UW-River Falls Practice 10-26-26

 Made the run over to River Falls, WI on this rainy, dreary Monday afternoon to take in an early season practice at UW-River Falls.  I was smart enough to leave my place early to give myself time with the rain and traffic and arrived at the Falcon Center building shortly after 3:30 that allowed me to catch up with Head Coach Shelby Lyman and her staff and get myself situated for the 4:00 PM practice session.

Things get going as the squad starts doing some light running and stretching to get loosened up for this practice session.  After a short pep talk at midcourt to go over things on this day, Lyman then has the team split into small groups of five that allows the players to get into their shooting groove practicing a variety of jump shots.

Next, Lyman has the squad split into two groups and here each group works on 5-on-0 "shell" drills to focus on proper movement as well as correct spacing and setting proper screens in half-court sets.  Then follows an interesting drill called "5 trips 3 trips" which is something of an extension of what the team was doing previously as this is a full-court 5-on-0 situation with three different groups.  Each group of five players has to get at least one three-point shot to go down in the trips they take up and down the floor.

Another interesting drill follows which Lyman terms "Circle Rebounding".  This is a 5-on-5 full court drill but it starts out with the assigned defensive squad going in a circle across the lane to await an errant jump shot put up by Lyman to get things going.  Upon snaring the defensive rebound, the team then goes downcourt in a full 5-on-5 situation and then, regardless of whether they can capitalize on their offensive end, it then comes back the other way with the other group of five on offense.  The group that comes up with the fewest points at the end has to run a round of sprints.  

After a well-deserved water break, Lyman then has the team work on all-important free throw shooting for a bit before she splits the team into two different groups where each group does some 3-on-3 half-court work as defense is now the focus.  A bit later, Lyman then conducts another drill called "Drive Middle Rotation" which consists of 5-on-5 half-court work where the emphasis is making sure that defensive players switch and rotate correctly.

Then Lyman has the team do some full-court 5-on-5 work to put some of the things they've worked on previously into a game-like situation in hopes of getting a better "feel" for where some of her players are at the moment.  After that, another interesting drill takes place that consists of five players in a half-court situation that initially looks like a 5-on-0 "shell" drill.  But as this drill progresses, assistant coaches Cassie Heinrichs and Emily Kulstad are at the baseline with balls and after a lay-up is made, Heinrichs and Kulstad feed balls to the wing players for three-point shot attempts which in a way is getting two or three aspects into one drill.

On the next drill, Lyman goes back to the defensive aspect as she has her squad work in some zone defensive sets to ensure proper rotation on the defense.  Then, to finish up on this evening's practice, Lyman then has the team split into two groups to do "Kentucky Shooting".  After a short pep talk at center court, the team calls it an evening.

Outtakes........While this team would obviously love to replicate last season's accomplishment of getting to the NCAA Tournament, Lyman and her staff obviously want to take a much different path this time around and avoid all the injuries to key players that they suffered during the 2025-26 campaign.  Even though Lyman hasn't as of yet settled on her starting rotation, it's my guess that senior guard Savannah Leopold, junior guard Taylor Clarey and lanky sophomore forward Emily Anderson will likely be a part of whatever starting five lineup Lyman eventually goes with.  Unlike last year's team, this team is much longer and much of that length comes from the youngsters on the squad; one of which caught my attention - freshman combo guard/forward Chloe Theissen out of White Bear Lake.  Sophomore guard Madisyn Berggren also looks impressive as well.  The early part of the Falcons schedule seems manageable enough although there will be some challenging games in the early stretch - most notably against GAC out of the MIAC which will pay a visit to the Falcon Center on Saturday 11-7 (unfortunately the same day when my UCLA Bruins will be in Dinkytown playing Minnesota and trying to keep their perfect record intact).  The following weekend, UW-River Falls will travel out to D.C. for the Catholic University Classic where the Falcons will first take on Gettysburg; an NCAA Tournament participant last season out of the Centennial Conference on Saturday 11-14 and then take on Penn St - Altoona out of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference on Sunday 11-15.  The following weekend, the Falcons host Edgewood out of the NACC on Saturday 11-21 and then two days before Thanksgiving UW-River Falls will make a run over to the St Paul side of town to take on their second MIAC opponent, Hamline on Tuesday 11-24.  On Thanksgiving weekend, the Falcons will host Carthage out of the CCIW on Saturday 11-28 and will then host Central out of the ARC the following weekend on Saturday 12-5.  Two big tests then await the Falcons - first, a trip out to Waverly, IA to take on perennial powerhouse Wartburg out of the ARC on Wednesday 12-9 before coming back home to take on Bethel out of the MIAC on Saturday 12-12.  Return trips to the Twin Cities sandwich the Christmas/New Year's holiday for UW-River Falls as they will take on two more MIAC opponents - Augsburg on Saturday 12-19 and then St. Kate's on Wednesday 12-30 before delving into WIAC play so the Falcons will get a chance to pad that all important SOS right from the get-go.  The big question is whether they can do it without accumulating all the red crosses that they incurred last season.  

Northwestern Practice 10-22-26

 Made the trip on a busy I-694 over to Snelling Avenue and then the short jaunt over to the campus of the University of Northwestern to take in this early season practice that Head Coach Aaron Kahl and his staff were conducting on this day.  I arrived early enough to catch up on things with Kahl and ask about his team and also get in on a pre-practice film session of the team's scrimmage against Augsburg from the previous night.  Kahl was pointing out some things to his squad that they need to improve on the defensive side of the ball.  After the film session concludes, the team heads to the Ericksen Center court for this day's practice session. 

To start things off, the team does some "social shooting" as they are split into six different groups to find their shooting groove for this evening's practice and get loosened up as well.  Then, Kahl has the team do a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to emphasize correct movement, spacing and setting correct screens.

Kahl then has the team perform some more warm-up running and stretching before moving onto the next drill which is called "Piper Shooting".  Here, the team is split into two groups at each basket with two lines of players at the top and one line at each corner.  The players at the top pass the ball to their respective corners and the corner players take three-point shots while the two players who passed the ball to the corner players go to the corner to await their turn and vice versa.  After about five minutes or so, Kahl then modifies the drill where the shooters are now at the top.  

Next, Kahl has the team split into four different groups.  One group works on 1-on-1 situations while another group works on 2-on-2 post traps.  The third group works on 2-on-2 out of bounds situations while the fourth group works on 2-on-2 wing close outs.  These groups switch to different stations every five minutes or so.  

After a well-deserved hydration break, the next drill is entitled "PCR".  Here, the team is split into three groups where they do 5-on-0 "shell" work for proper movement and spacing in half-court offensive sets.  Kahl later modifies this where both groups do 5-on-5 half-court work to put some of these principles into action.

After another well-deserved water break, the team dives into the next drill called "Tips and trips".  Here, you have one offensive player from near the half-court line and another offensive player down low and one defender trying to disrupt.  Kahl modifies this to a 3-on-2 situation and eventually to a 4-on-3 situation.

Next, the team is split into three different groups to work on some offensive skill sets.  One group works on backdoor passes while the second group works on 2-on-2 ball screens.  The third group meanwhile works on what is called "veer get action".  After five minutes or so, the players switch stations until the players have done all three stations.

After another well-deserved hydration break, the team then partakes in what is called "Around the Nest" free throw shooting.  Here, the team is split into six small groups to work on their free throw shooting which is always so critical in tight game situations.

The last drill of the evening is an interesting drill called "Popcorn Shooting".  Here, the team is split into two groups and players on each group get fed balls and have to work on  variety of jump shots.  After some time, the team comes into a circle at the talk for one last pep talk and prayer before calling it an evening.

