Made the trip over to the St. Paul side of town on this sunny and much more palatable day temperature-wise to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University to take in this important late-regular season contest between visiting Concordia and host St. Kate's. The Cobbers were coming into this contest on a nine-game win streak in an effort to not only keep pace with league-leading GAC but also to tighten their grip on the second playoff spot in the MIAC race AND solidify their chances for the NCAA Tournament as well. The Wildcats meanwhile had seemingly turned things around after last Saturday's loss at Hamline with wins over both Macalester on Monday night and Wednesday night's squeaker over a pesky Carleton team. Keep in mind too that this is the same St. Kate's team that had dumped Concordia up in Moorhead back 1-7-23 by a 57-44 count that sent shock waves throughout the MIAC so you kind of knew that this one could be a tricky one for the Cobbers on the return visit.
Sure enough, the 'Cats caught Concordia flat-footed coming out of the gate in the opening period as a short, one-handed floater by senior forward Bree Glynn at the 9:02 mark and a three-point bomb by sophomore guard/forward Rachel Randleman from the left top area at the 8:25 mark gave St. Kate's a 5-0 lead. The Cobbers would cut into that lead when sophomore guard Carlee Sieben unleashed a "3" of her own from the top of the key at the 8:06 mark and at the 7:07 mark, Concordia would cut the deficit to one when lanky 6'0" sophomore forward Symone Beld banged home a "3" from the right wing area that had the Wildcats clinging to a 7-6 advantage. Beld would keep the Cobbers in that one-point range with her short, turnaround jumper in the lane at the 6:02 mark that had Concordia down only 9-8. But the fast-paced, up-and-down style that the Wildcats employ started to cause problems for the visitors from up north. Fifth-year senior Sam Orth would connect on a pretty reverse lay-up at the 5:12 mark and less than a minute later, Glynn would connect with a lay-up that gave St. Kate's a bit more breathing room up 13-8. The Cobbers would close the gap again as senior reserve forward Mary Sem would knock down a short jumper from the right side at the 3:01 mark and two free throws by senior guard Emily Beseman after she was fouled in a transition opportunity with 2:04 left cut the deficit to one at 13-12. St. Kate's would again establish some more breathing room before this first period was in the books. Slender sophomore reserve guard Sydney Elliott would drain a "3" from the right corner with 1:56 left to make it a 16-12 game and a lay-up by Glynn with :40 left helped maintain the four-point edge as would a lay-up from junior guard Karis Zezza with :12.7 that had the 'Cats up 20-16 going into the second period.
Concordia would quickly tighten things up in the early moments of the second period when Beseman; the former Swanville standout, buried her first trey of the day from the right top area at the 9:29 mark but more cracks were becoming evident in the Cobber defense as they simply could not slow down this fast-paced St. Kate's team. Zezza would connect with a lay-up at the 9:15 mark and a tough drive and pretty finish by sophomore forward Greta Schimnowski at the 8:22 mark had the Wildcats up 24-19. A short, one-handed shot by Orth at the 7:35 mark maintained the five-point edge at 26-21 as did an offensive rebound and putback by the always-reliable Glynn at the 6:05 mark that kept St. Kate's up 28-23. When Orth maneuvered into the paint for a score with 4:43 left, the Wildcats had their largest lead of the day so far at 30-23 but Concordia's Beseman was not going to let her team flounder too long on this day. She would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled in a transition opportunity with 3:48 left and after a subsequent Wildcat turnover, Beseman would make the home team pay for that mistake dearly as she drilled her second three-point bomb of this afternoon from the right wing area with 3:26 left that quickly cut the deficit to two at 30-28 and prompted St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern to take a match to a timeout. Still, the Cobbers would stay within a single possession down just 33-31 when Sieben drained her second trey of the day - this one from the top of the key with 3:02 left that had Concordia presumably in decent shape down just 33-31. But Cobber head Coach Kim Wagers probably couldn't have guessed that her team would go scoreless down the stretch that again allowed St. Kate's to establish more breathing room. Zezza would knock down a short jumper off the glass with 2:30 left and then lanky freshman reserve guard Emme Golembiewski would make her presence felt with a steal and lay-up the other way with 1:24 left that pushed the Wildcat lead to six at 37-31. Then, with just :10.2 left, fellow freshman reserve guard Kaylee Miron would use a quick burst of speed to connect with a lay-up that not only gave St. Kate's a 39-31 lead going into the locker room at the half but also left the Cobbers feeling unsure about themselves and probably remembering the debacle back home in cavernous Memorial Auditorirum when they got run out of their own crib by this same Wildcat team.
