Welcome to the New Year of 2016! Hope everybody rang in the new year with cheer - unlike my alma mater, Iowa, which got destroyed by Stanford in the Rose Bowl. The fact that the Rose Bowl is UCLA's home field anyway made this one even harder to swallow.
Okay, so as we look forward to the rest of the MIAC season, what should we expect? Let's take a synopsis of each team and see where we're at so far:
1. SMU - Sitting currently at 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC, I clearly undervalued this team. I thought that, with the change in the coaching staff and new system in place plus the fact that this team does not have a lot of size, they might struggle out of the gate. Instead, they have exceeded my wildest expectations - so far anyway - with the only blemish on the record coming at the hands of UW-Stevens Point on the road. They have another non-conference game coming up on Friday (1-2) at UW-Stout before they delve into the meat of the MIAC season. The first five conference games are tricky ventures to be sure but the good news is that the Cardinals get both Concordia and UST at home in Winona this month. If they can get through this stretch relatively unscathed, they'll be tough to beat the rest of the way.
2. UST - While most teams would be content with a 9-2 record at this point, by UST standards anyway, this is something of a letdown. But keep in mind that the All-American candidates that were on the squad last year have since graduated so naturally there's going to be some growing pains with the younger, inexperienced players. This was demonstrated in their loss to St. Kate's back in early December and, though they were bounced at the Wartburg Tournament in Waverly on Tuesday (12-29) by Wheaton (IL), they came back the next day and dumped UW-Oshkosh. Their first three conference games of 2016 are stern tests - against GAC, Bethel and CSB but all three of those games will be in the friendly confines of Schoenecker Arena.
3. GAC - The Gusties are kind of where I expected them to be with a 9-3 overall record and 3-1 in the MIAC although a couple of their losses bug me a little - the home loss to UW-River Falls and then getting knocked off by Coast Guard down in Puerto Rico on Tuesday (12-29). The early January schedule is favorable for the most part but they open up January with a date at UST next Wednesday night - a place where they haven't won since 2010.
4. St. Olaf - Another team I may have undervalued is the Oles who are currently sitting with an 8-3 record overall and, considering where they have been over the last few years, it's not a bad start. They did suffer back-to-back home losses to both UW-River Falls and Concordia at Skoglund Center in December so I'm not entirely sold yet but if they can get the month of January off to a good start, they could have something going. But the first two conference games are challenging: At Bethel and then home against SMU.
5. Concordia - While their overall record of 6-4 is somewhat disappointing at this stage, consider that three of those four losses came against decent non-conference competition and their only MIAC loss was against UST. They've already knocked off Bethel at Robertson Center and while I still wonder if Head Coach Jessica Rahman might tinker with her lineup from time to time, one encouraging sign has been the emergence of junior forward/post Jenna Januschka. You have to think that, while the Cobbers probably won't wind up winning the conference, they will likely have something to say about who does.
6. Bethel - Clearly the biggest disappointment so far has to be the Royals; currently saddled with a 5-5 overall record and only 2-2 in MIAC play. For a team that had such high expectations and hopes, you have to wonder - pardon my French - WTF went wrong; especially with all the talent that they have at their disposal. True, they were without junior Kalli Zimmerman for a good chunk of the early part of the season. But now, even with her back, I can't help but wonder if it's already too late for this team. The Royals were out in Vegas for the D3Hoops.com Classic and, although they downed Millsaps in their opening game, they were unceremoniously dumped by George Fox in their next game on Tuesday (12-29). They have a tough non-conference game coming up on Monday night at home against next door neighbor Northwestern at home in Robertson Center before they host St. Olaf on Wednesday (1-6). Sadly for Bethel, they've pretty much used up all of their lifelines wrt another at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament and the thought of the Royals turning it around and taking the conference by storm seems like a pipe dream at this juncture.
7. CSB - The Blazers are in decent shape at the moment with a 7-3 overall record and 2-2 in the MIAC. I have yet to catch them in action save for a scrimmage at Northwestern so I'm a little hesitant to heap too much praise on this squad just yet. They closed out 2015 with an impressive win at UM-Morris and will host IIAC opponent Buena Vista at Claire Lynch on Sunday (1-3). From there CSB gets both Macalester and Concordia at home and if they can get two wins out of that, they'll certainly have a head of steam going into the big roadie at UST.
8. St. Kate's - Another surprise so far this season has been the Wildcats who have a 7-3 overall record and are 2-2 in conference play. The signature win so far was the win over UST at Butler Center but they followed that up with a loss at Northwestern a week later so consistency is still something of an issue for this team. The 'Cats have three of the first four conference games at home but those games include SMU, GAC and St. Olaf. St. Kate's will have to make the most of their opportunities if they want to have a realistic shot of making the MIAC playoffs but I definitely do think that they're considerably better than they were a year ago.
9. Hamline - The Pipers are adjusting to the AS (After Sammons) era and their 3-8 overall record (1-3 in MIAC play) reflects that. This is simply a very young team that doesn't have a lot size and isn't very deep either.
10. Augsburg - Another team that has disappointed mightily so far has been the Auggies who are 5-6 overall and 0-4 in MIAC play. While I didn't necessarily expect them to take the world by storm, the way they've lost some of their games has been truly puzzling as they've simply folded late in a lot of these contests. I like the talent that this team has but they've GOT to find a way to turn things around in January before it becomes a total lost cause. They've got a chance to do that as a roadie at Hamline and a home date with Carleton await early on.
11. Macalester - The Scots have definitely taken a step forward so far in the 2015-16 season with a 5-5 overall record and 1-3 in MIAC play. How many more steps forward they take will be up to them but I do like the direction this team has taken under second-year Head Coach Kelly Roysland.
12. Carleton - Another year of struggles for the Knights who currently sit with a 3-7 overall record and 0-4 in MIAC play. They do host IIAC opponent Coe on Saturday (1-2) which I intend to cover so it's a chance for the Knights to get a bit of momentum before delving into conference play.
Los Angeles Rams
Friday, January 1, 2016
Friday, December 25, 2015
Hopkins vs Park Center Synopsis 12-22-15
Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this Tuesday of Christmas week to take in the much-anticipated game between two defending state champions - defending Class AAAA champ Hopkins going up against host and defending AAA champ Park Center. The Pirates; now shoved up to Class AAAA themselves, looked to have righted the ship somewhat with recent victories over both Maple Grove and Armstrong but this match-up with the Royals would be a stern test. With a handful of former Park Center alumni players along with other current college players in attendance as well, this indeed looked like a fun night.
One of the big questions surrounding this game was if Park Center could possibly find a way to stop powerful senior guard and future Michigan State Spartan Nia Hollie or at least neutralize her. In reality, the Pirates would have a lot more than just Hollie to worry about as Hopkins bolted out to a 7-2 by the 15:40 mark and they would increase the lead to 9-3 after a lay-up in transition by senior guard K'Aezha Wubben at the 15:16 mark. The Pirates would finally gather themselves and work their way back into the contest. Sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 15:03 mark and two Blakemore free throws at the 14:20 mark narrowed the Royals lead down to one at 9-8. A short jumper by Hollie off the glass at the 14:08 mark stretched the lead to three at 11-8 but a 6-0 Park Center spurt had the defending AAAA champs on their heels for a bit. Lanky 6'3" junior post Mikayla Hayes made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 13:41 mark and then two lay-ups in transition by junior point guard Danielle Schaub - one at the 13:26 mark and then another one at the 12:48 mark - gave the Pirates a 14-11 lead and the swarming defense that Park Center is known for seemed to be giving Hopkins all sorts of fits.
The Royals would settle down and with the score tied at 16, Hopkins was able to make another push. Senior reserve forward Dominique McNeeley got into the paint for one score with 9:51 left and then senior guard Ashley Bates was able to snare an offensive rebound of a missed free throw attempt by Wubben for a putback and got fouled in the process and her ensuing freebie made it 21-16 Hopkins. Fellow senior guard Evelyn Knox then buried a "3" from the left corner with 9:21 left and then 8th grader Paige Bueckers snared a steal in the backcourt and got a short shot out of it with 9:10 left for a 26-16 Royals lead and Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called an immediate timeout in hopes of getting his squad settled down. Further complicating the Pirate situation was the injury to junior forward Fey Ayobamidele who went down hard and appeared to inadvertently hit her head on the floor. She was assisted off the floor and went to the locker room for observation. Still, Park Center managed to fend off this latest Royal assault and they were able to mount a comeback of their own down the stretch of the first half. Schaub; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, drained on trey from the left wing off the glass with 7:57 left and then sophomore reserve guard Jada Buford buried a "3" from the left corner with 5:49 left that cut the Hopkins lead down to 26-22. Another Schaub lay-up in transition with 3:23 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie drew the Pirates closer; trailing 28-25. The Royals would get the lead stretched back to six points at 31-25 with 2:41 left thanks to free throws by both Hollie and McNeeley but Park Center had one run left in them right before the end of the half. One charity stripe shot by Buford with 2:13 left and back-to-back scores by Hayes - a lay-up with 1:22 left and an offensive rebound for a putback with :38 left - put the Pirates right back in the thick of things trailing 31-30 when the horn sounded ending the first half. Considering some of the missed opportunities that Park Center had and the fact that they weathered two significant Royals runs in the first half as well, that had to have them feeling a lot better about themselves than they did midway through the first half.
Things would continue to stay tight in the early stages of the second half. After a Hayes free throw at the 17:45 mark knotted the score at 31-all, Hollie would connect with a jumper from the left elbow area for Hopkins at the 17:27 mark to make it a 33-31 game. Hayes would help Park Center forge a 33-all deadlock when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:52 mark and it looked as if this game would live up to the billing and hype. But this was the crucial point in the game where the Royals embarked on a 10-0 run that changed the course of this contest for good. A jumper by Hollie from the right elbow area at the 16:31 mark and a Knox "3" from the left wing area at the 14:36 mark gave Hopkins a 38-33 advantage. Sophomore forward snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:00 mark and then dropped one freebie after getting fouled at the 13:30 mark for a 41-33 Royals lead and then Hollie connected with a jumper from the right elbow area off of an inbounds pass to make it 43-33 with 9:39 left and the Pirates looked as if they had been hit by a sledgehammer.
An offensive rebound of a missed jumper and reverse lay-up by junior guard Ann Simonet had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 43-35 but Simonet; usually reliable from three-point land, struggled all game long from behind the arc and with Ayobamidele out of the game with a possible concussion, the Pirates could never establish any real momentum that might have turned the tide when there was still plenty of time left. As such, Hopkins proceeded to go on a 12-2 that extinguished any hopes the green and gold contingent might have had of pulling close again. Back-to-back treys by Knox - one with 8:10 left and another with 7:40 left - pushed the Royals lead to twelve at 49-37. Pairs of free throws by Wubben and a drive and lay-up by Bates upped the advantage to eighteen at 55-37 for Hopkins and now all Park Center could do was make stabs and jabs down the stretch. Buford connected with a lay-up in transition with 4:27 left as did Simonet with 4:02 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 3:29 left trimmed the Hopkins lead down to twelve at 57-45 but that's as close as the Pirates could get. Insurance free throws in the waning minutes by Bueckers and Knox allowed the Royals to walk away with a convincing 62-47 victory.
