Thoughts On Another Season Gone Down

Congrats to Rosemount for capturing their first-ever Class AAAA state title!

I waited a bit longer than I should have, perhaps, to write this particular article but in a way, I think it's smart that I waited because I truly needed to (1) get all the emotions out from this last season and (2) take a bit of a break to get my batteries re-charged as well.  In so many ways - but particularly from my coverage of the MIAC Women's Hoops scene and D3 Women's Hoops in general - this last season was a season unlike any other and it will leave a lot of good memories for me personally.  

And what a year it was indeed for MIAC Women's Basketball that saw not one, not two, not three but FOUR teams make it into the Big Dance and two of those teams - Concordia and Bethel - making deep runs to the Elite 8 and Sweet 16, respectively.  After years of waiting and wondering if the MIAC might ever get to be in this kind of position, it finally happened.  And all of you that read my blog know full and well how I've made my rants over the years about how the conference needed to ditch the ridiculous round-robin schedule that would allow teams to play more non-conference opponents (read quality opponents).  Now, we're finally beginning to see the rewards of that bold move that not only have provided an opportunity for more teams to get national exposure but have given the conference as a whole a lot more exposure as well.  And I feel pretty confident in saying that we'll see the benefits keep flowing; particularly when it comes to recruiting because prospective recruits coming out of high school now will look at MIAC schools from a different perspective given what these four teams accomplished this last season.  And I think too that the programs currently in the lower echelon of the conference will benefit as well - not that the ladder they have to climb will be easy by any stretch given the highly-competitive nature of the conference.  But there's still a ladder there for them nonetheless.  It's going to be fun to see.  Bottom line here - the MIAC is now right up there with the other big-name conferences and it's just great to see!  

But success certainly wasn't limited to the MIAC Women's Hoops scene.  On the D2 side, three teams from the NSIC, Concordia St Paul, Minnesota St and UM-Duluth all got bids to the NCAA Tournament as well.  Now, as many of us know, the NCAA Tournament on the D2 side is a much, much different animal than it is on the D3 side (and in an unfortunate way, IMHO) as the NSIC teams basically had to cannibalize each other in the process before one emerged to have a shot in the Elite 8.  Minnesota St, for example, lost its first round game to UM-Duluth while Concordia St Paul managed to win their first round game over Northwestern Oklahoma St and also beat Fort Hays St in their second round game before falling to said UM-Duluth team in the Regional Championship in a gut-punching double overtime affair.  And that win by the Bulldogs in that Regional Championship Game may very well have been a pyrrhic victory in retrospect as UM-Duluth was rudely bounced by Colorado Mesa in the Elite 8.  But overall, it was still a highly-successful year for these three teams.  Over on the junior college side, we finally saw Anoka-Ramsey make a return to its glory days as the Golden Rams won the NJCAA Region XIIIB Championship Game over Northland in convincing fashion that sent Anoka-Ramsey down to Brownwood, TX for the National Tournament where the Golden Rams beat Owens Community College in their first round game and then again had to face Northland in the second round where Anoka-Ramsey held on for a narrow victory that propelled them to the National Championship Game.  Ultimately, the Golden Rams would fall to another MCAC opponent - Minnesota West - in a tough one but it was still a great season for Anoka-Ramsey.  

And while I unfortunately didn't get to do much on the high school front this year, it was still a memorable season nonetheless - particularly for Rosemount.  I was at the Barn for Thursday night's semifinal action and while Hopkins dumped Maple Grove in the 6:00 PM slot, the nightcap between the Irish and Rochester Mayo was a wild affair that could have easily gone either way.  Ultimately, Rosemount found a way to prevail 65-64 but there was definitely a lot to like about that Rochester Mayo team and you have to think that the future is indeed bright for that program.  That set up the Saturday night showdown between the Royals and the Irish and while the smart money may have been on Hopkins on this night, Rosemount finally found a way to have the bright lights shining on them for a change as a last-second defensive stand by the Irish preserved another thrilling one-point win.  Congratulation to Head Coach Chris Orr and his staff and team and don't be surprised if the Irish find themselves as one of the top favorites in Class AAAA this next season.  Likewise, congratulation have to go out to Benilde-St. Margaret's and Head Coach Tim Ellefson and his staff on their Class AAA state title win over a very good Stewartville team.  And what can you say about Providence Academy and their shining star Maddy Greenway who helped lead the Lions to their FIFTH straight state title in Class AA and shattered the state scoring title with a total of 5,621 points in her career at Providence Academy.  And you know that she's going to do big things at Kentucky.  Congrats to Head Coach Connor Goetz and his staff and team for another glorious run to immortality in Minnesota Girls High School Basketball.  And a hearty congratulations to Sleepy Eye St. Mary's and Head Coach Bruce Woitas and his staff and team on their Class A State Championship Game win over a very good Mountain Iron-Buhl team.

And, like it seemingly always does, the proverbial coaching carousel comes to the forefront once the season gets completed and there's some notable changes close to home worth mentioning.  Here in the MIAC, Head Coach Don Mulhern stepped down just a short two weeks ago at St. Kate's after nine seasons there.  While the number of potential candidates to fill the vacancy at St. Kate's is uncertain as of this writing, the situation could be muddled a bit as current AD Eric Stacey was recently promoted to a VP position within the university and Deputy AD Madge Makowske will assume the AD position on 6-1-26 so we'll just have to monitor the situation for the time being.  Across the River in WIAC country, the big change was UW-Eau Claire snagging Hannah Iverson from conference rival UW-Stout to fill the vacancy after Tonja Englund announced her retirement at the end of the season.  In my mind, it's a bit unusual for a school to poach a coach from within the conference although not unprecedented.  In this particular case, however, it's something of a homecoming for Iverson as she hails from Eau Claire and it's probably a natural fit for her and there's little doubt that she's going to do well there and will get the Blugold program back into the thick of things in a crazy-competitive WIAC.  UW-Stout meanwhile was quick to counter as they were able to quickly fill the subsequent vacancy with Sam Clayton who comes to the Blue Devils program after eight seasons at Michigan Tech.  Given what UW-Stout has been able to accomplish over the last few years - particularly with the memorable run to the Final Four a mere season ago - I think they've made a solid hire here and they get someone who's familiar with the lay of the land there as well.  And former MIAC member and now DI UST has a new face at the helm after Head Coach Ruth Sinn retired at the end of this last season as they got Mandy Pearson from UM-Duluth after 11 seasons with the Bulldog program.  Pearson; who spent nine seasons at SMU before taking the UM-Duluth job after the 2015 season has had good results - including an appearance in the D2 National Championship Game three seasons ago.  While I tend to believe that there's likely a ceiling as to what she can do at a (now) mid-major program such as UST, there's still every reason to think that she'll have good results nonetheless.  