Outtakes........Kahl had to depart practice early on this night but I was able to talk to him upon my arrival.  While this team is still very young and dominated by freshmen and sophomores, he's at least got a roster that has valuable college basketball experience unlike his team from last year so he's hopeful that his squad can be much more of a factor in the UMAC playoff chase this time around.  They scrimmage against CSB on Tuesday evening 10-27 and like the Bennies, this is a very guard-oriented team with a lot of quickness.  While I don't think Kahl has settled in on who will all be a part of the starting rotation, I would have to guess that sophomore guard Ella Frazier along with junior guard Brenna Vogel and senior combo guard/forward Katelyn Lindberg will figure prominently for the Eagles.  Again, the challenge for Kahl and his staff will be developing depth and staying relatively healthy throughout the season.  The early part of the schedule - for the most part anyway - looks manageable as they first take on two MIAC opponents - Macalester on Saturday 11-7 before running down to Northfield on Wednesday 11-11 to take on what appears to be a vastly-improved St. Olaf team.  Luther; now out of the MWC, pays a visit to Ericksen Center on Saturday 11-14 before the Eagles make a run down Snelling Avenue to take on another MIAC neighbor in Hamline on Wednesday 11-18.  On Saturday 11-21, Northwestern will host Emmaus University; an NCCAA opponent out of Dubuque, IA and three days after that on 11-24, Carleton from the MIAC will pay a visit to Ericksen Center as well.  On Wednesday 12-2, the Eagles will host Martin Luther in their first UMAC game before another NCCAA opponent - Maranatha Baptist - comes to Ericksen Center on Saturday 12-5.  So there's an opportunity for Northwestern to get off to a decent start and be able to hit the ground running before they delve into the meat of the UMAC regular season.       

CSB Practice 10-21-26

CSB team getting at it in practice this week!  

 Made a good trip up US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline to the St. Cloud area and over to nearby St. Joe on this beautiful Indian Summer afternoon to take in an early season practice at CSB.  I arrived early enough to catch up with Head Coach Mike Durbin and his staff as the squad started doing various light running and stretching exercises on the Recreation basketball floor while the volleyball team was finishing up its practice on the main floor in Claire Lynch Hall.

Once the team was able to get onto the main floor, Durbin first has the team split into six small groups.  The smaller groups of two people had one shooter practicing jump shots from the free throw line area with one rebounder while the groups with four players had two shooters - one who would take jumpers from the free throw line area and another shooter practicing shots from different wing positions with a rebounder for each.  After five minutes, the roles would be reversed so all players would get a chance to get some mid-range jumpers in.  

For the next drill, Durbin has the team in 5 lines in different spots on the floor at one basket - one line at the top, a line at each wing spot and a line at both corners.  The emphasis on this drill is to have crisp, sharp passing between the different spots in a half-court offensive set and its little wonder why Durbin's CSB teams over the years are some of the best passing teams that you'll see.  

For the next drill, Durbin has the squad in two lines at the top.  Each player at the top of the line has a ball and the two players drive into the lane, crossing each other in the process and complete a lay-up.  After a bit, this drill is modified where the two lines are split wider to the wing positions and then modified once more as the groups have to start out from the corner spots and have to drive along the baseline.  It's not as easy at it initially appears.  

Next, Durbin has the team split into four groups where two players initially work on a variety of jump shots with two rebounders to keep things moving and players rotate roles every five minutes.  This drill then gets modified where a ball handler has a defender on her along with two offensive players near each elbow area who act strictly as passers or catchers for the ball handler which makes for a difficult assignment for the lone defender in each situation.

Next, Durbin has the team split into two different groups.  One group at one basket works on one-on-one situations while the other group at the other basket works on three-point shots and shots in the lane.  After some time, these groups switch.

After a well-deserved water break, Durbin again has the team split into two different groups at each basket but this time around, the drill is set up where you have two groups of one defender up against two offensive player and the defender in each case has to come up against the offensive player to contest the pass.  After a bit, Durbin modifies things to two defenders taking on three offensive players where the two defenders have to contest the passes and also defend against the score in the paint.  After some time, this drill is modified once more by Durbin where it becomes four defenders going up against five offensive players in a half-court situation.

After another well-deserved water break, Assistant Coach Rick Canton conducts a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to have players working on cutting and setting proper screens.  After a bit, this gets changed up to a 5-on-5 half-court situation to put some of these concepts learned into practice against defenders in a pressure situation.  This gets modified a bit more as you have three groups of five players with one group on the opposite end of the floor.  If a shot is missed by the offensive team on the other end and the defensive team rebounds, that defensive team then has to take the ball the other way and get ready to go up against the five players on the other end.  

After another well-deserved water break and a chance for the team to work on free throw shooting for a bit, Durbin conducts a very interesting drill that starts out as five offensive players initially going up against three defenders in a full court situation.  But after the ball is inbounded and the five offensive players have made their way up the court, two more defenders from the baseline come in and have to rush up the court to join the three other defenders in a half-court situation.  Regardless of what happens on this end, they return the other way going 5-on-5.  

The next drill which is conducted by Assistant Coach Steve Howe-Veenstra is essentially a 5-on-5 full-court situation but with a twist - the five defenders have to start going in a small circle that allows the five offensive players to get up court in an up-tempo situation before the defenders can release and race down the floor to match up.  It's very interesting to watch.  

Lastly on this night, Durbin has the team do some 5-on-5 half-court work with different groups to work on some different plays and some different situations.  To close out the evening practice, Durbin has the team in a circle for a departing pep talk before the team calls it a night.

Outtakes.......Unlike many of the other teams Durbin has had during his long tenure at CSB that seemed to have an abundance of players with length, this particular team definitely appears to be much more guard-oriented.  Not to say that he doesn't have length - he does - but this team is much more guard-oriented than in years past.  Towards that end, Durbin mentioned after the practice session was over that he's in the process of changing his offense and his offensive mindset to fit this team and, from what I could tell, it seems to be working even if it's only mid/late-October.  The other thing that stands out when you look at the roster is how young this team is as the squad is dominated by freshmen and sophomores.  And there are most definitely some exciting new faces on this Bennie team that hold a lot of promise but the one that stood out to me the most was freshman Liz Vitt out of Edina.  While she may arguably have room to grow on the defensive side of the ball, don't be surprised if she indeed works her way into the starting rotation and with some experience and time in the weight room, she'll pose some real matchup problems for MIAC opponents.  The core of this group that will make up the remaining portion of the starting rotation looks to be junior point guard Lauren Arnold, fellow junior wing guard Alyssa Sadlovsky, fellow junior wing Drew Buslee and lanky sophomore post Emma Theisen and that's a pretty solid starting five, IMHO.  If one takes a look at MIAC stats for 2025-26, you'll see that the Bennies were in the top four in team offense and they were tops in the conference in team free throw percentage which is absolutely where you want to be.  Beyond that, it isn't so rosy as CSB was tenth in the conference in combined team rebounds and in next to last place in defensive rebounds.  And while we know the Bennies can score, they were ninth in the conference in team FG percentage and tenth in opponents FG percentage.  Team three-point shooting percentage was also a concern last season where CSB finished in ninth place in that category and the Bennies were in the middle of the pack when it came to assist/turnover ratio.  So obviously there's some things that will have to be cleaned up and worked on - especially on the defensive end - if CSB hopes to be a primary factor in the MIAC Playoff race this time around.  Given the youth trend on this team, Durbin told me that "We'll be tested early on" and a look at the early part of the schedule explains a good amount of that concern as the Bennies will start things off with their own Tip-Off Tournament Classic going up against UM-Morris out of the UMAC on Friday 11-6 and then Loras out of the ARC the next day on Saturday 11-7.  The following weekend brings another exciting outing in Claire Lynch Hall with the Iowa vs Minnesota Clash where CSB will take on two teams out of the ARC - Central on Friday 11-13 and then Simpson on Saturday 11-14 which should be fun.  On Thanksgiving weekend, CSB takes a trip to Mankato to face one of the favorites in the UMAC in Bethany Lutheran on Saturday 11-28 and then getting three conference games after that:  At Hamline on Wednesday 12-2, at home vs St. Olaf on Saturday 12-5 and at home vs Augsburg on Wednesday 12-9.  Just before the holidays, the Bennies will pack their sunglasses and sunblock lotion and head to Naples, FL where they'll face Wooster out of the NCAC on Saturday 12-19 and then Penn College out of the UEC on Sunday 12-20 before getting back into conference play for good right after the first of the year.     

