More changes in store for today's power rankings after another unpredictable week in the MIAC:
1. UST
2. SMU
3. GAC
4. Concordia
5. CSB
6. Bethel
7. St. Olaf
8. Augsburg
9. St. Kate's
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
I think it was likely only a matter of time before the Tommies regained the king of the mountain status and I had to give it to them based on SMU's shocking home loss on Wednesday night to Augsburg. But again, the margin is razor-thin between these two at the moment and you can't dismiss the possibility of the Cardinals regaining the top spot. Both squads in fact got tougher challenges than expected yesterday as UST held off St. Kate's at home while SMU escaped the east side of Northfield with a 65-59 win over Carleton. And things don't get any easier for the Tommies as they head down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline to St. Peter this Wednesday night to take on a red-hot GAC squad while the Cardinals host said Wildcats squad on Wednesday and then make the trip to St. Joe on Saturday to take on CSB.
Speaking of those red-hot Gusties, the Black and Gold recorded a great week in knocking off Bethel in Arden Hills and then rolling at home against Macalester yesterday. While I did not see the game with the Scots, GAC may have played one of the best games they played all season long when they beat the Royals last Wednesday night. But now comes the big challenge: At home on Wednesday night to UST - a team they haven't beaten since 2010 - and then on the road to Moorhead to play Concordia on Saturday. As good as they were this last week, the Gusties could take a big hit this coming week. The opportunity is there for them. Now they have to make the most of it. I gave GAC a razor-thin edge over Concordia but the Cobbers I'm sure aren't paying too much attention or are bothered by it much. They've quietly and efficiently run off a five-game win streak and have a chance to extend it to six when they travel to Carleton on Wednesday night before Saturday's showdown in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium against GAC.
CSB looked to be rolling right along with a nice little four-game win streak and I had them in the third spot last Sunday but yesterday's stunning 55-50 loss to Bethel is a head-scratcher and I had no choice but to bump them down to the fifth spot in my power rankings today. On paper anyway, the Blazers should recover on Wednesday night as they travel to Macalester but then a big home date at Claire Lynch against SMU is in the offing for Saturday. Speaking of the Royals, I've left them for dead before and it seems like when I do they respond with an unexpected victory over one of the top teams. The thing is, those big road wins they've recorded mean little in terms of the big picture. They've GOT to find a way to get some consistency as both St. Olaf and Augsburg are nipping at their heels. The Royals are on the road this next week - at St. Olaf Wednesday night and then at Macalester on Saturday and they absolutely have to take care of business this week to get a stronger foothold on that sixth spot.
St. Olaf came away with a split this last week and they're still very much in play for that sixth spot and with two home dates this week - Bethel on Wednesday night and then crosstown rival Carleton on Saturday they have a big chance - maybe their last chance - to make a move. Augsburg got that big road win at SMU on Wednesday night but then followed it up with blowing another golden opportunity (again) at home against Concordia yesterday. On paper, they've got two winnable games this week - at home versus Hamline on Wednesday night and then at St. Kate's on Saturday. Simply put, the Auggies margin for error is nil. St. Kate's is a stretch at this point but when you go back and look at their schedule it's easy to think about what might have been with some of those games they lost and the fact that they had UST on the ropes in Schoenecker Arena yesterday shows that they are not a team you can take lightly. They just haven't been able to get the consistency needed that would take them a few notches further up.
Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Concordia vs Augsburg Recap 1-30-16
Was over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this Saturday afternoon to take in this match-up between visiting Concordia and host Augsburg. The Cobbers rolled into the Cities riding a four-game win streak while Augsburg was riding the coattails of its big road win at SMU on Wednesday night. While the Cobbers had put together a solid 12-6 overall record (8-3 in MIAC play), the Auggies were looking for not only some consistency but another big win to help position them to finish in the top six for a playoff berth.
Scoring came at a premium in the early going of this one. Concordia looked out of sorts on offense and the Auggies weren't exactly lighting the place on fire either. But with just under six minutes left with the Cobbers up 3-2, Augsburg senior point guard Maria Loughlin got on a hot streak. One jumper from the right wing by the Rogers native and one free throw by fellow senior forward Jessica Lillquist had the Auggies up 5-3. Then Loughlin went on her own personal 6-0 run. A pretty one-handed shot from the left wing with 2:46 left and a lay-up with 2:07 left made it 9-3 and a jumper from the left elbow area with 1:30 left now had Augsburg up 11-3 and Cobber Head Coach Jessica Rahman; not liking for one moment how this one was going, called a time out to give her squad a talking to. The Cobbers seemed to finally find a bit of a pulse after that timeout. Junior forward/post Jenna Januschka connected with a jumper from the free throw line with 1:13 left and a jumper from the left elbow area by senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt with just :05.5 before the end of the opening period helped slice some of the fat off of the deficit but with the Auggies up 13-7 Concordia was going to have to find a way to shake off the cobwebs from their long trip down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline.
Augsburg looked to be in great shape when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth drilled a "3" from the right corner at the 9:48 mark of the second period that extended their lead to 16-7 but this is where the Cobbers put in second gear and turned the tables in this one. While Loughlin carried her Auggie teammates in the first period, junior guard Greta Walsh stepped up big time for her Concordia teammates. Back-to-back treys by the Litchfield native - one from the left corner at the 9:29 mark and another one from the right wing area at the 8:52 mark - suddenly cut Augsburg's lead down to 16-13. A Rosenfeldt lay-up in transition at the 8:26 mark cut the Auggie lead down to one and then a sweet reverse lay-up by Walsh underneath the basket gave the Cobbers the lead for good at 17-16. An offensive rebound and putback by Januschka at the 7:03 mark and another Walsh "3" - this one from the right corner at the 6:11 mark increased the Concordia lead to 22-16 and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso; jolted by the 15-0 run, called a timeout to get his troops reorganized. It looked as if the Auggies had recovered from this temporary shock as they were able to gradually get the game back to within a single possession. A Lillquist score in the paint and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta narrowed the Cobber lead down to four at 24-20 with 4:20 left and a jumper in the lane by sophomore forward Bridget Bednar with 3:34 left cut Concordia's lead down to 24-22. But the Cobbers were able dig in and keep the cushion at four points down the stretch. Two Januschka freebies and a short, turnaround jumper by senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson had Concordia up 28-24 with 2:12 left. A Lillquist score in the paint momentarily made it a one-possession game again at 28-26 but Januschka provided the final points of an interesting first half with her lay-up with :51 left that gave the Cobbers a 30-26 lead going into the break at the half. Walsh's big second period really helped turn this one around for Concordia but the other statistic that certainly stood out like a sore thumb for Riverso and Assistant Coach Josh Hersch was that the Cobbers outrebounded Augsburg by a 23-12 margin and that was certainly going to have to change for the Auggies in the second half.
Augsburg looked as if they had figured out their problems in the early going of the third period. An offensive rebound and putback by Lillquist at the 7:50 mark and a "3" by senior guard Allison McKee from the left wing area at the 6:57 mark cut Concordia's lead down to one at 32-31. But the Auggie comeback bid curiously seemed to stall and the Cobbers once again righted the ship. A Januschka score in the paint and two Januschka free throws made it 36-31 with 4:02 left. Junior reserve forward Crystal Amundson connected with a short jumper from the left side with 3:16 left and two more charity stripe shots by Januschka who was controlling the paint upped the lead to 40-31 with 2:36 left. Augsburg would get a bit of a spurt as Bednar connected with a jumper from the free throw line off the glass with 2:19 left and on Orth's offensive rebound and reverse putback with 1:39 left but free throws by Januschka and Johnson and a short jumper in the lane by Januschka with just :01.2 left in the period got the lead to seven at 44-37 and the opportunities that the Auggies had let slip through their fingers were really coming back to hurt them now.
Concordia methodically and purposefully got Augsburg into even deeper doo-doo in the early stages of the fourth and final period. A fadeaway jumper by Johnson at the 9:18 mark and another Walsh "3" - this one from the right corner at the 8:52 mark - got the lead to ten points at 49-39. Free throws by Januschka and senior guard Hannah Jeske increased the lead to twelve at 51-39 at the 7:15 mark before the Auggies finally found a sense of urgency. Loughlin; who had been relatively quiet since that great first period that she had, decided it was time to put the team on her shoulders for a comeback bid. A drive and finish at the 7:02 mark and a jumper along the left baseline at the 5:30 mark reduced the deficit back into single-digit range at 51-43. Then the former Rogers standout unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 4:52 left that cut further into the Cobber lead at 51-46. Concordia was able to get the lead back to eight points on a short jumper by Walsh and a Jeske lay-up at 56-48 with 2:54 left but Loughlin's single-handed attempt to bring her squad back was not done yet. One free throw with 2:37 left and back-to-back treys - both from the right top area - suddenly made it a one possession game again as the Cobbers lead was down to a precarious two points at 59-57 with :30.1 left. Riverso called a timeout to set up strategy and the Auggies immediately fouled Johnson who promptly stepped to the charity stripe with :26.2 left and cooly dropped both attempts for a 61-57 Concordia lead. Loughlin struck again with just :17.6 left when she drove along the left baseline for a finish to get Augsburg back to a single possession game again trailing 61-59. On the ensuing Cobber possession, Jeske was immediately fouled and she connected with her first free throw attempt. The second attempt rolled off but Johnson was there for the offensive rebound and now the Auggies had to foul her. With :13.3 left, Johnson got the first attempt to go down for a 63-59 lead but the second attempt went awry. But, just like before, the Auggies could not come up with the defensive rebound. Instead, Januschka was there to snare it way and that effectively killed any hope Augsburg may have had. Januschka connected on both charity stripe shots with :10.8 left for a 65-59 lead and although Loughlin had one last score left in her in the form of a short jumper with :03 left, her magic on this afternoon was not enough as Concordia took a 65-61 road win back to Moorhead with them.
A happy Rahman said afterward that she needed someone to step up for her squad after a sluggish start. Walsh did just that in the St. Olaf game from Wednesday night and did the same on this afternoon. The thing that really makes the Cobbers an interesting and fun team to watch is that they've got so many moving and interchangeable parts that there really isn't any noticeable drop-off as such when one of the starters come out. At the same time, it's obvious who the three "go to" players are on this team - Januschka, Walsh and Johnson and it's no surprise that they led the way in this game with 23, 17, and 12 points respectively. In fact, both Januschka and Johnson each recorded a "double-double" on this day as Januschka's 13 rebounds and Johnson's 12 rebounds were the main reason that Concordia owned the glass over the Auggies in this contest by a 43-28 margin. And the really cool thing about this squad is that they get the job done with a true team effort. Nothing flashy or glitzy with this group. They each go out and work together as a team no matter who's out on the floor and that's one of the main reasons that Rahman and Concordia have been so successful over the years.
As for the Augsburg, it's definitely a letdown after Wednesday night's huge road upset of SMU. They're not out of the playoff race by a longshot but the road ahead for them is treacherous at best and they've simply got to find a way to make the most of the opportunities that are laid out in front of them. No doubt about it - Loughlin is probably the best play maker in the conference and her ability to create something out of nothing is truly amazing to watch. She led all scorers on this day with her 26 points. The thing is, the Auggies margin for error is so small that they can't rely solely on her carrying the team. Others need to step up and even Hersch admitted as much afterward.
Scoring came at a premium in the early going of this one. Concordia looked out of sorts on offense and the Auggies weren't exactly lighting the place on fire either. But with just under six minutes left with the Cobbers up 3-2, Augsburg senior point guard Maria Loughlin got on a hot streak. One jumper from the right wing by the Rogers native and one free throw by fellow senior forward Jessica Lillquist had the Auggies up 5-3. Then Loughlin went on her own personal 6-0 run. A pretty one-handed shot from the left wing with 2:46 left and a lay-up with 2:07 left made it 9-3 and a jumper from the left elbow area with 1:30 left now had Augsburg up 11-3 and Cobber Head Coach Jessica Rahman; not liking for one moment how this one was going, called a time out to give her squad a talking to. The Cobbers seemed to finally find a bit of a pulse after that timeout. Junior forward/post Jenna Januschka connected with a jumper from the free throw line with 1:13 left and a jumper from the left elbow area by senior guard Katie Rosenfeldt with just :05.5 before the end of the opening period helped slice some of the fat off of the deficit but with the Auggies up 13-7 Concordia was going to have to find a way to shake off the cobwebs from their long trip down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline.
Augsburg looked to be in great shape when senior reserve guard Jenna Orth drilled a "3" from the right corner at the 9:48 mark of the second period that extended their lead to 16-7 but this is where the Cobbers put in second gear and turned the tables in this one. While Loughlin carried her Auggie teammates in the first period, junior guard Greta Walsh stepped up big time for her Concordia teammates. Back-to-back treys by the Litchfield native - one from the left corner at the 9:29 mark and another one from the right wing area at the 8:52 mark - suddenly cut Augsburg's lead down to 16-13. A Rosenfeldt lay-up in transition at the 8:26 mark cut the Auggie lead down to one and then a sweet reverse lay-up by Walsh underneath the basket gave the Cobbers the lead for good at 17-16. An offensive rebound and putback by Januschka at the 7:03 mark and another Walsh "3" - this one from the right corner at the 6:11 mark increased the Concordia lead to 22-16 and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso; jolted by the 15-0 run, called a timeout to get his troops reorganized. It looked as if the Auggies had recovered from this temporary shock as they were able to gradually get the game back to within a single possession. A Lillquist score in the paint and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta narrowed the Cobber lead down to four at 24-20 with 4:20 left and a jumper in the lane by sophomore forward Bridget Bednar with 3:34 left cut Concordia's lead down to 24-22. But the Cobbers were able dig in and keep the cushion at four points down the stretch. Two Januschka freebies and a short, turnaround jumper by senior forward Olivia "Dibs" Johnson had Concordia up 28-24 with 2:12 left. A Lillquist score in the paint momentarily made it a one-possession game again at 28-26 but Januschka provided the final points of an interesting first half with her lay-up with :51 left that gave the Cobbers a 30-26 lead going into the break at the half. Walsh's big second period really helped turn this one around for Concordia but the other statistic that certainly stood out like a sore thumb for Riverso and Assistant Coach Josh Hersch was that the Cobbers outrebounded Augsburg by a 23-12 margin and that was certainly going to have to change for the Auggies in the second half.
Augsburg looked as if they had figured out their problems in the early going of the third period. An offensive rebound and putback by Lillquist at the 7:50 mark and a "3" by senior guard Allison McKee from the left wing area at the 6:57 mark cut Concordia's lead down to one at 32-31. But the Auggie comeback bid curiously seemed to stall and the Cobbers once again righted the ship. A Januschka score in the paint and two Januschka free throws made it 36-31 with 4:02 left. Junior reserve forward Crystal Amundson connected with a short jumper from the left side with 3:16 left and two more charity stripe shots by Januschka who was controlling the paint upped the lead to 40-31 with 2:36 left. Augsburg would get a bit of a spurt as Bednar connected with a jumper from the free throw line off the glass with 2:19 left and on Orth's offensive rebound and reverse putback with 1:39 left but free throws by Januschka and Johnson and a short jumper in the lane by Januschka with just :01.2 left in the period got the lead to seven at 44-37 and the opportunities that the Auggies had let slip through their fingers were really coming back to hurt them now.
Concordia methodically and purposefully got Augsburg into even deeper doo-doo in the early stages of the fourth and final period. A fadeaway jumper by Johnson at the 9:18 mark and another Walsh "3" - this one from the right corner at the 8:52 mark - got the lead to ten points at 49-39. Free throws by Januschka and senior guard Hannah Jeske increased the lead to twelve at 51-39 at the 7:15 mark before the Auggies finally found a sense of urgency. Loughlin; who had been relatively quiet since that great first period that she had, decided it was time to put the team on her shoulders for a comeback bid. A drive and finish at the 7:02 mark and a jumper along the left baseline at the 5:30 mark reduced the deficit back into single-digit range at 51-43. Then the former Rogers standout unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 4:52 left that cut further into the Cobber lead at 51-46. Concordia was able to get the lead back to eight points on a short jumper by Walsh and a Jeske lay-up at 56-48 with 2:54 left but Loughlin's single-handed attempt to bring her squad back was not done yet. One free throw with 2:37 left and back-to-back treys - both from the right top area - suddenly made it a one possession game again as the Cobbers lead was down to a precarious two points at 59-57 with :30.1 left. Riverso called a timeout to set up strategy and the Auggies immediately fouled Johnson who promptly stepped to the charity stripe with :26.2 left and cooly dropped both attempts for a 61-57 Concordia lead. Loughlin struck again with just :17.6 left when she drove along the left baseline for a finish to get Augsburg back to a single possession game again trailing 61-59. On the ensuing Cobber possession, Jeske was immediately fouled and she connected with her first free throw attempt. The second attempt rolled off but Johnson was there for the offensive rebound and now the Auggies had to foul her. With :13.3 left, Johnson got the first attempt to go down for a 63-59 lead but the second attempt went awry. But, just like before, the Auggies could not come up with the defensive rebound. Instead, Januschka was there to snare it way and that effectively killed any hope Augsburg may have had. Januschka connected on both charity stripe shots with :10.8 left for a 65-59 lead and although Loughlin had one last score left in her in the form of a short jumper with :03 left, her magic on this afternoon was not enough as Concordia took a 65-61 road win back to Moorhead with them.