So that kind of wraps things up for this season on my end.  I'm still planning to attend the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Games down in Northfield tomorrow and, who knows, maybe you just might catch me at some AAU event this spring and you'll most definitely see me at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League beginning in early June.  

Saturday Night Update - Concordia's Magic Carpet Ride Ends As They Fall To Scranton In The Elite 8 3-14-26

Scranton was simply too good on this Saturday night as they took down Concordia to advance to the Final Four.  

Had to take some time on this Saturday night with the Blizzard of the Century (?) aka Winter Storm Iona bearing down on Minnesota and the Twin Cities.  So, as you know by now, Concordia fell to a great Scranton team tonight at Long Center as the Royals punched their ticket to the Final Four with a resounding 67-42 win.  It was fairly easy to see from the get-go that it was going to be hard (if not difficult) for the Cobbers to match up with this team as Scranton possesses not only length but great speed and quickness to go with it.  It was just very hard for the Cobbers to do much in their halfcourt offensive sets and equally difficult to work the ball down low as the Royals denied the entry pass on so many different occasions on this night.  You'll recall that I said earlier today that Concordia's margin for error in this one was razor-thin (if that) and Scranton pounced on every error that the Cobbers made in this game.  

Still, I give the Cobbers a ton of credit for hanging in there and actually making things interesting in the third period.  Down 38-21 at the half, they cut the deficit down to fourteen down 49-35 with about a minute left in the third period but the Royals quickly closed the door for good as the fourth period progressed.  Ultimately, you just have to tip your hat to Scranton.  Their defense is just stellar and there's a reason that their defense was not only tops in the Landmark Conference but also ranked best in the nation in DIII women's basketball as well.  And their national semifinal game with NYU this next Thursday night in Salem, VA could easily be the game of the year.  There wasn't much to cheer about from a Concordia standpoint on this night other than the fact that they were outrebounded by just one at 27-26 and they had the edge in bench points at 18-11.  Other than that, it was kind of on the ugly side with Scranton having a whopping edge in points in the paint at 36-16 and the Cobbers suffering 20 turnovers on this night and Scranton cashing in at the bank for 21 points off of those turnovers.  And Concordia had to endure a rough night at the office from a shooting standpoint going 13-38 for 34.2% from FG range and 2-11 from downtown for 18.2%.  Look, the bottom line is that they just ran into a great team tonight and guess what?  That happens all the time in the NCAA Tournament and this Scranton team just might be the group that takes down mighty NYU this next Thursday night and winds up winning the whole damn thing.  They're definitely good enough.  Meanwhile for Concordia, finishing the year at 26-5 that includes a MIAC regular season championship and making a run to the Elite 8 and knocking off some very, very good teams in the process certainly isn't something to stick your head in the oven about (a saying my dear departed father used with me all the time 😅).  This team and program can be awfully proud of what they accomplished this season and now the bar has been set even higher for Concordia which is even better.  But I obviously wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't praise this great senior group for the Cobbers and everything that they've achieved and done for this program.  Molly Musland, Taylor Safranski, Taya Jeffrey and Leah Lenz, thank you so much for the memories.  

I was also able to watch the Minnesota Girls Basketball Championship games on TV today as well (I only got to attend on Thursday night this week) and there were some very good games played (especially the Class AAAA game between Rosemount and Hopkins).  I'll need a few days to digest everything that's transpired over these last few weeks (and maybe a few cold ones tonight too) and get some much-needed things caught up on my end as well but I'll have more thoughts on everything soon.  

Looking At Tonight's Elite 8 Matchup - Concordia vs Scranton 3-14-26

This Scranton team is 30-0 and absolutely loaded with talent.

I have to admit that I never thought I'd still be blogging at this particular juncture of the 2025-26 season yet here we are as Concordia punched its ticket to the Elite 8 late yesterday afternoon with a 64-59 victory over Johns Hopkins.  So let's take a look at this Elite 8 matchup against perennial powerhouse Scranton tonight.

Concordia vs Scranton (at Scranton, PA 6:00 PM Central time)

I honestly don't know if there's enough superlatives available to describe this Scranton team that the Cobbers will face tonight at the Long Center; the Royals home floor with a trip to the Final Four on the line.  The Royals easily took down Bates in their Sweet 16 matchup last night; building a 40-18 lead by the halftime break and basically had things in cruise control the rest of the way.  There's a reason why many think that Scranton is the only team that can challenge NYU for the whole ball of wax and why they've been consistently ranked right behind NYU all season long.  Even though the final NPI rankings had the Royals at the number four spot, they're obviously the real deal and there's a reason that they're a pristine 30-0 after last night's win against Bates.  I'm not going to go out on a limb and say that they're the DIII Women's Basketball version of the 1985 Chicago Bears (that MIGHT be reserved for NYU) but they're pretty damn close to it.  They dominated the Landmark Conference this year and the only really "close" game they had was when they beat Elizabethtown back in early January 59-50.  Hell, this Scranton team took down the Pitt Panthers in an exhibition game at Pittsburgh back in mid-November for Christ's sake.  When you look at the roster, you'll see a pretty nice blend of veteran leadership and youth but you have to peel back the onion and that's where you'll see why they're so danged good.  They've got FOUR players who consistently score in double figures and they're led by senior guard Kaci Kranson who leads the way at 18.5 ppg and at 5'11", she's simply a matchup nightmare.  Then you've got equally-lanky junior forward Elizabeth Bennett (also at 5'11") who averages 12.3 ppg.  It doesn't fall off much from there either as fellow junior combo guard/forward Katie Gorski (6'0") averages 11.5 ppg along with fellow junior guard Meghan Lamanna who scores at a 10.3 ppg clip.  Another player to keep your eye on is junior guard Kaeli Romanowski along with freshman guard Sophia Talutto.  I suppose it should come as no surprise that the Royals led the Landmark Conference in total team offense, total team defense and margin of victory (38.9 to be exact in that department).  They're tops in team FG percentage, team three-point FG percentage, team offensive rebounds, turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.  And they were second in team free throw percentage as well so there just simply aren't many weak spots - if any - when it comes to this group.  I'm just going to be honest here:  If you thought Concordia's margin for error against Johns Hopkins yesterday was small (it was), it's that much smaller today.  In order to have any chance at winning tonight, the Cobbers are simply going to have to play the game of their life and it would be an upset of epic proportions if Concordia somehow - God willing - finds a way to pull this off.  I will say this:  This Cobber team has come this far and they haven't come this far just to lay down to a team that's superior on paper.  I know this team will fight until the very end and they'll leave it all out there on the floor.  That's all you can do.  