Hopkins' Head Coach Brian Cosgriff summed up the game for his squad afterward. "We were shooting only 21% in the first half and we were still up by one at halftime. Life was good.....We knew we were going to shoot a lot better in the second half." Needless to say, those back-to-back treys by Knox was a back-breaker for Park Center and the absence of Ayobamidele in the second half took away a crucial element for the Pirates if they had hopes of keeping up with the vast athleticism that the Royals have. A disappointed VanderHyde was talking with former Park Center standout and current Valparaiso player Hannah Schaub when I caught up with him and half-jokingly said, "I need my senior leadership back!" In all seriousness, VanderHyde hoped that his young players; despite the loss on this night, took a step forward in experience and handling tough situations. "They have to" he said. The only other item I wanted to add to this was that I was somewhat astonished to learn that the MSHSL has no set protocol for possible concussions as this dicey item is currently left up to the individual schools to handle at their discretion. While I'm not saying that the individual schools are not doing an adequate job in ensuring the safety and welfare of their individual student-athletes, I would think that the MSHSL would want to have something in place for this potential hot-button issue.
One of the big questions surrounding this game was if Park Center could possibly find a way to stop powerful senior guard and future Michigan State Spartan Nia Hollie or at least neutralize her. In reality, the Pirates would have a lot more than just Hollie to worry about as Hopkins bolted out to a 7-2 by the 15:40 mark and they would increase the lead to 9-3 after a lay-up in transition by senior guard K'Aezha Wubben at the 15:16 mark. The Pirates would finally gather themselves and work their way back into the contest. Sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 15:03 mark and two Blakemore free throws at the 14:20 mark narrowed the Royals lead down to one at 9-8. A short jumper by Hollie off the glass at the 14:08 mark stretched the lead to three at 11-8 but a 6-0 Park Center spurt had the defending AAAA champs on their heels for a bit. Lanky 6'3" junior post Mikayla Hayes made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 13:41 mark and then two lay-ups in transition by junior point guard Danielle Schaub - one at the 13:26 mark and then another one at the 12:48 mark - gave the Pirates a 14-11 lead and the swarming defense that Park Center is known for seemed to be giving Hopkins all sorts of fits.
The Royals would settle down and with the score tied at 16, Hopkins was able to make another push. Senior reserve forward Dominique McNeeley got into the paint for one score with 9:51 left and then senior guard Ashley Bates was able to snare an offensive rebound of a missed free throw attempt by Wubben for a putback and got fouled in the process and her ensuing freebie made it 21-16 Hopkins. Fellow senior guard Evelyn Knox then buried a "3" from the left corner with 9:21 left and then 8th grader Paige Bueckers snared a steal in the backcourt and got a short shot out of it with 9:10 left for a 26-16 Royals lead and Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called an immediate timeout in hopes of getting his squad settled down. Further complicating the Pirate situation was the injury to junior forward Fey Ayobamidele who went down hard and appeared to inadvertently hit her head on the floor. She was assisted off the floor and went to the locker room for observation. Still, Park Center managed to fend off this latest Royal assault and they were able to mount a comeback of their own down the stretch of the first half. Schaub; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, drained on trey from the left wing off the glass with 7:57 left and then sophomore reserve guard Jada Buford buried a "3" from the left corner with 5:49 left that cut the Hopkins lead down to 26-22. Another Schaub lay-up in transition with 3:23 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie drew the Pirates closer; trailing 28-25. The Royals would get the lead stretched back to six points at 31-25 with 2:41 left thanks to free throws by both Hollie and McNeeley but Park Center had one run left in them right before the end of the half. One charity stripe shot by Buford with 2:13 left and back-to-back scores by Hayes - a lay-up with 1:22 left and an offensive rebound for a putback with :38 left - put the Pirates right back in the thick of things trailing 31-30 when the horn sounded ending the first half. Considering some of the missed opportunities that Park Center had and the fact that they weathered two significant Royals runs in the first half as well, that had to have them feeling a lot better about themselves than they did midway through the first half.
Things would continue to stay tight in the early stages of the second half. After a Hayes free throw at the 17:45 mark knotted the score at 31-all, Hollie would connect with a jumper from the left elbow area for Hopkins at the 17:27 mark to make it a 33-31 game. Hayes would help Park Center forge a 33-all deadlock when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:52 mark and it looked as if this game would live up to the billing and hype. But this was the crucial point in the game where the Royals embarked on a 10-0 run that changed the course of this contest for good. A jumper by Hollie from the right elbow area at the 16:31 mark and a Knox "3" from the left wing area at the 14:36 mark gave Hopkins a 38-33 advantage. Sophomore forward snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:00 mark and then dropped one freebie after getting fouled at the 13:30 mark for a 41-33 Royals lead and then Hollie connected with a jumper from the right elbow area off of an inbounds pass to make it 43-33 with 9:39 left and the Pirates looked as if they had been hit by a sledgehammer.
An offensive rebound of a missed jumper and reverse lay-up by junior guard Ann Simonet had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 43-35 but Simonet; usually reliable from three-point land, struggled all game long from behind the arc and with Ayobamidele out of the game with a possible concussion, the Pirates could never establish any real momentum that might have turned the tide when there was still plenty of time left. As such, Hopkins proceeded to go on a 12-2 that extinguished any hopes the green and gold contingent might have had of pulling close again. Back-to-back treys by Knox - one with 8:10 left and another with 7:40 left - pushed the Royals lead to twelve at 49-37. Pairs of free throws by Wubben and a drive and lay-up by Bates upped the advantage to eighteen at 55-37 for Hopkins and now all Park Center could do was make stabs and jabs down the stretch. Buford connected with a lay-up in transition with 4:27 left as did Simonet with 4:02 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 3:29 left trimmed the Hopkins lead down to twelve at 57-45 but that's as close as the Pirates could get. Insurance free throws in the waning minutes by Bueckers and Knox allowed the Royals to walk away with a convincing 62-47 victory.
Hopkins' Head Coach Brian Cosgriff summed up the game for his squad afterward. "We were shooting only 21% in the first half and we were still up by one at halftime. Life was good.....We knew we were going to shoot a lot better in the second half." Needless to say, those back-to-back treys by Knox was a back-breaker for Park Center and the absence of Ayobamidele in the second half took away a crucial element for the Pirates if they had hopes of keeping up with the vast athleticism that the Royals have. A disappointed VanderHyde was talking with former Park Center standout and current Valparaiso player Hannah Schaub when I caught up with him and half-jokingly said, "I need my senior leadership back!" In all seriousness, VanderHyde hoped that his young players; despite the loss on this night, took a step forward in experience and handling tough situations. "They have to" he said. The only other item I wanted to add to this was that I was somewhat astonished to learn that the MSHSL has no set protocol for possible concussions as this dicey item is currently left up to the individual schools to handle at their discretion. While I'm not saying that the individual schools are not doing an adequate job in ensuring the safety and welfare of their individual student-athletes, I would think that the MSHSL would want to have something in place for this potential hot-button issue.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
St. Kate's vs Northwestern 12-19-15
Made my way over to Northwestern's Ericksen Center on this sunny, cold December afternoon with the Yuletide a mere week away to take in this intriguing inter-conference clash between visiting St. Kate's of the MIAC against host Northwestern of the UMAC. The Wildcats; fresh off their upset victory over then-#6 UST a weekend ago, were looking to build some momentum right before the holiday break. Northwestern came into this contest on a six-game winning streak that included a big win against UM-Morris the previous weekend at home so the Eagles were definitely riding high as well. I think the big thing coming into this contest was the preparation aspect as both teams went through a grueling week of finals (God, how I DO NOT miss that stuff) so there likely was not a lot of time to prepare on either side for this game.
I also had a feeling that this game had the potential to be a very good one as well and I certainly was not disappointed. Neither side could gain any decided advantage early as one-point leads were traded often in the first period. Northwestern, of course, was in its 2-3 match-up zone on defense but that didn't prevent willowy Wildcat junior Kennedy Jennings from slithering into the lane down low for a reverse lay-up underneath at the 9:25 mark. The Eagles came back a bit later on a jumper from the top of the key by sophomore Amy Berglund at the 8:29 mark and one free throw by senior post Regan Cooper at the 7:59 mark for a 3-2 Northwestern lead. St. Kate's would grab a 5-3 lead on a trey from the right wing area by sophomore guard Meg Clark at the 7:42 mark but the Eagles would regain the lead on one freebie by Cooper at the 7:26 mark and a short jumper from the right side by senior forward Courtney Cunard that made it 6-5 Northwestern at the 5:21 mark. But the Eagles stalled out somewhat after that and the 'Cats would take the initiative down the stretch of the opening period. Flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it with 3:36 left and then the former Humboldt standout connected with a jumper in the lane with :37 left that St. Kate's up 9-6 at the end of the first period.
Northwestern looked to make amends for the disappointing way they finished out the first period as they stepped on the gas in the early stages of the second period. Freshman reserve forward Taryn Tumbleson snared a steal and used her athleticism to dash the other way for a lay-up at the 9:51 mark and then it was Cunard with a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:05 mark as the Eagles took back the lead at 11-9. Then it was St. Kate's turn. Sophomore guard Audra Clark made her way into the lane for a finish at the 8:43 mark and then another tough score in the paint by Jennings at the 7:58 mark now had the Wildcats back out in front by a count of 13-11. Cooper tied the issue for Northwestern at 13-all with her two free throw shots at the 6:40 mark but this is where the Wildcats were able to make a bit of a push. First, Meg Clark hit a jumper along the right baseline at the 6:23 mark and then senior guard forward Shauna Horsch; who struggled in the first period, finally found her three-point shooting touch with her patented high-arcing bomb; this one coming from the left top area at the 5:48 mark for an 18-13 St. Kate's advantage. But right back came the Eagles as first junior guard Tiffany Stubbs dropped a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:28 mark and then senior sharp-shooting guard Kim Campbell drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:47 left for a 19-18 Northwestern lead. Somewhat predicatably, the two teams played a game of cat and mouse coming down the stretch before halftime. With the score tied at 19 a piece, Eagle sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:33 left for a 22-19 Northwestern lead but two Audra Clark free throws with 2:04 left and a strong rebounding effort by Holt that saw her grab an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with :25.3 left now had the 'Cats back up 23-22. The Eagles got the last opportunity right before halftime as Cole was fouled going in for a shot and she sank both charity stripe shots to give Northwestern the slimmest of leads going into the halftime break at 24-23. St. Kate's did have the advantage on the boards in the first half at 23-17 and both teams shot 75% from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats got off to a solid start at the beginning of the third period. Two scores in the paint by Jennings at the 9:36 and 8:33 marks sandwiched an Audra Clark freebie at the 9:09 mark for a 28-24 St. Kate's lead. Northwestern would recover though as sophomore guard Amy Berglund connected with a lay-up at the 8:06 mark and then Cooper muscled her way into the paint at the 7:25 mark that knotted the issue at 28-all. A Stubbs lay-up at the 6:00 mark put the Eagles up 30-28 before the Wildcats went on a 8-0 burst. Horsch knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 5:37 mark that tied the score and then junior forward Mari Lee; held scoreless in the first half, got a lay-up to go down at the 5:13 mark for a 32-30 St. Kate's lead. Freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson knocked down a short jumper with 4:05 left and then Holt capped this run with a steal and lay-up the other way with 2:45 left to make it 36-30 and it appeared momentarily that the Wildcats might be on the verge of opening up some distance between themselves and their opponent. Remember last week when the 'Cats had that big third quarter that got UST into a bit of a hole and it looked as if the same scenario could have been unfolding here. But this is where Northwestern dug in and sewed up the holes. Junior forward Emily VanLith connected on a lay-up with 2:01 left as did Berglund with 1:29 left that cut the deficit to two points. St. Kate's looked as if it would take that slim two-point lead going into the fourth quarter but on the Eagles final possession of the period, they were able to get into transition and that freed up Cole who dropped a short jumper in with just :00.7 left that tied things up again at 36 a piece. Northwestern definitely avoided disaster in the last two and a half minutes.
