3-16 from behind the arc for 18.8% and it's easy to see how CSB came up short.              

MIAC Wednesday Evening Roundup - 3-3-21

 The big game on this Wednesday night took place over at Schoenecker Arena in St Paul as GAC made the trip up US Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub portion of the famed "Omaha Route" to the Cities to take on host UST.  The Gusties brought not only an unblemished 5-0 record but a heap of momentum with them as well after dispatching Bethel on Monday night.  The Tommies meanwhile were 4-1 and had scored a resounding win at home over Augsburg this last Saturday so everything seemed to be set for quite the matchup.  Both teams would trade baskets in the early minutes of the opening period but a "3" by Gustie sophomore forward Caitlin Rorman at the 7:01 mark seemed to have things pointing GAC's way with a 9-6 advantage.  But that bomb was quickly matched by UST senior guard Macy Hatelstad a bit later at the 6:15 mark that tied the game and the Tommies would eventually stretch that lead to 15-9 with 3:46 left as the Gusties came up empty during that stretch.  To their credit, GAC would eventually close the gap to one point down 15-14 with 2:34 left but then UST would close the first period on a 7-2 push highlighted by a "3" by junior guard Julia Bjurman with just :35 left to give them a 22-16 advantage.  Early in the second period, Hatlestad would throw another three-point dagger at the heart of the Gusties to give UST a 25-18 but, once again, GAC would close to within a single possession down 25-23 when senior point guard Ava Gonsorowski nailed a "3" at the 5:37 mark.  But getting the game tied again; much less actually going ahead, was proving to be problematic for the Gusties as UST would again widen the gap to six points at 31-25 on two free throws by senior forward Kaia Porter with 4:20 left.  GAC would attempt to tighten things up down the stretch but the Tommies took that five-point lead up 38-33 into the locker room at the halftime break.  

The Gusties needed to get off on a good note once the third period got going and a "3" by willowy senior guard Marisa Gustafson at the 9:23 mark and a Gonsorowski lay-up shortly afterward at the 9:03 mark suddenly had this game tied again at 38 a piece and one might have thought that GAC had regained its sense of purpose and finally had momentum on its side.  And two Rorman free throws at the 8:34 mark to give the Gusties their first lead since early on in the first period only underscored that notion.  Strangely enough, however, GAC would again start coming up empty on key possessions that allowed the Tommies to not only regain control of the game but also re-establish the five-point lead at 48-43 at the 5:53 mark.  Once again, the Gusties would manage to close within a single possession down by two at 52-50 but they would never get over the hump.  Two late free throws by sophomore guard Jordyn Glynn and a tough lay-up by senior guard Noelle Tomes with just :06 left in the third period had UST up 60-54.  GAC would again close to within a single possession early in the fourth period as a lay-up in transition by junior post Betsy Schoenrock at the 7:24 mark and a jumper by freshman guard Emma Kniefel at the 6:36 mark had the Gusties tantalizingly close down 60-58.  Kniefel would strike again at the 5:38 mark with a lay-up in transition and keep GAC in that two-point range down 62-60 with a mountain of time left.  But just when the Gusties seemed primed to launch an offensive down the stretch to finally usurp control of this game, they would come up empty on key possessions and, worse yet, were unable to get key stops when they absolutely needed to as UST claimed a 77-64 victory.  I look at the final box score on this one and although the Gusties were outrebounded by a 36-27 count, they had only 10 turnovers to UST's 16 so I can almost give a pass on the rebounding front.  No, really where the Gusties lost this one is that they simply didn't shoot the ball very well on this night.  Consider - they were 21-55 from FG range for 38.2% and 5-22 from downtown for 22.7% and you and I both know that that's not even close to being good enough against UST at Schoenecker or the moon for that matter.  Contrast that with UST's 28-51 for 54.9% and 10-22 from behind the arc for 45.5%.  Not earth-shattering by any stretch but the way GAC shot the ball on this night, they didn't have to shoot that great.  What a night it was for Hatlestad on her home court one last time with her 16 points (including 4 killer three-point bombs) and Tomes, too, had a solid outing with her 13 points.  Porter would finish with 11 points and freshman post Kate Burns surprisingly finished with 10 points.  GAC meanwhile had to rely heavily on Rorman as she led all scorers with 20 points and Gonsorowski would tally 10 points on this night.  

One other game in the MIAC on this night saw CSB holding off a determined effort by host Augsburg as the Bennies escaped Si Melby Hall with a 68-62 victory.  CSB seemingly had things well in control heading into the fourth period with a cozy 58-40 lead but the Auggies would come back strong in the fourth and final period only to wind up short.  No surprise as senior forward Maddie Schmitz led the way for CSB with her 18 points while freshman point guard Carla Meyer had 14 points.  Junior guard Madison Doran would tally 13 points and junior guard Kate Seyer finished with 12 points in an incredibly balanced attack.  A great outing for Auggie junior forward Jen Masello who is really coming into her own as she had 21 points to lead all scorers in this contest while sophomore forward Jaley Coplin and fellow sophomore guard Grace Eastman both finished with 10 points a piece.      

MIAC Monday Evening Roundup - 3-1-21

 Just one game on this Monday night but it was a big one and a good one as Bethel made the trip down US Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub portion of the famed "Omaha Route" mainline down to St Peter to take on league-leading GAC.  The Gusties were 4-0 and coming off a big home win over a young Concordia team this last weekend while the visiting Royals were coming into this contest with a 3-1 record and had recorded a routine home win against CSB on Saturday as well.  The Royals would wind up having the upper hand after 1 period with a 17-15 lead and they would grow that lead to 20-15 early into the second period.  But GAC would respond with a 10-2 run to take a 25-22 lead midway through the second period and a lay-up by senior forward Paige Richert with 3:02 left in the period gave the Gusties a 27-22 advantage but Bethel would manage to close things up to just one point by the halftime break down 27-26.  

The third period saw GAC grow their lead to 37-30 after a score by sophomore forward Caitlin Rorman at the 7:14 mark that also drew a foul and resulted in the "and one" as well.  But the Royals would quickly close to within a single possession down 37-35 midway through the third period before the Gusties could manage to step on the gas pedal again and grab a six-point advantage at 45-39 thanks to a Rorman jumper with 2:19 left.  Early in the fourth period, a Richert lay-up at the 9:29 mark had GAC in very good shape again up by seven at 49-42 and when willowy senior guard Marisa Gustafson connected with a lay-up at the 6:54 mark, the Gusties had their largest lead at nine at 53-44.  Bethel used its trademark pressure defense to create some turnovers down the stretch and they did manage to get the deficit down to five points at 57-52 with a little two minutes left but they could never get closer than that as the Gusties picked up a huge 63-54 victory to set up the showdown - the one last fling - at UST on Wednesday night.  A check of the final box score shows that the Gusties had the edge on the boards on this night by a 32-25 count and GAC's Richert pulled down 11 of those rebounds despite taking a hard fall midway through the first period.  Bethel did force GAC into 22 turnovers on this night and also enjoyed a 40-34 edge in points in the paint.  But the Royals, who do rely on solid three-point shooting, were only 3-21 for 14.3% and a shaky 5-12 from the charity stripe for 41.7% and in close games, that's simply not good enough.  Just to show you how incredibly deep this GAC team really is, the Gusties enjoyed a 30-21 edge in bench points.  Rorman led the way with her 13 points and Gustafson was right behind with 12 points.  On the Bethel side, senior forward Elizabeth Schwarz led all scorers with her 14 points while sophomore guard Kat Brown-Erdal was right behind with her 13 points.