Will be writing up a recap of this one later on tonight.  Until then - ROLL COBBS!!!!! 

Friday Night Update - Concordia Marches On To The Elite 8 But Bethel Falls In The Sweet 16 3-13-26

Concordia is headed for the Elite 8 for the first time since 1993 after their thrilling 64-59 win over Johns Hopkins at Long Center in Scranton, PA!  

 

Wanted to provide an update after a LONG day of watching basketball (and I'm still not done as of this writing as I'm watching my UCLA Bruins trying to hang on against Michigan St in the B1G Tournament in Chicago).

Not that Concordia Head Coach Kim Wagers or her staff took my advice but the Cobbers definitely DID throw caution to the wind and went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the nation and took down Johns Hopkins 64-59.  But to me what was impressive wasn't the fact that they just won but rather how they were able to take control of the game in the last few minutes when everything was hanging in the balance in a tight game against one of the best teams in the country which just happened to be 27-1 coming into this game and arguably a heavy favorite to advance to the Elite 8.  And make no mistake about it - the Blue Jays made life miserable at times for the MIAC regular season champs with their full-court press that did result in 16 turnovers on this day.  Yet that failed to faze Concordia when it might've worn mentally on a lot of other teams.  But here's one area where the Cobbers couldn't be beat on this day - at the charity stripe going 17-18 for 94.4% - wow!  Now you know why I harp on free throw shooting so much and you couldn't have done it much better than what Concordia did on this day.  But wait - it gets better.  The Cobbers owned the boards on this day by a 45-37 count.  Well actually, I should probably say that it was Concordia's Maya Metcalf that owned the boards on this day with her 22 rebounds.  I mean, she finds different ways to step up for this team in almost every outing and she did it again on this day.  But here's the other item that was key for the Cobbers - balanced scoring - where you had Alexa Snesrud leading the way with 13 points and Molly Musland with 10 points but then you had Genevieve Gruba, Metcalf and Kaia Gack all finishing with nine points and that was so crucial on this day.  Taya Jeffrey and Taylor Safranski each have five points and Kaitlyn Rohloff was perfect from the charity stripe as she finished with four points.  And Johns Hopkins' Kendall Dunham made things dangerous for the Cobbers by burying a couple of late "3's" but again, Concordia found a way to survive and that's what it's really all about this time of year - survival.  And now the Cobbers have a chance to do what many thought they'd never have - play in the Elite 8 against Scranton and I'll talk more about this game tomorrow.

Bethel meanwhile wasn't quite as fortunate on this night as they fell to Washington & Lee 75-67 in a tough battle out at Lexington, VA.  I think what may haunt the Royals for a while is the knowledge that they had total control of this game at one point; leading by as many as ten in the late stages of the second period and enjoying a 35-27 lead at the halftime break.  But the tide slowly turned in favor of the Generals in the midway point of the third period but to their credit, Bethel found themselves down by only one at 52-51 going into the fourth period.  The Royals, in fact, would take the lead back at 55-54 at the 8:56 mark of the fourth period and they would up that to 57-54 at the 8:11 mark on a lay-up by Rosalie Penke.  But it was at this particular point where things started to go south for Bethel as Washington & Lee unleashed a key 9-0 that the Royals never quite recovered from.  But before I go any further, you've got to tip your hat to the Generals and specifically Mary Schluesner who was just unstoppable at times in the fourth period.  When you look at the box score, there's some numbers that are going to hurt Bethel for a while.  Consider:  Washington & Lee owned the boards on this night by a 50-36 count (ouch) and Schluesner had 17 of those rebounds for the Generals (along with 20 points to boot for a "double double").  While the Royals did have a decided advantage in points in the paint at 44-38, Washington & Lee had an advantage in points off of turnovers at 18-9 and a big advantage in those all-important "second chance" points at 22-12 along with an advantage in bench points at 28-18 and fast break points at 19-2 which to me indicates that Bethel got worn down at the most critical juncture of this game.  But you certainly can't fault Bethel for the great season they had that includes the victory in the MIAC Championship Game.  Colette Duininck, Elly Schmitz, Ali Born, Jaelin Boyd, Rosalie Penke and Lexi Schermann, thank you so much for the memories.  

I'll have more to say about Saturday's Elite 8 matchup between Concordia and Scranton slated for Saturday night at 6:00 PM tomorrow.  

A Synopsis Of Today's Sweet 16 Games For Concordia And Bethel

Concordia will face off against a talent-laden Johns Hopkins team this afternoon in the first Sweet 16 game out at Scranton, PA.

As we brace for a classic March blizzard (what else would you expect at tournament time?) here in the Twin Cities, it's time to take a peek at the Sweet 16 games for both Concordia and Bethel later on this afternoon and this evening.  It's just so awesome to see not just one but TWO MIAC teams making deep runs into the Dance and as you all well know, when you get to this stage of the NCAA Tournament, anything can happen.  This time of the year is all about survival so let's take a look at the two games and a closer look at the opponents.