The Eagles carried this new momentum going into the final period. A lay-up by Cooper with 9:26 left and a Cole "3" from the left corner at the 8:48 mark had Northwestern up 41-38 and two more Cooper lay-ups - one at the 7:21 mark and another one at the 5:57 mark - gave the Eagles a bit of breathing room with a 45-41 lead. But St. Kate's was not going away just yet. Audra Clark dropped two freebies at the 5:22 mark and then calmly dropped a jumper from the free throw line a short time later with 4:45 left had this one tied up yet again at 45-all. But Northwestern was not about to let the visitors from the MIAC spoil their pre-Yuletide gathering on their home floor. Cole again came up huge as her "3" from the right wing with 4:30 left started the key 8-2 run. The Eagles got into the bonus with 3:35 left and Cooper got one free throw to go down as did Cunard with 2:59 left. But Cunard, the Mo Valley, Iowa native, took in her one shining moment with 2:26 left when she buried a huge "3" from the left corner with 2:26 left that capped the crucial spurt for a 53-47 Northwestern lead. A Cunard lay-up with 1:39 left made it 55-48 and Wildcats Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had no choice but to call a timeout. The Eagles increased their lead to 57-48 on two free throws by Stubbs with 1:16 left and now St. Kate's was in desperation mode. A Meg Clark "3" from the left top area with 1:04 sliced some of the fat off the deficit but now the Wildcats were forced to foul as well and give Northwestern the opportunity to cash in on insurance freebies. Two by Cooper with :40.4 left and 1 by Cunard with :30.1 left made it a ten-point game at 62-52. St. Kate's tried desperately to get back into striking distance as Horsch nailed a "3" from the right corner with :13.1 left and then Holt let loose with a prayer from way outside the arc on the 'Cats final possession with just :00.8 left but the Eagles took this game by a final count of 64-58.
A relieved Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl said this win was huge to take into the holiday break - and into UMAC play after the first of the year. Even former Eagle standout and current assistant Jacki Smith said that she was very proud of how this squad responded coming off of a grueling week of finals. Disappointment was the buzzword on the St. Kate's side. While certainly not a devastating loss by any means, Pinkerton still expressed disappointment on how his squad couldn't find the consistency in the crucial stretches of this contest that might have allowed them to steal a nice road win. The Wildcats actually had a decisive edge on the boards in this one by a 42-34 count and turnovers were virtually identical with St. Kate's committing 18 and Northwestern guilty of 17. The big difference in this one was shooting - pure and simple. The Eagles shot 50% from three-point land in this contest and were a blistering 75% in the second half alone. St. Kate's shot only 34.4% from FG range and 37.5% from behind the arc. Northwestern was fairly balanced with its scoring as well with Cooper and Cole both chipping in 15 points while Cunard had 12 points and Stubbs had nine. St. Kate's was pretty balanced scoring-wise as well. Audra Clark with her 14 points and Holt had 12 points. Jennings had 10 points while Meg Clark added eight in the losing effort.
I also had a feeling that this game had the potential to be a very good one as well and I certainly was not disappointed. Neither side could gain any decided advantage early as one-point leads were traded often in the first period. Northwestern, of course, was in its 2-3 match-up zone on defense but that didn't prevent willowy Wildcat junior Kennedy Jennings from slithering into the lane down low for a reverse lay-up underneath at the 9:25 mark. The Eagles came back a bit later on a jumper from the top of the key by sophomore Amy Berglund at the 8:29 mark and one free throw by senior post Regan Cooper at the 7:59 mark for a 3-2 Northwestern lead. St. Kate's would grab a 5-3 lead on a trey from the right wing area by sophomore guard Meg Clark at the 7:42 mark but the Eagles would regain the lead on one freebie by Cooper at the 7:26 mark and a short jumper from the right side by senior forward Courtney Cunard that made it 6-5 Northwestern at the 5:21 mark. But the Eagles stalled out somewhat after that and the 'Cats would take the initiative down the stretch of the opening period. Flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt snared a long offensive rebound and got a lay-up out of it with 3:36 left and then the former Humboldt standout connected with a jumper in the lane with :37 left that St. Kate's up 9-6 at the end of the first period.
Northwestern looked to make amends for the disappointing way they finished out the first period as they stepped on the gas in the early stages of the second period. Freshman reserve forward Taryn Tumbleson snared a steal and used her athleticism to dash the other way for a lay-up at the 9:51 mark and then it was Cunard with a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:05 mark as the Eagles took back the lead at 11-9. Then it was St. Kate's turn. Sophomore guard Audra Clark made her way into the lane for a finish at the 8:43 mark and then another tough score in the paint by Jennings at the 7:58 mark now had the Wildcats back out in front by a count of 13-11. Cooper tied the issue for Northwestern at 13-all with her two free throw shots at the 6:40 mark but this is where the Wildcats were able to make a bit of a push. First, Meg Clark hit a jumper along the right baseline at the 6:23 mark and then senior guard forward Shauna Horsch; who struggled in the first period, finally found her three-point shooting touch with her patented high-arcing bomb; this one coming from the left top area at the 5:48 mark for an 18-13 St. Kate's advantage. But right back came the Eagles as first junior guard Tiffany Stubbs dropped a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:28 mark and then senior sharp-shooting guard Kim Campbell drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:47 left for a 19-18 Northwestern lead. Somewhat predicatably, the two teams played a game of cat and mouse coming down the stretch before halftime. With the score tied at 19 a piece, Eagle sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:33 left for a 22-19 Northwestern lead but two Audra Clark free throws with 2:04 left and a strong rebounding effort by Holt that saw her grab an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with :25.3 left now had the 'Cats back up 23-22. The Eagles got the last opportunity right before halftime as Cole was fouled going in for a shot and she sank both charity stripe shots to give Northwestern the slimmest of leads going into the halftime break at 24-23. St. Kate's did have the advantage on the boards in the first half at 23-17 and both teams shot 75% from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats got off to a solid start at the beginning of the third period. Two scores in the paint by Jennings at the 9:36 and 8:33 marks sandwiched an Audra Clark freebie at the 9:09 mark for a 28-24 St. Kate's lead. Northwestern would recover though as sophomore guard Amy Berglund connected with a lay-up at the 8:06 mark and then Cooper muscled her way into the paint at the 7:25 mark that knotted the issue at 28-all. A Stubbs lay-up at the 6:00 mark put the Eagles up 30-28 before the Wildcats went on a 8-0 burst. Horsch knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 5:37 mark that tied the score and then junior forward Mari Lee; held scoreless in the first half, got a lay-up to go down at the 5:13 mark for a 32-30 St. Kate's lead. Freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson knocked down a short jumper with 4:05 left and then Holt capped this run with a steal and lay-up the other way with 2:45 left to make it 36-30 and it appeared momentarily that the Wildcats might be on the verge of opening up some distance between themselves and their opponent. Remember last week when the 'Cats had that big third quarter that got UST into a bit of a hole and it looked as if the same scenario could have been unfolding here. But this is where Northwestern dug in and sewed up the holes. Junior forward Emily VanLith connected on a lay-up with 2:01 left as did Berglund with 1:29 left that cut the deficit to two points. St. Kate's looked as if it would take that slim two-point lead going into the fourth quarter but on the Eagles final possession of the period, they were able to get into transition and that freed up Cole who dropped a short jumper in with just :00.7 left that tied things up again at 36 a piece. Northwestern definitely avoided disaster in the last two and a half minutes.
The Eagles carried this new momentum going into the final period. A lay-up by Cooper with 9:26 left and a Cole "3" from the left corner at the 8:48 mark had Northwestern up 41-38 and two more Cooper lay-ups - one at the 7:21 mark and another one at the 5:57 mark - gave the Eagles a bit of breathing room with a 45-41 lead. But St. Kate's was not going away just yet. Audra Clark dropped two freebies at the 5:22 mark and then calmly dropped a jumper from the free throw line a short time later with 4:45 left had this one tied up yet again at 45-all. But Northwestern was not about to let the visitors from the MIAC spoil their pre-Yuletide gathering on their home floor. Cole again came up huge as her "3" from the right wing with 4:30 left started the key 8-2 run. The Eagles got into the bonus with 3:35 left and Cooper got one free throw to go down as did Cunard with 2:59 left. But Cunard, the Mo Valley, Iowa native, took in her one shining moment with 2:26 left when she buried a huge "3" from the left corner with 2:26 left that capped the crucial spurt for a 53-47 Northwestern lead. A Cunard lay-up with 1:39 left made it 55-48 and Wildcats Head Coach Sean Pinkerton had no choice but to call a timeout. The Eagles increased their lead to 57-48 on two free throws by Stubbs with 1:16 left and now St. Kate's was in desperation mode. A Meg Clark "3" from the left top area with 1:04 sliced some of the fat off the deficit but now the Wildcats were forced to foul as well and give Northwestern the opportunity to cash in on insurance freebies. Two by Cooper with :40.4 left and 1 by Cunard with :30.1 left made it a ten-point game at 62-52. St. Kate's tried desperately to get back into striking distance as Horsch nailed a "3" from the right corner with :13.1 left and then Holt let loose with a prayer from way outside the arc on the 'Cats final possession with just :00.8 left but the Eagles took this game by a final count of 64-58.
A relieved Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl said this win was huge to take into the holiday break - and into UMAC play after the first of the year. Even former Eagle standout and current assistant Jacki Smith said that she was very proud of how this squad responded coming off of a grueling week of finals. Disappointment was the buzzword on the St. Kate's side. While certainly not a devastating loss by any means, Pinkerton still expressed disappointment on how his squad couldn't find the consistency in the crucial stretches of this contest that might have allowed them to steal a nice road win. The Wildcats actually had a decisive edge on the boards in this one by a 42-34 count and turnovers were virtually identical with St. Kate's committing 18 and Northwestern guilty of 17. The big difference in this one was shooting - pure and simple. The Eagles shot 50% from three-point land in this contest and were a blistering 75% in the second half alone. St. Kate's shot only 34.4% from FG range and 37.5% from behind the arc. Northwestern was fairly balanced with its scoring as well with Cooper and Cole both chipping in 15 points while Cunard had 12 points and Stubbs had nine. St. Kate's was pretty balanced scoring-wise as well. Audra Clark with her 14 points and Holt had 12 points. Jennings had 10 points while Meg Clark added eight in the losing effort.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
UST vs St. Kate's 12-12-15
Made my way over to the Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University on this unseasonably warm December Saturday afternoon to take in another round of the "friendly" neighborhood rivalry between visiting and number 6-ranked UST and host St. Kate's. Just a few short miles separates these two campuses and while I wouldn't put this rivalry on the same level as, say, UCLA vs USC, there was still a heavy turnout of Tommie fans and parents/family in attendance that mixed in well with the St. Kate's crowd that was there as well. The color purple was the order of the day for sure!