A New Season Is Now Upon Us!

 Well, today is October 15th and that means the dawn of a brand new season that is now upon us!  So, over the next few weeks I'll be hoping to have reports on some different teams and their practices and how they're looking.  I always looks forward to this time of the year.

As you can imagine, I'm currently riding the high of my UCLA Bruins right now (and also trying to soothe the pain my LA Rams are giving me at the moment as well) and I hope everyone is doing well and hope to see you all again soon.

Let's get this new season underway!   

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-22-26

Here are the results from the final night of this year's Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

GAC White - 65

Royal Ballers 33

Bennies - 29

Midway Monsters - 27

UMD Dogs - 59

Backcourt Baddies - 48

Granny's Got Game - 62

Anoka-Ramsey - 35

7:15 PM Games

GAC Black - 72

Team Jody - 34

Bennies - 55

St. Kate's - 39

Northwestern - 42

St. Olaf - 33

Wash-Ups - 47

Cross Era - 43

8:15 PM Games

Da Birthdays - 52

Swish - 50

Auggies - 80

St. Kate's - 55

Ball Busters - 75

GAC Gold - 53

Team 1 - 50

Sara's Shooters - 46

Some very good games in the 6:15 PM slot on this night although the battle on Court 1 between the GAC White team and the Royal Ballers team that was expected to be, wasn't.  Early on, however, this game would be knotted at two a piece at the 7:45 mark of the opening period and would still be leveled at five a piece a short time later at the 6:15 mark.  The GAC White team would nudge ahead 8-7 with 2:10 left and would get a bit more breathing room up 13-8 by the end of the first period.  The GAC White team would at least maintain the five-point edge up 15-10 by the 8:40 mark of the second period but would then start getting separation after that as they would hold a 19-10 lead by the 6:10 mark and then would deliver a knockout punch with a 14-3 run to own a 33-13 advantage by the halftime break.  Things wouldn't get any better for the Royal Ballers team after that as the GAC White team maintained the twenty-point edge up 35-15 by the 7:05 mark of the third period and would grow the lead to 41-19 with 3:50 left.  By the end of the third period the GAC White team had a sizable 45-21 lead at its disposal.  By the 8:20 mark of the fourth period, the GAC White team was running away with this one up 50-23 and led 56-26 near the midway point as they romped to an easy win on this night......The defensive battle that was ensuing on Court 2 between the Bennies team and the Midway Monsters team was a stark contrast.  This game would be leveled at two a piece by the 8:55 mark of the opening period but the Midway Monsters team would grab the upper hand and hold a 7-4 advantage with 4:35 left and they would still have the upper hand with a 10-8 lead by the end of the first period.  The Bennies team would come back with a 5-0 push and grab a 13-10 lead by the 7:20 mark of the second period and with 3:15 left they would up their lead to four at 15-11.  Not to be outdone, the Midway Monsters team would respond with a 4-0 push down the stretch to get this game back on even terms again at 15 a piece by the halftime break.  The Bennies team would push ahead again at 17-16 by the 6:45 mark of the third period and would hold a 20-18 advantage with 3:30 left.  By the end of the third period, the Bennies team would increase its lead to four at 22-18.  By the 7:40 mark of the fourth period, the Bennies team seemed to have the upper hand with a 24-19 lead and they would increase that lead to 25-19 with 3:40 left in regulation.  The Midway Monsters team would make one last bid in this contest as they would trim the deficit back to five down 29-24 and get back to within a single possession down 29-27 with :40 left in regulation but the Bennies team was able to stave off the last-ditch attempts by the Midway Monsters team to secure the narrow margin of victory......Another good game was going down over on Court 3 between the UMD Dogs team and the Backcourt Baddies team.  The UMD Dogs team would get a 3-2 lead by the 7:45 mark of the opening period but the Backcourt Baddies team would come back and take an 8-5 lead with 4:25 left.  Things would stay tight with the Backcourt Baddies team nursing a 13-12 advantage by the end of the first period.  This game would be leveled at 17-all by the 6:30 mark of the second period before the Backcourt Baddies team could nudge ahead again up 23-22 with 3:15 left.  Down the stretch, the Backcourt Baddies team would establish a bit more breathing room and own a 32-28 lead by the halftime break.  The Backcourt Baddies team would still be hanging onto this 32-28 advantage by the 8:15 mark of the third period and they would maintain this four-point edge up 34-30 near the midway point.  The Backcourt Baddies team would see its lead shrink to two at 36-34 with 2:35 left and with :50 left, the UMD Dogs team would finally poke back out in front again up 37-36.  The Backcourt Baddies team would recover and get this game tied at 39 a piece by the end of the third period.  The UMD Dogs team would forge ahead again up 45-42 by the 6:10 mark of the fourth period but this time around they were able to finally establish some more separation up 54-48 with 3:00 left in regulation as they claimed a hard-earned victory on this night......The other blowout in this time slot took place down on Court 4 where the Granny's Got Game team took on a young Anoka-Ramsey team.  The Granny's Got Game team would get off to a slow start in this one; getting a 2-0 lead by the 6:10 mark of the opening period and they would get their lead to 4-0 with 4:15 left.  Both teams were able to get more scoring down the stretch but the Granny's Got Game team got the best of it up 15-9 by the end of the first period.  A quick 5-0 burst by the Granny's Got Game team had them up 20-9 by the 7:40 mark of the second period and they would own a 23-10 advantage with 4:40 left.  A big 14-4 run by the Granny's Got Game team had them up 34-14 by the halftime break.  The Granny's Got Game team would hold a 38-21 lead by the 6:20  mark of the third period but that lead would shrink to sixteen at 42-26 with 2:25 left and by the end of the third period, the Granny's Got Game team's lead was down to ten at 42-32.  But the Granny's Got Game team would take control for good once the fourth period was underway as they would hold a 46-35 lead at the 7:05 mark and grow the lead to 50-35 with 3:55 left in regulation as they rolled to an easy win.