A happy Rahman said afterward that she needed someone to step up for her squad after a sluggish start. Walsh did just that in the St. Olaf game from Wednesday night and did the same on this afternoon. The thing that really makes the Cobbers an interesting and fun team to watch is that they've got so many moving and interchangeable parts that there really isn't any noticeable drop-off as such when one of the starters come out. At the same time, it's obvious who the three "go to" players are on this team - Januschka, Walsh and Johnson and it's no surprise that they led the way in this game with 23, 17, and 12 points respectively. In fact, both Januschka and Johnson each recorded a "double-double" on this day as Januschka's 13 rebounds and Johnson's 12 rebounds were the main reason that Concordia owned the glass over the Auggies in this contest by a 43-28 margin. And the really cool thing about this squad is that they get the job done with a true team effort. Nothing flashy or glitzy with this group. They each go out and work together as a team no matter who's out on the floor and that's one of the main reasons that Rahman and Concordia have been so successful over the years.
As for the Augsburg, it's definitely a letdown after Wednesday night's huge road upset of SMU. They're not out of the playoff race by a longshot but the road ahead for them is treacherous at best and they've simply got to find a way to make the most of the opportunities that are laid out in front of them. No doubt about it - Loughlin is probably the best play maker in the conference and her ability to create something out of nothing is truly amazing to watch. She led all scorers on this day with her 26 points. The thing is, the Auggies margin for error is so small that they can't rely solely on her carrying the team. Others need to step up and even Hersch admitted as much afterward.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
GAC vs Bethel 1-27-16
Made my way over to Bethel University's Robertson Center on this Wednesday night armed with a small supper and God's nectar (aka Pepsi) to take in this important conference clash between visiting Gustavus Adolphus and host Bethel. The Gusties were coming into this contest right in the thick of things in the highly competitive MIAC while the Royals were looking for some sort of a jump start in what so far has been an incredibly disappointing season considering the sky high expectations back in November.
As expected, things were tight in the early going. With the game tied at 4-all, Bethel senior post Rachel Parupsky connected with a short jumper along the right baseline at the 6:41 mark that gave the Royals a 6-4 lead but that advantage didn't last long. An offensive rebound and putback by sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller at the 6:14 mark and a score in the paint by freshman reserve newcomer post Olivia Hass at the 5:38 mark gave GAC an 8-6 lead. Freshman reserve guard Justine Lee's score in the paint with 4:35 left and two free throws by the former Dawson-Boyd standout gave the Gusties a 12-8 lead with 4:26 left. Fellow freshman reserve guard Taylor Anderson connected with a jumper from the left elbow with 3:11 left and a drive and lay-up by Mikayla Miller with 2:41 left now gave GAC a 16-9 advantage. The Royals tried to counter as sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:24 left and one free throw by senior point guard Hannah Niewald reduced GAC's lead down to 16-13. But the Gusties came right back as Lee banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 1:40 left and one Hass charity stripe shot got the lead back up to seven at 20-13 with 1:16 left. Bethel again tried to counter as junior guard Shanni Moorse drove into the lane for a finish with :36 left and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson with :08 left shaved the Gustie lead down to four at 22-18 but once again, Bethel appeared to be out of sync on offense and looked a bit shell-shocked on how the Gusties were taking the battle to them.
It appeared early on in the second period that the Royals had figured out their problems and were well on their way back to getting into the thick of things again. One free throw by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 9:50 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff at the 8:22 mark brought Bethel back to within one possession trailing 24-21 but things took a change for the worse for good for the Royals shortly thereafter. GAC sophomore forward Miranda Rice snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her free throw made it 27-21 and then sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockmann connected on a lay-up at the 6:55 mark that suddenly made it a 29-21 ballgame and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; whose team takes so much pride in its defensive tactics, realized that trouble was brewing and he called a timeout in hopes of quickly turning things around. But the Gusties were just getting into their groove. Free throws by Anderson and Klockmann not only gave GAC a ten-point cushion at 33-23 but, even worse for the Royals was that now the Gusties were in the bonus as well. A lay-up by Mikayla Miller with 4:41 left and pairs of free throws by the former Goodhue standout expanded the lead to 39-23 with 3:34 left. A "3" by senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz from the right corner took some of the fat off of the deficit for Bethel trailing 39-28 but the Royals simply could not seem to generate any kind of sustained run that might have changed things up going into the home stretch of the first half. Two free throws by junior guard Hannah Howard with 1:14 left and a pretty "3" by Mikayla Miller from the left wing stretched GAC's lead to 44-28 and a Howard lay-up with :12.4 left punctuated a fabulous second period for the Gusties as they took a 46-29 lead into the locker room at the half. A glance at the first half box score shows that more than just the score stood out in this one. GAC absolutely hammered the Royals on the glass by a 31-18 count and while the Gusties didn't necessarily shoot that great from FG range, Bethel shot even worse; 33.3% from FG range and an icy 22.2% from three-point land.
If the Royals wanted to get back into this thing and turn this game - and quite possibly their season around - they simply had to come out of the gates on fire at the beginning of the third period. While the flames weren't exactly blazing, Bethel finally did show some signs of life that hinted that this contest could get interesting again. Zimmerman started things off at the 9:46 mark with an offensive rebound for a putback and Niewald did the same at the 8:49 mark that shaved the Gustie lead down to 46-33. Free throws by both Schultz and Parupsky pulled the Royals closer and hopes appeared even brighter when GAC's Mikayla Miller picked up her third foul at the 8:04 mark. Pairs of freebies by both Parupsky and Moorse reduced the Gustie lead down to 50-39 at the 5:24 mark and a lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole with 4:18 left finally got Bethel back to within single-digit range trailing 50-41 and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; determined to not let another lead get away from her young squad, called a timeout. The Royals still threatened, however, and drew even closer. One Niewald free throw with 3:48 left and an O'Toole "3" from the top of the key with 3:07 left cut the Gustie lead down to 52-45 and Niewald a minute later got loose on a fast break attempt lay-up that hung precariously on the rim before gravity got the best of the ball and allowed it to fall harmlessly off into the arms of GAC senior reserve forward Lindsey Johnson. That lay-up; had it gone in, might have greatly changed the complexion of this one but this is precisely where the Gusties were able to dig in and get the ship sailing in the right direction again. A "3" by Lee from the right wing area with 1:54 left and one Lee charity stripe shot with :52.8 left got the lead back out to nine at 56-47 and then it was Lindsey Johnson stealing the spotlight with her jumper from the free throw line right before the buzzer with just :00.7 left for a 58-49 lead that seemed to suck the air out of the comeback balloon for Bethel.
Things just seemed to go from bad to worse for the Royals in the fourth and final period as they were not only trying to once again claw back from the brink but were now also facing foul trouble as well. Moorse picked up her fourth foul at the 9:04 mark and Parupsky got tagged with her third foul at the 8:44 mark. Gustie freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson connected with a short shot off of an inbounds pass at the 8:01 mark to give GAC a 62-49 lead and at the 6:20 mark Parupsky got whistled for her fourth foul of the evening. Bethel tried desperately to find a way - any way possible - that might somehow get this thing turned around but it simply was not happening on this night. Junior guard Kelsey Carpenter put down two freebies at the 5;13 mark and a lay-up in transition by Mikayla Miller with 4:58 left made it 67-52 which, for all intents and purposes, was the ballgame. Hass got into the paint for a score with 3:41 left as did Rice with 2:03 left. Lindsey Johnson gracefully drained a "3" from the left wing area with 1:46 mark and free throws by Lee down the stretch gave the Gusties a big 79-65 win on the road.
As you can imagine, Kelly was bursting at the seams with pride and joy over her squad's triumph on this night. "I felt like we came out as the aggressors" Kelly said and I think that second period was perhaps the best ten minutes of basketball I've seen the Gusties play in a long, long time; certainly from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. I think more importantly, this young team took a big step forward overall as they not only got a big road win but it was also against a team that many, including yours truly, looked to be as early favorites in the conference race. On another front, I also think that Mikayla Miller is hands down the best point guard in the conference and she's only a sophomore. She obviously can score but it's more than just that. She can defend and she's also got an uncanny ability to be able to get in the paint and mix it up with bigger, taller players fighting for a rebound. She's very strong and deceptively quick and simply tough to guard and she knows how to take care of the rock as well. Lindsey Johnson as a senior is the glue that holds this team together. She's got great leadership ability and does all the things on the court that you want from a senior. Recovering from a bout of mono has limited her time on the court and even Kelly admitted that it's been and still is a process of slowly bringing her back and having her get to feeling the way she wants to feel out there. Kelly couldn't help but lament about the game a week ago at home against CSB; a decision that they dropped in OT and what could have been but, at the same time, they're right in the thick of things and they're right where they want to be. At the same time, we all remember how things went south for this team down the stretch last year but I do think that this squad has taken a huge step forward. Let's see what they do with it.
Meanwhile, for Bethel, exactly where do you go from here? All those high hopes and expectations have long since flown out the window and now the Royals suddenly find themselves fighting for their playoff lives with a 6-5 conference record and 10-8 overall. I think the really scary aspect of all this - from my view anyway - is that I really, truly don't know where to point the finger for this mess. I can't fault just one or two players nor can I specifically place the onus on Herbrechtsmeyer and his experienced-laden staff who know their X's and O's. I just don't know. I really don't. And when you look at their remaining schedule things definitely do not get any easier down the stretch. A roadie at CSB on Saturday as well as back-to-back home games with both SMU and UST in February await and it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Royals could be on the outside looking in once the regular season concludes on February 20.
So it comes as no shock that Mikayla Miller led all scorers on this night with her 17 points followed closely by Lee's 16 points and followed by Rice with her 10 points. Parupsky and Schultz led Bethel in the losing effort with 13 points a piece while Niewald, Zimmerman and O'Toole each added 8 points. Again, the one glaring stat that will undoubtedly have Herbrechtsmeyer reaching for the Tylenol PM for the next few nights was the rebounding - in the form of a 52-38 advantage for the Gusties. And, as I mentioned before, the Gusties didn't shoot that great on this night but with the huge advantage on the boards, they really didn't have to.
As expected, things were tight in the early going. With the game tied at 4-all, Bethel senior post Rachel Parupsky connected with a short jumper along the right baseline at the 6:41 mark that gave the Royals a 6-4 lead but that advantage didn't last long. An offensive rebound and putback by sophomore point guard Mikayla Miller at the 6:14 mark and a score in the paint by freshman reserve newcomer post Olivia Hass at the 5:38 mark gave GAC an 8-6 lead. Freshman reserve guard Justine Lee's score in the paint with 4:35 left and two free throws by the former Dawson-Boyd standout gave the Gusties a 12-8 lead with 4:26 left. Fellow freshman reserve guard Taylor Anderson connected with a jumper from the left elbow with 3:11 left and a drive and lay-up by Mikayla Miller with 2:41 left now gave GAC a 16-9 advantage. The Royals tried to counter as sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:24 left and one free throw by senior point guard Hannah Niewald reduced GAC's lead down to 16-13. But the Gusties came right back as Lee banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 1:40 left and one Hass charity stripe shot got the lead back up to seven at 20-13 with 1:16 left. Bethel again tried to counter as junior guard Shanni Moorse drove into the lane for a finish with :36 left and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson with :08 left shaved the Gustie lead down to four at 22-18 but once again, Bethel appeared to be out of sync on offense and looked a bit shell-shocked on how the Gusties were taking the battle to them.
It appeared early on in the second period that the Royals had figured out their problems and were well on their way back to getting into the thick of things again. One free throw by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 9:50 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff at the 8:22 mark brought Bethel back to within one possession trailing 24-21 but things took a change for the worse for good for the Royals shortly thereafter. GAC sophomore forward Miranda Rice snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her free throw made it 27-21 and then sophomore reserve post Stephanie Klockmann connected on a lay-up at the 6:55 mark that suddenly made it a 29-21 ballgame and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; whose team takes so much pride in its defensive tactics, realized that trouble was brewing and he called a timeout in hopes of quickly turning things around. But the Gusties were just getting into their groove. Free throws by Anderson and Klockmann not only gave GAC a ten-point cushion at 33-23 but, even worse for the Royals was that now the Gusties were in the bonus as well. A lay-up by Mikayla Miller with 4:41 left and pairs of free throws by the former Goodhue standout expanded the lead to 39-23 with 3:34 left. A "3" by senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz from the right corner took some of the fat off of the deficit for Bethel trailing 39-28 but the Royals simply could not seem to generate any kind of sustained run that might have changed things up going into the home stretch of the first half. Two free throws by junior guard Hannah Howard with 1:14 left and a pretty "3" by Mikayla Miller from the left wing stretched GAC's lead to 44-28 and a Howard lay-up with :12.4 left punctuated a fabulous second period for the Gusties as they took a 46-29 lead into the locker room at the half. A glance at the first half box score shows that more than just the score stood out in this one. GAC absolutely hammered the Royals on the glass by a 31-18 count and while the Gusties didn't necessarily shoot that great from FG range, Bethel shot even worse; 33.3% from FG range and an icy 22.2% from three-point land.
If the Royals wanted to get back into this thing and turn this game - and quite possibly their season around - they simply had to come out of the gates on fire at the beginning of the third period. While the flames weren't exactly blazing, Bethel finally did show some signs of life that hinted that this contest could get interesting again. Zimmerman started things off at the 9:46 mark with an offensive rebound for a putback and Niewald did the same at the 8:49 mark that shaved the Gustie lead down to 46-33. Free throws by both Schultz and Parupsky pulled the Royals closer and hopes appeared even brighter when GAC's Mikayla Miller picked up her third foul at the 8:04 mark. Pairs of freebies by both Parupsky and Moorse reduced the Gustie lead down to 50-39 at the 5:24 mark and a lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole with 4:18 left finally got Bethel back to within single-digit range trailing 50-41 and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; determined to not let another lead get away from her young squad, called a timeout. The Royals still threatened, however, and drew even closer. One Niewald free throw with 3:48 left and an O'Toole "3" from the top of the key with 3:07 left cut the Gustie lead down to 52-45 and Niewald a minute later got loose on a fast break attempt lay-up that hung precariously on the rim before gravity got the best of the ball and allowed it to fall harmlessly off into the arms of GAC senior reserve forward Lindsey Johnson. That lay-up; had it gone in, might have greatly changed the complexion of this one but this is precisely where the Gusties were able to dig in and get the ship sailing in the right direction again. A "3" by Lee from the right wing area with 1:54 left and one Lee charity stripe shot with :52.8 left got the lead back out to nine at 56-47 and then it was Lindsey Johnson stealing the spotlight with her jumper from the free throw line right before the buzzer with just :00.7 left for a 58-49 lead that seemed to suck the air out of the comeback balloon for Bethel.
Things just seemed to go from bad to worse for the Royals in the fourth and final period as they were not only trying to once again claw back from the brink but were now also facing foul trouble as well. Moorse picked up her fourth foul at the 9:04 mark and Parupsky got tagged with her third foul at the 8:44 mark. Gustie freshman reserve forward Kendall Thompson connected with a short shot off of an inbounds pass at the 8:01 mark to give GAC a 62-49 lead and at the 6:20 mark Parupsky got whistled for her fourth foul of the evening. Bethel tried desperately to find a way - any way possible - that might somehow get this thing turned around but it simply was not happening on this night. Junior guard Kelsey Carpenter put down two freebies at the 5;13 mark and a lay-up in transition by Mikayla Miller with 4:58 left made it 67-52 which, for all intents and purposes, was the ballgame. Hass got into the paint for a score with 3:41 left as did Rice with 2:03 left. Lindsey Johnson gracefully drained a "3" from the left wing area with 1:46 mark and free throws by Lee down the stretch gave the Gusties a big 79-65 win on the road.