The Tommies appeared loose and confident at the beginning of this one and when senior guard Katie Stone unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 9:48 mark for a quick 3-0 UST lead, it looked as if this might be yet another one-sided affair for the four-time defending MIAC champs. But St. Kate's had other ideas and they showed on this day that they were definitely up for the challenge. A high-arcing "3" from the left corner by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch at the 9:15 mark tied the score. At the 7:30 mark, sophomore guard Meg Clark connected on a lay-up in transition and drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 6-3 Wildcat lead. A little more than a minute later at the 6:07 mark, Horsch struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key that gave St. Kate's a 9-5 advantage. The Tommies would come right back though as a lay-up by lanky junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 5:46 mark and another Stone trey; this one again from the right wing area at the 5:05 mark, gave UST the lead back at 10-9. St. Kate's would take the lead right back on a "3" by sophomore guard Audra Clark from the left top area with 4:12 left but the Tommies would knot the issue at 12 a piece when senior reserve forward Mykenzie Spaulding made a tough drive along the left baseline for a finish with 1:54 left. UST would forge a 16-12 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by Spaulding with 1:15 left and a short jumper along the left baseline by junior guard Paige Gernes with :17 left but flashy Wildcat junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt would have the last say of the first period when she grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss and managed to get a putback with just :00.4 left on the clock that cut the Tommie lead to 16-14.
Everybody, including yours truly, kept waiting for that one "spark"; that one burst where UST would get on a run and leave yet another opponent in the dust but a pesky Wildcat team was making life miserable for their visitors up the road on Cleveland Avenue with their swarming defense that was causing uncharacteristic Tommie mistakes. Still, two Langer free throws at the 9:31 mark of the second period once again gave UST a bit more breathing room for an 18-14 advantage but that lead didn't last long. Holt connected with a pull-up jumper at the 9:10 mark and then it was Horsch letting loose with another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key at the 7:48 mark that put St. Kate's back out in front 19-18. Stone would reply for the Tommies as she uncorked a "3" of her own from her favorite launching pad, the right wing area that had UST back out in front again at 21-19 at the 6:43 mark and one free throw by former Wildcat and now junior guard Gabby Zehrer maintained the two-point Tommie edge at 22-20. St. Kate's would come right back on a short jumper off of an inbounds pass by junior forward Mari Lee with 4:18 left. Now it was UST's turn. Langer was able to make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass and got fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie had the Tommies back out in front 25-22. Again, the 'Cats would respond. Two free throws by Holt with 3:09 left and a lay-up in transition by Horsch with 2:44 left had St. Kate's up by one with 2:44 left. UST would grab still another three-point edge when Langer knocked down two shots from the charity stripe with 2:24 left and a hard drive and finish by Zehrer on her old teammates made it a 29-26 ballgame. But St. Kate's was not going to let this one get away from them by halftime. Holt connected with a lay-up with 1:26 left and, despite a score in the paint by Langer with :58 left, Meg Clark connected with a lay-up with :41.7 left and was fouled in the process and the ensuing free throw knotted things up at 31 a piece which is how this one went into the locker room at the half. The first half box told an interesting story. The Tommies did hold a slight advantage on the boards at 20-16 but were also guilty of nine turnovers - as were the 'Cats. St. Kate's also snared six steals in the first half and a cool 34.5% shooting by UST from FG range played a part.
St. Kate's came out of the gate in the third period on fire. Sophomore guard Audra Clark went into the lane for a drive and finish at the 9:24 mark and then twin sister Meg Clark went bombs away from behind the arc in the left wing area that suddenly had the 'Cats up by a count of 36-31. But a resourceful UST squad would battle their way right back. Zehrer got into the paint for one score at the 8:20 mark and then Langer used her long wingspan to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:33 mark that cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 36-35. Audra Clark then buried a "3" from the left wing at the 7:16 mark to make it 39-35 but ah, here come the Tommies right back. Langer sank one free throw after getting fouled at the 6:45 mark and then Stone dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area that had things all tied up at 39-all. So while the Tommies seemed to have an answer for every Wildcat burst thus far, you had to wonder at the same time if the frenetic pace St. Kate's was playing at on both sides of the floor might get to UST. Finally in the latter stages of the third period, the Wildcats got on a serious run. Audra Clark connected with a lay-up at the 5:07 mark and one freebie by Holt with 4:36 left put St. Kate's up 42-39. But the Tommies weren't able to respond on their ensuing possession so when the 'Cats got the ball, Lee found herself open from behind the arc in the right wing area and she shocked the whole Butler Center crowd by burying a "3" that made it a six-point game at 45-39. Langer would get into the paint for a score for UST with 2:59 left but the Wildcats saved their best for last. Two free throws by Holt - who was proving to be a royal pain in the side for the Tommies - with 2:28 left and a jumper from the right elbow area by Meg Clark with 1:17 left pushed the lead to eight at 49-41. Freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber brought UST closer with her score in the paint with 1:02 left but with just :06 left, Holt put the finishing touches on this 13-4 burst with her "3" from the left top area that had St. Kate's up 52-43 and the shocked faces of Tommie fans in the stands told the whole story.
The Wildcats pushed UST into deeper doo-doo early in the fourth period when freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson got into the paint for one score at the 9:37 mark and then Holt connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:04 mark for a 56-43 St. Kate's lead. But as good as the Wildcats were feeling - and playing - you also knew that the Tommies, when backed up against a wall, would respond. And they did just that; going on an 11-0 tear that would normally put the fear of God into most teams. Two Langer scores - one in the paint at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:12 mark - whittled the St. Kate's lead down to 56-47 and Head Coach Sean Pinkerton; not wanting to take any chances, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But UST was just getting warmed up and the stoppage in play did not undermine their efforts. Langer connected on a pretty reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 7:27 mark and then it was Zehrer finishing up on another transition opportunity at the 6:52 mark. And then it was Gruber; the freshman delivering the unexpected blow - a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 6:04 mark that suddenly made it a one-possession game with the 'Cats desperately clinging to a 56-54 lead. But when many in attendance waited for St. Kate's to fold right then and there, the Wildcats instead showed their mettle and hung tough. After one free throw by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with 4:39 left, Holt got an opening at the top of the key behind the arc and uncorked a "3" for a 60-54 St. Kate's lead. Stone would drop another "3" on the 'Cats from her favorite launching pad - the right wing with 2:59 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 60-57 but again the Wildcats kept their cool. Holt calmy drained another "3" from the right corner with 2:43 left and two Horsch free throws with 1:27 left maintained the two-possession gap and a 65-59 advantage. The Tommies would mount one last stand before capitulating. One free throw by Langer with 1:11 left trimmed the St. Kate's lead down to five at 65-60 and, after Jennings was unable to convert from the charity stripe for the Wildcats with :55.8 left, UST still had hope. Langer snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :44 left and shortly thereafter, Stone snared a steal from the normally-reliable Audra Clark and quickly got the ball to Zehrer who was fouled. Zehrer could only convert on the back-end of the two-shot opportunity but that was still good enough to make it a two-point ballgame at 65-63 with :36.7 left - a mountain of time. St. Kate's took another timeout to get itself situated and, on the ensuing Wildcat possession, they were able to eat up enough clock and bring the shot clock down until Jennings had to uncork an off-balance jumper with :05 left that missed its mark, The Tommies should have been right there for the long rebound but somehow Jennings craftily snared the long rebound away from UST and now the Tommies had to foul. Audra Clark was fouled with :01.6 left and the sophomore from Kenyon calmly sank both charity stripe attempts to seal the deal. UST had one last-gasp - a three-point attempt that fell way off the mark by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with :01.2 left and St. Kate's pulled off the upset of the season so far with a 67-63 victory.
I felt somewhat guilty afterward when UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to cut short her post-game pow-wow session with her assistant coaches when she spotted me hanging out in the lounge. Obviously, there was a lot for her to go over with her assistants after a tough loss like this. Still, Sinn was her gracious self in defeat. She was quick to credit St. Kate's for their hustle on defense and offensive rebounding and how they forced the Tommies to get away from establishing themselves in the paint which is what they prefer to do. And, let's be honest here. While this UST team is very solid and very good, they are definitely not the all-world infallible team they were the last two seasons with the cast of great players that they had. This squad is dominated sophomores and freshman with only two seniors (Stone and Spaulding) and four juniors (Zehrer, Gernes, Langer and Ava Stock). A disappointing finish in this one for sure but this team will be back. Meanwhile, congratulations are due for Pinkerton and his staff for getting St. Kate's their first win over UST since the 2010-11 season. They wound up shooting a blistering 54.55% in the second half from three-point land and they also got key offensive rebounds that kept several possessions alive. Perhaps even more important, I saw confidence emanating from this team for the first time when things got tight late in the second half when previous teams likely would have folded against a quality opponent. It's way too early to take too much from this contest but it will be interesting to see how far the Wildcats can go after getting a big win like this.
The Tommies appeared loose and confident at the beginning of this one and when senior guard Katie Stone unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 9:48 mark for a quick 3-0 UST lead, it looked as if this might be yet another one-sided affair for the four-time defending MIAC champs. But St. Kate's had other ideas and they showed on this day that they were definitely up for the challenge. A high-arcing "3" from the left corner by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch at the 9:15 mark tied the score. At the 7:30 mark, sophomore guard Meg Clark connected on a lay-up in transition and drew a foul as well that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 6-3 Wildcat lead. A little more than a minute later at the 6:07 mark, Horsch struck again from three-point land; this one coming from the top of the key that gave St. Kate's a 9-5 advantage. The Tommies would come right back though as a lay-up by lanky junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 5:46 mark and another Stone trey; this one again from the right wing area at the 5:05 mark, gave UST the lead back at 10-9. St. Kate's would take the lead right back on a "3" by sophomore guard Audra Clark from the left top area with 4:12 left but the Tommies would knot the issue at 12 a piece when senior reserve forward Mykenzie Spaulding made a tough drive along the left baseline for a finish with 1:54 left. UST would forge a 16-12 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by Spaulding with 1:15 left and a short jumper along the left baseline by junior guard Paige Gernes with :17 left but flashy Wildcat junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt would have the last say of the first period when she grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss and managed to get a putback with just :00.4 left on the clock that cut the Tommie lead to 16-14.
Everybody, including yours truly, kept waiting for that one "spark"; that one burst where UST would get on a run and leave yet another opponent in the dust but a pesky Wildcat team was making life miserable for their visitors up the road on Cleveland Avenue with their swarming defense that was causing uncharacteristic Tommie mistakes. Still, two Langer free throws at the 9:31 mark of the second period once again gave UST a bit more breathing room for an 18-14 advantage but that lead didn't last long. Holt connected with a pull-up jumper at the 9:10 mark and then it was Horsch letting loose with another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key at the 7:48 mark that put St. Kate's back out in front 19-18. Stone would reply for the Tommies as she uncorked a "3" of her own from her favorite launching pad, the right wing area that had UST back out in front again at 21-19 at the 6:43 mark and one free throw by former Wildcat and now junior guard Gabby Zehrer maintained the two-point Tommie edge at 22-20. St. Kate's would come right back on a short jumper off of an inbounds pass by junior forward Mari Lee with 4:18 left. Now it was UST's turn. Langer was able to make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass and got fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie had the Tommies back out in front 25-22. Again, the 'Cats would respond. Two free throws by Holt with 3:09 left and a lay-up in transition by Horsch with 2:44 left had St. Kate's up by one with 2:44 left. UST would grab still another three-point edge when Langer knocked down two shots from the charity stripe with 2:24 left and a hard drive and finish by Zehrer on her old teammates made it a 29-26 ballgame. But St. Kate's was not going to let this one get away from them by halftime. Holt connected with a lay-up with 1:26 left and, despite a score in the paint by Langer with :58 left, Meg Clark connected with a lay-up with :41.7 left and was fouled in the process and the ensuing free throw knotted things up at 31 a piece which is how this one went into the locker room at the half. The first half box told an interesting story. The Tommies did hold a slight advantage on the boards at 20-16 but were also guilty of nine turnovers - as were the 'Cats. St. Kate's also snared six steals in the first half and a cool 34.5% shooting by UST from FG range played a part.