Concordia vs Johns Hopkins (at Scranton, PA 3:30 PM Central time)

First, for Concordia, they'll take on highly-regarded Johns Hopkins out of the Centennial Conference with a sparkling 27-1 record with the only blemish coming against Gettysburg back on 3-1 and there's a reason they came into the Dance ranked fifth in the nation and in the number five spot in the NPI rankings as well.  Uh, they're really, REALLY good.  And it should come as no surprise that they were first in the Centennial Conference in total offense and second in total defense either.  The Blue Jays have an interesting mix of youth and experience and they've got a nice combination of size down low and speed and quickness in the backcourt.  What's really interesting is that on the scoring front - just from looking at the team stats - they're very-well balanced.  Junior guard Lauren Knudson leads the way for the Blue Jays with her 9.9 ppg but right behind her is senior guard Kendall Dunham (9.4 ppg).  Freshman post Jocelyn Goldstein out of Philadelphia and fellow freshman guard Faith Williamson both average 9.1 ppg and junior guard Layla Henderson isn't far behind with her 8.1 ppg.  And you've got contributors off the bench as well in senior guard Macie Feldman (7.5 ppg) and senior forward Emily Collins (7.2 ppg) just to name the primary two so this Johns Hopkins team definitely knows how to spread the wealth.  And the aforementioned Feldman leads the team in rebounds at a 9.0 average and the aforementioned Collins isn't too shabby in that department either with an average of 7.6 rebounds per game.  In fact, when you go through the conference statistics, the only area where the Blue Jays lag is from the charity stripe where they were seventh in the conference in that department which is a bit of a surprise.  But obviously they've found more than enough ways to work around that and not many teams can say that.  Head Coach Rodney Rogan is in his third season with this Johns Hopkins program and each season he's had this team in the NCAA Tournament so they know what this experience is about.  I haven't seen the Vegas line for this game and although the smart money might be riding on the Blue Jays on this one, it's still there for the Cobbers to pull off a major upset but they've got to find a way to throw caution to the wind and take some calculated risks at certain times as well.  If they show the same sense of urgency that they showed this last Saturday night in that fourth period against Ripon and if they shoot the ball as well they did in that fourth quarter, they will at least give themselves a fighting chance and now that they've got to this point, they've really got nothing to lose now.  

Bethel vs Washington & Lee (at Lexington, VA 7:00 PM Central time)

Bethel meanwhile finds themselves out at Lexington, VA; the home of the ODAC champs Washington & Lee and, like the Blue Jays, the Generals are really up there as well as they had a final overall ranking of third in the country and number three in the NPI rankings as well and they come into this game with a perfect 30-0 record and no, that's no mistype either.  But there's several reasons as to how/why the Generals got to their current lofty status; the primary one being preseason first team All-American senior combo forward/post Mary Schleusner and the fact that she leads her team in scoring by averaging 21.0 ppg should come as no surprise I suppose.  She's just flat out awesome to put it mildly.  But it's not like she doesn't get help as she most certainly does.  Fellow senior guard Quinn McGuinness (9.8 ppg) and fellow senior forward Sarah Zimmerman (9.7 ppg) both do their part on the scoring front.  Junior combo guard/forward Riley Bryant at 5'11" is a bad matchup for many opponents in the backcourt and freshman point guard Sam Collins is the newbie of the primary chain gang for Washington & Lee.  And the Generals have plenty of replacement parts coming off the bench in sophomore guard Megan Zimmerman, junior guard Raine Zou, senior guard Icy Keneah and lanky junior guard Caroline Shimp just to name a few.  So by this point you're probably thinking to yourself, "This team is loaded".  Well, your thinking is spot on with mine.  I guess it should come as no surprise then that the Generals are tops in the ODAC in total team offense (duh) and second in total team defense and tops in margin of victory not to mention tops in total team rebounds thanks to Ms Schleusner & Co.  And per conference statistics, Washington & Lee is pretty solid from the charity stripe as well.  The only real surprise for me came when I saw that the Generals were seventh in the ODAC in team three-point FG percentage but it looks like they've found more ways than one to overcome that particular deficiency.  And in her second season of being at the helm of this Washington & Lee program, Head Coach Brittney Kemp certainly hasn't missed a beat.  Maybe it's not the best analogy here but in some ways, I feel like Bethel is in the same position as my Los Angeles Rams were when they played Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 14 in Pasadena and were decided underdogs but came within a hair of pulling off a huge upset.  Somebody for Bethel has to step up like Vince Ferragamo did on that day for the Rams and do whatever it takes to help will their team to get into a position to win this game and the Royals have those kinds of players too.

So that's how I see things on lunchtime on this Friday afternoon.  ROLL COBBS and GO ROYALS!  

NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Game - Ripon vs Concordia 3-7-26

For the first time since 1993, Concordia is on their way to the Sweet 16 as they survived a thrilling second-round game again Ripon!

 So the grand finale of this weekend was the second round game that pitted the two winners from Friday night - Ripon and Concordia - in prime time on a Saturday night.  The Red Hawks had managed to outlast UW-River Falls in a thrilling overtime contest while the Cobbers withstood a strong third period challenge from UW-Superior and closed out with a double-digit victory - their first victory in the NCAA Tournament since the 1995 season.  But now the next test for Concordia was getting past this deep and experienced Ripon team and you knew this matchup had the potential to be a real battle and with a 24-hour window turnaround from the previous night, both teams had to get their rest, refuel and prepare for their opponent as best they could in a compressed time frame.  I had a relatively easy journey from my motel room over on the Fargo side of town to cavernous Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Concordia College in plenty of time to get myself situated and ready to go for this potential classic in an NCAA Tournament setting.