As you can imagine, Kelly was bursting at the seams with pride and joy over her squad's triumph on this night. "I felt like we came out as the aggressors" Kelly said and I think that second period was perhaps the best ten minutes of basketball I've seen the Gusties play in a long, long time; certainly from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. I think more importantly, this young team took a big step forward overall as they not only got a big road win but it was also against a team that many, including yours truly, looked to be as early favorites in the conference race. On another front, I also think that Mikayla Miller is hands down the best point guard in the conference and she's only a sophomore. She obviously can score but it's more than just that. She can defend and she's also got an uncanny ability to be able to get in the paint and mix it up with bigger, taller players fighting for a rebound. She's very strong and deceptively quick and simply tough to guard and she knows how to take care of the rock as well. Lindsey Johnson as a senior is the glue that holds this team together. She's got great leadership ability and does all the things on the court that you want from a senior. Recovering from a bout of mono has limited her time on the court and even Kelly admitted that it's been and still is a process of slowly bringing her back and having her get to feeling the way she wants to feel out there. Kelly couldn't help but lament about the game a week ago at home against CSB; a decision that they dropped in OT and what could have been but, at the same time, they're right in the thick of things and they're right where they want to be. At the same time, we all remember how things went south for this team down the stretch last year but I do think that this squad has taken a huge step forward. Let's see what they do with it.
Meanwhile, for Bethel, exactly where do you go from here? All those high hopes and expectations have long since flown out the window and now the Royals suddenly find themselves fighting for their playoff lives with a 6-5 conference record and 10-8 overall. I think the really scary aspect of all this - from my view anyway - is that I really, truly don't know where to point the finger for this mess. I can't fault just one or two players nor can I specifically place the onus on Herbrechtsmeyer and his experienced-laden staff who know their X's and O's. I just don't know. I really don't. And when you look at their remaining schedule things definitely do not get any easier down the stretch. A roadie at CSB on Saturday as well as back-to-back home games with both SMU and UST in February await and it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Royals could be on the outside looking in once the regular season concludes on February 20.
So it comes as no shock that Mikayla Miller led all scorers on this night with her 17 points followed closely by Lee's 16 points and followed by Rice with her 10 points. Parupsky and Schultz led Bethel in the losing effort with 13 points a piece while Niewald, Zimmerman and O'Toole each added 8 points. Again, the one glaring stat that will undoubtedly have Herbrechtsmeyer reaching for the Tylenol PM for the next few nights was the rebounding - in the form of a 52-38 advantage for the Gusties. And, as I mentioned before, the Gusties didn't shoot that great on this night but with the huge advantage on the boards, they really didn't have to.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-24-16
Another interesting week in MIAC women's basketball and a bit of reshuffling of the deck in my latest power rankings.
1. SMU
2. UST
3. CSB
4. Concordia
5. GAC
6. Bethel
7. Augsburg
8. St. Olaf
9. St. Kate's
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
I still give the Cardinals a razor-thin edge over UST at the top spot as both teams recorded easy wins this last week and, on paper anyway, both should continue the trend this coming week as well. Easily the biggest climber this week was CSB as the Blazers recorded two huge road wins - at GAC in OT and at St. Olaf yesterday. CSB has a huge opportunity this coming week to keep the beat going as they host Hamline Wednesday night and then Bethel next Saturday. A good week as well for the Cobbers as they dispatched both Macalester and Bethel and if the Corn can keep the trend going this next week they could be very tough to beat the rest of the way.
I think you had to figure that, somewhere along the line, the youth and inexperience of the Gusties would come back to haunt them and that was clearly the case this last Wednesday when they dropped a 70-61 overtime decision at home in St. Peter to CSB. I still think GAC is a solid playoff team but again, the nagging question: WHEN does this squad finally put it all together? When will they go from being "We're young but fun!" to "We're experienced and by God we expect to win championships"? I think it's a fair question. Bethel's confounding season continues to unravel as they had to settle for a split this last week and anything but two wins for the Royals this last week is yet another huge step backward for them. Augsburg is still very much in the hunt for the sixth spot but the Auggies have an incredibly tough week coming up for them: At SMU on Wednesday and then home to Concordia on Saturday. The Oles had a bad week dropping two games and they've got to find a way to turn things around quickly before this thing gets away from them - again.
1. SMU
2. UST
3. CSB
4. Concordia
5. GAC
6. Bethel
7. Augsburg
8. St. Olaf
9. St. Kate's
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
I still give the Cardinals a razor-thin edge over UST at the top spot as both teams recorded easy wins this last week and, on paper anyway, both should continue the trend this coming week as well. Easily the biggest climber this week was CSB as the Blazers recorded two huge road wins - at GAC in OT and at St. Olaf yesterday. CSB has a huge opportunity this coming week to keep the beat going as they host Hamline Wednesday night and then Bethel next Saturday. A good week as well for the Cobbers as they dispatched both Macalester and Bethel and if the Corn can keep the trend going this next week they could be very tough to beat the rest of the way.
I think you had to figure that, somewhere along the line, the youth and inexperience of the Gusties would come back to haunt them and that was clearly the case this last Wednesday when they dropped a 70-61 overtime decision at home in St. Peter to CSB. I still think GAC is a solid playoff team but again, the nagging question: WHEN does this squad finally put it all together? When will they go from being "We're young but fun!" to "We're experienced and by God we expect to win championships"? I think it's a fair question. Bethel's confounding season continues to unravel as they had to settle for a split this last week and anything but two wins for the Royals this last week is yet another huge step backward for them. Augsburg is still very much in the hunt for the sixth spot but the Auggies have an incredibly tough week coming up for them: At SMU on Wednesday and then home to Concordia on Saturday. The Oles had a bad week dropping two games and they've got to find a way to turn things around quickly before this thing gets away from them - again.
St. Kate's vs Hamline Recap 1-23-16
Was back over at venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University on this nice January afternoon to take in the contest between visiting St. Kate's and host Hamline. It always seems as if unpredictable is the watchword whenever these two teams meet as wild and crazy things always seem to happen and today was no exception. Today was also "Family Day" at Hamline as parents and family were recognized before tip-off.
It would be the Pipers who came out of the gate fast; much like they did when they hosted GAC earlier in the month. Two scores by senior guard Emily Behrman and a "3" by always-dangerous junior sharp-shooting guard Chelsey Bonsante from the left wing in transition had the Pipers up 7-2 by the 5:47 mark and Hamline increased the lead to as many as nine points at 13-4 with 3:25 left on scores by sophomore forward Alex Peterson, fellow sophomore guard Allison Bartak and a steal and putback by freshman forward Haley Greene. The 'Cats; who looked sluggish in the opening minutes and unable to get much going offensively, gradually worked their way back into the contest. Flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt got one score in the paint with 3:08 left and dropped two free throws with 2:45 left that sliced the Hamline lead down to 13-8 which is how the first period ended. Considering how poorly St. Kate's shot the ball in the opening period, they were probably pretty fortunate to be in the position they were in.
The Pipers still looked to be in good shape in the opening moments of the second period as a Bonsante score in the paint at the 9:37 mark and a short jumper by Behrman from the left side had Hamline up 17-11 by the 8:52 mark. But St. Kate's would quickly close the gap as free throws by junior forward Kennedy Jennings and two more by fellow junior forward Mari Lee cut the Pipers lead down to 17-15 and a steal and lay-up the other way by Jennings at the 6:50 mark knotted the issue at 17-all. Senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch's freebie at the 6:13 mark gave the 'Cats their first lead of the afternoon at 18-17 although that didn't last long. Behrman's lay-up in transition after a steal at the 5:47 mark gave Hamline the lead back at 19-18 and the two teams traded small leads with each other down the stretch before halftime. A lay-up off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Chloe Graves with 2:41 left and a pretty reverse lay-up by Bonsante with 2:16 left plus one Graves charity stripe shot seemed to momentarily give the Pipers some momentum up 29-25 with 1:50 left but a resourceful St. Kate's squad dug in late. Horsch uncorked her first three-point bomb of the day from the top of the key with 1:33 left and a free throw by Jennings with just :12 left tied the game at 29-all which how things stood with both teams going into the locker room with a bunch of unanswered questions. The Wildcats shot an abysmal 25% from FG range and were frigid from three-point land with 1-10 for 10%. What likely saved St. Kate's from being in a big hole was that they got into the bonus at the 8:12 mark and were able to cash in from the charity stripe.
Hamline again appeared to grab some early momentum in the opening minutes of the third period as two scores by Peterson gave the Pipers a 33-29 advantage. But some of that momentum was again lost when Greene picked up her fourth foul of the afternoon at the 6:46 mark and consecutive scores by Wildcat sophomore guard Meg Clark had the issue tied up again at 33-all. But right back came Hamline and two three-point bombs - one by Graves from the right top area off of an inbounds pass at the 5:23 mark and another one by Behrman from the left corner with 4:12 left - seemed to light that spark that Piper Head Coach Kerri Stockwell was looking for as it gave Hamline a 39-33 advantage. St. Kate's tried to make inroads on free throws by both Holt and Jennings and a "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard/forward Alexis Garcia had the 'Cats back in the four-point range trailing 42-38 with :48 left but Hamline closed out the third period strong. Two free throws by Graves with :37 left and a "3" from the left wing area with just :03 left on the clock before the end of the period gave the Pipers a nice little cushion at 47-40 and it looked as if St. Kate's might have hit another proverbial wall going into the fourth and final period.
But the Wildcats; who have struggled in the second half in several contests this season thus far, finally found a way to turn up the heat as they embarked on a key 9-0 run. Consecutive scores by sophomore guard Audra Clark trimmed Hamline's lead down to 47-44 by the 8:59 mark and then consecutive scores by Holt - a steal and lay-up the other way at the 8:27 mark and a "3" from the left wing area now had St. Kate's up 49-47 by the 7:46 mark. A score in the paint by Greene at the 7:35 mark and a lay-up by Graves at the 7:12 mark gave the Pipers the lead one more time at 51-49 but this is where fatigue may have started becoming a factor for Hamline and their short bench. A decisive 13-4 run by the Wildcats over the next four and a half minutes changed the tone of this one for good. One Horsch freebie along with a Holt lay-up and an Audra Clark rebound and putback of her own miss at the 4:50 mark now had St. Kate's up 54-51 with 4:50 left but the purple-clad 'Cats were far from finished. Greene's offensive rebound and putback allowed Hamline to inch closer trailing 54-53 with 4:29 left but that was negated when Green fouled out less than a minute later. Two Holt free throws and a Meg Clark lay-up in transition after a steal gave St. Kate's a 60-55 lead with 3:22 left and a Horsch lay-up in transition after a steal with 2:55 left expanded the cushion to seven points at 62-55 and Stockwell quickly realized this one was slipping away and called a timeout to try and prevent the inevitable. But now the Pipers were forced to foul and with St. Kate's in the bonus by this time there was little that Hamline could do. Audra Clark got a three-point play out of her lay-up in transition that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory freebie for a ten-point 65-55 lead and insurance free throws by both Horsch and Audra Clark gave St. Kate's not only a 71-57 win but a big shot of confidence as this snapped a six-game losing skid.
It would be the Pipers who came out of the gate fast; much like they did when they hosted GAC earlier in the month. Two scores by senior guard Emily Behrman and a "3" by always-dangerous junior sharp-shooting guard Chelsey Bonsante from the left wing in transition had the Pipers up 7-2 by the 5:47 mark and Hamline increased the lead to as many as nine points at 13-4 with 3:25 left on scores by sophomore forward Alex Peterson, fellow sophomore guard Allison Bartak and a steal and putback by freshman forward Haley Greene. The 'Cats; who looked sluggish in the opening minutes and unable to get much going offensively, gradually worked their way back into the contest. Flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt got one score in the paint with 3:08 left and dropped two free throws with 2:45 left that sliced the Hamline lead down to 13-8 which is how the first period ended. Considering how poorly St. Kate's shot the ball in the opening period, they were probably pretty fortunate to be in the position they were in.
The Pipers still looked to be in good shape in the opening moments of the second period as a Bonsante score in the paint at the 9:37 mark and a short jumper by Behrman from the left side had Hamline up 17-11 by the 8:52 mark. But St. Kate's would quickly close the gap as free throws by junior forward Kennedy Jennings and two more by fellow junior forward Mari Lee cut the Pipers lead down to 17-15 and a steal and lay-up the other way by Jennings at the 6:50 mark knotted the issue at 17-all. Senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch's freebie at the 6:13 mark gave the 'Cats their first lead of the afternoon at 18-17 although that didn't last long. Behrman's lay-up in transition after a steal at the 5:47 mark gave Hamline the lead back at 19-18 and the two teams traded small leads with each other down the stretch before halftime. A lay-up off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Chloe Graves with 2:41 left and a pretty reverse lay-up by Bonsante with 2:16 left plus one Graves charity stripe shot seemed to momentarily give the Pipers some momentum up 29-25 with 1:50 left but a resourceful St. Kate's squad dug in late. Horsch uncorked her first three-point bomb of the day from the top of the key with 1:33 left and a free throw by Jennings with just :12 left tied the game at 29-all which how things stood with both teams going into the locker room with a bunch of unanswered questions. The Wildcats shot an abysmal 25% from FG range and were frigid from three-point land with 1-10 for 10%. What likely saved St. Kate's from being in a big hole was that they got into the bonus at the 8:12 mark and were able to cash in from the charity stripe.
Hamline again appeared to grab some early momentum in the opening minutes of the third period as two scores by Peterson gave the Pipers a 33-29 advantage. But some of that momentum was again lost when Greene picked up her fourth foul of the afternoon at the 6:46 mark and consecutive scores by Wildcat sophomore guard Meg Clark had the issue tied up again at 33-all. But right back came Hamline and two three-point bombs - one by Graves from the right top area off of an inbounds pass at the 5:23 mark and another one by Behrman from the left corner with 4:12 left - seemed to light that spark that Piper Head Coach Kerri Stockwell was looking for as it gave Hamline a 39-33 advantage. St. Kate's tried to make inroads on free throws by both Holt and Jennings and a "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard/forward Alexis Garcia had the 'Cats back in the four-point range trailing 42-38 with :48 left but Hamline closed out the third period strong. Two free throws by Graves with :37 left and a "3" from the left wing area with just :03 left on the clock before the end of the period gave the Pipers a nice little cushion at 47-40 and it looked as if St. Kate's might have hit another proverbial wall going into the fourth and final period.
But the Wildcats; who have struggled in the second half in several contests this season thus far, finally found a way to turn up the heat as they embarked on a key 9-0 run. Consecutive scores by sophomore guard Audra Clark trimmed Hamline's lead down to 47-44 by the 8:59 mark and then consecutive scores by Holt - a steal and lay-up the other way at the 8:27 mark and a "3" from the left wing area now had St. Kate's up 49-47 by the 7:46 mark. A score in the paint by Greene at the 7:35 mark and a lay-up by Graves at the 7:12 mark gave the Pipers the lead one more time at 51-49 but this is where fatigue may have started becoming a factor for Hamline and their short bench. A decisive 13-4 run by the Wildcats over the next four and a half minutes changed the tone of this one for good. One Horsch freebie along with a Holt lay-up and an Audra Clark rebound and putback of her own miss at the 4:50 mark now had St. Kate's up 54-51 with 4:50 left but the purple-clad 'Cats were far from finished. Greene's offensive rebound and putback allowed Hamline to inch closer trailing 54-53 with 4:29 left but that was negated when Green fouled out less than a minute later. Two Holt free throws and a Meg Clark lay-up in transition after a steal gave St. Kate's a 60-55 lead with 3:22 left and a Horsch lay-up in transition after a steal with 2:55 left expanded the cushion to seven points at 62-55 and Stockwell quickly realized this one was slipping away and called a timeout to try and prevent the inevitable. But now the Pipers were forced to foul and with St. Kate's in the bonus by this time there was little that Hamline could do. Audra Clark got a three-point play out of her lay-up in transition that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory freebie for a ten-point 65-55 lead and insurance free throws by both Horsch and Audra Clark gave St. Kate's not only a 71-57 win but a big shot of confidence as this snapped a six-game losing skid.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-17-16
Another somewhat unpredictable week in the MIAC with some unexpected results here and there but a few more things are clearing up as well:
1. SMU
2. UST
3. GAC
4. CSB
5. Bethel
6. Concordia
7. St. Olaf
8. Augsburg
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
I grudgingly give the Cardinals the nod at the top of my power rankings this week but the gap between them and UST is almost non-existent by virtue of the Tommies 76-67 win yesterday down in Winona. I'm not saying that SMU can't recover from this and you still have to think that they'll be in the mix for top honors but it's likely only a matter of time before UST regains the king of the mountain status. The Gusties did what they were supposed to this last week; knocking off both St. Kate's and Carleton and they have two winnable games at home this next week with CSB on Wednesday and Augsburg on Saturday.
Speaking of the Blazers, they came away with a split this last week but a big win at Augsburg yesterday bolstered their hopes. But two stern road tests await them this coming week - at GAC on Wednesday night and then at St. Olaf on Saturday. Bethel remains mired in the fifth spot on this day. Just when you THOUGHT that they had turned the corner with that big win at UST last weekend, they turn around on Wednesday night and drop a 58-56 heartbreaker at Augsburg. They recovered nicely as expected and took care of business against Hamline but those high expectations coming into this season have to be out the window now. The Cobbers came away with a split as well last week but they have a big opportunity to make amends with their next three games all in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium and this is where Concordia absolutely has to take care of business to solidify their shaky playoff status.