Some good games in the 7:15 PM slot as well although the game on Court 1 between the GAC Black team and the Team Jody team would turn into another blowout.  The lone bright spot for the Team Jody team came after the opening tip-off where they would poke ahead 2-0 by the 9:10 mark of the opening period but it wouldn't take long for the GAC Black team to seize control of this one as they would own a 13-7 lead with 2:45 left and hold an 18-13 lead by the end of the first period.  The GAC Black team would extend its lead to 26-17 by the 7:00 mark of the second period and would get a double-digit cushion up 33-22 with 2:10 left.  A 4-0 push by the GAC Black team down the stretch had them in a good spot up 36-22 by the halftime break.  The GAC Black team would hold a 41-29 advantage by the 8:00 mark of the third period and would then proceed to go on a huge run after that as they would enjoy a 60-31 lead with 3:10 left.  A 4-0 push down the stretch had the GAC Black team up 64-31.  The GAC Black team had things in cruise control once the fourth period was underway as they would be up 69-34 with 3:00 left in regulation as they romped to an easy win......A somewhat tighter game between two MIAC rivals was going down over on Court 2 between the St. Kate's team and the Bennies team.  The Bennies team would hold a 3-2 lead by the 9:10 mark of the opening period and would then launch a 12-4 run that had them up 15-6 near the midway point.  By the end of the first period, the Bennies team had built a double-digit cushion up 23-12.  The Bennies team would hold a 26-16 lead by the 7:30 mark of the second period and seemed to be in control up 33-21 with 3:20 left.  The St. Kate's team, however, would make a push down the stretch that had them back within single-digit range down 36-27 by the halftime break.  But the St. Kate's team was unable to sustain this momentum once the third period was underway and the Bennies team re-established the double-digit advantage up up 47-31 near the midway point and held a 55-39 by the end of the third period.  The Bennies team would still be up 55-39 by the 8:55 mark of the fourth period when the game was called because of an injury to a St. Kate's player......An interesting game was going down over on Court 3 between the St. Olaf team and the Northwestern team.  The hot-shooting Northwestern team would bolt out to an 11-2 lead by the 6:40 mark of the opening period and would grow its lead to 17-4 with 3:45 left.  A 6-0 push by the St. Olaf team down the stretch, however, had the Northwestern team's down to 17-10 by the end of the first period.  The Northwestern team would go back to work once the second period was underway as they rebuilt the double-digit cushion up 23-12 by the 6:40 mark of the second period but once again the St. Olaf team would battle back as they unleashed an 8-0 run that shrunk the Northwestern team's lead down to 23-20 with 2:00 left.  By the halftime break, the St. Olaf team was very much in this one down 26-21.  The Northwestern team appeared to be off an running again as a 5-0 push had them up 31-21 by the 8:15 mark of the third period but once again, the St. Olaf team would unleash another 8-0 run that had them down by a single possession at 31-29 near the midway point.  The Northwestern team would be up 33-29 with 2:30 left and by the end of the third period, the Northwestern team was hanging onto a somewhat uncertain 36-31 lead.  The Northwestern team would get things in high gear once the fourth period was underway as they would own a 39-31 advantage near the midway point but this time the St. Olaf team had run out of miracles as the Northwestern team got the win on this night......A very good game was taking place down on Court 4 between the Wash-Ups team and the Cross Era team.  The Cross Era team would jump out to a 7-2 lead by the 7:30 mark of the opening period but the Wash-Ups team would battle back as the Cross Era team saw its lead narrow to 11-9 with 2:00 left.  A key 7-0 run by the Wash-Ups team down the stretch had them up 16-11 by the end of the first period.  The Wash-Ups team would maintain this five-point cushion up 19-14 by the 6:20 mark of the second period and would increase the lead to 21-14 with 4:25 left.  But the Cross Era team would launch a big run of its own as the Wash-Ups team saw its lead shrink to 22-19 with 1:20 left and by the halftime break, the Cross Era team had this game back on even terms at 22 a piece.  The Wash-Ups team would own a slim 25-24 advantage by the 6:20 mark of the third period but the Cross Era team would come back and take a one-point lead of their own at 28-27 near the midway point.  Things would stay tight down the stretch with the Wash-Ups team trying to hold onto a 33-31 lead by the end of the third period.  The Wash-Ups team would get a bit more breathing room up 39-35 by the 6:20 mark of the fourth period but that lead would be shrunk to a single possession at 42-40 with 4:10 left in regulation.  With 2:05 left in regulation, this one would be leveled again at 42 a piece and would remain tied at 43-all with 1:40 left in regulation.  The Wash-Ups team would hold a 45-43 lead with 1:10 left in regulation and two free throws by current Augsburg Head Coach Mallie Doucette in the waning seconds proved to be insurance for the Wash-Ups team as they held on for a thrilling win.

The other thriller on this night took place in the 8:15 PM time slot on Court 1 where the Swish team faced off against the Da Birthdays team.  This game would be tied at two a piece by the 8:50 mark of the opening period and although the Da Birthdays team would push ahead 9-8 with 2:40 left the Swish team would come back and own a 14-12 advantage by the end of the first period.  A quick 4-0 push by the Swish team had them up 18-12 by the 8:35 mark of the second period and they would maintain the six-point lead up 22-16 near the midway point.  But the Da Birthdays team would launch a 5-0 push that had the Swish team's lead down to 22-21 with 3:20 left and the Swish team would at least hold onto this one-point edge up 25-24 by the halftime break.  The Swish team would try and get some more breathing room once the third period was underway and they would get a 34-31 lead with 3:25 left and get a 41-37 advantage by the end of the third period.  But the Swish team was unable to maintain the momentum once the fourth period was underway and with 4:25 left in regulation the Da Birthdays team had this game back on even terms at 43 a piece.  This game would be tied at 45-all with 3:05 left in regulation and although the Swish team would take a 47-45 lead with 2:25 left in regulation, the Da Birthdays team took the lead right back on a three-point bomb with 2:00 left in regulation at 48-47.  The Da Birthdays team would get its lead to 50-47 with :55 left in regulation but the Swish team would answer on a pretty lay-up that drew a foul and the "and one" had this game knotted again at 50 a piece with :25 left in regulation.  With time running down, the Da Birthdays team worked the ball around the perimeter and with :04 left in regulation, a foul was called on the Swish team that allowed the Da Birthdays team to sink two free throws as they escaped with an exciting win......No such drama over on Court 2 meanwhile where the St. Kate's team was doing double-duty on this night as they took on the Auggies team.  The St. Kate's team would get out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:30 mark of the opening period and they would hold a slim 6-5 advantage near the midway point.  Things would stay tight down the stretch but the St. Kate's team would get the best of it so far as they would own a 16-12 advantage by the end of the first period.  But the St. Kate's team's fortunes shifted once the second period was underway as the Auggies team would launch a key 11-2 run that had them up 23-18 by the 6:00 mark and the Auggies team would grow its lead to seven up 31-24 by the halftime break.  By the 7:50 mark of the third period, the Auggies team had established a ten-point cushion up 38-28 and things would get progressively worse for the St. Kate's team from then on as the Auggies team would own a hefty 53-36 lead with 3:20 left and although the St. Kate's team would get on a 7-0 run down the stretch, they were still on the wrong end of a 56-43 score by the end of the third period.  The Auggies team would then use a 7-2 run to own a 63-45 lead by the 7:10 mark of the fourth period and with 2:30 left in regulation there was little doubt as to how this one was going to go with the Auggies team up 75-52 as they rolled to an easy win......It was a similar story over on Court 3 where the GAC Gold team was taking on the Ball Busters team and it wouldn't take long for the latter to seize control of this one as the Ball Busters team would own a 9-2 lead by the 7:30 mark of the opening period and stretched the lead to 14-3 near the midway point.  By the end of the first period, the Ball Busters team already had a hefty 22-3 advantage.  The GAC Gold team finally broke out of its extended slumber once the second period was underway but wasn't really able to do much in the way of closing the gap as the Ball Busters team held a 30-10 lead near the midway point and would have a comfortable 34-16 lead by the halftime break.  The Ball Busters team would maintain this eighteen-point lead up 40-22 by the 6:00 mark and would then grow the lead to 48-25 with 2:15 left.  By the end of the third period, the Ball Busters team had a twenty-point plus cushion up 50-27.  By the 6:15 mark of the fourth period, the Ball Busters team had things in cruise control up 57-38 as they rolled to an easy win......One of the other good games on this night took place down on Court 4 in this time slot where the Team 1 team was taking on the Sara's Shooters team.  This game would be tied at 4-all at the 7:35 mark of the opening period and with 2:00 left, the Team 1 team would hold a 12-11 advantage and would then go on a 5-0 push to make it a 17-11 game by the end of the first period.  The Sara's Shooters team would be quick to respond as they would launch an 11-5 push that had this game back on even terms again at 22 a piece by the 6:45 mark of the second period before the Team 1 team could forge ahead at 26-24 with 1:50 left and get a bit more breathing room up 28-24 by the halftime break.  The Team 1 team would continue to hold the upper hand with a 29-26 lead by the 7:50 mark of the third period and would hold a 38-34 lead with 3:45 left.  But the Sara's Shooters team would then launch a 9-1 run down the stretch that suddenly had them up 43-39 by the end of the third period.  The Team 1 team would quickly answer with a 7-0 push of their own that had them back in front 46-43 by the 7:15 mark of the fourth period and they would be holding onto this three-point lead up 48-45 with 4:05 left in regulation.  The Team 1 team had the answers down the stretch as they would hold a 50-45 lead with 1:50 left in regulation and was able to get out of Dodge with the close win.

