Got out of work when I needed to on Friday afternoon to be able to get home and get my stuff and make the run over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this Friday evening to take in this highly-anticipated MIAC Playoff Semifinal Game between visiting Hamline and host Augsburg. The Pipers were a bit up-and-down during the home stretch of the regular season but seemingly found themselves again as they took it to CSB on Wednesday night at Hutton Arena to advance to their first-ever semifinal game in the MIAC Playoffs and also getting their nineteenth victory of the season as well; their most ever there, too. The Auggies meanwhile had taken care of business on their end despite some bumps down the stretch and hammered St. Olaf in their Quarterfinal Game on Wednesday night to make their third semifinal appearance in the MIAC Playoffs. Si Melby Hall would be rocking on this night with both schools student sections whooping it up and somehow, you just knew that fireworks were going to go off on this night. Needless to say, I think everybody got their money's worth.
Both teams love to get up and down the court and light up the scoreboard and this game lived up to its hype in every sense. Augsburg would strike first in this contest at the 9:00 mark of the opening period when slender junior forward Jaley Coplin would bury a cold-hearted three-point bomb from the right corner but it didn't take long for the Pipers to get this game leveled as senior guard Gabby Robinson would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 8:16 mark and a jumper from the right elbow area by sophomore forward sensation Lydia Lecher at the 8:05 mark had this game knotted at three a piece. The Auggies then appeared to have the upper hand as two free throws by senior forward Jen Masello at the 7:51 mark after she was fouled and a Masello lay-up at the 7:28 mark gave the home team a 7-3 advantage. Right back came Hamline behind Lecher as she would first maneuver into the paint for a score at the 7:16 mark and then connect with a lay-up at the 6:31 mark that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" pushed the Pipers ahead for the first time on this night by an 8-7 count. Now it was time for Augsburg to respond - this time behind sophomore reserve sensation Anja Smith - as she would first connect with a tough jumper along the left baseline at the 6:08 mark and then make a pretty drive for a finish at the 5:24 mark that now had the Auggies ahead 11-8. Predictably, Hamline responded. Lecher would make a tough drive and finish of her own at the 5:08 mark and then a score in the paint by junior forward Tess Hauer with 4:36 left put the Pipers back out in front 12-11. Both teams would trade one-point leads with both sides trying to slay with three-point bombs: One by Hamline sophomore reserve guard Larisa O'Neil with 2:43 left and one by Augsburg sophomore guard Kalena Myers with 2:29 left. With the Auggies clinging to a 16-15 advantage, they appeared to get some more breathing room thanks to senior point guard Selena Lor as she would bury a "3" from the right wing area with 1:59 left that gave Augsburg a 19-15 advantage. But the Pipers showed they had no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon as junior guard Chan'el Anderson-Manning sprang into action as her speedy and crafty moves allowed her to get to the charity stripe twice in the last two minutes of play; dropping pairs of free throws with 1:43 left and with :34.6 left as this game was deadlocked at 19 going into the second period.
Both teams would trade scores in the early moments of the second period and although the Auggies' Lor was able to put her team back in front 23-21 when she sneaked into the lane for a finish at the 8:32 mark, Hamline was able to grab control for the first time in this conference. And who better to lead this Piper attack than Lecher as she buried back-to-back heart-breaking three-point bombs - one from the left wing area at the 7:59 mark and the other from the top of the key at the 7:11 mark - that had Hamline up 27-23. The Pipers would be able to maintain this four-point edge as Lecher would strike again at the 6:41 mark with a jumper in the lane to make it 29-25 and with 3:44 left, Anderson-Manning would connect with a jumper from the left baseline - off the glass no less - to make it a 31-27 game. Augsburg would finally make it a one-point game when Lor drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:15 left but the Pipers were not finished yet. Hauer would connect with a short, turnaround jumper off the glass with 1:50 left and Anderson-Manning would make a daring drive into traffic for a finish with 1:11 left that had Hamline up 35-30. Then, with just :17.5 left before intermission, Hauer would connect with a lay-up to stretch the Piper lead to 37-30 as both teams would soon retreat to their respective locker rooms for the halftime break. Given the spirited play by the Pipers and a raucous Hamline student section as well, there was indeed some concern on the Augsburg front. A quick check of the first half box score indicates that both teams shot reasonably well enough from FG range but Hamline was on fire from behind the arc; going 6-7 for 85.7%. Another number that was pointing toward the Pipers was on the rebounding front where Hamline had a 19-14 advantage.