St. Olaf capped off a good week with their win at St. Kate's yesterday and they showed they can be very dangerous if Afton Wolter is on fire from behind the arc and if Betsey Daly can keep the glass clean. The Oles have two home games coming up this week but, unfortunately for them, they're against two of the upper echelon teams - UST on Wednesday night and CSB on Saturday. My feeling is that the Oles are going to have to come away with at least a split this coming week to keep the flame of their playoff hopes flickering. Augsburg had yet another golden opportunity to record a huge week. They upset Bethel on Wednesday night for their third straight win and seemingly had momentum going their way but then came out on the short end of the stick yesterday at home with CSB. They have to at least come out with a split this next week as they go on the road to Macalester on Wednesday night and then go to GAC on Saturday.
1. SMU
2. UST
3. GAC
4. CSB
5. Bethel
6. Concordia
7. St. Olaf
8. Augsburg
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
I grudgingly give the Cardinals the nod at the top of my power rankings this week but the gap between them and UST is almost non-existent by virtue of the Tommies 76-67 win yesterday down in Winona. I'm not saying that SMU can't recover from this and you still have to think that they'll be in the mix for top honors but it's likely only a matter of time before UST regains the king of the mountain status. The Gusties did what they were supposed to this last week; knocking off both St. Kate's and Carleton and they have two winnable games at home this next week with CSB on Wednesday and Augsburg on Saturday.
Speaking of the Blazers, they came away with a split this last week but a big win at Augsburg yesterday bolstered their hopes. But two stern road tests await them this coming week - at GAC on Wednesday night and then at St. Olaf on Saturday. Bethel remains mired in the fifth spot on this day. Just when you THOUGHT that they had turned the corner with that big win at UST last weekend, they turn around on Wednesday night and drop a 58-56 heartbreaker at Augsburg. They recovered nicely as expected and took care of business against Hamline but those high expectations coming into this season have to be out the window now. The Cobbers came away with a split as well last week but they have a big opportunity to make amends with their next three games all in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium and this is where Concordia absolutely has to take care of business to solidify their shaky playoff status.
St. Olaf capped off a good week with their win at St. Kate's yesterday and they showed they can be very dangerous if Afton Wolter is on fire from behind the arc and if Betsey Daly can keep the glass clean. The Oles have two home games coming up this week but, unfortunately for them, they're against two of the upper echelon teams - UST on Wednesday night and CSB on Saturday. My feeling is that the Oles are going to have to come away with at least a split this coming week to keep the flame of their playoff hopes flickering. Augsburg had yet another golden opportunity to record a huge week. They upset Bethel on Wednesday night for their third straight win and seemingly had momentum going their way but then came out on the short end of the stick yesterday at home with CSB. They have to at least come out with a split this next week as they go on the road to Macalester on Wednesday night and then go to GAC on Saturday.
St. Olaf vs St. Kate's 1-16-16
Traveled over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University on this frigid Saturday afternoon to take in the contest between visiting St. Olaf and host St. Kate's. The Oles were coming off a home win over Macalester earlier in the week while the Wildcats were in another one of those funky slumps; dropping their last four games including Wednesday night's game at GAC. So somehow St. Kate's had to get this thing turned around - now.
Both teams came up empty on their first few possessions before sophomore guard Meg Clark knocked down a "3" from the left top area at the 7:45 mark. That was matched by Ole senior sharp-shooting guard Afton Wolter with one of her patented three-point bombs from the right top area that tied the score at 3-all. But the Wildcats seemed to settle down once Head Coach Sean Pinkerton shed his sportcoat. Junior forward Mari Lee's score in the paint at the 6:41 mark and a "3" from flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt at the 5:12 mark had St. Kate's up 8-3. Holt continued with her hot hand in the latter stages of the opening period. One free throw after being fouled in transition with 3:59 left and her second trey of the day - from the right top area with 3:23 left - opened up a 12-5 advantage and another three-point bomb from the right corner with 2:17 left gave the 'Cats their largest lead of the game at 15-7. A score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Makenna Ash cut St. Olaf's deficit down to five trailing 15-10 but Wildcat senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch connected with a lay-up with :22 left in the first period for a 17-10 St. Kate's lead - just the kind of start that Pinkerton had hoped for.
But Ole Head Coach Dave Stromme had no plans in breaking out any panic button and St. Olaf resourcefully got themselves back into the contest in the opening minutes of the second period. Consecutive scores in the paint by Ash - one at the 9:34 mark and again at the 8:55 mark - cut the Wildcat lead down to three at 17-14. Holt was still feeling it, however, as another "3" - this one from the left corner at the 8:31 mark - got the St. Kate's lead back up to six at 20-14. But the Oles would again respond. One score in the paint by senior forward Zoe Hansen and another Wolter three-point bomb - this one from the right top area at the 7:44 mark - cut the Wildcat lead down to a scant point at 20-19. Meg Clark tried to stave off this comeback attempt from St. Olaf as her "3" from the right top area off of an inbounds pass at the 7:27 mark pushed the St. Kate's lead back up to four at 23-19. But Wolter was just getting warmed up and her teammates knew they had to get her open. Wolter unleashed her third trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right corner at the 7:01 mark - that pulled the Oles close again trailing 23-22. Two Wolter free throws at the 5:37 mark gave St. Olaf its first lead of the afternoon at 24-23. Fellow senior guard Woo Bandel dropped another freebie with 4:05 left that gave the Oles a 25-23 lead but the Wildcats knotted the issue at 25 when Lee connected with a short jumper from the left side with 3:50 left. St. Olaf would hold small leads of two points over the next minute and were up 29-27 when Holt tied the game for the 'Cats with her lay-up with 2:29 left. Things really got wild in the home stretch after Ash put the Oles up 31-29 with her score in the paint with 2:12 left. Holt hit her fifth trey of the first half when she uncorked a bomb from the right top area with 1:53 left that gave St. Kate's the lead back at 32-31. That lead was short-lived, however, when Ole junior reserve guard Brooke Nyenhuis drained a "3' from the left top area with 1:41 left that put St. Olaf back up 34-32. Holt's lay-up in transition with 1:28 left tied the game for the Wildcats at 34-all. Ole junior reserve guard Kari Keogh banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 1:11 left that put St. Olaf up 37-34 but St. Kate's was able to respond as Lee drilled a "3" of her own from the left top area with :48 left to forge another tie at 37 a piece which is how this wild period ended going into the halftime break. Thanks to Holt's heroics in that first half of being 5-of-5 from three point land and Meg Clark's 2-3 record from behind the arc, the Wildcats shot a blistering 72.7% from behind the arc. But perhaps the most important statistic - at least in my mind anyway - was that St. Olaf held a 20-14 edge in the rebounding department and you could tell that they were having their way in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Despite the problems that St. Kate's was experiencing matching up in the paint with the Oles, they managed to stay right in the thick of things in the early going of the third period. A Meg Clark lay-up at the 9:11 mark and another one by twin sister sophomore guard Audra Clark at the 7:02 mark had the contest knotted at 41 a piece. But the 2-3 "match-up" zone that St. Olaf employed in the second half effectively clogged up the middle and forced the 'Cats to try to beat them with perimeter shooting. Moreover, junior forward Betsey Daly; held scoreless in the first half, broke out of her shell in this second half and gave St. Kate's yet another problem to deal with. The former Rochester Lourdes standout gave the Oles the lead for good at the 6:46 mark with her jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:46 mark and her lay-up with 5:14 left had St. Olaf 45-41. The Wildcats would try to respond when Audra Clark connected with a lay-up of her own at the 5:02 mark but another Daly lay-up with 4:45 left got the lead back up to four at 47-43 and then Wolter uncorked a "3" from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass with 3:31 left that suddenly made it a seven-point game at 50-43. A Holt "3" from the right wing area with 3:01 left closed the gap for St. Kate's down to four trailing 50-46 but senior point Lauren Gutierrez connected with a jumper from the top of the key with 2:46 left and Daly swished a "3" from the top of the key and now St. Olaf was up 55-46. Hansen connected on a jumper in the lane off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 1:21 left and the youngster, Ash, got another score in the paint with :50 left that put the Oles up double digits 59-48 and St. Kate's was clearly under the gun when the third period ended.
St. Olaf wanted to shut the door quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth and final period. Hansen connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 9:39 mark and Wolter showed she was far from finished on this fabulous afternoon for her. She drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:56 mark and unleashed her final three-point bomb of the day at the 6:37 mark of the right corner that now had the Oles up 67-51. When Bandel was able to get control of a loose ball and get a lay-up out of it at the 6:13 mark the lead was expanded to 69-51 and the Wildcats were clearly in desperation mode. A Lee score in the paint at the 5:03 mark and another Holt "3" from the left corner with 4:27 mark trimmed the deficit down to thirteen at 69-56 and Pinkerton called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of being able to stave off defeat. But those hopes were quickly dashed when Daly connected with a jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass with 3:51 left and two Bandel free throws with 2:32 mark made it 73-56 Oles. Holt tried to come to St. Kate's rescue again as she drained her eighth trey of the contest; this one coming from the top of the key with 2:24 left and then also connected with a lay-up in transition with 2:06 left that trimmed the deficit down to twelve at 73-61. The Wildcats were forced to foul now as well and with St. Olaf safely in the bonus it was now time for insurance free throws to seal the deal. Bandel, Wolter, Gutierrez, Daly and Hansen did just that as the Oles took home a 79-69 victory.
Both Pinkerton and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar could only point to defensive lapses and other mistakes that cost the 'Cats dearly on this day. There was hope for this team when they started out 5-0 and also upset UST back in December but this latest January swoon now has St. Kate's backed up against a wall and it's going to take a Herculean effort to get out of this mess. Meanwhile, St. Olaf finished off a good week by winning games that, on paper anyway, they should win. The question now becomes can they find some consistency and big performances by Wolter with her three-point shooting and Daly with her prowess down low to do the dirty work to beat some of these upper-echelon teams? We'll find out this next week as home dates with both UST and CSB await. Wolter led the way for St. Olaf in this contest with her 22 points and going 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Daly; quiet in the first half, exploded onto the scene in the second half and got a double-double; scoring 12 points on the day and, perhaps even more important, snaring 11 rebounds. Despite Holt's ridiculous 33-point performance on this day, the 'Cats cooled off considerably in the second half; shooting only 31.6% from three-point land in the second half and 35.3% from FG range. The Oles easily owned the boards on this day by a 37-26 count as well.
Both teams came up empty on their first few possessions before sophomore guard Meg Clark knocked down a "3" from the left top area at the 7:45 mark. That was matched by Ole senior sharp-shooting guard Afton Wolter with one of her patented three-point bombs from the right top area that tied the score at 3-all. But the Wildcats seemed to settle down once Head Coach Sean Pinkerton shed his sportcoat. Junior forward Mari Lee's score in the paint at the 6:41 mark and a "3" from flashy junior guard/forward LaShay Holt at the 5:12 mark had St. Kate's up 8-3. Holt continued with her hot hand in the latter stages of the opening period. One free throw after being fouled in transition with 3:59 left and her second trey of the day - from the right top area with 3:23 left - opened up a 12-5 advantage and another three-point bomb from the right corner with 2:17 left gave the 'Cats their largest lead of the game at 15-7. A score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Makenna Ash cut St. Olaf's deficit down to five trailing 15-10 but Wildcat senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch connected with a lay-up with :22 left in the first period for a 17-10 St. Kate's lead - just the kind of start that Pinkerton had hoped for.
But Ole Head Coach Dave Stromme had no plans in breaking out any panic button and St. Olaf resourcefully got themselves back into the contest in the opening minutes of the second period. Consecutive scores in the paint by Ash - one at the 9:34 mark and again at the 8:55 mark - cut the Wildcat lead down to three at 17-14. Holt was still feeling it, however, as another "3" - this one from the left corner at the 8:31 mark - got the St. Kate's lead back up to six at 20-14. But the Oles would again respond. One score in the paint by senior forward Zoe Hansen and another Wolter three-point bomb - this one from the right top area at the 7:44 mark - cut the Wildcat lead down to a scant point at 20-19. Meg Clark tried to stave off this comeback attempt from St. Olaf as her "3" from the right top area off of an inbounds pass at the 7:27 mark pushed the St. Kate's lead back up to four at 23-19. But Wolter was just getting warmed up and her teammates knew they had to get her open. Wolter unleashed her third trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right corner at the 7:01 mark - that pulled the Oles close again trailing 23-22. Two Wolter free throws at the 5:37 mark gave St. Olaf its first lead of the afternoon at 24-23. Fellow senior guard Woo Bandel dropped another freebie with 4:05 left that gave the Oles a 25-23 lead but the Wildcats knotted the issue at 25 when Lee connected with a short jumper from the left side with 3:50 left. St. Olaf would hold small leads of two points over the next minute and were up 29-27 when Holt tied the game for the 'Cats with her lay-up with 2:29 left. Things really got wild in the home stretch after Ash put the Oles up 31-29 with her score in the paint with 2:12 left. Holt hit her fifth trey of the first half when she uncorked a bomb from the right top area with 1:53 left that gave St. Kate's the lead back at 32-31. That lead was short-lived, however, when Ole junior reserve guard Brooke Nyenhuis drained a "3' from the left top area with 1:41 left that put St. Olaf back up 34-32. Holt's lay-up in transition with 1:28 left tied the game for the Wildcats at 34-all. Ole junior reserve guard Kari Keogh banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 1:11 left that put St. Olaf up 37-34 but St. Kate's was able to respond as Lee drilled a "3" of her own from the left top area with :48 left to forge another tie at 37 a piece which is how this wild period ended going into the halftime break. Thanks to Holt's heroics in that first half of being 5-of-5 from three point land and Meg Clark's 2-3 record from behind the arc, the Wildcats shot a blistering 72.7% from behind the arc. But perhaps the most important statistic - at least in my mind anyway - was that St. Olaf held a 20-14 edge in the rebounding department and you could tell that they were having their way in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Despite the problems that St. Kate's was experiencing matching up in the paint with the Oles, they managed to stay right in the thick of things in the early going of the third period. A Meg Clark lay-up at the 9:11 mark and another one by twin sister sophomore guard Audra Clark at the 7:02 mark had the contest knotted at 41 a piece. But the 2-3 "match-up" zone that St. Olaf employed in the second half effectively clogged up the middle and forced the 'Cats to try to beat them with perimeter shooting. Moreover, junior forward Betsey Daly; held scoreless in the first half, broke out of her shell in this second half and gave St. Kate's yet another problem to deal with. The former Rochester Lourdes standout gave the Oles the lead for good at the 6:46 mark with her jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:46 mark and her lay-up with 5:14 left had St. Olaf 45-41. The Wildcats would try to respond when Audra Clark connected with a lay-up of her own at the 5:02 mark but another Daly lay-up with 4:45 left got the lead back up to four at 47-43 and then Wolter uncorked a "3" from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass with 3:31 left that suddenly made it a seven-point game at 50-43. A Holt "3" from the right wing area with 3:01 left closed the gap for St. Kate's down to four trailing 50-46 but senior point Lauren Gutierrez connected with a jumper from the top of the key with 2:46 left and Daly swished a "3" from the top of the key and now St. Olaf was up 55-46. Hansen connected on a jumper in the lane off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 1:21 left and the youngster, Ash, got another score in the paint with :50 left that put the Oles up double digits 59-48 and St. Kate's was clearly under the gun when the third period ended.
St. Olaf wanted to shut the door quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth and final period. Hansen connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 9:39 mark and Wolter showed she was far from finished on this fabulous afternoon for her. She drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:56 mark and unleashed her final three-point bomb of the day at the 6:37 mark of the right corner that now had the Oles up 67-51. When Bandel was able to get control of a loose ball and get a lay-up out of it at the 6:13 mark the lead was expanded to 69-51 and the Wildcats were clearly in desperation mode. A Lee score in the paint at the 5:03 mark and another Holt "3" from the left corner with 4:27 mark trimmed the deficit down to thirteen at 69-56 and Pinkerton called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of being able to stave off defeat. But those hopes were quickly dashed when Daly connected with a jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass with 3:51 left and two Bandel free throws with 2:32 mark made it 73-56 Oles. Holt tried to come to St. Kate's rescue again as she drained her eighth trey of the contest; this one coming from the top of the key with 2:24 left and then also connected with a lay-up in transition with 2:06 left that trimmed the deficit down to twelve at 73-61. The Wildcats were forced to foul now as well and with St. Olaf safely in the bonus it was now time for insurance free throws to seal the deal. Bandel, Wolter, Gutierrez, Daly and Hansen did just that as the Oles took home a 79-69 victory.