Just want to give a shout out to Bruce Smith of the Midtown YWCA and his support staff there along with the officials and especially all the players from all the teams for making this Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League a great one!  

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Tuesday 7-21-26

 Here are the results of the games that took place on Tuesday night at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

Royal Ballers - 45

Midway Monsters - 38

GAC Gold - 60

Auggies - 33

UW-Stout - 49

Midway Monsters - 44

Da Birthdays - 47

Team Jody - 43

7:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 66

Northwestern - 57

GAC Black - 81

Anoka-Ramsey - 60

Sara's Shooters - 52

Free Agents - 31

Backcourt Baddies - 52

Cross Era - 36

8:15 PM Games

Granny's Got Game - 60

Free Agents - 28

GAC White - 92

Anoka-Ramsey - 47

Ball Busters - 69

Wash-Ups - 62

Some interesting games in the 6:15 PM slot on this night.  Over on Court 1, two MIAC rivals were going at it as the Royal Ballers team was taking on a roster-heavy Midway Monsters team that would be split up this night to help fill in for teams that couldn't make it over on this night.  The Royal Ballers team would get out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:00 mark of the opening period but the Midway Monsters team would eventually claw back and get this contest leveled at eight a piece with 1:45 left and a late score by the Midway Monsters team had them up 10-8 by the end of the first period.  The Midway Monsters team would get their lead to 16-11 by the 7:05 mark of the second period and with 2:20 left that lead would increase to six at 25-19.  A 5-0 by the Midway Monsters team down the stretch seemed to have them in excellent shape up 30-19 by the halftime break.  Things still appeared to be going very much in the Midway Monsters team's favor as they would hold a 30-21 lead by the 7:10 mark of the third period and they would still be up 34-27 with 3:45 left.  But it was here where the Royal Ballers team launched a key 6-2 push down the stretch that cut the Midway Monsters team's lead down to a single possession at 36-33 by the end of the third period.  The Midway Monsters team's lead was shrunk to just one point at 36-35 by the 8:45 mark of the fourth period and then the Royal Ballers seized control of this game for good as they held their opponent to just two points in the fourth period to secure a big come-from-behind victory......Two other MIAC rivals were going at it over on Court 2 in this time slot as the GAC Gold team was taking on the Auggies team and it wouldn't take long for the GAC Gold team to seize control of this one as they would own a 4-0 lead by the 8:40 mark of the opening period and they would get their lead to 6-0 by the 6:00 mark.  With 1:45 left the GAC Gold team upped its lead to 11-1 and by the end of the first period, the Auggies team found themselves in a serious hold down 15-1.  The Auggies team finally found some semblance of offense once the second period got underway but the math wasn't exactly mathin' for them as the GAC Gold team was still up handily by a 21-6 count by the 7:20 mark and the GAC Gold team still enjoyed a 21-9 lead near the midway point.  Another push by the GAC Gold team had them up 28-11 with 2:20 left and by the halftime break the GAC Gold team had a cushy 33-14 lead at its disposal.  A quick 6-0 push by the GAC Gold team to start the third period stretched the lead to 39-14 and the Auggies team again would continue to struggle offensively as the GAC Gold team had a thirty-point cushion up 46-16 with 3:55 left.  By the end of the third period, the GAC Gold team was running away with this one up 52-18.  The GAC Gold team would rolling along up 54-21 by the 7:30 mark of the fourth period as they romped to an easy win......Over on Court 3, the other half of the Midway Monsters team was taking on the UW-Stout team in a much tighter affair as scoring would come at a premium early on with this one leveled at two a piece near the midway juncture of the opening period.  The Midway Monsters team would eventually poke its nose out in front by  a 7-6 count with 2:40 left and would own a slim 13-11 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Midway Monsters team would still be hanging onto a two-point lead up 15-13 by the 8:20 mark of the second period but the UW-Stout team would get this game back on even terms again at 20 a piece near the midway point.  Then the UW-Stout team would finish off this second period with a key 13-5 push that had them up 33-25 by the halftime break.  The Midway Monsters team would get things tightened up a bit by the 6:45 mark of the third period as the UW-Stout team's lead was cut to five at 38-33 but this latest bid by the Midway Monsters team to tighten things up further faltered as the UW-Stout team increased its lead to 40-33 with 3:20 left.  By the end of the third period, the UW-Stout team had a ten-point cushion up 43-33.  Undeterred, the Midway Monsters team would make another bid to draw closer as the UW-Stout team's lead would be cut down to six at 45-39 near the midway juncture of the fourth period and there still seemed to be some hope with 3:20 left with the Midway Monsters team trailing by just five at 47-42 but they could never get any closer than that as the UW-Stout team held on for the win......Another close battle was ensuing over on Court 4 between the Team Jody team and the Da Birthdays team.  The Da Birthdays team would be holding onto an 8-7 lead by the 7:00 mark of the opening period and seemed to have a bit more breathing room up 11-7 near the midway point.  But the Team Jody team would turn the tables down the stretch and hold a one-point lead of their own up 14-13 by the end of the first period.  The Da Birthdays team would manage to snare the lead away up 17-16 by the 7:00 mark of the second period and would hold a 21-18 advantage near the midway point.  But, just like before, the Team Jody team would come back down the stretch and snare the lead away again as they would find themselves up 25-24 by the halftime break.  Determined to not let that happen again, the Da Birthdays team came out with a firm resolve in the third period as they would forge ahead 32-26 by the 6:20 mark of the third period and they would manage to up the lead to eight at 35-27 with 3:00 left.  By the end of the third period, things still looked very good for the Da Birthdays team up 40-34.  Another push by the Da Birthdays team had them up by nine at 45-36 by the 6:00 mark of the fourth period and things still looked safe for them up 45-38 near the midway point.  But the Team Jody team would make one last run down the stretch in regulation and get back to within a single possession down 45-43 with just 1:45 left.  The Team Jody team had a number of opportunities towards the end but was unable to find that one big bucket as the Da Birthdays team held on for the narrow victory. 