St. Kate's came out of the gate in the third period on fire. Sophomore guard Audra Clark went into the lane for a drive and finish at the 9:24 mark and then twin sister Meg Clark went bombs away from behind the arc in the left wing area that suddenly had the 'Cats up by a count of 36-31. But a resourceful UST squad would battle their way right back. Zehrer got into the paint for one score at the 8:20 mark and then Langer used her long wingspan to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:33 mark that cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 36-35. Audra Clark then buried a "3" from the left wing at the 7:16 mark to make it 39-35 but ah, here come the Tommies right back. Langer sank one free throw after getting fouled at the 6:45 mark and then Stone dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area that had things all tied up at 39-all. So while the Tommies seemed to have an answer for every Wildcat burst thus far, you had to wonder at the same time if the frenetic pace St. Kate's was playing at on both sides of the floor might get to UST. Finally in the latter stages of the third period, the Wildcats got on a serious run. Audra Clark connected with a lay-up at the 5:07 mark and one freebie by Holt with 4:36 left put St. Kate's up 42-39. But the Tommies weren't able to respond on their ensuing possession so when the 'Cats got the ball, Lee found herself open from behind the arc in the right wing area and she shocked the whole Butler Center crowd by burying a "3" that made it a six-point game at 45-39. Langer would get into the paint for a score for UST with 2:59 left but the Wildcats saved their best for last. Two free throws by Holt - who was proving to be a royal pain in the side for the Tommies - with 2:28 left and a jumper from the right elbow area by Meg Clark with 1:17 left pushed the lead to eight at 49-41. Freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber brought UST closer with her score in the paint with 1:02 left but with just :06 left, Holt put the finishing touches on this 13-4 burst with her "3" from the left top area that had St. Kate's up 52-43 and the shocked faces of Tommie fans in the stands told the whole story.
The Wildcats pushed UST into deeper doo-doo early in the fourth period when freshman reserve forward Alexis Christianson got into the paint for one score at the 9:37 mark and then Holt connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:04 mark for a 56-43 St. Kate's lead. But as good as the Wildcats were feeling - and playing - you also knew that the Tommies, when backed up against a wall, would respond. And they did just that; going on an 11-0 tear that would normally put the fear of God into most teams. Two Langer scores - one in the paint at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:12 mark - whittled the St. Kate's lead down to 56-47 and Head Coach Sean Pinkerton; not wanting to take any chances, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But UST was just getting warmed up and the stoppage in play did not undermine their efforts. Langer connected on a pretty reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 7:27 mark and then it was Zehrer finishing up on another transition opportunity at the 6:52 mark. And then it was Gruber; the freshman delivering the unexpected blow - a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 6:04 mark that suddenly made it a one-possession game with the 'Cats desperately clinging to a 56-54 lead. But when many in attendance waited for St. Kate's to fold right then and there, the Wildcats instead showed their mettle and hung tough. After one free throw by junior forward Kennedy Jennings with 4:39 left, Holt got an opening at the top of the key behind the arc and uncorked a "3" for a 60-54 St. Kate's lead. Stone would drop another "3" on the 'Cats from her favorite launching pad - the right wing with 2:59 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to 60-57 but again the Wildcats kept their cool. Holt calmy drained another "3" from the right corner with 2:43 left and two Horsch free throws with 1:27 left maintained the two-possession gap and a 65-59 advantage. The Tommies would mount one last stand before capitulating. One free throw by Langer with 1:11 left trimmed the St. Kate's lead down to five at 65-60 and, after Jennings was unable to convert from the charity stripe for the Wildcats with :55.8 left, UST still had hope. Langer snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :44 left and shortly thereafter, Stone snared a steal from the normally-reliable Audra Clark and quickly got the ball to Zehrer who was fouled. Zehrer could only convert on the back-end of the two-shot opportunity but that was still good enough to make it a two-point ballgame at 65-63 with :36.7 left - a mountain of time. St. Kate's took another timeout to get itself situated and, on the ensuing Wildcat possession, they were able to eat up enough clock and bring the shot clock down until Jennings had to uncork an off-balance jumper with :05 left that missed its mark, The Tommies should have been right there for the long rebound but somehow Jennings craftily snared the long rebound away from UST and now the Tommies had to foul. Audra Clark was fouled with :01.6 left and the sophomore from Kenyon calmly sank both charity stripe attempts to seal the deal. UST had one last-gasp - a three-point attempt that fell way off the mark by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with :01.2 left and St. Kate's pulled off the upset of the season so far with a 67-63 victory.
I felt somewhat guilty afterward when UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn had to cut short her post-game pow-wow session with her assistant coaches when she spotted me hanging out in the lounge. Obviously, there was a lot for her to go over with her assistants after a tough loss like this. Still, Sinn was her gracious self in defeat. She was quick to credit St. Kate's for their hustle on defense and offensive rebounding and how they forced the Tommies to get away from establishing themselves in the paint which is what they prefer to do. And, let's be honest here. While this UST team is very solid and very good, they are definitely not the all-world infallible team they were the last two seasons with the cast of great players that they had. This squad is dominated sophomores and freshman with only two seniors (Stone and Spaulding) and four juniors (Zehrer, Gernes, Langer and Ava Stock). A disappointing finish in this one for sure but this team will be back. Meanwhile, congratulations are due for Pinkerton and his staff for getting St. Kate's their first win over UST since the 2010-11 season. They wound up shooting a blistering 54.55% in the second half from three-point land and they also got key offensive rebounds that kept several possessions alive. Perhaps even more important, I saw confidence emanating from this team for the first time when things got tight late in the second half when previous teams likely would have folded against a quality opponent. It's way too early to take too much from this contest but it will be interesting to see how far the Wildcats can go after getting a big win like this.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
GAC vs Macalester 12-11-15
Made my way over to Macalester's Leonard Center on this Friday evening for the contest between visting Gustavus Adolphus against host Macalester. This unusual Friday night setting; the first I can remember for a conference regular season game, was a big one nonetheless as the Gusties were coming off a huge home win over Bethel on Wednesday night and looking to improve on their overall 5-2 record. The Scots meanwhile were riding a two-game skid and were looking to reverse the trend and a big home win over a pretty good GAC team might just be what the doctor ordered to get the ship pointed in the right direction.
But the Gusties were blossoming with confidence once this one got underway as they raced out to an early 8-2 lead. Early scores in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice - one at the 9:30 mark and another at the 8:22 mark - had the Black & Gold out to a 4-0 advantage. Macalester got on the board when junior foward Park Masterson connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 7:24 mark but the one thing that was easy to see in the early going was that GAC really came into this game with an intent to turn up the heat defensively and it forced several miscues by the Scots; including a shot clock violation at the 6:38 mark. Leading 6-2, a lay-up by junior guard Hannah Howard at the 6:08 mark completed the early run. The Scots tried to respond as sophomore guard Vivi Gregorich banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:45 mark but they could not stop the early GAC momentum. Sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller's short jumper at the 5:18 mark made it a 10-5 game and then two free throws by willowy forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:25 left and then a "3" from the right top area by the Edina native with 3:46 left now made it a 15-5 ballgame and Macalester Head Coach and former Golden Gopher standout Kelly Roysland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make quick adjustments. Another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 3:23 left slimmed down the Gustie lead to 15-8 but the Scots could do little in the paint as GAC effectively clogged up the middle. Things worsened for the Scots when Johnson knocked down a short shot off the glass with 3:05 left and then a minute later with 2:05 left, junior reserve guard Lauren Clamage went down with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Miller, the Goodhue native who is quickly becoming the best point guard in the conference, upped the Gustie advantage to 19-8 when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 1:38 left. Gregorich eased some of Macalester's first period pains when she connected with a lay-up with just :00.5 left on the clock but it was obvious that this was going to be an uphill battle for the Scots.
Macalester's woes continued into the second period. Consecutive scores by Miller - a reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:18 mark - upped the GAC lead to 24-11. The Scots could only make incremental dents here and there in the Gustie rampage. Sometimes-shy junior guard Kelsey Carpenter buried a "3" at the 7:35 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Miller at the 7:24 mark now had the Gusties up 29-13. Senior reserve post Anna Lundquist connected with one lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then it was Carpenter again at the 6:08 mark on a short turnaround jumper. Sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockman powered into the paint for one score with 4:47 left and then promising freshman phenom reserve guard Justine Lee got free from the top of the key and uncorked a "3" that suddenly made it 38-13. Macalester tried to recover from this devastating blow as freshman reserve guard Katie Grahn connected with a lay-up with 3:42 left and then Masterson got a short turnaround jumper to go down with 3:06 left. But GAC was not done yet. Johnson got a short jumper to go down with 2:43 left and two Rice freebies with 1:32 left gave the Gusties a commanding 42-19 lead going into the locker room at the half. Just to give you an idea of how hot GAC was in the first half, they shot 50% from FG range and 50% from three-point land while holding the Scots to a frigid 28.6% from FG range and an even icier 20% from behind the arc. Also, the swarming Gustie defense forced 14 Macalester turnovers as well.
The Scots needed something positive to try and turn things around in the third period. Certainly their energy level and intensity looked considerably better than it did in the second period when they were weathering the GAC onslaught. Sophomore post Regan Fruh; who was held to one point in the first half, got into the paint for a score at the 9:16 mark and drew a foul as well that allowed her to knock down the subsequent free throw that narrowed the gap to twenty at 42-22. Fruh got one more free throw to go down at the 7:27 mark and then Clamage; with the injured ankle taped up, was sent to the charity stripe at the 6:28 mark where she knocked down a pair. Fruh got two more freebies to fall at the 5:18 mark and then Clamage drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:45 left. So, while Macalester did step things up offensively in the third period, they were still unable to get on a sustained run like the Gusties did in that might have narrowed the deficit considerably. To their credit, however, they whittled the deficit down to fourteen on another Clamage free throw with 3:32 left and another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 2:32 left. GAC would respond to this Scot uprising as freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson (daughter of former Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson) connected with a lay-up with 2:00 left for a 50-34 Gustie lead and then it was Miller using her strong 5'8" frame to get into the paint for another score with 1:13 left to make it 52-36. With :33 left, Miller made yet another foray into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and her free throw upped the lead to 55-38. Then, with just :03.5 left on the clock, Johnson put on the exclamation point for this third period when when she let loose with a "3" from the right top area that kissed the glass and found its way into the cylinder for a 58-40 lead.
Although down by 18 points going into the fourth period, the Scots were by no means ready to throw in the towel just yet. Clamage found the range from behind the arc again; drilling a "3" from the right corner at the 7:30 mark and then Masterson connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 5:24 mark but again, Macalester simply could not sustain any long run that could have made the final minutes nerve-wracking for the visitors. GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly by this time had started inserting her young reserves as did Roysland to give them a chance to grab some more experience. Freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:50 left and junior reserve post Cara Christiansen scored in the paint with 1:41 left. Macalester sophomore reserve forward Emilie McGuire snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :21.5 left and Grahn got a lay-up with :04.3 left on the clock but it was the Gusties walking off victorious by a count of 67-55.