Both Pinkerton and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar could only point to defensive lapses and other mistakes that cost the 'Cats dearly on this day. There was hope for this team when they started out 5-0 and also upset UST back in December but this latest January swoon now has St. Kate's backed up against a wall and it's going to take a Herculean effort to get out of this mess. Meanwhile, St. Olaf finished off a good week by winning games that, on paper anyway, they should win. The question now becomes can they find some consistency and big performances by Wolter with her three-point shooting and Daly with her prowess down low to do the dirty work to beat some of these upper-echelon teams? We'll find out this next week as home dates with both UST and CSB await. Wolter led the way for St. Olaf in this contest with her 22 points and going 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Daly; quiet in the first half, exploded onto the scene in the second half and got a double-double; scoring 12 points on the day and, perhaps even more important, snaring 11 rebounds. Despite Holt's ridiculous 33-point performance on this day, the 'Cats cooled off considerably in the second half; shooting only 31.6% from three-point land in the second half and 35.3% from FG range. The Oles easily owned the boards on this day by a 37-26 count as well.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Irondale vs Park Center Recap 1-15-16
Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this cold Friday evening to take in yet another Northwest Suburban Conference Clash; this one featuring visiting Irondale going up against host Park Center. The Knights have been treading a bumpy road this season while the Pirates seem to be back in their groove as they recorded a big win earlier in the week on the road at Spring Lake Park so this would be another opportunity for them to keep that groove going.
Surprisingly, however, it would be Irondale that would set the tone early on in this contest as their 1-3-1 zone befuddled the two-time defending Class AAA state champions. The Pirates; unsure of how to initially attack the bigger Knights who effectively clogged up the middle, couldn't get their bread-and-butter transition game going and were even less effective in their half-court offense. As such, Irondale bolted out to a 7-0 lead by the 14:37 mark thanks to offensive rebounds and putbacks by freshman forward Ashley Polson and senior forward Mikayla McGee and a "3" from the left wing by sophomore guard Sophia Findell. Ever so slowly, Park Center would scratch and claw their way back into the contest. Treys by junior guard Danielle Schaub - one from the right wing at the 14:12 mark and another one from the left corner at the 12:44 mark - cut the Knights lead down to 9-6. Still, Irondale was able to build the lead back up to five points at 11-6 on two free throws by McGee at the 12:30 mark and it looked as if the Pirates might be in for a tougher going than many expected. However, three consecutive scores by strong freshman reserve guard Azsha Michael seemed to turn the tide in favor of the home team. An offensive rebound and putback at the 12:02 mark and another one of her own miss at the 9:48 mark cut Park Center's deficit to just one point trailing 11-10 and a short jumper in the lane with 8:59 left gave the Pirates their first lead of the evening at 12-11. Lanky junior post Mikayla Hayes connected on a short turnaround jumper and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing freebie had the lead up to 15-11 with 8:20 left but, to their credit, the Knights came right back. Two charity stripe shots by freshman reserve forward Kaley Waldemar and a jumper from the left wing by McGee knotted the issue at 15 a piece and two more freebies by Waldemar put Irondale back up 17-15. But the Pirates weren't going to be down for long. A lay-up in transition by Schaub that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw put the Pirates back up by one at 18-17 with 5:37 left and a "3" by junior guard Ann Simonet from the right corner with 4:48 left gave Park Center a 21-19 lead. But the biggest surprise coming down the stretch was sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois. With 3:34 left she drained a "3" from the right corner and with 2:42 left she was able to connect on a lay-up in transition that had the Pirates up 26-19. With 2:12 left, DuBois struck again as she knocked down a three-point bomb from the left corner that now had Park Center up 29-21 and free throws by sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore and Hayes allowed the Pirates to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room at the half. Not a commanding lead by any stretch but, considering the early struggles they encountered with Irondale's 1-3-1 zone defense early on they certainly had to be feeling better about themselves.
The one thing that seemed to be missing from Park Center's repertoire in the first half was that stingy, in-your-face defense that usually creates a bevy of turnovers that leads to easy transition points. That aggressiveness that gives them confidence. Whatever Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde said in the locker room at the half sure seemed to do the trick as Park Center came out of the gate with a new attitude and determination. A quick 6-0 burst in the first two minutes on scores by junior forward Fey Ayobamidele Schaub and Simonet increased the Pirate lead to 37-22 by the 16:46 mark and Irondale Head Coach Dean Coffland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But two quick lay-ups in transition by Schaub at the 16:27 and 16:03 mark suddenly made it a 41-22 ballgame and now Coffland had no choice but to take a match to a full timeout. Now, however, the damage had been done and the Knights had little chance of catching up. Irondale tried to make some dents in the deficit but they were never able to sustain any sustained run. Waldemer connected with a short jumper along the left baseline at the 14:50 mark and a lay-up in transition by Junior forward Juriah Hughes helped cut the deficit down to sixteen trailing 44-28 by the 14:05 mark but Park Center had no intention of taking their foot off the gas pedal anytime soon. A short pull-up jumper by Simonet at the 13:18 mark and a lay-up in transition by DuBois ballooned the lead to 51-29. DuBois' best moment in the game, however, may very well have come at about the midway point when she drove hard across the lane and put up a high floater than deftly kissed off the glass and went through the cylinder. With the Pirates now safely up 57-34 by this time, Irondale could only make incremental dents the rest of the way although they did get on a nice 11-2 run well after the game was decided. A "3" by senior reserve forward Ali Welch from the left wing with 7:14 left along with scores by both senior guard Sydney Driggs and Waldemar made the score respectable. Blakemore got late scores for Park Center in the late going - a "3" from the right top area with 4:10 left and a jumper from the right elbow with 2:54 left as Park Center notched another victory in this season by a 73-51 margin.
Surprisingly, however, it would be Irondale that would set the tone early on in this contest as their 1-3-1 zone befuddled the two-time defending Class AAA state champions. The Pirates; unsure of how to initially attack the bigger Knights who effectively clogged up the middle, couldn't get their bread-and-butter transition game going and were even less effective in their half-court offense. As such, Irondale bolted out to a 7-0 lead by the 14:37 mark thanks to offensive rebounds and putbacks by freshman forward Ashley Polson and senior forward Mikayla McGee and a "3" from the left wing by sophomore guard Sophia Findell. Ever so slowly, Park Center would scratch and claw their way back into the contest. Treys by junior guard Danielle Schaub - one from the right wing at the 14:12 mark and another one from the left corner at the 12:44 mark - cut the Knights lead down to 9-6. Still, Irondale was able to build the lead back up to five points at 11-6 on two free throws by McGee at the 12:30 mark and it looked as if the Pirates might be in for a tougher going than many expected. However, three consecutive scores by strong freshman reserve guard Azsha Michael seemed to turn the tide in favor of the home team. An offensive rebound and putback at the 12:02 mark and another one of her own miss at the 9:48 mark cut Park Center's deficit to just one point trailing 11-10 and a short jumper in the lane with 8:59 left gave the Pirates their first lead of the evening at 12-11. Lanky junior post Mikayla Hayes connected on a short turnaround jumper and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing freebie had the lead up to 15-11 with 8:20 left but, to their credit, the Knights came right back. Two charity stripe shots by freshman reserve forward Kaley Waldemar and a jumper from the left wing by McGee knotted the issue at 15 a piece and two more freebies by Waldemar put Irondale back up 17-15. But the Pirates weren't going to be down for long. A lay-up in transition by Schaub that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw put the Pirates back up by one at 18-17 with 5:37 left and a "3" by junior guard Ann Simonet from the right corner with 4:48 left gave Park Center a 21-19 lead. But the biggest surprise coming down the stretch was sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois. With 3:34 left she drained a "3" from the right corner and with 2:42 left she was able to connect on a lay-up in transition that had the Pirates up 26-19. With 2:12 left, DuBois struck again as she knocked down a three-point bomb from the left corner that now had Park Center up 29-21 and free throws by sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore and Hayes allowed the Pirates to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room at the half. Not a commanding lead by any stretch but, considering the early struggles they encountered with Irondale's 1-3-1 zone defense early on they certainly had to be feeling better about themselves.
The one thing that seemed to be missing from Park Center's repertoire in the first half was that stingy, in-your-face defense that usually creates a bevy of turnovers that leads to easy transition points. That aggressiveness that gives them confidence. Whatever Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde said in the locker room at the half sure seemed to do the trick as Park Center came out of the gate with a new attitude and determination. A quick 6-0 burst in the first two minutes on scores by junior forward Fey Ayobamidele Schaub and Simonet increased the Pirate lead to 37-22 by the 16:46 mark and Irondale Head Coach Dean Coffland wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused. But two quick lay-ups in transition by Schaub at the 16:27 and 16:03 mark suddenly made it a 41-22 ballgame and now Coffland had no choice but to take a match to a full timeout. Now, however, the damage had been done and the Knights had little chance of catching up. Irondale tried to make some dents in the deficit but they were never able to sustain any sustained run. Waldemer connected with a short jumper along the left baseline at the 14:50 mark and a lay-up in transition by Junior forward Juriah Hughes helped cut the deficit down to sixteen trailing 44-28 by the 14:05 mark but Park Center had no intention of taking their foot off the gas pedal anytime soon. A short pull-up jumper by Simonet at the 13:18 mark and a lay-up in transition by DuBois ballooned the lead to 51-29. DuBois' best moment in the game, however, may very well have come at about the midway point when she drove hard across the lane and put up a high floater than deftly kissed off the glass and went through the cylinder. With the Pirates now safely up 57-34 by this time, Irondale could only make incremental dents the rest of the way although they did get on a nice 11-2 run well after the game was decided. A "3" by senior reserve forward Ali Welch from the left wing with 7:14 left along with scores by both senior guard Sydney Driggs and Waldemar made the score respectable. Blakemore got late scores for Park Center in the late going - a "3" from the right top area with 4:10 left and a jumper from the right elbow with 2:54 left as Park Center notched another victory in this season by a 73-51 margin.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
CSB vs UST 1-13-16
Still riding on a personal exhilarating high after it was announced early Tuesday evening that my always and forever LOS ANGELES Rams are FINALLY returning back to their rightful hometown of Los Angeles after a 21-year absence in that unmentionable town, I made my way to the campus of UST and Schoenecker Arena to take in this Wednesday night contest between visiting CSB and host UST. While I was on my own high, I had to wonder if the Tommies could mentally regain their edge after taking it on the chin this last Saturday at home against Bethel. Even more shocking to me was the fact that junior guard Gabby Zehrer; who was inserted into the starting line-up at the beginning of the season, was now sidelined for the rest of the year with an ACL injury, proving that the Tommies weren't immune to the injury bugaboo either.
Both teams put relatively young line-ups onto the floor for this contest (senior guard Katie Stone of UST being the only seasoned veteran on the floor at the tip-off) and, as a result, turnovers, mistakes and missed shots were prevalent in the early going. The Tommies built an early 4-0 lead on a jumper from the right wing by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff at the 8:20 mark and a score in the paint by junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 7:35 mark and held an 8-4 lead after an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 5:26 mark. However, UST was getting into one of its old bad habits of fouling and this put the Blazers into the bonus with 4:10 left. Junior guard Annie Dittberner dropped two freebies at that point and one more by junior guard Alison Newton with 2:24 left cut the Tommie lead down to 8-7.
CSB appeared to get untracked in the opening minutes of the second period. Lanky sophomore post Niki Fokken connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 9:21 mark to give the Blazers their first lead at 9-8 and then a steal by Newton who dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 8:53 mark increased the lead to 11-8 and UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn promptly called a thirty-second timeout to remedy the situation. The Tommies responded after the short stoppage in play and freshman reserve guard Bobbi Brendefur sneaked into the paint for one score at the 8:08 mark that cut CSB's lead down to one at 11-10. Both teams then seemed to revert to their early game habits of missed shots and mistakes for the next three minutes. Langer finally gave UST the lead back with 4:53 left at 12-11 on her short jumper but a short turnaround jumper by sophomore forward/post Chelsey Guetter gave the Blazers the lead back at 13-12 with 4:30 left. The Tommies would respond as another offensive rebound and putback by Fischer with 3:51 left and free throws by both sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow and freshman reserve post Hannah Spaulding gave UST a 16-13 lead. This seemed to be the critical juncture for CSB as they were still very close and, had they been able to cash in on the opportunities that they had and keep the game in within the one-to-two possession range, they would have been right in the thick of things at the half. But this is where the Tommies, even as youthful as they are, made their first big push. Stone; left free in the right corner, uncorked a trey with 1:27 left that upped the lead to 19-13 and then it was Brendenfur; the former STMA standout who stole the show right before halftime. She drilled one "3" from that same right corner area with :51 left and then with :15 left, she swished another "3" from the left corner that suddenly had UST up 25-14 and the Blazers looked as if they had been hit by a dump truck going into the locker room at the half.
CSB tried to make amends for the way things unraveled for them coming down the stretch of the first half as a drive and finish by Dittberner at the 9:06 mark and a "3" by Guetter from the left corner with the shot clock winding down at the 8:00 mark reduced the Tommie lead down to ten at 29-19 and one free throw by Newton at the 6:45 mark got the Blazers back into single-digit range trailing 29-20. Reserve junior forward Macy Kelly; held scoreless in the first half, connected with a jumper from the right top area just inside the arc that got CSB even closer trailing 29-22 and a score in the paint by Newton off of an inbounds pass at the 5:22 mark kept the deficit at seven with a 31-24 score. Again, this is where the Blazers could have been able to stay within striking distance but they just were unable to come up with enough answers on either side of the floor. Freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil drained one "3" from the right wing at the 5:01 mark and then yet another offensive rebound for a putback by the reliable Fischer got the lead back up to double-digits for UST at 36-24 with 3:45 left. A score in the paint by Langer with 2:08 left and another one by Hannah Spaulding right before the buzzer ending the third period increased the lead to 40-24 and this 9-0 spurt by the Tommies effectively put out any spark CSB may have had.
Things quickly spiraled downward for the Blazers in the opening minutes of the fourth and final period that ended any doubt about how this contest was going to turn out. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber at the 9:47 mark and one charity stripe shot by Langer at the 8:29 mark now had UST up 43-26. An increasingly frustrated CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin; not happy with how the game was being called by the officials, drew a technical at the 8:19 mark after being a bit too vociferous with his displeasure. That put Stone at the line who casually dropped two more freebies to make it a 45-26 ballgame and effectively ended whatever wisp of hope the Blazers may have had. CSB tried in vain to respond as Dittberner connected on a pretty one-handed running jumper in the lane at the 7:37 mark and a Fokken lay-up at the 6:48 mark trimmed UST's lead down to 47-30. But there would be no miracle comeback for the Blazers on this night. A score in the paint by Langer at the 5:37 mark and another Brazil trey from the top of the key at the 5:05 mark built the Tommie cushion at 52-30. Sinn gradually inserted the rest of her reserves down the stretch for clean-up duties down the stretch. CSB got late scores from Fokken but it would not be nearly enough as UST recorded a 54-36 victory.
A disappointed Durbin could only point to missed "bunnies" and other mishaps that doomed his squad on this night afterward and said that UST was clearly the better team on this night. While I was unable to catch up with Sinn during the post-game, I think it's important to recognize a few things about this new-look Tommie team. First, I think that you have to understand that this new group of young Tommies is slowly forging a new identity for itself and it's simply unrealistic to compare this team to last year's squad that had All-Americans at seemingly every position. I think Sinn is tinkering with her line-up to give this young group the opportunity to get "game-tough" and tested and the fact that you have a lot of moving parts in play means that you're going to have a few hiccups along the way. And, with Zehrer currently out of action with the ACL injury, Sinn may not have much of a choice but to do that either. So I think that, in the long-run anyway, you can forgive the 20-point home loss to Bethel and chalk that up to inexperience. This team will be fine. It's just going to take some time for everything to come together to gel the way Sinn hopes and wants it to.
Both teams put relatively young line-ups onto the floor for this contest (senior guard Katie Stone of UST being the only seasoned veteran on the floor at the tip-off) and, as a result, turnovers, mistakes and missed shots were prevalent in the early going. The Tommies built an early 4-0 lead on a jumper from the right wing by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff at the 8:20 mark and a score in the paint by junior post Kaitlin Langer at the 7:35 mark and held an 8-4 lead after an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 5:26 mark. However, UST was getting into one of its old bad habits of fouling and this put the Blazers into the bonus with 4:10 left. Junior guard Annie Dittberner dropped two freebies at that point and one more by junior guard Alison Newton with 2:24 left cut the Tommie lead down to 8-7.