There was at least one very interesting game in the 7:15 PM slot on this night and that took place over on Court 1 as the UW-Stout team took on the Northwestern team.  This one would be leveled at two a piece by the 7:45 mark of the opening period and the UW-Stout team would be able to nudge ahead 6-4 near the midway point.  But then the UW-Stout team would get on a big 17-5 push and hold a sizable 23-9 lead by the end of the first period.  The Stout team would at least maintain this fourteen-point cushion up 25-11 by the 6:40 mark of the second period but then the Northwestern team managed to get on a push of their own that cut the UW-Stout lead down to seven at 28-21 with 1:55 left.  By the halftime break, the Northwestern team was still hovering within single-digit range down 34-25.  A quick 4-0 push by the UW-Stout team to start the third period re-established the double-digit advantage at 38-25 by 7:35 mark but this pesky Northwestern team was managing to hang around and by the end of the third period, they were back withing single-digit range again down 49-41.  But the UW-Stout team would draw the line in the sand once the fourth period was underway as they would hold a 52-43 lead by the 8:25 mark and have a ten-point cushion at 64-54 as they were able to get out of Dodge with the win on this night......Over on Court 2 the GAC Black team was taking on the Anoka-Ramsey team and it didn't take long for the GAC Black team to get into a groove as they would hold a 9-2 lead with 3:00 left in the first period and would get their lead to 21-6 by the end of the first period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team found a bit more offensive production once the second period was underway but they were unable to keep pace with their opponent as the GAC Black team would own a 23-9 lead by the 8:25 mark and with 4:30 left the GAC Black team had doubled-up their opponent by a 28-14 count.  By the halftime break the GAC Black team was able to maintain this fourteen-point lead up 42-28.  The GAC Black team would get its lead to 46-30 by the 8:20 mark of the third period and near the midway point that lead had grown to twenty-three at 58-35.  By the end of the third period the GAC Black team would be up comfortably at 67-46.  The Anoka-Ramsey team did manage to shave off some of the deficit but with the GAC Black team up 72-55 near the midway point of the fourth period, there was little doubt as to how this one was going to end up as the GAC Black team sailed to an easy win......It was a somewhat similar story over on Court 3 as the Free Agents team was taking on the Sara's Shooters team.  The Sara's Shooters team would get out to a 4-0 lead by the 8:15 mark of the opening period although the Free Agents team would be down by only a single possession at 10-7 near the midway point.  By the end of the first period, the Sara's Shooters team would be trying to hang onto a 14-12 advantage.  The Sara's Shooters team would then start opening some more space and hold an 18-12 lead by the 6:40 mark of the second period and would be able to build its lead to eight at 23-15 with 2:00 left.  By the halftime break, the Sara's Shooters team would hold a double-digit advantage up 29-15.  The Free Agents team would continue to struggle on the offensive end as the Sara's Shooters team would get its lead to 38-21 near the midway juncture of the third period and by the end of the third period, the Sara's Shooters team had a twenty-point cushion up 43-23.  Not much would change once the fourth period was underway as the Sara's Shooters team would hold a 44-25 lead by the 6:20 mark and would hold a comfortable 50-27 lead with 3:00 left in regulation as the cruised to an easy win......And it was a somewhat similar story down on Court 4 where the Backcourt Baddies team was taking on the Cross Era team - with a bit of a twist.  The Backcourt Baddies team would hold a 2-0 lead by the 7:20 mark of the opening period but the Cross Era team would gradually start to assume control and by the end of the first period, the Cross Era team held a 15-8 advantage.  The Cross Era team would maintain this seven-point edge up 17-10 at the 7:40 mark of the second period but then the Backcourt Baddies team got things going again and with 3:55 left, the Cross Era team saw its lead cut to just one at 17-16.  The Backcourt Baddies team would finally get out in front again at 18-17 a short time later with 3:25 left but then a quick 7-0 run by the Cross Era team had them up 24-18 with 1:15 left and they would hold a 25-20 lead at the halftime break.  The topsy-turvy nature of this game would continue once the third period was underway as a quick 4-0 burst by the Backcourt Baddies team had them down by only one again at 25-24 by the 9:20 mark and a short time later at the 9:05 mark, the Backcourt Baddies team once again assumed the lead at 27-25.  The Backcourt Baddies team would up the lead to 29-25 by the 8:05 mark and would expand it further to 33-25 near the midway point.  With 2:55 left the Backcourt Baddies team got the lead to 38-25 and by the end of the third period, the Backcourt Baddies team now had a sizable 43-25 lead.  The Free Agents would finally break out of its offensive slumber once the fourth period was underway but they weren't able to make up any ground as the Backcourt Baddies maintained the eighteen-point lead up 46-28 by the 6:05 mark and they would still be safely out in front 48-32 with 2:50 left as they got the solid win on this night.  

Only three games on tap in the 8:15 PM slot on this night.  Over on Court 1, the Free Agents team was doing double-duty on this night and faced off against the Granny's Got Game team and it didn't take long for the Granny's Got Game team to put some distance between itself and their opponent as they would hold a 5-0 lead by the 6:05 mark of the opening period and would hold a 16-8 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Granny's Got Game team would hold an 18-11 lead by the 7:40 mark of the second period and would lead 23-14 near the midway point.  The Granny's Got Game team would establish a double-digit lead up 31-15 with 2:55 left and would hold a 35-22 advantage by the halftime break.  The Granny's Got Game team would be holding onto this same 35-22 lead by the 7:50 mark of the third period and would hold a 40-26 lead near the midway point.  With 2:00 left, the Granny's Got Game team had a twenty-point lead at its disposal up 46-26 and they would hold a 49-26 lead by the end of the third period.  By the 8:15 mark of the fourth period, the Granny's Got Game team was rolling up 51-26 and that lead would grow to 55-28 near the midway point as they sailed to an easy win......Another rout was going down over on Court 2 as the GAC White team was taking on the Anoka-Ramsey team.  While the GAC White team held a slim 4-3 lead at the 9:05 mark of the opening period, they would gradually grow the lead to 16-7 with 3:30 left and by the end of the first period, the GAC White team was enjoying a 22-9 advantage.  A quick 4-0 burst at the beginning of the second period by the GAC White team made it a 26-9 game by the 7:40 mark and they would hold a 28-15 lead near the midway point.  The GAC White team would be up 36-20 with 2:25 left and then a push by the GAC White team down the stretch had them up 44-25 at the halftime break.  A quick 5-0 push at the beginning of the third period by the GAC White team had them up 49-25 by the 8:45 mark and they would have a hefty 55-32 lead at the midway point.  With 3:00 left the GAC White team now had a thirty-point cushion up 63-32 and that would grow to 73-37 by the end of the third period.  By the midway point of the fourth period, it was clear how this one was going to go with the GAC White team up 81-44 as they romped to an easy win......A much tighter affair was ensuing down on Court 4 in this time slot between the Ball Busters team and the Wash-Ups team.  The Ball Busters team would try and take control of things early on as they would hold a 6-2 lead by the 7:55 mark of the opening period and would hold a 16-4 lead with 2:25 left.  By the end of the first period, the Ball Busters team had maintained the eight-point lead up 21-13.  The Ball Busters team would still be holding onto this same 21-13 lead by the 7:10 mark of the second period but that lead would shrink to six at 23-17 with 4:15 left.  The Ball Busters team would recover a bit as they would hold a 27-21 lead with 1:50 left but that lead would again shrink down to four at 30-26 by the halftime break.  The Ball Busters team appeared to recover as they would get their lead to 35-28 by the 8:05 mark of the third period and would have a ten-point cushion up 40-30 near the midway point.  But the Wash-Ups team would go to work again and get the deficit down to seven at 46-39 with 2:30 left and by the end of the third period, the Ball Busters team saw its lead dwindle to five at 51-46.  Things would get more precarious for the Ball Busters team as the Wash-Ups team quickly pulled back to within a single possession down 51-49 by the 9:25 mark of the fourth period.  Alarmed, the Ball Busters team got things going again and established some more breathing room up 59-51 by the 6:00 mark and would still hold a 61-54 lead with 3:40 left.  The Wash-Ups team would make one last run and got the deficit down to four down 61-57 with 2:40 left but ran out of gas after that as the Ball Busters team held on for the hard-fought win.   