As they did the night before, the Cobbers would get off to a solid start in this game.  A lay-up in transition by senior guard Molly Musland after a steal at the 8:25 mark of the opening period helped spark a 7-2 push.  Strong sophomore guard Maya Metcalf would get two free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 6:45 mark to make it a 4-0 game and a bit later Metcalf would follow that up with a three-point bomb from the left corner area at the 5:07 mark that capped this early run before Ripon could find solid footing and get this contest leveled.  Speedy junior point guard Laney Havlovitz used her speed and quickness to dart in for a lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" with 4:26 left had the Red Hawks back to within a single possession down 7-5.  Backcourt mate sophomore guard Karsyn Nelson got this game tied at seven a piece when she connected on pretty reverse lay-up with 3:54 left and with 3:15 left, a tough score in the paint by Laney Havlovitz kept things even steven at nine a piece.  Concordia was able to find a second wind before this first period concluded, however, as they launched a 6-1 push down the stretch.  Lanky sophomore reserve forward Kaia Gack would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 3:07 left and then Metcalf would unleash her second three-point bomb of the night - this one from the top of the key with 2:21 left that had the Cobbers up 13-9.  Senior point guard Taylor Safranski would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 1:37 left that extended the lead to 15-9 before Ripon could add to their ledger on one free throw by senior reserve forward Molly Johannes after she was fouled with 1:08 left but Concordia certainly seemed to have the upper hand by this point.  

The Red Hawks would quickly get the gap closed once the second period got underway.  Strong junior forward Sophie Schlieve would connect on a short, turnaround jumper at the 9:41 mark and a lay-up in transition by Laney Havlovitz at the 8:48 mark had the deficit down to a scant point at 15-14.  Concordia would answer this intrusion by its opponent on back-to-back scores by Metcalf as the former Sheyenne HS standout would first knock down a short, turnaround jumper in the lane at the 8:32 mark and would follow that up less than a minute later with a lay-up that restored the earlier five-point advantage for the Cobbers at 19-14.  But this failed to faze Ripon as they were able to get back to within a single possession in one fell swoop as Laney Havlovitz would use her trademark speed to connect on a lay-up in transition at the 7:07 mark that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" quickly tightened this one up at 19-17.  A short time later at the 6:42 mark, slender sophomore guard Halle Van Horn would slither through traffic for a lay-up that got the Red Hawks back on even terms again at 19.  Concordia would try again to get some separation; this time relying on speedy freshman reserve guard Kaitlyn Rohloff to do her thing from the charity stripe and the former Hancock standout would first get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:24 mark and then would get both attempts to go down after getting fouled at the 5:07 mark to put the Cobbers up 22-19.  It took a bit but again, this would be wiped away by Ripon as Laney Havlovitz would wreak havoc behind the arc with a three-point bomb from the left top area with 2:37 left that tied this game at 22 a piece and a short time later with 2:11 left, Nelson would get a pair of free throws to go down that finally pushed the Red Hawks out in front by a 24-22 count.  Concordia would come right back on their subsequent possession as Metcalf would get a pair of freebies to go down after getting fouled with 2:04 left but this Red Hawks team had slyly snared away the momentum coming down the stretch before the halftime break as Laney Havlovitz continued to pose problems for the Cobbers.  The Wild Rose, WI standout would strike again with 1:29 left on a lay-up in transition that put Ripon back in front at 26--24 and then with :20.8 left, senior guard Natalie Rauwolf would connect on a jumper from the right elbow area that allowed the Red Hawks to take a 28-25 lead into the locker room.  A quick check of the halftime box score showed that whatever Ripon was doing thus far seemed to be working as they held a slight advantage on the boards by a 19-17 count and had fewer turnovers than Concordia did (10-8) and the Red Hawks also were enjoying a 13-11 edge in points off of turnovers.  Perhaps even more alarming for Concordia Head Coach Kim Wagers and her staff was the fact that Ripon not only had a decided edge in points in the paint thus far at 18-8 but were shooting the ball better from FG range (11-29 for 37.9% for Ripon vs 6-21 for 28.6 for Concordia) so the Cobbers had some holes in their boat that they had to get fixed quickly.  

Concordia would quickly get this game tied up again at the 9:39 mark of the third period when senior guard Taya Jeffrey buried a "3" from the left top area but then the Cobbers would have to endure another push from its opponent as Ripon went on a 4-0 push.  Schlieve would connect on a short jumper off the glass at the 9:24 mark and then Van Horn would work her magic down low with a tough score in the paint at the 8:09 mark that had the Red Hawks out in front 32-28.  Concordia would find answers this time around as junior forward Genevieve Gruba would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 7:46 mark and then Metcalf would come through again a short time later at the 7:21 mark with a short jumper off the glass that again had this game knotted at 32-all.  And Metcalf would come through for the Cobbers at the charity stripe after getting fouled at the 5:51 mark with a pair of free throws that kept this game even at 34 a piece.  But Ripon wasn't content in being in a stalemate with its host and they launched another push.  Senior reserve guard McKenzie Bestor would drain a "3" from the left corner area at the 5:42 mark and a short time later Laney Havlovitz would strike like a thief in the night with a steal and lay-up the other way at the 5:12 mark that now had the Red Hawks up by five at 39-34 and at this particular point, the media timeout came at a very opportune time for Concordia as they now had a chance to catch their collective breaths and plot their revenge as well.  And the Cobbers found a measure of it with a 6-0 push.  Musland; quiet after her opening bucket in this contest, came alive from behind the arc with a three-point bomb from the right corner area with 4:05 left and one free throw by Gruba after she was fouled with 3:04 left had the deficit trimmed to just one at 39-38.  With 1:15 left, Kaitlyn Rohloff would again come through at the charity stripe with a pair of free throws that pushed the home team back out in front again at 40-39.  Ripon would take the lead right back at 41-40 with :55.1 left when Rauwolf made a hard drive into the lane for a finish but Concordia would level this contest at 41 a piece when junior reserve post Maci Wheeldon got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with :29.4 left.  Still, the Red Hawks would have the last laugh of this third period when Laney Havlovitz used a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up with just :04.1 left on the clock and the Cobber faithful inside cavernous Memorial Auditorium were now sitting on pins and needles with their team down 43-41.