CSB appeared to get untracked in the opening minutes of the second period. Lanky sophomore post Niki Fokken connected on a turnaround jumper in the lane at the 9:21 mark to give the Blazers their first lead at 9-8 and then a steal by Newton who dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 8:53 mark increased the lead to 11-8 and UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn promptly called a thirty-second timeout to remedy the situation. The Tommies responded after the short stoppage in play and freshman reserve guard Bobbi Brendefur sneaked into the paint for one score at the 8:08 mark that cut CSB's lead down to one at 11-10. Both teams then seemed to revert to their early game habits of missed shots and mistakes for the next three minutes. Langer finally gave UST the lead back with 4:53 left at 12-11 on her short jumper but a short turnaround jumper by sophomore forward/post Chelsey Guetter gave the Blazers the lead back at 13-12 with 4:30 left. The Tommies would respond as another offensive rebound and putback by Fischer with 3:51 left and free throws by both sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow and freshman reserve post Hannah Spaulding gave UST a 16-13 lead. This seemed to be the critical juncture for CSB as they were still very close and, had they been able to cash in on the opportunities that they had and keep the game in within the one-to-two possession range, they would have been right in the thick of things at the half. But this is where the Tommies, even as youthful as they are, made their first big push. Stone; left free in the right corner, uncorked a trey with 1:27 left that upped the lead to 19-13 and then it was Brendenfur; the former STMA standout who stole the show right before halftime. She drilled one "3" from that same right corner area with :51 left and then with :15 left, she swished another "3" from the left corner that suddenly had UST up 25-14 and the Blazers looked as if they had been hit by a dump truck going into the locker room at the half.
CSB tried to make amends for the way things unraveled for them coming down the stretch of the first half as a drive and finish by Dittberner at the 9:06 mark and a "3" by Guetter from the left corner with the shot clock winding down at the 8:00 mark reduced the Tommie lead down to ten at 29-19 and one free throw by Newton at the 6:45 mark got the Blazers back into single-digit range trailing 29-20. Reserve junior forward Macy Kelly; held scoreless in the first half, connected with a jumper from the right top area just inside the arc that got CSB even closer trailing 29-22 and a score in the paint by Newton off of an inbounds pass at the 5:22 mark kept the deficit at seven with a 31-24 score. Again, this is where the Blazers could have been able to stay within striking distance but they just were unable to come up with enough answers on either side of the floor. Freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil drained one "3" from the right wing at the 5:01 mark and then yet another offensive rebound for a putback by the reliable Fischer got the lead back up to double-digits for UST at 36-24 with 3:45 left. A score in the paint by Langer with 2:08 left and another one by Hannah Spaulding right before the buzzer ending the third period increased the lead to 40-24 and this 9-0 spurt by the Tommies effectively put out any spark CSB may have had.
Things quickly spiraled downward for the Blazers in the opening minutes of the fourth and final period that ended any doubt about how this contest was going to turn out. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard/forward Morganne Gruber at the 9:47 mark and one charity stripe shot by Langer at the 8:29 mark now had UST up 43-26. An increasingly frustrated CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin; not happy with how the game was being called by the officials, drew a technical at the 8:19 mark after being a bit too vociferous with his displeasure. That put Stone at the line who casually dropped two more freebies to make it a 45-26 ballgame and effectively ended whatever wisp of hope the Blazers may have had. CSB tried in vain to respond as Dittberner connected on a pretty one-handed running jumper in the lane at the 7:37 mark and a Fokken lay-up at the 6:48 mark trimmed UST's lead down to 47-30. But there would be no miracle comeback for the Blazers on this night. A score in the paint by Langer at the 5:37 mark and another Brazil trey from the top of the key at the 5:05 mark built the Tommie cushion at 52-30. Sinn gradually inserted the rest of her reserves down the stretch for clean-up duties down the stretch. CSB got late scores from Fokken but it would not be nearly enough as UST recorded a 54-36 victory.
A disappointed Durbin could only point to missed "bunnies" and other mishaps that doomed his squad on this night afterward and said that UST was clearly the better team on this night. While I was unable to catch up with Sinn during the post-game, I think it's important to recognize a few things about this new-look Tommie team. First, I think that you have to understand that this new group of young Tommies is slowly forging a new identity for itself and it's simply unrealistic to compare this team to last year's squad that had All-Americans at seemingly every position. I think Sinn is tinkering with her line-up to give this young group the opportunity to get "game-tough" and tested and the fact that you have a lot of moving parts in play means that you're going to have a few hiccups along the way. And, with Zehrer currently out of action with the ACL injury, Sinn may not have much of a choice but to do that either. So I think that, in the long-run anyway, you can forgive the 20-point home loss to Bethel and chalk that up to inexperience. This team will be fine. It's just going to take some time for everything to come together to gel the way Sinn hopes and wants it to.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-10-16
Too early to draw a lot of conclusions at this stage of the season but here's what my first MIAC Power Rankings look like for the 2015-16 season:
1. SMU
2. UST
3. GAC
4. CSB
5. Bethel
6. Concordia
7. St. Olaf
8. Augsburg
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
11. Hamline
12. Carleton
Certainly not many people saw this good start by the Cardinals back in mid-October; definitely not your's truly. But here they are sitting at 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC so it's happy times in Winona for the time being. Having seen them only once so far this season, I'm not entirely sure if they can keep this up but having both senior Bridget Pethke and junior Emma Schaefer backing her up has to be a huge positive for first-year Head Coach Brent Pollari. UST; while not the infallible team they have been the past few seaons, still appeared to be a trendy favorite despite the upset loss to St. Kate's. But all that came to a sudden, crashing halt yesterday when the Tommies absorbed a twenty-point beatdown at home in Schoenecker Arena to Bethel. We'll just have to see how they recover from this. Speaking of beatdowns, GAC took one on the chin (sigh, AGAIN) from said Tommies on Wednesday night over at Schoenecker before they escaped another dangerous road spot at Hamline yesterday. They're still solid at 9-4 overall at 4-2 in conference play but I'll feel a lot better about them once they get senior Lindsey Johnson back.
CSB is something of a surprise so far with their identical 9-4 overall record and 4-2 MIAC record but again, I don't want to get too excited just yet. We just need to see more from this group. Bethel, left for dead over the Christmas break, has seemingly found new life and yesterday's huge 80-60 win at UST could very well be a sign that this team may very well be back. But let us remember, the wobbly start they endured has reduced this team's margin of error to near zero. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about Concordia and what to expect from them this year. They had that good win at Bethel back in December but then were dealt a twenty-point beatdown up at Claire Lynch by the Blazers yesterday. Where's the consistency?
Back-to-back losses by the Oles - at Bethel on Wednesday night and then at home yesterday to SMU, reaffirms my thoughts that this squad will be on the outside looking in again once February rolls around. I think there's enough blame to go around on a lot of fronts there. After dropping five consecutive games in December, the Auggies have recovered somewhat as they recorded wins over Hamline on Wednesday and took care of business at Carleton at home yesterday. Two big contests await them this week: Bethel on Wednesday night and then CSB on Saturday but both are in the friendly confines on Si Melby Hall so Augsburg has to make the most of the opportunity. Macalester has definitely taken two steps forward from last season and yesterday's shocking win at St. Kate's shows how far Head Coach Kelly Roysland has taken this squad in only her second season. Meanwhile, this was one of those games for St. Kate's where they HAD to take care of business at home and they weren't able to do it. As I mentioned before, if the Wildcats have hopes of making the MIAC playoffs, they cannot afford to drop games that are winnable. Hamline is struggling with youth and depth problems but they can still be extremely dangerous and junior Chelsey Bonsante's 25-point performance yesterday likely gave the Gusties nightmares last night. Carleton is limping along at 0-6 in the conference as Head Coach Cassie Kosiba's team has been beset by injuries; most notably to sophomore Anne Hamilton and senior Gabbi Steinstra.
1. SMU
2. UST
3. GAC
4. CSB
5. Bethel
6. Concordia
7. St. Olaf
8. Augsburg
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
11. Hamline
12. Carleton
Certainly not many people saw this good start by the Cardinals back in mid-October; definitely not your's truly. But here they are sitting at 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC so it's happy times in Winona for the time being. Having seen them only once so far this season, I'm not entirely sure if they can keep this up but having both senior Bridget Pethke and junior Emma Schaefer backing her up has to be a huge positive for first-year Head Coach Brent Pollari. UST; while not the infallible team they have been the past few seaons, still appeared to be a trendy favorite despite the upset loss to St. Kate's. But all that came to a sudden, crashing halt yesterday when the Tommies absorbed a twenty-point beatdown at home in Schoenecker Arena to Bethel. We'll just have to see how they recover from this. Speaking of beatdowns, GAC took one on the chin (sigh, AGAIN) from said Tommies on Wednesday night over at Schoenecker before they escaped another dangerous road spot at Hamline yesterday. They're still solid at 9-4 overall at 4-2 in conference play but I'll feel a lot better about them once they get senior Lindsey Johnson back.
CSB is something of a surprise so far with their identical 9-4 overall record and 4-2 MIAC record but again, I don't want to get too excited just yet. We just need to see more from this group. Bethel, left for dead over the Christmas break, has seemingly found new life and yesterday's huge 80-60 win at UST could very well be a sign that this team may very well be back. But let us remember, the wobbly start they endured has reduced this team's margin of error to near zero. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about Concordia and what to expect from them this year. They had that good win at Bethel back in December but then were dealt a twenty-point beatdown up at Claire Lynch by the Blazers yesterday. Where's the consistency?
Back-to-back losses by the Oles - at Bethel on Wednesday night and then at home yesterday to SMU, reaffirms my thoughts that this squad will be on the outside looking in again once February rolls around. I think there's enough blame to go around on a lot of fronts there. After dropping five consecutive games in December, the Auggies have recovered somewhat as they recorded wins over Hamline on Wednesday and took care of business at Carleton at home yesterday. Two big contests await them this week: Bethel on Wednesday night and then CSB on Saturday but both are in the friendly confines on Si Melby Hall so Augsburg has to make the most of the opportunity. Macalester has definitely taken two steps forward from last season and yesterday's shocking win at St. Kate's shows how far Head Coach Kelly Roysland has taken this squad in only her second season. Meanwhile, this was one of those games for St. Kate's where they HAD to take care of business at home and they weren't able to do it. As I mentioned before, if the Wildcats have hopes of making the MIAC playoffs, they cannot afford to drop games that are winnable. Hamline is struggling with youth and depth problems but they can still be extremely dangerous and junior Chelsey Bonsante's 25-point performance yesterday likely gave the Gusties nightmares last night. Carleton is limping along at 0-6 in the conference as Head Coach Cassie Kosiba's team has been beset by injuries; most notably to sophomore Anne Hamilton and senior Gabbi Steinstra.
GAC vs Hamline Synopsis 1-9-16
Made the trip over to venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University on this frigid early January Saturday afternoon to take in the game between visiting Gustavus Adolphus and host Hamline. This would be my first look at the Pipers this season who were coming into this game with a 3-9 overall record and 1-4 in MIAC play. The Gusties, likely still smarting after absorbing a 67-45 defeat at the hands of UST on Wednesday, were looking to improve on their 8-4 overall record and 3-2 mark in MIAC play.
Hamline has been battling a variety of injuries this season thus far not to mention that this is a squad that is very young and not very deep. Still, that didn't stop the Pipers from getting out of the gates fast and using their speed and athleticism that initially caught the Gusties flat-footed as Hamline built an early 6-2 advantage by the 8:14 mark as easy baskets by freshman forward Haley Greene and junior guard Chloe Graves showcased how quick the Pipers truly are. A jumper from the left elbow area by sophomore reserve forward Alex Peterson with 4:34 left and another one by senior guard Emily Behrman from the same area made it a 10-3 ballgame with 3:35 left and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; frustrated that her squad could not only not get stops but couldn't get anything going offensively either, called a thirty-second timeout for a quick chewing-out session. But Graves would drain a "3" from the right corner with 1:51 left for a 13-3 Hamline lead before the Gusties finally shook off a few of those early game cobwebs. Junior guard Hannah Howard got into the paint for a score with 1:39 left and sophomore post Stephanie Klockmann knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with :45.5 left that trimmed that Piper lead down to seven at 13-6. But Graves found an opening in the GAC defense with time winding down in the period and slashed through it for a lay-up with just :01 left for a 15-6 Hamline lead.
Maybe it was a hangover effect from the loss to UST on Wednesday night that the Gusties had to shake off before they could move on held them back in the opening period. Or maybe they got an earful from Kelly after the first period buzzer. In any event, GAC shook off those first period blues and found their groove on offense. Back-to-back scores by freshman reserve guard Taylor Anderson - a "3" from the left corner at the 9:21 mark and a pull-up jumper in the lane in transition at the 8:47 mark - suddenly reduced the Piper lead down to four at 15-11. A lay-up by strong senior point guard Mikayla Miller at the 7:15 mark, one free throw by freshman guard Brooke Lemke at the 7:02 mark and a jumper from the right top area by junior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter completed this stirring 10-0 run by the Gusties that gave them their first lead of the game at 16-15. Hamline would take their last lead of the contest at the 6:14 mark on a Greene lay-up but here the Gusties went on another big burst. Lemke snared a steal and got a lay-up in transition at the 5:37 mark then Miller muscled inside for a score and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing freebie made it 21-17 GAC. One lay-up by Lemke with 3:57 left and another one by Howard with 3:39 left now had the Gusties up 25-17 and Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell; realizing that all that early momentum was now gone, had no choice but to call a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. But the Gusties were far from through with their onslaught. Miller connected with a jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass with 2:58 left and then the Goodhue native banged home a "3" from the left wing with 2:27 left that upped GAC's lead to double-digits at 30-17. Another Anderson trey; this one from the top of the key with 1:19 left along with free throws from both Miller and Howard completed this 11-2 blitz that now had the Gusties up 36-19. Junior guard Chelsey Bonsante helped stave off complete disaster for Hamline by dropping two charity stripe shots with :26.7 left but this big second period by GAC turned things completely around as they possessed a 36-21 lead going into the locker room at the half. The Gusties held a sizable advantage on the glass in the first half with a 22-14 advantage and the Pipers; despite that early good start, cooled off considerable from FG range as they shot only 36.4%.
Despite a short jumper by sophomore guard Allison Bartak at the 9:27 mark and the first three-point bomb by Bonsante from the left wing area at the 8:23 mark, GAC slowly built their lead to twenty points by the 7:08 mark when the willowy Anderson drained another "3"; this one coming from the left wing area that made it 46-26 that presumably had the Gusties in good shape if they could just keep their intensity up and take care of things on defense which they were doing up to this point. But they didn't count on the Ironton native; Bonsante, to almost single-handedly bring her Hamline team back and give the Gusties fits the rest of the way. With frigid temperatures outside, Bonsante quickly turned up the heat as she drilled a "3' from the left top area at the 6:53 mark. Two free throws by the always-reliable Graves slimmed GAC's lead down to 46-31 and a score in the paint by Bonsante at the 5:35 mark gave the Pipers some hope trailing 48-33. One free throw by Bartak at the 5:15 mark and another Bonsante three-point bomb; this one from the left wing area with 4:50 left reduced the Gustie lead down to 50-37. GAC got a bit of reprieve when Carpenter knocked down a "3" from the right wing area with 4:33 left but two scores by Graves - a pair of freebies with 4:30 left and a lay-up in transition with 4:04 left - kept the flame flickering for Hamline. But that flame looked like it had some serious water thrown on it by the Gusties when sophomore reserve forward Miranda Rice snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:42 left and Carpenter again found the range from three-point land with her bomb from the left top area with 3:04 left for a cozy 60-41 GAC lead. But Bonsante came back to rescue her Hamline teammates from the brink of extinction. She unleashed yet another three-point bomb from the left wing area with 2:53 left that reduced the Gustie lead down to 60-44 and two free throws by Peterson with 2:17 left and a short jumper off the glass by Bonsante with 1:35 left got the Pipers closer trailing 64-48. GAC seemed stymied down the final stretch of the third period as the home team took their cue. Two charity stripe shots by Graves with 1:08 left and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Ivannie Robertson with :36 left in the period reduced the Gustie lead down to twelve at 64-52 and though GAC still had the lead, it definitely appeard that the momentum was teetering toward Hamline.