Kelly, while certainly pleased with the road win and how well her team played in the first half, couldn't help but express some disappointment with how the second half played out. "We lost our focus and intensity" Kelly remarked as she agreed that a level of complacency had set in with the 23-point lead at the half. With the Gusties, they certainly have the capability to be a very, very good team but they haven't quite yet but two full halves together. Kelly pointed to how young her squad is; indeed, this team is heavy on freshmen, sophomores and juniors and Johnson and Lundquist are the only seniors on the squad. Macalester's Roysland; somewhat subdued afterward, expressed disappointment on how the first half went for her squad although she did offer that her team came out with a renewed sense of energy and intensity in the second half. Miller and Johnson led the way for GAC in the win as they both chipped in 15 points while both Gregorich and Fruh led the way for the Scots with their 13 points. Turnovers plagued Macalester in this one and the Gusties were responsible for many of them with their defense in the first half. GAC had a 17-13 edge on points off of turnovers and a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint.
But the Gusties were blossoming with confidence once this one got underway as they raced out to an early 8-2 lead. Early scores in the paint by sophomore forward Miranda Rice - one at the 9:30 mark and another at the 8:22 mark - had the Black & Gold out to a 4-0 advantage. Macalester got on the board when junior foward Park Masterson connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 7:24 mark but the one thing that was easy to see in the early going was that GAC really came into this game with an intent to turn up the heat defensively and it forced several miscues by the Scots; including a shot clock violation at the 6:38 mark. Leading 6-2, a lay-up by junior guard Hannah Howard at the 6:08 mark completed the early run. The Scots tried to respond as sophomore guard Vivi Gregorich banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:45 mark but they could not stop the early GAC momentum. Sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller's short jumper at the 5:18 mark made it a 10-5 game and then two free throws by willowy forward Lindsey Johnson with 4:25 left and then a "3" from the right top area by the Edina native with 3:46 left now made it a 15-5 ballgame and Macalester Head Coach and former Golden Gopher standout Kelly Roysland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and make quick adjustments. Another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 3:23 left slimmed down the Gustie lead to 15-8 but the Scots could do little in the paint as GAC effectively clogged up the middle. Things worsened for the Scots when Johnson knocked down a short shot off the glass with 3:05 left and then a minute later with 2:05 left, junior reserve guard Lauren Clamage went down with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Miller, the Goodhue native who is quickly becoming the best point guard in the conference, upped the Gustie advantage to 19-8 when she snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 1:38 left. Gregorich eased some of Macalester's first period pains when she connected with a lay-up with just :00.5 left on the clock but it was obvious that this was going to be an uphill battle for the Scots.
Macalester's woes continued into the second period. Consecutive scores by Miller - a reverse lay-up underneath the basket at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 8:18 mark - upped the GAC lead to 24-11. The Scots could only make incremental dents here and there in the Gustie rampage. Sometimes-shy junior guard Kelsey Carpenter buried a "3" at the 7:35 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Miller at the 7:24 mark now had the Gusties up 29-13. Senior reserve post Anna Lundquist connected with one lay-up at the 6:35 mark and then it was Carpenter again at the 6:08 mark on a short turnaround jumper. Sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockman powered into the paint for one score with 4:47 left and then promising freshman phenom reserve guard Justine Lee got free from the top of the key and uncorked a "3" that suddenly made it 38-13. Macalester tried to recover from this devastating blow as freshman reserve guard Katie Grahn connected with a lay-up with 3:42 left and then Masterson got a short turnaround jumper to go down with 3:06 left. But GAC was not done yet. Johnson got a short jumper to go down with 2:43 left and two Rice freebies with 1:32 left gave the Gusties a commanding 42-19 lead going into the locker room at the half. Just to give you an idea of how hot GAC was in the first half, they shot 50% from FG range and 50% from three-point land while holding the Scots to a frigid 28.6% from FG range and an even icier 20% from behind the arc. Also, the swarming Gustie defense forced 14 Macalester turnovers as well.
The Scots needed something positive to try and turn things around in the third period. Certainly their energy level and intensity looked considerably better than it did in the second period when they were weathering the GAC onslaught. Sophomore post Regan Fruh; who was held to one point in the first half, got into the paint for a score at the 9:16 mark and drew a foul as well that allowed her to knock down the subsequent free throw that narrowed the gap to twenty at 42-22. Fruh got one more free throw to go down at the 7:27 mark and then Clamage; with the injured ankle taped up, was sent to the charity stripe at the 6:28 mark where she knocked down a pair. Fruh got two more freebies to fall at the 5:18 mark and then Clamage drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:45 left. So, while Macalester did step things up offensively in the third period, they were still unable to get on a sustained run like the Gusties did in that might have narrowed the deficit considerably. To their credit, however, they whittled the deficit down to fourteen on another Clamage free throw with 3:32 left and another Gregorich "3"; this one from the right top area with 2:32 left. GAC would respond to this Scot uprising as freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson (daughter of former Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson) connected with a lay-up with 2:00 left for a 50-34 Gustie lead and then it was Miller using her strong 5'8" frame to get into the paint for another score with 1:13 left to make it 52-36. With :33 left, Miller made yet another foray into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and her free throw upped the lead to 55-38. Then, with just :03.5 left on the clock, Johnson put on the exclamation point for this third period when when she let loose with a "3" from the right top area that kissed the glass and found its way into the cylinder for a 58-40 lead.
Although down by 18 points going into the fourth period, the Scots were by no means ready to throw in the towel just yet. Clamage found the range from behind the arc again; drilling a "3" from the right corner at the 7:30 mark and then Masterson connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 5:24 mark but again, Macalester simply could not sustain any long run that could have made the final minutes nerve-wracking for the visitors. GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly by this time had started inserting her young reserves as did Roysland to give them a chance to grab some more experience. Freshman reserve guard Brooke Lemke connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:50 left and junior reserve post Cara Christiansen scored in the paint with 1:41 left. Macalester sophomore reserve forward Emilie McGuire snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :21.5 left and Grahn got a lay-up with :04.3 left on the clock but it was the Gusties walking off victorious by a count of 67-55.
Kelly, while certainly pleased with the road win and how well her team played in the first half, couldn't help but express some disappointment with how the second half played out. "We lost our focus and intensity" Kelly remarked as she agreed that a level of complacency had set in with the 23-point lead at the half. With the Gusties, they certainly have the capability to be a very, very good team but they haven't quite yet but two full halves together. Kelly pointed to how young her squad is; indeed, this team is heavy on freshmen, sophomores and juniors and Johnson and Lundquist are the only seniors on the squad. Macalester's Roysland; somewhat subdued afterward, expressed disappointment on how the first half went for her squad although she did offer that her team came out with a renewed sense of energy and intensity in the second half. Miller and Johnson led the way for GAC in the win as they both chipped in 15 points while both Gregorich and Fruh led the way for the Scots with their 13 points. Turnovers plagued Macalester in this one and the Gusties were responsible for many of them with their defense in the first half. GAC had a 17-13 edge on points off of turnovers and a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint.
SMU vs Augsburg 12-9-15
Made a return trip on this Wednesday evening over to Augsburg's Mi Selby Hall to take in the clash between visiting SMU and host Augsburg. This would be my first look at the Cardinals this year and under a new regime with Head Coach Brent Pollari taking the reigns down in Winona. The Auggies meanwhile were riding a two-game slump after dropping home contests to both St. Olaf and GAC in the early part of the month and you knew that Head Coach Ted Riverso wanted to right the ship and quickly.
Still, it would be SMU that got off to a good start in this one as the Cardinals grabbed a quick 4-0 lead on lay-ups in transition opportunities - one by sophomore guard Alexa Huisman at the 9:29 mark and another one by junior guard Brigette Audette at the 8:54 mark that caught the host Auggies flat-footed. Augsburg would recover in due time and went on an 8-0 spurt. Senior guard Allison McKee drained one "3" from the left top area at the 8:36 mark and fellow senior guard Marie Fitzgerald banged home a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 6:42 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus' lay-up at the 5:37 mark made it 8-4 Auggies and they would maintain the four-point edge on senior forward Jess Lillquist's score in the paint with 4:28 left for a 10-6 advantage. SMU would come right back though and snatch some of the early momentum that Augsburg had. Senior guard Micaela Meredith connected with a short jumper in the lane with 4:02 left and then reserve senior guard Haley Trom knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 3:20 left that had the Cardinals trailing by one at 10-9. Meredith's short pull-up jumper with 2:54 left completed this 5-0 push as SMU assumed an 11-10 advantage. A free throw by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta tied things up for Augsburg with 2:41 left but the Cardinals would have the final say in the first period. Two free throws by junior forward Sam Jones with :58 left and a "3" by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the right wing area with :19 left gave SMU a 16-11 lead.
The Cardinals stretched their lead to seven points on a lay-up by Huisman at the 9:25 mark of the second period before the Auggies awoke from their slumber and clawed their way back into the contest. McKee connected on a short one-handed jumper at the 8:56 mark and then senior guard Maria Loughlin; who was held scoreless in the first period, was sent to the charity stripe where she knocked down two freebies that narrowed the gap to three points at 18-15 at the 8:31 mark. SMU stretched their lead to six on a "3" from the top of the key by Huisman at the 7:53 mark but Augsburg went right back to work. Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by the Pierz native had the Auggies back to within a single possession again trailing 21-19. Both teams went into a drought that lasted nearly three minutes but the drought was finally broken when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth made a pretty drive inside and finished off the glass that knotted the game up at 21 a piece. A hook shot in the lane by McKee with 2:46 left added even more flair and also had Augsburg back up 23-21. The Cardinals tied things up on an offensive rebound and putback by promising freshman reserve forward Brandi Blattner with 1:06 left but the Auggies would have the final say of this first half as they set up one final play before the break. With both post/forward players coming out high, a screen was set for Loughlin; the Rogers native and she launched a "3" from the left wing that found nothing but cotton with :04 left that had Augsburg up 26-23 and also - presumably anyway - with some momentum going into the second half.
A pretty rainbow-arching "3" from the left top area by the lefty Loughlin at the 8:55 mark of the third period seemed to validate the momentum that the Auggies had going for them at the half and it also increased their lead to 29-23. SMU would manage to close the gap to two points trailing 29-27 on free throws by Jones and a drive and lay-up by Audette and they would stay within striking distance over the next two minutes. Augsburg was able to stretch their lead to six points again on another Loughlin "3" from the left top area with 4:57 left and one from Quaranta from the right wing area with 3:37 mark that made it a 39-33 game and it seemed at this point that the Auggies had everything going their way. But just when the balloon seemed to be filled with air and ready to fly, the Cardinals put a pin in it and the air suddenly came gushing out. And the "pin" for SMU in this case happened to be the former Dover-Eyota standout Blattner who helped lead her squad to the Class AA state title last season as a senior. The freshman single-handedly took the Cardinals on a 6-0 run within the span of a minute that helped change the course of this contest for good. Free throws with 3:20 and 2:58 left not only narrowed the gap to two points at 39-37 but SMU now found itself in the bonus for the rest of the period as well. With 2:21 left, Blattner used her 5'10" frame to muscle inside the paint for a score that tied the issue at 39-all. Perhaps just as important for the Cardinals, Blattner was starting to dominate on the glass and that along with the key 6-0 push seemed to give this team new life; new energy. Augsburg would take a 41-39 lead to close out the period on a score in the paint by Bednar with 1:55 left but the momentum that the Auggies had at the beginning of the second half was now gone.