If things appeared a bit dicey for the Auggies by the halftime break, that feeling was amplified even more once the third period got underway as Hamline was able to increase its lead to double-digits. Hauer would start things off with a tough score in the paint at the 9:48 mark and although Augsburg's Lor would come back with some heroics on a three-point bomb from the left corner at the 9:29 mark, the Auggies would stumble on the offensive end that helped open up things for the Pipers. Hamline's Hauer would strike again at the 9:11 mark with a jumper from the free throw line area to make it 41-33 and then Anderson-Manning would unleash a "3" from the left top area at the 8:17 mark to make it a 44-33 game and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso found the time was ripe to take a match to a timeout to try and get his team settled down. Still, the Pipers would gain their biggest advantage on this night when Lecher would connect with a lay-up at the 6:30 mark to make it a 46-33 game before the Auggies finally stopped tripping over themselves and found some semblance of offense again. A much-needed three-point bomb from Coplin - this one coming from the top of the key at the 5:11 mark - and another "3" by Lor with 4:33 left had the deficit slimmed down to seven at 46-39. Masello; who had been held in check as of late in this contest, finally got a score in the paint with 3:47 left to keep Augsburg in that seven-point range down 48-41 and a burst of speed and drive for a finish by Smith with 2:27 left drew the Auggies closer down 48-43 before Hamline could step on the gas again. Anderson-Manning would drain a "3" from the left corner with 2:16 left and O'Neil would get a triple of her own with a bomb from the right wing area with 1:27 left as the Pipers had quickly re-established their double-digit advantage up 54-43. Augsburg would manage to get back into single-digit range again before this third period was over, however, as sophomore reserve guard Katie Manecke knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 1:11 left and then Masello, who had been frustrated for most of the third period, unleashed an unlikely three-point bomb from the top of the key with just :00.1 before the third quarter buzzer sounded that narrowed the deficit to eight points at 55-47. Still, from an Augsburg standpoint anyway, there was a lot of work left to do against a Piper team that had been shooting the lights out for a good chunk of this game.
Whether Masello's unlikely three-point bomb right before the end of the third period had any effect on her Augsburg teammates is uncertain but the Auggies certainly did seem to play with a renewed sense or urgency that wasn't there earlier once this fourth period got going. Smith would start things off with a short jumper in transition at the 9:40 mark that cut the deficit to six at 55-49. Hamline's Lecher would come to the rescue of her team with a three-point bomb from the left top area at the 9:02 mark but the opportunities that the Pipers were getting earlier were now being taken away as Augsburg would now start turning up the hear with their defense that allowed opportunities on the other end for themselves. Masello would connect with a lay-up at the 8:40 mark and a Smith lay-up at the 8:13 mark now had the deficit down to five at 58-53. Then Myers would come up with some heroics of her own with a drive and finish that now had the Auggies back to within a single possession down 58-55. Hamline Head Coach Alex Focke would call a thirty-second timeout at the 7:15 mark and that short stoppage in play seemed to benefit the Pipers as they would at least secure some more breathing space. Hauer would connect with a lay-up at the 5:44 mark and then it would be the former Tri-City United standout Robinson, taking center stage as she unleashed a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 5:10 mark to push the Hamline lead back to eight at 63-55. It didn't take long for the Auggies to pick away at this new deficit, however, as junior reserve guard Samaiya Buchanan sneaked into the paint for one score with 4:51 left and a Masello lay-up with 4:20 left had the deficit cut in half at four points trailing 63-59. Hamline's Hauer would try and come to the rescue of her team as she would get fouled with 3:01 left and her two free throws again gave the Pipers a bit more breathing room up 65-59. By this time, however, momentum was clearly on Augsburg's side and that point was driven home when Smith unleashed a dagger "3" from the top of the key with 2:46 left that suddenly drew the Auggies back to within a single-possession down 65-62 and then on the Pipers' subsequent possession, Myers would snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up that now had the deficit cut to a scant point at 65-64 with a ton of time left. Hamline tried desperately to keep control of things and got the ball to one of their best playmakers; Lecher, who would get fouled with 2:01 left and the former Concordia Academy standout got both free throws to go down to make it a three-point game at 67-64 and Hauer would do the same after she was fouled with 1:35 left to make it 69-66 but with 1:20 left, the unthinkable happened for that raucous Hamline student section that made the trip over to Si Melby Hall as the Auggies' Myers would drain a cold-blooded "3" from the left wing area that finally had this game tied at 69 a piece. Augsburg's Riverso would quickly call timeout to set up strategy and although Hamline would regain the lead one last time when speedy junior reserve guard Alyssa Williamson made a quick dart into the lane for a finish with :59 left, the Auggies would take it away for good on their subsequent possession when Smith delivered a dagger "3" from the top of the key with :43.3 left to propel Augsburg back into the lead for the first time since the early part of the second period at 72-71. The Pipers' Focke would then take a timeout to get things set up on their end and with :35.2 left, senior guard Sophie Findell would get fouled and she would get the front-end attempt to go down to get the game tied at 72. The back-end attempt was errant but Hamline was able to get the rebound and set up another offensive possession. This would set up what could have been some insurance at the very least for the Pipers as Anderson-Manning, trying to make a tough drive and finish, would get fouled with :18.1 left on the clock with the shot clock winding down as well. Anderson-Manning had been solid from the charity stripe all game long but on this particular occasion, both free throw attempts missed their mark and Augsburg's Smith was their with her long reach for the rebound. She got down the court and, from my view anyway, it looked as if there was some miscommunication on the Hamline defensive end as it seemed like the Red Sea parted with a clear lane for Smith to take it to the hole which she did with :07 left with a lay-up that drew a foul that had Si Melby Hall in a frenzy. Smith would make good on the obligatory "and one" and the Auggies' Riverso would call a timeout to get defensive strategy set up. One last chance for Hamline to try and force overtime but a three-point shot attempt by the normally-reliable O'Neil was short and Augsburg came away with a miraculous 75-72 victory to advance to the MIAC Championship Game on Sunday.