Ripon would grow its lead to four at 45-41 when Laney Havlovitz took an inbounds pass and sneaked into the paint for a score at the 9:05 mark of the fourth period and a score in the paint by Van Horn at the 8:34 mark maintained the four-point edge at 47-43.  The Cobbers would close to within a single possession when Metcalf snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 8:03 mark but the Red Hawks would be quick to counter as a Rauwolf "3" from the left top area grew Ripon's lead to five at 50-45 and it was here that Red Hawks Head Coach Lauren Busalacchi called a thirty-second timeout to quickly discuss strategy with her team now that they had a lead.  But it also gave Concordia a chance to regroup and revitalize as well and this stoppage in play ultimately paid more dividends for the Cobbers than it ever would for the Red Hawks because Concordia now started to show the vital urgency that was so desperately needed with their season on the line.  Jeffrey; the former Albert Lea standout, got things going with a lay-up at the 7:38 mark and although Ripon re-established the five-point lead on two free throws by Van Horn after she was fouled at the 7:13 mark, the Cobbers would come right back on a big three-point bomb by Safranski from the right top area at the 6:56 mark that got Concordia back to within a single possession down 52-50.  The Red Hawks would try again; getting their lead to four on a lay-up by Van Horn at the 6:33 mark but then the Cobbers would get more three-point artillery on a bomb from the left corner area by Musland at the 6:02 mark that cut the deficit to one at 54-53 and then with 4:46 left in regulation, Metcalf would put Concordia back out in front at 55-54.  With Ripon's normally potent offense suddenly in neutral, the Cobbers were able to capitalize with 3:20 left as Safranski was able to knock down a jumper from the free throw line area that now made it a 57-54 ballgame and the Red Hawks' Busalacchi wasted little time in taking a thirty-second timeout now that the tables had been turned on her team.  Ripon would soon get the deficit cut to one at 57-56 when Schlieve got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 2:53 left but then they would have to absorb another dagger thrown at them as Concordia junior reserve guard Alexa Snesrud would bury a cold-hearted "3" from the left corner area with 2:24 left that now had the Cobbers up by four at 60-56.  The Red Hawks would waste little time in clawing back to within a single possession as Laney Havlovitz would sink a pair of freebies after getting fouled with 2:17 left but then Concordia would come right back with 1:43 left as Snesrud; fresh off of that big three-pointer a bit ago, knocked down a pair of free throws that restored the four-point lead at 62-58.  Ripon would again close to two points when Rauwolf connected on a lay-up in transition with 1:38 left but the Cobbers' Snesrud would come through once again as she fearlessly drove into some heavy traffic for a finish with 1:13 left that restored the four-point lead at 64-60.  The Red Hawks would still not be so easily denied and they again got back into within a single possession when Van Horn slithered through traffic for a lay-up with 1:00 left that cut Concordia's lead to 64-62.  On the Cobbers ensuing possession, Jeffrey's lay-up attempt with :34.2 left in regulation would go awry but Musland would come through with :26.5 left on a short, turnaround jumper that again gave Concordia a bit more breathing room with that four-point advantage at 66-62.  Ripon's Busalacchi would take another thirty-second timeout at this juncture in hopes of dialing up a miracle and with :20.8 left, the Red Hawks got the closest thing to it as Laney Havlovitz came through yet again for this team by banging home a "3" from the left top area that now had the deficit down to one at 66-65.  With fouls still to give, Laney Havlovitz would foul once right after the three-point bomb and then Rauwolf would foul a short time later with :13.8 left.  The Cobbers' Wagers would then use a full timeout knowing that Ripon was now out of fouls to give and with :11.4 left, Kaitlyn Rohloff would get sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with Concordia now in the bonus the rest of the way.  With the Cobbers' hopes and dreams hanging in the balance, the former Hancock standout calmly stood at the charity stripe line and delivered two absolute clutch free throws that now made it a 68-65 game.  Still time for Ripon, however, and with :03.4 left, Laney Havlovitz would attempt a three-point bomb from the right wing area but that attempt missed its mark but the Red Hawks would get one last gasp attempt as Van Horn made a heave-ho attempt from Caitlin Clark-range at the left wing area that fell short and Concordia celebrated at the buzzer with an absolutely thrilling 68-65 victory that advanced the Cobbers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993.  

The Concordia portion of the post-game press conference was attended by Wagers along with Metcalf, Musland and Safranski while the Ripon portion was attended by Busalacchi along with Rauwolf, Bestor, Laney Havlovitz and senior reserve forward Maggie Glaus.  Here's the URL for that press conference:  https://miacsportsnetwork.com/concordia/?B=3799066

One could look at the final box score on this one, I suppose, and conclude that Ripon could've and perhaps should've won this game.  And there's three main areas where I think one could draw from that to come away with that impression.  While Ripon's final advantage on the boards wasn't that big at 34-30, they had a whopping advantage in points in the paint at 40-20 (!) and a sizable advantage in fast-break points at 21-8 which to me meant that they were able to use their speed and quickness to their advantage.  And there's many times where winning those three elements will enable you to take home the dub at the end of the day.  And, to be sure, both teams did very well from the charity stripe on this night as the Red Hawks were 11-13 for 84.6% and the Cobbers were 23-28 for 82.1% so no real complaints there.  In fact, Wagers said during the press conference that her squad's free throw shooting helped in part offset the big numbers that Ripon put up with points in the paint.  But I also think there were some smaller items that ultimately helped Concordia prevail on this night.  For instance, you'll see that both the Cobbers and the Red Hawks evened out on the turnover front but the Cobbers got more at the bank than the Red Hawks did off of those turnovers at 20-15.  The Cobbers also had a decisive edge in bench points at 16-4 which meant it wasn't the primary chain gang of Metcalf, Musland, Safranski, Jeffrey and Gruba having to carry the load for the full 40 minutes.  You saw bench players like Gack, Kaitlyn Rohloff, Wheeldon and Snesrud come in and contribute with points in big-time situations and that's just huge in a setting such as this.  And while both teams shot comparably from FG range on this night, the Cobbers had the edge from downtown going 7-16 for 43.8% while the Red Hawks struggled a bit from behind the arc going 4-11 for 36.4%.  But more than anything, what really stood out to me on this night was how Concordia showed that sense of urgency when they got down by five at the 7:51 mark of the fourth period and kept coming up with big shots and big plays that helped them get the lead back and keep the lead while Ripon was doing its darndest in trying to usurp control of this game away from Concordia.  The Cobbers in my mind really showed the heart of a champion on this night and this was not only the biggest win in the program's history in a long time but the signature victory that Wagers and her staff have been looking for.  And now they get a chance to do even more damage in the Sweet 16.