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-15-26

 Another good round of games last night at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

Da Birthdays - 84

Anoka-Ramsey - 45

Sara's Shooters - 47

Royal Ballers - 40

GAC Black - 50

Wash-Ups - 46

St. Olaf - 44

Auggies - 36

7:15 PM Games

Team 1 - 64

Bennies - 41

Granny's Got Game - 68

Cross Era - 54

GAC White - 44

Backcourt Baddies - 39

Team Jody - 55

Auggies - 27

8:15 PM Games 

Swish - 63

St. Kate's - 50

Bennies - 55

Ball Busters - 53

GAC Gold - 68

Northwestern - 31

Midway Monsters - 67

Free Agents - 41

Some very good games in the 6:15 PM slot although there was one blowout and that took place over on Court 1 where the Da Birthdays team was taking on the Anoka-Ramsey team.  It didn't take long for the bigger, experienced Da Birthdays team to grab control of this game as they would bolt out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:45 mark of the opening period and would get their lead stretched out to 14-3 near the midway point.  By the end of the first period, the Da Birthdays team had a sizable 30-14 advantage.  The Da Birthdays team would maintain this sixteen-point edge up up 34-18 by the 7:20 mark of the second period and with 3:30 left the Da Birthdays team had doubled-up their opponent with a 44-22 lead.  Down the stretch, a 7-0 push by the Da Birthdays team had them up 49-22 by the halftime break.  Things wouldn't get any better for the Anoka-Ramsey team once the third period was underway as the Da Birthdays team would get its lead to 52-28 by the 7:05 mark and by the end of the third period, that lead would balloon to 69-37.  With 4:00 left in regulation, the Da Birthdays team had things in cruise control with a hefty 79-43 advantage as they romped to an easy win......A much more tightly-contested affair meanwhile was ensuing over on Court 2 between the Royal Ballers team and the Sara's Shooters team.  Scoring would arguably come at something of a premium early on in this game as the Sara's Shooters team would strike first grabbing a 2-0 lead by the 7:50 mark of the opening period and they would be holding onto a one-point lead up 3-2 with 3:35 left.  Both teams then decided to open up things offensively and the Royal Ballers team would get the best of it down the stretch with a 13-6 push that had them up 15-9 by the end of the first period.  The Royal Ballers team would momentarily see its lead trimmed to four at 15-11 by the 8:10 mark of the second period but then the Royal Ballers team would launch an 8-2 push that gave them a ten-point cushion up 23-13 with 3:30 left.  But the Sara's Shooters team would make a 7-2 push of their own down the stretch that had the Royal Ballers team's lead cut in half at 25-20 by the halftime break.  The Sara's Shooters team would use this newfound momentum to their advantage in the early moments of the third period as they got back to within a single possession down 25-22 by the 9:20 mark and less than a minute later, the Royal Ballers team would see its lead reduced to a scant point at 25-24 by the 8:25 mark.  The Royal Ballers team would still be holding onto this one-point lead up 27-26 by the midway point and they did manage to get a bit more breathing room up 31-28 with 3:35 left.  But this Sara's Shooters team was not to be denied as they finally got their nose back out in front by a 34-33 count with :40 left and they would be holding onto this lead at the end of the third period.  The Sara's Shooters team was smelling blood once the fourth period was underway as a 6-2 push had them up 40-35 by the 7:20 mark and they would maintain this five-point edge up 42-37 near the midway point.  The Royal Ballers team faded down the stretch as the Sara's Shooters team had established a ten-point cushion up 47-37 with 2:10 left in regulation as they pocketed the hard-earned win on this night......A highly-anticipated matchup over on Court 3 between the GAC Black team and the Wash-Ups team certainly lived up to its billing in this time slot.  The GAC Black team would grab a 3-0 lead by the 8:20 mark of the opening period and certainly seemed to have things going its way as they would build a 12-5 advantage with 2:30 left and would still hold a 14-8 lead by the end of the first period.  Things would still go the way of the GAC Black team once the second period was underway as they would maintain this six-point edge up 18-12 by the 6:50 mark and near the midway point they would be up 21-15.  The GAC Black team's lead would be cut to five at 23-18 with 3:10 left but they would get the lead to seven up 28-21 by the halftime break.  Things still looked very good for the GAC Black team as they would hold a 30-24 lead by the 8:15 mark of the third period but then the Wash-Ups team was able to get their game in gear and a 6-2 push had the GAC Black team's lead cut to two at 32-30 by the 6:40 mark and with 3:15 left, the Wash-Ups team finally got this game leveled at 32 a piece.  With :30 left, the Wash-Ups team finally poked its nose out in front up 34-32 but the GAC Black team was able to respond with a three-point bomb that put them back up 35-34 by the end of this wild third period.  The GAC Black team would be nursing a slim 42-40 lead by the 7:35 mark of the fourth period but a short time later at the 6:10 mark, the Wash-Ups team had this contest leveled again at 42.  The GAC Black team could have panicked right then and there but instead they responded with a key 8-2 push that had them up 50-44 with 2:20 left which proved to be the difference as they notched a huge win on this night......Two MIAC rivals were going head-to-head over on Court 4 as the St. Olaf team was taking on the Auggies team.  The Auggies team would get off to a solid start in this one as they would hold a 6-2 lead by the 7:50 mark of the opening period but their offensive drive would slow which allowed the St. Olaf team to eventually get this game knotted at six a piece with 3:15 left.  Both teams would make a push down the stretch but it was the St. Olaf team that got the best of it as they would hold a 13-11 edge by the end of the first period.  The Auggies team would soon have this game on even terms again at 13 a piece by the 7:10 mark of the second period but the St. Olaf team would get on another push that had them up 19-16 with 3:00 left.  That didn't deter the Auggies team one bit as they would then launch an impressive 7-0 run down the stretch that had them up 23-19 at the half.  The Auggies team would still be holding onto this 23-19 lead by the by the 8:20 mark of the third period and they would still hold a 27-25 advantage with 3:10 left.  But a 4-0 spurt by the St. Olaf team down the stretch had them back out in front 29-27 by the end of the third period.  Things in this one definitely appeared to be in the balance by the 7:10 mark of the fourth period with the St. Olaf team still trying to protect a single-possession lead up 33-31 but it was here that the St. Olaf team finally started getting some much-needed separation as they would hold a five-point lead at 37-32 near the midway point and they would increase that lead to 44-36 with 2:00 left in regulation as they earned a hard-fought win on this night.

There wasn't a lot in the way of drama in the 7:15 PM slot on this night.  An interesting game was going down over on Court 1 between the Bennies team and the Team 1 team.  The Team 1 team would get a 2-0 lead by the 8:45 mark of the opening period and they would at least hold the upper hand the rest of the way as they would own a 17-12 advantage with 1:45 left and would still be up 17-13 by the end of the first period.  The Team 1 team would establish some more breathing room with a 27-20 advantage near the midway juncture of the second period but a gamey Bennies team would get on a run down the stretch and close to within a single possession down 29-26 by the halftime break.  Determined not to let this one get away from them, the Team 1 team quickly rebuilt the earlier seven-point lead at 35-28 by the 8:15 mark of the third period and with 1:15 left, they had now built a double-digit cushion up 47-35 with 1:50 left and they would hold this lead by the end of the third period.  By the 6:00 mark of the fourth period the Team 1 team had upped its lead to 55-37 and they had things in cruise control the rest of the way as they got the convincing win on this night......Two alumni/mixed teams were going at it on Court 2 in this time slot as the Cross Era team was taking on the Granny's Got Game team.  This game would be knotted at two a piece by the 8:50 mark of the opening period and this one would continue to stay tight as the Cross Era team would find themselves up 17-16 by the end of the first period.  This game would be leveled again at 24-all by the 6:40 mark of the second period but it was here where the Granny's Got Game team launched a key 7-0 push that had them up 31-24 with 3:00 left.  By the halftime break, the Granny's Got Game team had an eight-point 34-26 advantage at their disposal.  The Granny's Got Game team would essentially maintain this same cushion as they would be up 42-35 by the 6:50 mark of the third period and would be up 45-37 near the midway point.  Then the Granny's Got Game team would launch another run that had them up 52-40 with 2:25 left before the Cross Era team got on a late spurt that reduced the deficit back to single digits down 52-44 by the end of the third period.  But the Cross Era team was unable to sustain this momentum as a 6-3 push by the Granny's Got Game team re-established the double-digit cushion up 58-47 by the 8:00 mark of the fourth period and they had smooth sailing the rest of the way to claim the win on this night......Another interesting game was unfolding over on Court 3 between the GAC White team and the Backcourt Baddies team.  This contest would be leveled at three a piece by the 6:30 mark of the opening period but then the GAC White team appeared to be taking full control as they would forge ahead 8-3 with 2:20 left and by the end of the first period, the GAC White team would find themselves up 13-4.  Not much would change once the second period was underway as the GAC White team would hold a 20-13 edge near the midway point and with 1:50 left the GAC White team established a double-digit advantage up 26-15 and they would hold onto this eleven-point lead up 28-17 by the halftime break.  By the 8:25 mark of the third period, the GAC White appeared to be running away with this one up 30-17 thanks to a nifty steal by senior-to-be Kaitlyn Schaefer and a pretty assist to boot in a transition opportunity.  The GAC White team would still be in control up 36-24 with 4:00 left and would own a 39-27 lead by the end of the third period.  Things would still look quite safe for the GAC White team up 42-30 by the 8:25 mark of the fourth period but the Backcourt Baddies team would have the deficit down to ten at 42-32 with 4:10 left in regulation.  With 2:45 left, the GAC White team would see its lead shrink to seven at 44-37 and the Backcourt Baddies team would at least make things uncomfortable for its opponent as they cut the deficit down to five late in regulation at 44-39 before the GAC White team was able to run out the clock......Over on Court 4, the Auggies team was doing double-duty on this night as they would be taking on a bigger and experienced Team Jody team.  This one would be tied at four-all by the 8:00 mark of the opening period but it wouldn't take long for the Team Jody team to start flexing its collective muscle as a 5-0 push had them up 9-4 with 3:55 left and they would own a 13-7 lead by the end of the first period.  The Team Jody team would get its lead to 18-10 by the 7:10 mark of the second period and they would slowly but surely build that lead to double digits at 22-10 with 4:05 left.  By the halftime break, the Team Jody team had a sizable 32-17 advantage.  Things would not get any better for the Auggies team once the third period was underway as the Team Jody team got its lead to 34-17 by the 6:10 mark and by the end of the third period, the Team Jody team stretched its lead to eighteen at 41-23.  By the 6:20 mark of the fourth period, the Team Jody team was running away with this one up 48-25 as they romped to an easy win on this night.  