The Gustie advantage appeared even more tenuous once the fourth and final period got underway. Graves banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 8:26 mark that reduced GAC's lead down to ten points at 65-55 and a Bartak jumper in the lane at the 7:30 mark kept the deficit in that ten-point range at 67-57. Fouls were starting to become a bit of a factor as well as Anderson picked up her fourth foul at the 6:50 mark and Kelly had no choice but to sit the freshman for a spell. A Bonsante score in the paint at the 6:40 mark reduced the Gustie lead to nine at 68-59 and yet another Bonsante l three-point dagger; this one from the top of the key at the 6:04 mark cut GAC's lead down to eight at 69-61. A lay-up by Graves with 5:35 left trimmed the Gustie lead down to seven at 70-63 and things clearly could have gone kablooey for GAC right then and there. But just when things appeared most dangerous for the Gusties, they found a way to stave off the challenge. Miller found just enough space in the right wing area to knock down a tough "3" with 4:38 left and two free throws by Carpenter got the lead back up to twelve for GAC at 75-63. The Pipers tried desperately to rekindle the magic that brought them from so far back. Greene got into the paint for a score and drew a foul and made the ensuing free throw that got the deficit back into single digits at 75-66 and Bonsante's final three-point bomb of the day from the left wing area slimmed the Gustie lead down to eight a 77-69 but that was as close as they would get. Miller connected with a tough insurance jumper from the right corner with 1:19 left and two Carpenter free throws with :17.7 left sealed a scary 81-69 decision for GAC as they walked off in relief with the nets still sizzling after a spectacular Bonsante performance behind the arc.
Stockwell shook her head in disappointment afterward; citing "execution" and "mistakes" for her squads ultimate downfall in this one. "We were very good for one quarter" she lamented. Kelly was still taking some deep breaths after this win at Hutton Arena; a place that has not been kind to the Gusties over the past few seasons. When I asked her about her squad's slow start in this contest, she said it was "like they never got off the bus". She talked about how her players have a nasty habit of letting a bad defensive sequence affect their performance on offense (a reversal, if you will, of Bethel's philosophy). But once they shook off those early doldrums, they functioned well. She also spoke of how the youth of this team is factoring into some of the struggles; especially now with senior forward Lindsey Johnson out of action for the time being as she recovers from an illness and how they miss her senior leadership on the floor. Still, it has to be good to see some of these underclassmen such as Miller, Carpenter, and Howard step up in situations such as the one today. Indeed, Miller's 25-point performance was somewhat overshadowed by Bonsante's huge second half. Carpenter added 16 points while Anderson added 11. No question who led the Hamline attack in this one as Bonsante's 25 points led the way with 23 of those points coming in the second half alone. Graves added 18 points while Green contributed 11 points in the losing effort. The Pipers were guilty of 21 turnovers in this contest and that's one thing they'll have to improve on going forward without question.
Hamline has been battling a variety of injuries this season thus far not to mention that this is a squad that is very young and not very deep. Still, that didn't stop the Pipers from getting out of the gates fast and using their speed and athleticism that initially caught the Gusties flat-footed as Hamline built an early 6-2 advantage by the 8:14 mark as easy baskets by freshman forward Haley Greene and junior guard Chloe Graves showcased how quick the Pipers truly are. A jumper from the left elbow area by sophomore reserve forward Alex Peterson with 4:34 left and another one by senior guard Emily Behrman from the same area made it a 10-3 ballgame with 3:35 left and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; frustrated that her squad could not only not get stops but couldn't get anything going offensively either, called a thirty-second timeout for a quick chewing-out session. But Graves would drain a "3" from the right corner with 1:51 left for a 13-3 Hamline lead before the Gusties finally shook off a few of those early game cobwebs. Junior guard Hannah Howard got into the paint for a score with 1:39 left and sophomore post Stephanie Klockmann knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with :45.5 left that trimmed that Piper lead down to seven at 13-6. But Graves found an opening in the GAC defense with time winding down in the period and slashed through it for a lay-up with just :01 left for a 15-6 Hamline lead.
Maybe it was a hangover effect from the loss to UST on Wednesday night that the Gusties had to shake off before they could move on held them back in the opening period. Or maybe they got an earful from Kelly after the first period buzzer. In any event, GAC shook off those first period blues and found their groove on offense. Back-to-back scores by freshman reserve guard Taylor Anderson - a "3" from the left corner at the 9:21 mark and a pull-up jumper in the lane in transition at the 8:47 mark - suddenly reduced the Piper lead down to four at 15-11. A lay-up by strong senior point guard Mikayla Miller at the 7:15 mark, one free throw by freshman guard Brooke Lemke at the 7:02 mark and a jumper from the right top area by junior reserve guard Kelsey Carpenter completed this stirring 10-0 run by the Gusties that gave them their first lead of the game at 16-15. Hamline would take their last lead of the contest at the 6:14 mark on a Greene lay-up but here the Gusties went on another big burst. Lemke snared a steal and got a lay-up in transition at the 5:37 mark then Miller muscled inside for a score and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing freebie made it 21-17 GAC. One lay-up by Lemke with 3:57 left and another one by Howard with 3:39 left now had the Gusties up 25-17 and Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell; realizing that all that early momentum was now gone, had no choice but to call a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. But the Gusties were far from through with their onslaught. Miller connected with a jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass with 2:58 left and then the Goodhue native banged home a "3" from the left wing with 2:27 left that upped GAC's lead to double-digits at 30-17. Another Anderson trey; this one from the top of the key with 1:19 left along with free throws from both Miller and Howard completed this 11-2 blitz that now had the Gusties up 36-19. Junior guard Chelsey Bonsante helped stave off complete disaster for Hamline by dropping two charity stripe shots with :26.7 left but this big second period by GAC turned things completely around as they possessed a 36-21 lead going into the locker room at the half. The Gusties held a sizable advantage on the glass in the first half with a 22-14 advantage and the Pipers; despite that early good start, cooled off considerable from FG range as they shot only 36.4%.
Despite a short jumper by sophomore guard Allison Bartak at the 9:27 mark and the first three-point bomb by Bonsante from the left wing area at the 8:23 mark, GAC slowly built their lead to twenty points by the 7:08 mark when the willowy Anderson drained another "3"; this one coming from the left wing area that made it 46-26 that presumably had the Gusties in good shape if they could just keep their intensity up and take care of things on defense which they were doing up to this point. But they didn't count on the Ironton native; Bonsante, to almost single-handedly bring her Hamline team back and give the Gusties fits the rest of the way. With frigid temperatures outside, Bonsante quickly turned up the heat as she drilled a "3' from the left top area at the 6:53 mark. Two free throws by the always-reliable Graves slimmed GAC's lead down to 46-31 and a score in the paint by Bonsante at the 5:35 mark gave the Pipers some hope trailing 48-33. One free throw by Bartak at the 5:15 mark and another Bonsante three-point bomb; this one from the left wing area with 4:50 left reduced the Gustie lead down to 50-37. GAC got a bit of reprieve when Carpenter knocked down a "3" from the right wing area with 4:33 left but two scores by Graves - a pair of freebies with 4:30 left and a lay-up in transition with 4:04 left - kept the flame flickering for Hamline. But that flame looked like it had some serious water thrown on it by the Gusties when sophomore reserve forward Miranda Rice snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:42 left and Carpenter again found the range from three-point land with her bomb from the left top area with 3:04 left for a cozy 60-41 GAC lead. But Bonsante came back to rescue her Hamline teammates from the brink of extinction. She unleashed yet another three-point bomb from the left wing area with 2:53 left that reduced the Gustie lead down to 60-44 and two free throws by Peterson with 2:17 left and a short jumper off the glass by Bonsante with 1:35 left got the Pipers closer trailing 64-48. GAC seemed stymied down the final stretch of the third period as the home team took their cue. Two charity stripe shots by Graves with 1:08 left and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Ivannie Robertson with :36 left in the period reduced the Gustie lead down to twelve at 64-52 and though GAC still had the lead, it definitely appeard that the momentum was teetering toward Hamline.
The Gustie advantage appeared even more tenuous once the fourth and final period got underway. Graves banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 8:26 mark that reduced GAC's lead down to ten points at 65-55 and a Bartak jumper in the lane at the 7:30 mark kept the deficit in that ten-point range at 67-57. Fouls were starting to become a bit of a factor as well as Anderson picked up her fourth foul at the 6:50 mark and Kelly had no choice but to sit the freshman for a spell. A Bonsante score in the paint at the 6:40 mark reduced the Gustie lead to nine at 68-59 and yet another Bonsante l three-point dagger; this one from the top of the key at the 6:04 mark cut GAC's lead down to eight at 69-61. A lay-up by Graves with 5:35 left trimmed the Gustie lead down to seven at 70-63 and things clearly could have gone kablooey for GAC right then and there. But just when things appeared most dangerous for the Gusties, they found a way to stave off the challenge. Miller found just enough space in the right wing area to knock down a tough "3" with 4:38 left and two free throws by Carpenter got the lead back up to twelve for GAC at 75-63. The Pipers tried desperately to rekindle the magic that brought them from so far back. Greene got into the paint for a score and drew a foul and made the ensuing free throw that got the deficit back into single digits at 75-66 and Bonsante's final three-point bomb of the day from the left wing area slimmed the Gustie lead down to eight a 77-69 but that was as close as they would get. Miller connected with a tough insurance jumper from the right corner with 1:19 left and two Carpenter free throws with :17.7 left sealed a scary 81-69 decision for GAC as they walked off in relief with the nets still sizzling after a spectacular Bonsante performance behind the arc.
Stockwell shook her head in disappointment afterward; citing "execution" and "mistakes" for her squads ultimate downfall in this one. "We were very good for one quarter" she lamented. Kelly was still taking some deep breaths after this win at Hutton Arena; a place that has not been kind to the Gusties over the past few seasons. When I asked her about her squad's slow start in this contest, she said it was "like they never got off the bus". She talked about how her players have a nasty habit of letting a bad defensive sequence affect their performance on offense (a reversal, if you will, of Bethel's philosophy). But once they shook off those early doldrums, they functioned well. She also spoke of how the youth of this team is factoring into some of the struggles; especially now with senior forward Lindsey Johnson out of action for the time being as she recovers from an illness and how they miss her senior leadership on the floor. Still, it has to be good to see some of these underclassmen such as Miller, Carpenter, and Howard step up in situations such as the one today. Indeed, Miller's 25-point performance was somewhat overshadowed by Bonsante's huge second half. Carpenter added 16 points while Anderson added 11. No question who led the Hamline attack in this one as Bonsante's 25 points led the way with 23 of those points coming in the second half alone. Graves added 18 points while Green contributed 11 points in the losing effort. The Pipers were guilty of 21 turnovers in this contest and that's one thing they'll have to improve on going forward without question.
Totino-Grace vs Park Center Recap 1-7-16
Made the short trip over to Park Center High School on this Thursday evening to take in a Northwest Suburban Conference Clash between visiting Totino-Grace and host Park Center. The Pirates; coming off a tough road loss to Centennial earlier in the week, were looking to rebound against the Eagles.
Park Center, which has shown some inconsistencies at times this season thus far with their defense and shooting, seemed to put things together on this night as they jumped out to an early 5-0 lead thanks to a "3" from the right wing at the 17:48 mark by sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore. Totino-Grace would cut the Pirates lead to 5-4 thanks to a "3" from the right wing area by junior guard Madison Brunn at the 16:20 mark but here Park Center embarked on a 9-0 run that the Eagles under the gun. Junior forward Fey Ayobamidele started the run with her "3" from the top of the key at the 14:24 mark and scores by junior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet, Blakemore, and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois at the 13:08 mark suddenly made it a 14-4 game and Totino-Grace Head Coach Jessica Priest quickly called a time-out to get her squad settled down. The Eagles recovered somewhat as a score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Brianna Glynn at the 12:46 mark and a "3" from the right wing by senior guard Jenna Meyer at the 11:43 mark cut Park Center's lead in half at 14-9. But a "3" by junior guard Danielle Schaub helped the Pirates slowly build their lead back up. A Simonet lay-up in transition at the 10:05 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback by Simonet with 7:56 left stretched the lead to eight at 21-13. Totino-Grace tried to pull closer as junior forward/post Sydney Weierke connected with a jumper in the lane with 6:48 left but then Simonet reeled off her own personal 8-0 run for the Pirates that included two three-point bombs - one from the right wing area with 5:59 left and the other one from the left top area with 5:16 mark - that now had Park Center up 29-15. Sydney Weierke tried to get her Eagle teammates sparked with her score in the paint with 4:00 left but a steal by Schaub in the backcourt and her score in the paint with 2:39 left and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve guard Azsha Michael with 2:07 left allowed the Pirates to take a cozy 36-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Blakemore started the second half the same way she started the first half - with a "3"; this one coming from the left corner at the 17:38 mark that ballooned Park Center's lead to 39-19. The Eagles would cut into that deficit on one free throw by Brunn at the 16:37 mark and a "3" from senior guard Julia Sullwold from the right corner at the 14:55 mark but Totino-Grace was unable to sustain any prolonged run that might have reduced the deficit to single digits. A Schaub "3" from the right wing at the 13:40 mark and a tip-in shot off of an inbounds pass by junior post Mikayla Hayes made it 46-23. The Eagles tried again to counter as Glynn snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:52 mark and Sydney Weierke connected with a jumper from the right elbow at the 11:55 mark but Hayes struck back for the Pirates as she scored in the paint and drew a foul in the process and sank the obligatory free throw at the 11:43 mark and then another lay-up in transition by DuBois at the 11:27 mark made it a 51-27 ballgame and Totino-Grace's Priest had no choice but to call a time-out as that pesky Park Center defense was causing all sorts of turnover problems for her Eagle squad. But this stoppage in play would not deter the Pirates on their home floor with a sizable cushion already at hand. A short jumper by Simonet at the 11:00 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by the ever-improving DuBois at the 9:34 mark made it 55-27 and then Simonet drained another "3" from the right corner with 7:48 left for a 60-33 advantage. Hayes was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:38 left and scores by Blakemore - two free throws with 3:50 left and a "3" from the left top area with 3:23 left - sealed an almost certain deal for Park Center on this night as the Pirates cruised to a 73-45 victory.
Park Center, which has shown some inconsistencies at times this season thus far with their defense and shooting, seemed to put things together on this night as they jumped out to an early 5-0 lead thanks to a "3" from the right wing at the 17:48 mark by sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore. Totino-Grace would cut the Pirates lead to 5-4 thanks to a "3" from the right wing area by junior guard Madison Brunn at the 16:20 mark but here Park Center embarked on a 9-0 run that the Eagles under the gun. Junior forward Fey Ayobamidele started the run with her "3" from the top of the key at the 14:24 mark and scores by junior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet, Blakemore, and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois at the 13:08 mark suddenly made it a 14-4 game and Totino-Grace Head Coach Jessica Priest quickly called a time-out to get her squad settled down. The Eagles recovered somewhat as a score in the paint by freshman reserve forward Brianna Glynn at the 12:46 mark and a "3" from the right wing by senior guard Jenna Meyer at the 11:43 mark cut Park Center's lead in half at 14-9. But a "3" by junior guard Danielle Schaub helped the Pirates slowly build their lead back up. A Simonet lay-up in transition at the 10:05 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback by Simonet with 7:56 left stretched the lead to eight at 21-13. Totino-Grace tried to pull closer as junior forward/post Sydney Weierke connected with a jumper in the lane with 6:48 left but then Simonet reeled off her own personal 8-0 run for the Pirates that included two three-point bombs - one from the right wing area with 5:59 left and the other one from the left top area with 5:16 mark - that now had Park Center up 29-15. Sydney Weierke tried to get her Eagle teammates sparked with her score in the paint with 4:00 left but a steal by Schaub in the backcourt and her score in the paint with 2:39 left and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve guard Azsha Michael with 2:07 left allowed the Pirates to take a cozy 36-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Blakemore started the second half the same way she started the first half - with a "3"; this one coming from the left corner at the 17:38 mark that ballooned Park Center's lead to 39-19. The Eagles would cut into that deficit on one free throw by Brunn at the 16:37 mark and a "3" from senior guard Julia Sullwold from the right corner at the 14:55 mark but Totino-Grace was unable to sustain any prolonged run that might have reduced the deficit to single digits. A Schaub "3" from the right wing at the 13:40 mark and a tip-in shot off of an inbounds pass by junior post Mikayla Hayes made it 46-23. The Eagles tried again to counter as Glynn snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:52 mark and Sydney Weierke connected with a jumper from the right elbow at the 11:55 mark but Hayes struck back for the Pirates as she scored in the paint and drew a foul in the process and sank the obligatory free throw at the 11:43 mark and then another lay-up in transition by DuBois at the 11:27 mark made it a 51-27 ballgame and Totino-Grace's Priest had no choice but to call a time-out as that pesky Park Center defense was causing all sorts of turnover problems for her Eagle squad. But this stoppage in play would not deter the Pirates on their home floor with a sizable cushion already at hand. A short jumper by Simonet at the 11:00 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by the ever-improving DuBois at the 9:34 mark made it 55-27 and then Simonet drained another "3" from the right corner with 7:48 left for a 60-33 advantage. Hayes was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:38 left and scores by Blakemore - two free throws with 3:50 left and a "3" from the left top area with 3:23 left - sealed an almost certain deal for Park Center on this night as the Pirates cruised to a 73-45 victory.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
St. Olaf vs Bethel Synopsis 1-6-16
Made a return trip to Bethel's Robertson Center on this Wednesday night to take in the first night of conference play in January; this one between visiting St. Olaf and host Bethel. This would be my first look at the Oles who were coming into this contest with a somewhat surprising 8-3 record overall and 3-1 in the MIAC. The Royals, of course, staved off a tough challenge from next door neighbor Northwestern on Monday night so naturally I was curious as to what Bethel team would show up on this night: The one that creates turnovers on defense and gets easy points off of them or the one that has looked sluggish and unsure of itself at times.