What can you say about Concordia's Metcalf as once again she demonstrated her takeover ability as her 24 points led all scorers and she just missed out on a "double double" with her eight rebounds.  Musland capped off her final game at Memorial Auditorium in style as she finished with 12 points.  You certainly can't fault Ripon's Laney Havlovitz for her effort on this night as time and time again she put her team on her shoulders and almost willed them to victory and she easily paced the Red Hawk attack on this night with her 22 points.  Van Horn had a very solid night on this night with her 14 points and Nelson poured in 10 points.  

NCAA Tournament 1st Round Game - UW-Superior vs Concordia 3-6-26

After multiple years of frustration, Concordia finally was able to celebrate its first NCAA Tournament Win since 1995 that propels them into the second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

 The nightcap on this opening Friday of the NCAA Tournament pitted UMAC Playoff Champion UW-Superior going up against Concordia which won the MIAC regular season title.  From a pure won-loss perspective, the Yellowjackets had a challenging regular season but they managed to get hot when it counted as they first downed UM-Morris and then dumped North Central in the UMAC Championship Game to gain that conference's AQ into the Dance.  The Cobbers meanwhile had compiled an impressive 23-4 record coming into this game that included the MIAC regular season title although they would ultimately fall short against Bethel in the MIAC Championship Game last week Saturday.  So Concordia was coming into this contest looking for their very first NCAA Tournament win since 1995 and to wipe away the sting from last weekend's setback as well.  

The Cobbers were arguably heavy favorites coming into this contest and they wasted little time in attempting to assert dominance in the early minutes of the opening period in the form of a 9-0 run right out of the gate.  Junior forward Genevieve Gruba would start this run by unleashing a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 8:16 mark and senior guard Taya Jeffrey would follow suit with a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:47 mark.  Then fellow senior guard Molly Musland would bang home a "3" of her own from the top of the key to cap this early run which prompted UW-Superior Head Coach Eveline Parsons to take a match to a thirty-second timeout to make some adjustments before this game got out of hand.  This stoppage proved to be beneficial for the Yellowjackets as they managed to go on a 6-2 spurt.  Freshman reserve forward Abby Johnson maneuvered into the paint for one score with 4:56 left and a short, turnaround jumper as the shot clock was expiring by lanky junior reserve guard Hope Carlson with 3:16 left kept UW-Superior in that seven-point range down 11-4.  Fellow junior guard Maddie Reott would cap this surprising push with a daring drive into the lane for a finish with 2:44 left before Concordia could get out of its offensive rut.  Junior reserve guard Olivia Hanson was able to get a short jumper off the glass to go down with 2:05 left and two free throws by strong sophomore forward Maya Metcalf with 1:23 left restored the earlier nine-point advantage at 15-6.  But then the Yellowjackets showed their ability from behind the arc as senior guard MyKenzie Leccia buried a "3" from the left top area with 1:09 left.  Concordia would attempt to restore order inside cavernous Memorial Auditorium as lanky junior post Maci Wheeldon would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with :24.6 left that also drew a foul and the former Fargo Davies standout would cash in on the "and one" that again restored the earlier nine-point lead at 18-9.  But this pesky UW-Superior team would continue to show its worth as strong junior forward Charlotte Ferstl knocked down a jumper from the free throw line area with just :00.3 left on the clock that at least kept the 'Jackets in the thick of things down 18-11.  

And UW-Superior would manage to make further inroads at the beginning of the second period when Ferstl was able to use her 6'3" frame to snare an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss at the 9:08 mark that cut the deficit to five at 18-13.  Alarmed, the Cobbers went right back to work to restore the separation they once enjoyed with a 7-2 push.  Metcalf would bury a "3" from the left top area at the 8:09 mark and then Gruba would drain her second trey of the evening from the right corner area at the 7:20 mark that again restored the nine-point lead at 24-15.  Speedy freshman reserve point guard Kaitlyn Rohloff would give Concordia its first double-digit lead of the night when she was able to get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 5:54 mark that made it a 25-15 ballgame.  The Yellowjackets would try and counter as Reott connected on a nifty reverse lay-up at the 5:23 mark but the Cobbers restored the ten-point edge on their subsequent possession on a score in the paint by Metcalf at the 5:10 mark.  Undaunted, UW-Superior would try again thanks to senior reserve forward Kylee Hewitt as she would slither into the paint for one score with 4:51 left and would then get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 3:55 left that had the deficit down to seven at 27-20.  With 2:50 left, the Yellowjackets would continue to stay in this seven-point range at 29-22 when Johnson was able to grab an offensive rebound for a putback.  But Concordia was able to end this second period with a 7-2 push that restored the double-digit lead.  Sophomore reserve forward Kaia Gack knocked down a short jumper with 2:38 left to start this run and then Kaitlyn Rohloff would bury a cold-hearted "3" from the right corner area with 1:06 left that gave the Cobbers their largest lead yet at 34-22.  A score in the paint by Metcalf with :29 left maintained the twelve-point lead at 36-24 which is what Concordia took into the locker room at the halftime break.  