With Augsburg suddenly struggling in their half-court offense, the SMU was only too happy to pounce on the opportunity given to it. Back-to-back treys - one by Huisman at the 9:46 mark from the left wing and another by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the top of the key at the 7:57 mark - suddenly had the Cardinals up 45-41 and Riverso wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and get his team calmed down. The Auggies tried to respond to the call as a short shot by Steinhaus narrowed the gap to two points at the 7:39 mark but by now the offense seemed to stagnate and, even worse, defensive lapses were all too common; especially when it came to Blattner. She got another score in the paint at the 7:20 mark and then Meredith connected on a sweet give-and-go lay-up at the 5:29 mark that had SMU back up by four again at 49-45. More frustration for Riverso as he took a match to another thirty-second timeout in hopes of stemming the tide but by now the wheels were clearly coming off for Augsburg. A defensive lapse allowed Jones to connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 4:14 left and then Schaefer drained her second trey of the night; this one coming from the left wing area with 3:37 left that now had the Cardinals up 54-47. A lay-up by Meredith with 2:59 left pushed the lead to 56-47 and now Riverso had no choice but to call a full timeout as he knew this one was slipping away. But SMU was not finished with putting the finishing touches on this. Blattner powered her way into the paint for another score with 2:28 left and two free throws by senior point guard Bridget Pethke who went down last year with an ACL injury made it 60-47. The Auggies Riverso tried to counter with another timeout but this one was all over. Meredith hit insurance freebies down the stretch and the Cardinals came away with a precious road win by the count of 64-51.
I asked SMU's Pollari afterward about the turning point in this one that seemed to come late on the Blattner run. "We did a much better job of boxing out in the second half than we did the first" said Pollari and that "we played with much more energy as well." Even though it's only December, I realize now that it's quite possible that I had sold this team's fortunes short. If they can continue to play at this level after the first of they year then they're certainly going to be in the playoff mix. On the flipside, another incredibly disappointing finish for sure but perhaps even more telling is that a pattern is becoming apparent with this group with their third straight loss - all at home no less. They seem to have momentum for most of the game and appear to be on the cusp of taking control before everything collapses in the fourth period for them like a house of cards. Assistant Coach Josh Hersch even admitted afterward that this squad is still trying to carve an identity for itself and they have to start finding some answers - soon. The big thing that stood out to me from the box score was how the Cardinals dominated the glass by a 44-31 count. You simply will not win many games when you get outrebounded like that. SMU was also very balanced in the scoring as both Blattner and Meredith poured in 14 points while Schaefer had nine points and both Jones and Huisman chipped in eight points a piece. Loughlin's 11 points led the way for Augsburg in the losing effort.
Still, it would be SMU that got off to a good start in this one as the Cardinals grabbed a quick 4-0 lead on lay-ups in transition opportunities - one by sophomore guard Alexa Huisman at the 9:29 mark and another one by junior guard Brigette Audette at the 8:54 mark that caught the host Auggies flat-footed. Augsburg would recover in due time and went on an 8-0 spurt. Senior guard Allison McKee drained one "3" from the left top area at the 8:36 mark and fellow senior guard Marie Fitzgerald banged home a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 6:42 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus' lay-up at the 5:37 mark made it 8-4 Auggies and they would maintain the four-point edge on senior forward Jess Lillquist's score in the paint with 4:28 left for a 10-6 advantage. SMU would come right back though and snatch some of the early momentum that Augsburg had. Senior guard Micaela Meredith connected with a short jumper in the lane with 4:02 left and then reserve senior guard Haley Trom knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 3:20 left that had the Cardinals trailing by one at 10-9. Meredith's short pull-up jumper with 2:54 left completed this 5-0 push as SMU assumed an 11-10 advantage. A free throw by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta tied things up for Augsburg with 2:41 left but the Cardinals would have the final say in the first period. Two free throws by junior forward Sam Jones with :58 left and a "3" by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the right wing area with :19 left gave SMU a 16-11 lead.
The Cardinals stretched their lead to seven points on a lay-up by Huisman at the 9:25 mark of the second period before the Auggies awoke from their slumber and clawed their way back into the contest. McKee connected on a short one-handed jumper at the 8:56 mark and then senior guard Maria Loughlin; who was held scoreless in the first period, was sent to the charity stripe where she knocked down two freebies that narrowed the gap to three points at 18-15 at the 8:31 mark. SMU stretched their lead to six on a "3" from the top of the key by Huisman at the 7:53 mark but Augsburg went right back to work. Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 7:30 mark and a short jumper by the Pierz native had the Auggies back to within a single possession again trailing 21-19. Both teams went into a drought that lasted nearly three minutes but the drought was finally broken when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth made a pretty drive inside and finished off the glass that knotted the game up at 21 a piece. A hook shot in the lane by McKee with 2:46 left added even more flair and also had Augsburg back up 23-21. The Cardinals tied things up on an offensive rebound and putback by promising freshman reserve forward Brandi Blattner with 1:06 left but the Auggies would have the final say of this first half as they set up one final play before the break. With both post/forward players coming out high, a screen was set for Loughlin; the Rogers native and she launched a "3" from the left wing that found nothing but cotton with :04 left that had Augsburg up 26-23 and also - presumably anyway - with some momentum going into the second half.
A pretty rainbow-arching "3" from the left top area by the lefty Loughlin at the 8:55 mark of the third period seemed to validate the momentum that the Auggies had going for them at the half and it also increased their lead to 29-23. SMU would manage to close the gap to two points trailing 29-27 on free throws by Jones and a drive and lay-up by Audette and they would stay within striking distance over the next two minutes. Augsburg was able to stretch their lead to six points again on another Loughlin "3" from the left top area with 4:57 left and one from Quaranta from the right wing area with 3:37 mark that made it a 39-33 game and it seemed at this point that the Auggies had everything going their way. But just when the balloon seemed to be filled with air and ready to fly, the Cardinals put a pin in it and the air suddenly came gushing out. And the "pin" for SMU in this case happened to be the former Dover-Eyota standout Blattner who helped lead her squad to the Class AA state title last season as a senior. The freshman single-handedly took the Cardinals on a 6-0 run within the span of a minute that helped change the course of this contest for good. Free throws with 3:20 and 2:58 left not only narrowed the gap to two points at 39-37 but SMU now found itself in the bonus for the rest of the period as well. With 2:21 left, Blattner used her 5'10" frame to muscle inside the paint for a score that tied the issue at 39-all. Perhaps just as important for the Cardinals, Blattner was starting to dominate on the glass and that along with the key 6-0 push seemed to give this team new life; new energy. Augsburg would take a 41-39 lead to close out the period on a score in the paint by Bednar with 1:55 left but the momentum that the Auggies had at the beginning of the second half was now gone.
With Augsburg suddenly struggling in their half-court offense, the SMU was only too happy to pounce on the opportunity given to it. Back-to-back treys - one by Huisman at the 9:46 mark from the left wing and another by junior reserve guard Emma Schaefer from the top of the key at the 7:57 mark - suddenly had the Cardinals up 45-41 and Riverso wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to try and get his team calmed down. The Auggies tried to respond to the call as a short shot by Steinhaus narrowed the gap to two points at the 7:39 mark but by now the offense seemed to stagnate and, even worse, defensive lapses were all too common; especially when it came to Blattner. She got another score in the paint at the 7:20 mark and then Meredith connected on a sweet give-and-go lay-up at the 5:29 mark that had SMU back up by four again at 49-45. More frustration for Riverso as he took a match to another thirty-second timeout in hopes of stemming the tide but by now the wheels were clearly coming off for Augsburg. A defensive lapse allowed Jones to connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 4:14 left and then Schaefer drained her second trey of the night; this one coming from the left wing area with 3:37 left that now had the Cardinals up 54-47. A lay-up by Meredith with 2:59 left pushed the lead to 56-47 and now Riverso had no choice but to call a full timeout as he knew this one was slipping away. But SMU was not finished with putting the finishing touches on this. Blattner powered her way into the paint for another score with 2:28 left and two free throws by senior point guard Bridget Pethke who went down last year with an ACL injury made it 60-47. The Auggies Riverso tried to counter with another timeout but this one was all over. Meredith hit insurance freebies down the stretch and the Cardinals came away with a precious road win by the count of 64-51.
I asked SMU's Pollari afterward about the turning point in this one that seemed to come late on the Blattner run. "We did a much better job of boxing out in the second half than we did the first" said Pollari and that "we played with much more energy as well." Even though it's only December, I realize now that it's quite possible that I had sold this team's fortunes short. If they can continue to play at this level after the first of they year then they're certainly going to be in the playoff mix. On the flipside, another incredibly disappointing finish for sure but perhaps even more telling is that a pattern is becoming apparent with this group with their third straight loss - all at home no less. They seem to have momentum for most of the game and appear to be on the cusp of taking control before everything collapses in the fourth period for them like a house of cards. Assistant Coach Josh Hersch even admitted afterward that this squad is still trying to carve an identity for itself and they have to start finding some answers - soon. The big thing that stood out to me from the box score was how the Cardinals dominated the glass by a 44-31 count. You simply will not win many games when you get outrebounded like that. SMU was also very balanced in the scoring as both Blattner and Meredith poured in 14 points while Schaefer had nine points and both Jones and Huisman chipped in eight points a piece. Loughlin's 11 points led the way for Augsburg in the losing effort.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Concordia vs Bethel 12-5-15
After taking in the Park Center - STMA game at the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic over at Hopkins, I made the run across town over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University to take in this important early-season clash between visiting Concordia and host Bethel; two of the upper-echelon teams in the MIAC. The Royals; fresh off their victory over St. Kate's on Wednesday night, were looking to keep their conference record perfect while the Cobbers were certainly still smarting after dropping a tough home game to UST on Wednesday night. If Concordia wanted to avoid having an early 0-2 record in the conference, they were going to have to do it the hard way.
As expected, this one stayed close early on without either side gaining a decided advantage. After a lay-up by junior forward Jenna Januschka at the 7:57 mark had Concordia up 2-0, the Royals would respond as senior point guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 7:45 mark and a short jumper by senior post Rachel Parupsky gave Bethel a 4-2 advantage. The Cobbers would come right back, however, as junior guard Greta Walsh banged home a "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down at the 6:44 mark and then Januschka grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:58 mark for a 7-4 Concordia lead. The Royals would answer the call as junior guard Shanni Moorse drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:54 left and then sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole connected on a running jumper in transition that gave Bethel a slim 9-7 advantage. With the score tied 11-all with 1:54 left, the Cobbers made a push to close out the first period. Walsh connected on a pretty give-and-go lay-up attempt with :45.3 left that drew a foul and her subsequent free throw put Concordia up 14-11. Then, with just :06.5 left, Januschka got hacked down low and was sent to the line where she then dropped two freebies to extend the lead to five at 16-11. While Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had to have been less than pleased at the waning moments of the first period, there was still no reason for panic - yet anyway.
The Royals seemingly regained some of their stride in the early minutes of the second period. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz connected on a lay-up at the 7:33 mark and Moorse got one of her own at the 7:16 mark that cut the Cobber lead to one at 16-15. After Concordia jumped ahead 18-15 on a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jamie Mentzer at the 7:05 mark, Schultz finally found the range from three-point land and her bomb from the right wing area at the 6:09 mark knotted things up at 18 a piece. Januschka would single-handedly give the Cobbers a three-point lead. After getting fouled at the 5:22 mark, she dropped the first free throw but her second attempt missed the mark. The Royals, however, made the mistake of not boxing out the 6'0" St. Cloud native and she grabbed the long rebound and got a putback for a 21-18 Concordia lead. Again, the Royals kept their cool and kept the battle close. Freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left and then an O'Toole score in the paint with 3:09 left put Bethel back up 22-21. With both sides trading one-point lead over the next two minutes, the Cobbers tried to make a move right before the half. Sophomore reserve guard Cassidy Rahman maneuvered into the paint for a score with 1:48 left for a 25-24 Concordia lead and then Walsh connected on a pull-up jumper from the right elbow with :41 left that made it 27-24 but a lay-up by Hannah Johnson with :13 left narrowed the deficit to one as the Cobbers took a 27-26 lead into the locker room at the half. Rebounding and turnovers were very even in the first half and the only discouraging thing for the Royals going into the break was that they couldn't seem to find that spark that might ignite a run to open up some distance. Still, no reason to panic.