When Concordia's Beseman buried her third trey of the contest from the left wing area at the 9:29 mark of the third period, it gave the initial impression that they were on the road to recovery and that notion was reinforced at the 5:40 mark when Beseman unleashed more terror from behind the arc with her fourth bomb of the day - this one from the right wing area that had the Cobbers down by just four at 41-37 and back within reach again. But St. Kate's had vastly different ideas after getting their offense back on track after a bit of a dry spell early on in the third period. On the Wildcats' ensuing possession, Zezza would bury a cold-blooded "3" of her own from the right wing area at the 5:25 mark and a tough drive and finish by the wily Orth with 4:46 left stretched the St. Kate's lead to nine at 46-37. A short, turnaround jumper in the lane by Schimnowski with 4:08 left maintained this nine-point cushion at 48-39 and a short shot by Elliott from the right side at the 3:24 mark now gave the 'Cats their first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 50-39. Concordia would claw back to within single-digit range when Sem connected with a lay-up with 3:14 left and then freshman reserve guard Taylor Safranski would connect with a lay-up with 2:44 left that drew a foul and her obligatory "and one" had the deficit whittled down to seven at 51-44. But back-to-back three-point bombs by the Wildcats - one by Schimnowski from the right corner with 2:27 left and another one by Randleman from the same right corner with :20 left - gave St. Kate's their biggest lead of the afternoon so far at 57-44 and even though the Cobbers' Beseman shaved one point off of that deficit with a free throw after getting fouled with :03.6 left, this was not looking good at all for Concordia now and even though they had worked their magic against CSB on Monday night after being down by 17, that was at home in cavernous Memorial Auditorium and after a long roadie down to the Twin Cities, one couldn't help but wonder if the Cobbers had finally run out of gas not only physically but emotionally as well.
When St. Kate's Orth connected with a lay-up at the 9:25 mark of the fourth period, the 'Cats had their biggest lead of the day at 59-45 and the Cobbers could have easily folded right then and there. You couldn't notice it at first, but Concordia slowly and slyly worked its way back into this game. Strong sophomore forward Makayla Anderson connected with a pretty reverse lay-up at the 8:39 mark and then Sieben would drill a three-point bomb from the right corner area at the 8:18 mark that that had Concordia back in single-digit range again down 59-50 and the Wildcats' Mulhern; perhaps a bit alarmed to see that double-digit cushion disappear so quickly, called a thirty-second timeout to make some quick adjustments. St. Kate's seemed to have things back in their favor again thanks to Zezza as she would first knock down a jumper along the left baseline at the 7:53 mark to restore the double-digit advantage at 61-50 and at the 6:27 mark, Zezza would use a burst of speed to connect with a tough lay-up that maintained this eleven-point advantage at 63-52. But it was here where the pendulum started swinging in favor of the Cobbers as they held the 'Cats scoreless and fought their way right back into this game. Two free throws by Beseman after she was fouled at the 6:17 mark seemed innocent enough as it only reduced the deficit to nine but with 4:27 left, Beld would unleash a "3" from the top of the key that now had the deficit cut to six at 63-57 and then Sem; the former Fargo North standout, came through big time for Concordia as a lay-up with 3:30 left had the deficit down to four at 63-59 and after a foiled Wildcat possession on the other end, Sem would strike again with 2:51 left that not only had Concordia back to within a single possession down 63-61 but had Concordia parents and fans roaring with approval as well. St. Kate's Mulhern had seen more than enough and knew it was time to take a match to a timeout to get his squad settled down. With 1:29 left, the Wildcats finally found a source of some much-needed offense as Randleman would drain a "3" from the right top area to make it a 66-61 ballgame but Concordia had come too far to be deterred. On the Cobbers' ensuing possession, Beld would connect with a lay-up that had Concordia back to within a single possession down 66-63 and the Cobbers' Wagers now called a timeout of her own to set up strategy in hopes of getting a stop. Whatever tactics were set up worked perfectly as Concordia would force a turnover on the other end and with :50 left, Beseman would bang home her biggest three-point bomb of the day - a dagger from the top of the key that finally had this game leveled