The Cobbers looked like they might be in position to start running away with this thing in the early moments of the third period when Musland buried a "3" from the right corner area at the 9:47 mark that now had Concordia up with a cozy 39-24 lead and a score in the paint by Jeffrey at the 8:57 mark maintained the fifteen-point cushion at 41-26.  And two free throws by Metcalf after she was fouled at the 7:49 mark kept the separation at fifteen with a 43-28 advantage before UW-Superior could find solid footing.  But once they did, the Yellowjackets came back with a vengeance befitting of their nickname.  Senior guard Elsa Olson; quiet in the first half, came through with back-to-back scores that helped spark a shocking 14-2 run.  The former Park of Cottage Grove standout first buried a "3" from the left corner area at the 7:27 mark and would follow that up a short time later with a lay-up at the 6:44 mark that had the deficit down to ten at 43-33.  Less than a minute later, Ferstl would knock down a short jumper from the left side at the 5:57 mark that got UW-Superior back to within single digits at 43-35 and with 3:48 left, Olson would come through again with a daring drive into the lane for a finish that cut the deficit down to six at 43-37.  A Carlson score in the paint kept the 'Jackets in that six-point range down 45-39 and less than a minute later Johnson would muscle into the paint for a score with 2:33 left that now cut the deficit down to four at 45-41 and by this point, Concordia Head Coach Kim Wagers had seen more than enough to know that a thirty-second timeout was warranted.  Still, UW-Superior would get back to within a single possession a short time later when Carlson got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:13 left before the Cobbers could finally climb out of their offensive doldrums.  Metcalf would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 1:55 left and junior reserve guard Olivia Hanson would get one free throw to go down after she was fouled with 1:44 left that got Concordia some more breathing room up 48-42.  Gack would get one free throw to go down as well after she was fouled with 1:20 left and a short time later with :54.1 left, Hanson would come up with a pretty pull-up jumper from the free throw line area with :54.1 left that upped the lead to nine at 51-42 and now it was the Yellowjackets' Parsons turn to take a match to a thirty-second timeout after seeing her team fall behind again after being so close a short time ago.  But Concordia would get the double-digit advantage rebuilt when Gack got two more freebies to go down after getting fouled with :20.5 left that made it a 53-42 game.  So this third period was arguably something of a mixed bag for both teams - the Cobbers enjoying a cozy double digit advantage only to see that vaporize when their opponent made an unexpected run at them and then having to go through the arduous process of rebuilding that lead again and the Yellowjackets arguably being in between a rock and a hard place to start this period and then unleashing a big run that injected new life into them only to see it slip away and get firmly placed back to Square One again.  

Concordia's Gruba would expand on her team's lead when she got one free throw to go down at the 8:52 mark of the fourth period but the 'Jackets would launch another push in hopes of getting close again.  Leccia would drain a "3" from the left wing area at the 8:08 mark that got UW-Superior back to within single digits at 54-45 and an offensive rebound and putback by Johnson at the 7:33 mark provided more hope with the deficit cut to seven at 54-47.  But this time around, the Cobbers were not as generous to their opponent as they were in the third period and quickly went about restoring separation.  Two scores by Metcalf - one in the paint at the 7:12 mark and a three-point bomb from the left corner area at the 6:11 mark - got the lead back to twelve at 59-47 and a "3" by Gack from the right top area at the 5:18 mark increased the lead to thirteen at 62-49.  The 'Jackets would try again as Carlson connected on a pretty reverse lay-up at the 5:00 mark but then Concordia would inflict more damage from behind the arc as Jeffrey would bury a cold-hearted "3" from the left top area with 4:46 left that increased the Cobber lead to 65-51.  Once again, UW-Superior would try to launch an offensive as Johnson would grab an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:48 left but that would be negated with 1:59 left when Kaitlyn Rohloff knocked down a jumper along the right baseline that kept Concordia's safety net in good shape with a 69-56 advantage.  Still, the Yellowjackets would attempt one last gasp in trying to draw closer as Carlson would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with :35.6 left and a three-point bomb by Leccia from the left corner area with :19.2 left got UW-Superior back to within single digits again down 69-61 but the sands of time were now quickly running out for this young team and Cobber senior point guard Taylor Safranski made sure there were no further inroads by the opponent as she would sink pairs of insurance free throws with :14.3 left and :02.7 left in regulation as Concordia notched its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1995 with a 73-61 victory to advance into the second round.  

The postgame press conference on the Concordia side was attended by Wagers along with Metcalf and Safranski while the UW-Superior portion was attended by Parsons along with Hewitt, Olson, Leccia and senior reserve guard Colleen Claude.  The URL for this press conference is:  https://miacsportsnetwork.com/concordia/?B=3779929

There's definitely some items that stand out when you look at the final box score of this one.  The two primary items are (1) points in the paint where the Yellowjackets had a whopping 34-10 advantage and (2) rebounds where UW-Superior had a slight advantage at 39-37.  At least for me, I had to think that going into this game that the Yellowjackets were going to have to be strong in both of these areas to have a chance in this game and they were.  But, as Wagers alluded to during the press conference is that they were able to offset the points in the paint deficiency with being strong at the charity stripe - which they were going 17-21 for a straight 81% which is much more in line with how this team normally shoots free throws.  The trips to the free throw line for UW-Superior in contrast were few and far between as going 4-6 for 66.7% would suggest.  But the other thing that impressed me from the UW-Superior side was that they committed only 11 turnovers in this game which really isn't bad at all considering who they were playing.  In my mind, that's actually playing a relatively "clean" game.  While both teams were pretty even shooting from FG range (UW-Superior going 26-65 for a straight 40% and Concordia going 23-59 for a straight 39%), the Cobbers were much better behind the arc as they were 10-27 for a straight 37% compared to the Yellowjackets going 5-23 for 21.7%.  And as I mentioned prior to this game, I thought that Concordia's depth would ultimately wear on UW-Superior and the fact that the Cobbers had 28 bench points compared to 22 for the Yellowjackets reflects that.  I will say this about UW-Superior:  This is a much, much better team than what their final 12-16 overall record suggests.  True, they took their lumps in the early portion of the season but they slowly got better and better after they delved into conference play after the first of the year and peaked at exactly the right time - during the UMAC Playoffs - that allowed them to get the conference's AQ and a chance to dance in the Dance and even though they came up short in this particular outing, they made the most of their opportunity, IMHO.  Now the challenge for Parsons and her staff is to build on this particular experience and sell the program to recruits during the offseason.  Always a challenge of course and they will lose four seniors on this team to graduation.  But a solid nucleus remains in place and it'll be interesting to see how they build on this.  As for Concordia, it was just so critical for them to capture this game - their first NCAA Tournament win since the Clinton Administration and helps to ease some of the frustrations this program has had to endure over the last few seasons.  And to do it on their home floor was even better.  

You knew that UW-Superior's Ferstl was likely going to do damage in this game and she certainly did just that as her 14 points paced the Yellowjackets on this night.  Both Leccia and Carlson finished with nine points a piece as well.  Meanwhile for Concordia, who else but Metcalf and she delivered once again as her 18 points led all scorers while Gack had a solid outing on this night as well as she finished with 12 points.