Concordia looked to get off on the right foot once the third period got underway and a lay-up by strong senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson at the 9:47 mark and a score in the paint by Januschka at the 8:46 mark helped forge a 31-27 lead. Bethel looked like they were right back on track when Schultz let loose with another "3"; this one from the left corner that pulled the Royals back to a single point trailing 31-30. At the 7:37 mark, O'Toole put the home team back out in front when she connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds ass that made it 32-31 Royals and most of the people in attendance in Robertson Center thought this might be the start of a Bethel run that would give them firm control of the outcome. Strangely enough, however, this is exactly where things started to fall apart for the Royals. A Januschka score in the paint at the 7:23 mark prompted a key 7-0 Cobber run. At the 7:03 mark, the acrobatic Walsh connected with a pull-up jumper in transition and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw now had Concordia up 36-32. Another Januschka score in the paint at the 5:42 mark upped the advantage to 38-32 and, although senior guard Hannah Jeske got tagged with her third foul with 4:48 left, the complexion of the game had unmistakably turned in favor of the Cobbers. The Royals would respond with a 4-0 push of their own that drew them back to within a single possession with 3:20 left but Concordia would hold off the Bethel charge. Still another Januschka score in the paint with 2:57 left and a Rahman lay-up with 2:28 left had the lead back up to six at 42-36. Bethel would narrow the gap to a single possession on one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller with 2:07 left and an O'Toole jumper from the right elbow off the glass with :16.7 left and things looked a lot better going into the fourth and final period for the home crowd but the Cobbers managed to put some tabasco sauce on that feel good moment when senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt connected with a running one-handed jumper with just one tick left on the clock to make it a 44-39 ballgame.
The Royals kept looking for that magical touch; some sort of juice or spark that would propel them in this fourth period and it just simply wasn't there as missed opportunities ruled the day and Concordia was all too anxious to pounce on Bethel's misforutnes. Olivia Johnson knocked down two charity stripe shots at the 9:43 mark and then Rosenfeldt got one to go down at the 8:31 mark that had the lead back at six at 47-41. At the 8:06 mark it was Olivia Johnson again with a turnaround jumper off the glass which was followed by two free throws by Walsh who was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 7:52 mark and suddenly the lead bulged to ten points at 51-41. Bethel tried to chip away at the deficit but the harder they worked the more it seemed like they were just treading water and getting nowhere. The Royals managed to slim down the deficit to six points on scores by Niewald and Moorse by the 6:01 mark at 51-45 but each time the Cobbers would have an answer. Olivia Johnson was simply nails in this fourth period for Concordia and with 4:20 left she muscled into the paint for a bucket that pushed the lead back up to eight at 54-46. Bethel would get as close as five points when Hannah Johnson got into the paint for a score with 3:56 left and drew a foul and the subsequent free throw made it 54-49 but the Royals could get no closer. Olivia Johnson came up with yet again another huge score with 3:09 left on a turnaround jumper in the lane and then it was a matter of Bethel fouling in a vain attempt to preserve clock. Olivia Johnson and Januschka sank insurance freebies down the home stretch and the Cobbers stole an incredibly important road victory by a count of 62-55.
Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman was very relieved after this big win and when I asked her about how this team was able to turn the tables after the disappointment against UST a few nights before she just chalked it up to hard work in practice and how they get after it on the court. For me, I was VERY impressed with Januschka's outing on this day as she led all scorers with her 22 points. Even Rahman sang her praises as she noted that she's worked very hard and has definitely made strides from last year. Even her older sister Erin, who was a senior on last year's team, couldn't help but smile in the victory celebration afterward and half-joking confided to me that "she learned a lot from me!" Meanwhile, on the Bethel side, the furrowed brow of Herbrechtsmeyer really told the story as he was going over the box score. I had to ask him about why Parupsky was conspicuously absent in the second half. Herbrechtsmeyer didn't mince words. "Ineffective" he said. In fairness, even the best of players can have off days and I suspect that this disappointment will light the proverbial fire for this all-region player. But, at the same time, the "ineffective" could really apply to the entire team on this day as they were guilty of 19 turnovers and were decisively beaten on the glass as well by a 46-38 count. "We're living in last year" added Herbrechtsmeyer. "We've got to get better.....I don't know how good that is but it'd better be better than we were today."
As expected, this one stayed close early on without either side gaining a decided advantage. After a lay-up by junior forward Jenna Januschka at the 7:57 mark had Concordia up 2-0, the Royals would respond as senior point guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 7:45 mark and a short jumper by senior post Rachel Parupsky gave Bethel a 4-2 advantage. The Cobbers would come right back, however, as junior guard Greta Walsh banged home a "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down at the 6:44 mark and then Januschka grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:58 mark for a 7-4 Concordia lead. The Royals would answer the call as junior guard Shanni Moorse drained a "3" from the left corner with 4:54 left and then sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole connected on a running jumper in transition that gave Bethel a slim 9-7 advantage. With the score tied 11-all with 1:54 left, the Cobbers made a push to close out the first period. Walsh connected on a pretty give-and-go lay-up attempt with :45.3 left that drew a foul and her subsequent free throw put Concordia up 14-11. Then, with just :06.5 left, Januschka got hacked down low and was sent to the line where she then dropped two freebies to extend the lead to five at 16-11. While Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had to have been less than pleased at the waning moments of the first period, there was still no reason for panic - yet anyway.
The Royals seemingly regained some of their stride in the early minutes of the second period. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz connected on a lay-up at the 7:33 mark and Moorse got one of her own at the 7:16 mark that cut the Cobber lead to one at 16-15. After Concordia jumped ahead 18-15 on a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jamie Mentzer at the 7:05 mark, Schultz finally found the range from three-point land and her bomb from the right wing area at the 6:09 mark knotted things up at 18 a piece. Januschka would single-handedly give the Cobbers a three-point lead. After getting fouled at the 5:22 mark, she dropped the first free throw but her second attempt missed the mark. The Royals, however, made the mistake of not boxing out the 6'0" St. Cloud native and she grabbed the long rebound and got a putback for a 21-18 Concordia lead. Again, the Royals kept their cool and kept the battle close. Freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left and then an O'Toole score in the paint with 3:09 left put Bethel back up 22-21. With both sides trading one-point lead over the next two minutes, the Cobbers tried to make a move right before the half. Sophomore reserve guard Cassidy Rahman maneuvered into the paint for a score with 1:48 left for a 25-24 Concordia lead and then Walsh connected on a pull-up jumper from the right elbow with :41 left that made it 27-24 but a lay-up by Hannah Johnson with :13 left narrowed the deficit to one as the Cobbers took a 27-26 lead into the locker room at the half. Rebounding and turnovers were very even in the first half and the only discouraging thing for the Royals going into the break was that they couldn't seem to find that spark that might ignite a run to open up some distance. Still, no reason to panic.
Concordia looked to get off on the right foot once the third period got underway and a lay-up by strong senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson at the 9:47 mark and a score in the paint by Januschka at the 8:46 mark helped forge a 31-27 lead. Bethel looked like they were right back on track when Schultz let loose with another "3"; this one from the left corner that pulled the Royals back to a single point trailing 31-30. At the 7:37 mark, O'Toole put the home team back out in front when she connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds ass that made it 32-31 Royals and most of the people in attendance in Robertson Center thought this might be the start of a Bethel run that would give them firm control of the outcome. Strangely enough, however, this is exactly where things started to fall apart for the Royals. A Januschka score in the paint at the 7:23 mark prompted a key 7-0 Cobber run. At the 7:03 mark, the acrobatic Walsh connected with a pull-up jumper in transition and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw now had Concordia up 36-32. Another Januschka score in the paint at the 5:42 mark upped the advantage to 38-32 and, although senior guard Hannah Jeske got tagged with her third foul with 4:48 left, the complexion of the game had unmistakably turned in favor of the Cobbers. The Royals would respond with a 4-0 push of their own that drew them back to within a single possession with 3:20 left but Concordia would hold off the Bethel charge. Still another Januschka score in the paint with 2:57 left and a Rahman lay-up with 2:28 left had the lead back up to six at 42-36. Bethel would narrow the gap to a single possession on one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller with 2:07 left and an O'Toole jumper from the right elbow off the glass with :16.7 left and things looked a lot better going into the fourth and final period for the home crowd but the Cobbers managed to put some tabasco sauce on that feel good moment when senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt connected with a running one-handed jumper with just one tick left on the clock to make it a 44-39 ballgame.
The Royals kept looking for that magical touch; some sort of juice or spark that would propel them in this fourth period and it just simply wasn't there as missed opportunities ruled the day and Concordia was all too anxious to pounce on Bethel's misforutnes. Olivia Johnson knocked down two charity stripe shots at the 9:43 mark and then Rosenfeldt got one to go down at the 8:31 mark that had the lead back at six at 47-41. At the 8:06 mark it was Olivia Johnson again with a turnaround jumper off the glass which was followed by two free throws by Walsh who was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 7:52 mark and suddenly the lead bulged to ten points at 51-41. Bethel tried to chip away at the deficit but the harder they worked the more it seemed like they were just treading water and getting nowhere. The Royals managed to slim down the deficit to six points on scores by Niewald and Moorse by the 6:01 mark at 51-45 but each time the Cobbers would have an answer. Olivia Johnson was simply nails in this fourth period for Concordia and with 4:20 left she muscled into the paint for a bucket that pushed the lead back up to eight at 54-46. Bethel would get as close as five points when Hannah Johnson got into the paint for a score with 3:56 left and drew a foul and the subsequent free throw made it 54-49 but the Royals could get no closer. Olivia Johnson came up with yet again another huge score with 3:09 left on a turnaround jumper in the lane and then it was a matter of Bethel fouling in a vain attempt to preserve clock. Olivia Johnson and Januschka sank insurance freebies down the home stretch and the Cobbers stole an incredibly important road victory by a count of 62-55.
Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman was very relieved after this big win and when I asked her about how this team was able to turn the tables after the disappointment against UST a few nights before she just chalked it up to hard work in practice and how they get after it on the court. For me, I was VERY impressed with Januschka's outing on this day as she led all scorers with her 22 points. Even Rahman sang her praises as she noted that she's worked very hard and has definitely made strides from last year. Even her older sister Erin, who was a senior on last year's team, couldn't help but smile in the victory celebration afterward and half-joking confided to me that "she learned a lot from me!" Meanwhile, on the Bethel side, the furrowed brow of Herbrechtsmeyer really told the story as he was going over the box score. I had to ask him about why Parupsky was conspicuously absent in the second half. Herbrechtsmeyer didn't mince words. "Ineffective" he said. In fairness, even the best of players can have off days and I suspect that this disappointment will light the proverbial fire for this all-region player. But, at the same time, the "ineffective" could really apply to the entire team on this day as they were guilty of 19 turnovers and were decisively beaten on the glass as well by a 46-38 count. "We're living in last year" added Herbrechtsmeyer. "We've got to get better.....I don't know how good that is but it'd better be better than we were today."
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