at 66. Somehow, the Cobbers would force yet another St. Kate's turnover on their ensuing possession which helped set up the dramatic finish. With :10 left, Sieben got into the lane and put up a short jumper that missed its mark but a battle soon ensued between Concordia's Beld and St. Kate's Orth for possession of the rebound. With :03.8 left, Orth would get whistled for the foul; much to the consternation of the Wildcats' Mulhern and a partisan St. Kate's crowd. Beld's first free throw attempt would rattle off the rim but she would be calm and sure on the back-end attempt that would be true and gave the Cobbers their very first lead of the afternoon at 67-66. St. Kate's Mulhern would call a timeout to try and set up one last play for the win and the way this one developed, it sure looked like it might be a winner as Zezza got some space and made a hard drive for a lay-up but the attempt kissed off the glass and bounced off the rim with just :01.2 left as Concordia somehow, someway, impossibly escaped Butler Center and the Twin Cities with an improbable and heart-stopping 67-66 victory in one of the most thrilling games of the MIAC regular season so far.
I was first able to catch up with former Concordia standout and now Cobber Assistant Coach Alley Fisher after everybody had a chance to finally catch their collective breaths and revel in what had turned out to be yet another unbelievable comeback by the Cobbers after trailing by double-digits. I asked Fisher specifically about what she thought it was about how this team has grown since I last saw them in the loss at Bethel back in early December and now. "All aspects I think" she replied but she alluded to how this squad just believes in one another. I got to speak to Concordia's Beseman for a bit as well and I asked her about this latest amazing feat for this team. "I think maybe at first we were trying to do a little too much" she said, in regards to passes and offensive execution. I wasn't aware of it initially but would later discover that Beseman had tallied the 1,000th point in her career at Concordia earlier in the game. I asked a relieved Wagers if perhaps the team might have been caught looking ahead to the big showdown in St. Peter this next Wednesday night against GAC. "I hope not" she replied. But I'm just guessing that Wagers and her staff had to be looking at that box score on the way back up US Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline wondering, "How in the (expletive deleted) did we just do that?" And with good cause, too. Consider: St. Kate's had a decided edge on the boards at 33-22 that included 11 offensive rebounds for the Wildcats and in points in the paint it wasn't even remotely close as St. Kate's had a whopping 44-24 advantage. Those all-important "second chance" points were decidedly in the Wildcats favor as well by a 15-5 count and normally when you have those number in your favor, more often than not you come out on the right side of the ledger. And the Wildcats also shot better from FG range going 29-62 for 46.8%. I'll say this about Concordia: You can only play with matches so many times before it catches up with you and it almost did today. However, despite the fact that I see a ton of red flags when it comes to their defense and boxing out, time and time again we see #20 bailing them out of trouble and she did it again on this day. I think that if you're looking for your MIAC POY, you need look no further than Beseman. I don't know if I would have said that at the beginning of the season or even right at the first of the year. But it's clear that the Cobbers would not be where they're at without Beseman. Meanwhile, on the St. Kate's side, Mulhern was understandably disappointed with the final outcome and even though losing by one point to one of the top teams in the conference stings, I see way more positives out of this one than negatives. The Wildcats are still in very good shape when it comes to the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and given the results of some of the other games yesterday, a lot of good things can still happen for them from a seeding standpoint.
I could probably write a dissertation on Concordia's Beseman and what a great player and even better person she is but for now, I'll just stick with saying that her 26 points on this day easily led all scorers and paced the Cobber attack as well. Beld would tally 11 points and Sem was right behind with her 10 points. St. Kate's actually had a much more balanced attack on this day and it's becoming clear that Zezza; the former STMA standout, is becoming quite the player for Wildcats and she led St. Kate's with her 13 points. And the two reliables - Glynn and Orth - both finished with 12 points.
No comments:
Post a Comment