Considering that the Augsburg men were getting ready to play Macalester in the nightcap at Si Melby Hall on this Friday evening, the place could have been considered something of a nuthouse after the successful comeback bid by the Auggies. I was, however, able to catch up with Augsburg's Riverso down in the lower level afterward and asked him what he told his team when things weren't looking good. "Just stay with it.....Just stay with it" and they did exactly that. I also asked him about (Anja) Smith and what a terrific talent she is. "She's a special player" Riverso said and I think you've got to at least consider Smith for MIAC POY honors. I also mentioned to Riverso; now that the Auggies have made it to their third MIAC Championship Game, if this is a real opportunity to wipe away some of the frustrations of past years. Riverso seemed to poo-poo the notion that there were any frustrations involved as he pointed out those were some very good teams he had and they just fell short. Riverso said that this team does indeed deserve a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament but also pointed out that it's once again likely that the MIAC may very well be a one-bid league with only the AQ going; thus making the MIAC Championship Game that more important. But I'm hopeful that this Augsburg team will somehow get in regardless of what happens on Sunday and they've certainly got the talent and mojo to snare their first-ever MIAC Championship Game title. Meanwhile, on the Hamline side, a gut-wrenching and heartbreaking defeat and the thoughts of what might have been. Still, there were many Hamline parents around in the lobby who broke out in applause when Focke and his staff finally came out of the locker room which was good to see as they're very appreciative of what Focke has done for this Hamline program. When I finally had a chance to speak with Focke, I had to ask him what he thought were the main reasons this one got away from his squad. in what was a pause with a smile and a bit of a laugh, he said, "Too many turnovers when they (Augsburg) turned up the pressure defense." Still, I noted that he's taken this team and program to heights it hasn't seen before and am guessing that they'll get another crack at this not far down the road.
So right away when I look at the final box score on this one, the first thing I look at is turnovers and there was Hamline suffering 20 turnovers; with many of them coming in that critical fourth period when the Auggies turned up the heat with their pressure defense. To be sure, Hamline did have a substantial edge on the rebounding front with by a 37-24 count which, in many instances, would be good enough to get the win. But there were also other things working against the Pipers as well. Augsburg held a 34-30 advantage in points in the paint but more importantly, those turnovers that Hamline had were very costly as the Auggies held a sizable 27-12 edge in points off of turnovers. Augsburg also had a sizable 24-8 edge in bench points and although Hamline shot reasonably well in this game, the one area where I circled right away was from the charity stripe where the Pipers were 12-17 for 70.6%. While that's not necessarily a death sentence in itself but in a close game, that's huge. What's cruelly ironic is that the Auggies were only 6-11 from the free throw line for 54.5% and got away with it. Riverso and his staff have to know that they can't make a living doing that.
It was indeed a balanced scoring effort for the Auggies on this Friday night; topped by a spectacular performance by Smith who led the way with 21 points while Masello was able to overcome a struggle in the third period and was right behind with 19 points and just missed out on a "double-double" with nine rebounds. Lor was money on this night too; particularly from behind the arc as she tallied 14 points and Myers finished with 12 points. And speaking of spectacular performances, you have to talk about Hamline's Lecher who tried to will her team to victory on this night as her 24 points led all scorers. Hauer was solid as well with her 16 points and Anderson-Manning was right behind with 15 points.
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