There were a couple of good games in the 8:15 PM slot on this night.  Court 1 featured an intriguing battle between the Swish team and the St. Kate's team.  The St. Kate's team would get off to a decent start in this one as they would hold an 8-4 advantage by the 6:10 mark of the opening period but the Swish team would come back and forge a 10-10 tie with 4:05 left.  By the end of the first period, the Swish team had managed to poke its nose out in front by a 14-13 count.  The St. Kate's team would quickly respond in the opening moments of the second period as a 4-0 push had them up 17-14 by the 9:10 mark and the St. Kate's team would continue to fire on all cylinders as they would get a 21-16 lead a short time later at the 8:00 mark.  But the St. Kate's team would see their lead shrink to four at 22-18 with 3:30 left and a short time later with 2:00 left, the Swish team had closed to within a single possession down 26-24.  Still, the St. Kate's team was able to get things into high gear again as a 5-0 spurt had them in good shape up 31-24 by the halftime break.  Things still pointed towards the St. Kate's team as they held a 36-30 lead by the 8:00 mark of the third period but near the midway point the St. Kate's team's fortunes shifted as a 4-0 spurt by the Swish team had their lead down to a single possession at 36-34.  A short time later with 4:15 left, the Swish team had retaken the lead at 37-36 and although the St. Kate's team would get this contest leveled at 37 a piece with 1:30 left, the Swish team had some newfound momentum on its side as they finished out the third period with a 6-3 push that had them up 43-40.  By the 7:15 mark of the fourth period the Swish team increased its lead to seven at 47-40 and the St. Kate's team never recovered.  With 4:00 left in regulation, the Swish team was up safely 56-42 as they claimed the win on this night......Perhaps the best game of the night took place on Court 2 in this time slot that saw the Bennies team which was doing double-duty on this night taking on the Ball Busters team.  Determined to make amends for the disappointing outcome in the earlier time slot, the Bennies team got off to a very good start in this one as they would hold a 3-0 lead by the 9:10 mark of the opening period and would be up 11-7 near the midway point.  With 2:00 left, the Bennies team had built a ten-point cushion up 20-10 and increased that lead even more by the end of the first period up 28-15.  The hot-shooting Bennies team would continue with its assault once the second period was underway as they would hold a 28-18 lead by the 6:00 mark and increase the lead to fourteen at 33-19 with 2:15 left.  By the halftime break, the Bennies team still had an eleven-point cushion up 35-24.  The Bennies team would maintain this cushion up 37-26 by the 8:20 mark of the third period and would still enjoy a 42-32 lead near the midway point.  The Bennies team would be up 46-35 with 1:10 left and by the end of the third period, the Bennies team still appeared to be in full control up 46-38.  But this game took a wild turn once the fourth period was underway as the Ball Busters team; now back within single-digit range again, launched a 7-0 push that suddenly closed the gap to just one down 46-45 by the 6:35 mark.  With 3:20 left in regulation, the Bennies team's hopes appeared to go up in smoke as the Ball Busters team pushed ahead 48-47 but to their credit, the Bennies team didn't panic and a big three-point bomb had them back up 50-48 with 2:15 left in regulation.  On their subsequent possession, the Bennies team would again find the magic from downtown as another three-point bomb gave them some breathing room with a 53-48 advantage with 2:00 left in regulation.  The Bennies team still held a 55-51 lead with 1:20 left in regulation but the Ball Busters team would make one last bid as they closed the gap to two down 55-53 with :55 left in regulation.  But the Bennies team was able to stave off the last-ditch attempts by the Ball Busters team and managed to run out the clock to get the nail-biting win......There were also a couple of blowouts in this time slot as well and one of them took place over on Court 3 as the GAC Gold team was taking on the Northwestern team in a MIAC-UMAC clash of sorts.  This game would be knotted at two a piece by the 8:20 mark of the opening period but the GAC Gold team would gradually push ahead and own an 11-6 lead with 2:25 left and increase their lead to six at 15-9 by the end of the first period.  The GAC Gold team would get its lead to nine up 22-13 by the 6:10 mark of the second period and would establish a double-digit cushion up 27-13 near the midway point.  The GAC Gold team would be up 32-15 with 3:00 left and by the halftime break, the GAC Gold team had maintained the seventeen-point edge up 34-17.  The GAC Gold team would up the lead to 36-17 by the 8:30 mark of the third period and near the midway point, the GAC Gold team had doubled-up its opponent with a hefty 44-22 advantage.  By the end of the third period, the GAC Gold team was enjoying a cozy 49-29 advantage.  By the 7:30 mark of the fourth period, the GAC Gold team was running away with this one up 53-29 as they cruised to an easy win on this night......The other blowout in this time slot took place over on Court 4 as the Midway Monsters team took on the Free Agents team.  This game would be leveled at four a piece by the 7:10 mark of the opening period but then the Midway Monsters team would go on a key 14-4 run that had them up 18-8 with 1:50 left.  The Free Agents team would respond, however, with a 5-0 spurt that cut the Midway Monsters team lead down to five at 18-13 by the end of the first period.  The Midway Monsters team would at least maintain this cushion near the midway point of the second period with a 22-16 lead but then the Midway Monsters team shifted into higher gear again as a key 7-0 push got the lead back to double-digit range again up 29-16 with 1:05 left and they would hold this lead by the halftime break.  A quick 4-0 spurt out of the gate by the Midway Monsters team put the Free Agents team between a rock and a hard place down 33-16 by the 7:00 mark of the third period and with 2:30 left, the Midway Monsters team stretched its lead to 45-21.  By the end of the third period, the Midway Monsters team was in high gear up 49-27.  By the 7:35 mark of the fourth period, there was little doubt as to how this one was going to go with the Midway Monsters team up 52-29 as they rolled to an easy win.  

Don't forget that this next week is the last week of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League with games on both Tuesday and Wednesday night so make sure you get down there to catch all the action.