On this night, Bethel came out of the gate fast; jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead, thanks to a lay-up by senior point guard Hannah Niewald at the 9:14 mark and a "3" from the left wing by fellow senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz at the 5:12 mark. The Oles finally got on the board with 4:48 left in the opening period when senior guard Afton Wolter connected on a tough, scoop lay-up but otherwise St. Olaf looked totally out of sync on offense. As a result, the Royals were able to go on a big 11-2 run. Junior forward Kalli Zimmerman went into the lane for a finish with 4:27 left and then it was diminutive sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller making a big splash. The Howard Lake native drained her first trey of the evening with 3:30 left from the left corner and then made lightning strike twice when she banged home another "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down for at 15-4 lead with 1:43 left. With 1:00 left, Miller struck yet again from three-point land; this one coming from the left wing area for an 18-4 Bethel lead. St. Olaf finally stopped some of the bleeding when junior forward Betsey Daly connected with a jumper in the lane with :40 left but a short turnaround jumper by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson allowed Bethel to hold a 20-7 advantage at the end of the first period.
The Royals extended their lead to sixteen at 23-7 in the early moments of the second period on a three-point bomb from Niewald from the left wing area at the 8:29 mark but St. Olaf; likely smarting from the lackluster first period debacle, slowly got into the groove. Daly snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:31 mark and then Wolter; doing what she does best, unleashed a "3" from the right wing area with 4:08 left that slimmed the deficit down to thirteen at 25-12. Freshman reserve forward Makenna Ash got into the paint for one score with 3:26 left and then senior forward Zoe Hansen knocked down a short jumper with 3:16 left that drew the Oles a bit closer trailing 27-16. One Ash freebie with 2:41 left and two more by junior reserve guard Brooke Nyenhuis with 2:11 left got St. Olaf back into single-digit range trailing 27-19. The Royals sagged on offense coming down the stretch of the first half and, with :48 left, Ash got into the paint again for the Oles for two more points that now had the Bethel lead cut down to a much more manageable 28-21 halftime margin. A much more aggresive approach by St. Olaf in the second period made the rebounding margin very close with the Royals holding a slim 21-19 edge. What had to be really bugging Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer during the halftime break were the nine turnovers his squad was guilty of in the first half alone while the Oles committed only three boo-boos. The dismal first period kept the shooting percentages down for St. Olaf but now with the deficit down to a much more manageable margin, could the Oles keep that momentum going in the second half?
The Royals had a quick answer for that question as they went on an 8-2 burst in the opening moments of the third period. Schultz drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:38 mark and then junior guard Shanni Moorse; held scoreless in the first half, snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss at the 7:11 mark for a 33-21 Bethel lead. St. Olaf senior guard Woo Bandel temporarily halted the home team's charge with her lay-up at the 6:56 mark but Schultz found the range again from three-point land as this bomb from the right corner at the 6:38 mark made it a thirteen-point game at 36-23. The Oles would momentarily recover as Ash connected on a short jumper at the 6:27 mark and then senior forward Zoe Hansen connected on a lay-up at the 5:53 mark that got the deficit back into single-digit range but two free throws by Zimmerman at the 5:21 mark and two more by senior reserve post Rachel Parupsky with 3:39 left had Bethel back up by thirteen at 40-27 and then a Parupsky score in the paint with 2:36 left upped the lead to 42-27 and St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme promptly called a timeout to get his squad reorganized. But that stoppage had little effect as Zimmerman slithered into the paint for a one-handed shot inside with 1:57 left and an upset Stromme took a match to another timeout in a vain effort to keep this one from getting away. But the Royals put the finishing touches on this 10-1 blitz to end the period on two charity stripe shots by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff for a 46-28 lead.
The Oles tried to counter once the fourth and final period got underway. Hansen snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:16 mark and then Ash connected on a turnaround jumper at the 8:00 mark that drew a foul and sent her to the line for one free throw but they could never get a sustained run or a spark that might have changed the complexion of this game. Sophomore forward Molly O'Toole dropped two free throws at the 7:50 mark and another one by Moorse at the 7:09 mark made it 51-33 for the home team. Wolter swished another "3" for St. Olaf from the right wing area at the 6:42 mark but that was answered by Kirchoff's "3" from the right wing twenty seconds later for a 54-36 Bethel lead. St. Olaf would desperately try to stem the tide as Hansen made a nice drive along the left baseline for a finish at the 5:35 mark and senior reserve guard Molly Dietrich knocked down a "3" from the left corner with 4:20 left but the Royals were getting to the charity stripe with more and more frequency and they were making the most of those opportunites. Further complicating the situation for the Oles was that Bethel was now in the bonus as well. Johnson dropped two freebies with 4:08 left and one more with 3:45 left for a 61-41 Royal lead and everything after that was pretty much academic. Both Herbrechtsmeyer and Stromme sent in their reserves to close things out and Bethel recorded a solid 66-48 victory when the final buzzer sounded.
A check of the final box score revealed some telling numbers. The Royals owned the glass by a 45-36 margin and while St. Olaf took relatively good care of the ball with only 8 turnovers on the night, they only shot 25.7% from FG range and a dismal 25% from three-point land which is the hallmark of Bethel's defensive philosophy. Herbrechtsmeyer made no bones about not being happy after his team let a double-digit first period lead get whittled down into single digits by halftime. He spoke about how his squad has to sometime disconnect mentally after a not-so-good offensive possession so it won't affect them on the other side of the floor. "I wish they had amnesia at times" he lamented. Still, the Royals came out with a new focus and determination and took St. Olaf completely out of their comfort zone with that hard-nosed defense that they take with pride. Bethel had a pretty balanced scoring attack as well as Zimmerman's 12 points and Miller's 11 points led the way followed by Schultz with her nine points and Niewald and Parupsky's six points. St. Olaf was balanced as well with their scoring attack in the losing effort. Ash's ten points led the way followed by Hansen's nine points and Wolter's eight points.
On this night, Bethel came out of the gate fast; jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead, thanks to a lay-up by senior point guard Hannah Niewald at the 9:14 mark and a "3" from the left wing by fellow senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz at the 5:12 mark. The Oles finally got on the board with 4:48 left in the opening period when senior guard Afton Wolter connected on a tough, scoop lay-up but otherwise St. Olaf looked totally out of sync on offense. As a result, the Royals were able to go on a big 11-2 run. Junior forward Kalli Zimmerman went into the lane for a finish with 4:27 left and then it was diminutive sophomore reserve guard Abby Miller making a big splash. The Howard Lake native drained her first trey of the evening with 3:30 left from the left corner and then made lightning strike twice when she banged home another "3" from the right wing area as the shot clock was winding down for at 15-4 lead with 1:43 left. With 1:00 left, Miller struck yet again from three-point land; this one coming from the left wing area for an 18-4 Bethel lead. St. Olaf finally stopped some of the bleeding when junior forward Betsey Daly connected with a jumper in the lane with :40 left but a short turnaround jumper by freshman reserve post Hannah Johnson allowed Bethel to hold a 20-7 advantage at the end of the first period.
The Royals extended their lead to sixteen at 23-7 in the early moments of the second period on a three-point bomb from Niewald from the left wing area at the 8:29 mark but St. Olaf; likely smarting from the lackluster first period debacle, slowly got into the groove. Daly snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:31 mark and then Wolter; doing what she does best, unleashed a "3" from the right wing area with 4:08 left that slimmed the deficit down to thirteen at 25-12. Freshman reserve forward Makenna Ash got into the paint for one score with 3:26 left and then senior forward Zoe Hansen knocked down a short jumper with 3:16 left that drew the Oles a bit closer trailing 27-16. One Ash freebie with 2:41 left and two more by junior reserve guard Brooke Nyenhuis with 2:11 left got St. Olaf back into single-digit range trailing 27-19. The Royals sagged on offense coming down the stretch of the first half and, with :48 left, Ash got into the paint again for the Oles for two more points that now had the Bethel lead cut down to a much more manageable 28-21 halftime margin. A much more aggresive approach by St. Olaf in the second period made the rebounding margin very close with the Royals holding a slim 21-19 edge. What had to be really bugging Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer during the halftime break were the nine turnovers his squad was guilty of in the first half alone while the Oles committed only three boo-boos. The dismal first period kept the shooting percentages down for St. Olaf but now with the deficit down to a much more manageable margin, could the Oles keep that momentum going in the second half?
The Royals had a quick answer for that question as they went on an 8-2 burst in the opening moments of the third period. Schultz drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:38 mark and then junior guard Shanni Moorse; held scoreless in the first half, snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss at the 7:11 mark for a 33-21 Bethel lead. St. Olaf senior guard Woo Bandel temporarily halted the home team's charge with her lay-up at the 6:56 mark but Schultz found the range again from three-point land as this bomb from the right corner at the 6:38 mark made it a thirteen-point game at 36-23. The Oles would momentarily recover as Ash connected on a short jumper at the 6:27 mark and then senior forward Zoe Hansen connected on a lay-up at the 5:53 mark that got the deficit back into single-digit range but two free throws by Zimmerman at the 5:21 mark and two more by senior reserve post Rachel Parupsky with 3:39 left had Bethel back up by thirteen at 40-27 and then a Parupsky score in the paint with 2:36 left upped the lead to 42-27 and St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme promptly called a timeout to get his squad reorganized. But that stoppage had little effect as Zimmerman slithered into the paint for a one-handed shot inside with 1:57 left and an upset Stromme took a match to another timeout in a vain effort to keep this one from getting away. But the Royals put the finishing touches on this 10-1 blitz to end the period on two charity stripe shots by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff for a 46-28 lead.
The Oles tried to counter once the fourth and final period got underway. Hansen snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:16 mark and then Ash connected on a turnaround jumper at the 8:00 mark that drew a foul and sent her to the line for one free throw but they could never get a sustained run or a spark that might have changed the complexion of this game. Sophomore forward Molly O'Toole dropped two free throws at the 7:50 mark and another one by Moorse at the 7:09 mark made it 51-33 for the home team. Wolter swished another "3" for St. Olaf from the right wing area at the 6:42 mark but that was answered by Kirchoff's "3" from the right wing twenty seconds later for a 54-36 Bethel lead. St. Olaf would desperately try to stem the tide as Hansen made a nice drive along the left baseline for a finish at the 5:35 mark and senior reserve guard Molly Dietrich knocked down a "3" from the left corner with 4:20 left but the Royals were getting to the charity stripe with more and more frequency and they were making the most of those opportunites. Further complicating the situation for the Oles was that Bethel was now in the bonus as well. Johnson dropped two freebies with 4:08 left and one more with 3:45 left for a 61-41 Royal lead and everything after that was pretty much academic. Both Herbrechtsmeyer and Stromme sent in their reserves to close things out and Bethel recorded a solid 66-48 victory when the final buzzer sounded.
A check of the final box score revealed some telling numbers. The Royals owned the glass by a 45-36 margin and while St. Olaf took relatively good care of the ball with only 8 turnovers on the night, they only shot 25.7% from FG range and a dismal 25% from three-point land which is the hallmark of Bethel's defensive philosophy. Herbrechtsmeyer made no bones about not being happy after his team let a double-digit first period lead get whittled down into single digits by halftime. He spoke about how his squad has to sometime disconnect mentally after a not-so-good offensive possession so it won't affect them on the other side of the floor. "I wish they had amnesia at times" he lamented. Still, the Royals came out with a new focus and determination and took St. Olaf completely out of their comfort zone with that hard-nosed defense that they take with pride. Bethel had a pretty balanced scoring attack as well as Zimmerman's 12 points and Miller's 11 points led the way followed by Schultz with her nine points and Niewald and Parupsky's six points. St. Olaf was balanced as well with their scoring attack in the losing effort. Ash's ten points led the way followed by Hansen's nine points and Wolter's eight points.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Northwestern vs Bethel 1-4-16
Made the short hop over to Bethel's Robertson Center on this Monday night to take in the last of the non-conference clashes of this season; this one featuring next door neighbor Northwestern of the UMAC going up against host Bethel. The Eagles were coming into this contest riding on something of a high with an eight-game win streak and a solid 9-2 overall record while the Royals were surprisingly limping along with a 5-5 overall record and only 2-2 in MIAC play. I expected a close game on this night and knew that the Royals were going to have to turn it up a notch if they wanted to protect their home floor.
This game would also be a clash of defensive styles as Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl staunchly holds with his 2-3 "match-up" zone while Bethel likes the hard-nosed one-on-one defense that creates turnovers and leads to easy points. The Eagles held an early 4-2 lead on a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt by sophomore guard Amy Berglund at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Kim Campbell at the 7:50 mark but Bethel went on a 6-0 spurt. Free throws by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman and fellow junior guard Shanni Moorse at the 7:03 and 7:13 marks respectively tied the score at 4-all and then senior point guard Hannah Niewald connected on a lay-up in transition at the 6:13 mark and then was also able to drive into the lane for a finish at the 5:06 mark for an 8-4 Royal lead. Northwestern came right back on an offensive rebound and putback by senior post Regan Cooper with 4:52 left and a pull-up jumper from the right elbow by Campbell with 4:26 left that knotted the issue at 8 a piece. The Royals would regain a four-point edge coming down the stretch of the first half, however. Senior post Rachel Parupsky connected with a jumper from the left elbow area with 3:04 left and a short jumper by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole with 2:31 left made it 12-8. The Eagles would close the gap to two points when junior guard Tiffany Stubbs got into the lane for a finish with 2:00 left but Parupsky's lay-up with :54 left closed out the first period scoring for a 14-10 Bethel lead.
The Royals weren't able to establish much more distance in the opening minutes of the second period. An offensive rebound and putback by Moorse at the 9:25 mark and a pretty drive along the left baseline and finish by reserve freshman post Hannah Johnson kept the cushion at four with an 18-14 lead at the 8:45 mark. Northwestern would again come right back to tie the score at 18 on a short jumper by reserve freshman guard sensation Taryn Tumbleson at the 8:21 mark and a short jumper by Campbell at the 7:10 mark. Bethel would slowly forge a bit more breathing room over the next few minutes that may have, if anything, lulled them into a false sense of security. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz banged home a "3" from the wing area at the 6:53 mark and two freebies by Moorse at the 5:28 mark had the Royals up 23-20. An offensive rebound and putback by the versatile Moorse with 4:15 left and a drive into the lane and finish by Niewald with 4:06 left made it 27-22. Reserve sophomore guard Abby Miller's short jumper from the left wing area with 2:37 left maintained the five-point edge at 29-24 and the Royals appeared to be in good shape. Northwestern, however, had other ideas and went on a 7-0 run right before the end of the half. Cooper connected with a lay-up with 2:15 left as did reserve junior forward Emily VanLith with 1:48 left that sliced Bethel's lead down to a scant point at 29-28. With :46.8 left, sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole sliced into the heart of the Bethel defense for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw allowed the Eagles to take a somewhat surprising 31-29 lead into the locker room at the half. The Royals had a slight edge in the rebounding column at 22-19 but they were also guilty of more turnovers as well; leading that category by a 12-8 count.
Northwestern took their cue from the late second period run and opened up a four-point advantage early in the third period when Cooper took a sweet and perfectly-placed bounce pass from Campbell and got a lay-up out of it at the 9:15 mark. Bethel would manage to cut the gap on a score in the paint by Zimmerman at the 8:53 mark and two charity stripe shots by Moorse at the 8:23 mark knotted the issue at 33-all. A drive into the lane and finish by Zimmerman gave the Royals the lead at 35-33 by Northwestern would come right back again. Campbell knocked down a "3" from the left corner at the 6:33 mark that gave the lead back to the Eagles at 36-35 and a score in the paint by Cooper with 4:39 left allowed Northwestern to cling to that one-point advantage at 38-37. Bethel, though, would snare a bit of momentum back in the latter stages of the period. Trailing 39-38, Miller banged home a "3" from the left top area with 2:52 left that had the Royals back out in front 41-39 and an offensive rebound and putback by Parupsky with 1:44 left made it a 43-39 ballgame. Back again came the Eagles. Berglund banged home a "3" from the right top area with 1:21 left and one free throw by Tumbleson who was fouled with :40.2 left tied the game at 43-all. Another Schultz trey; this one coming from the left top area with :23.1 left put Bethel back on top 46-43 but Cole would close out the scoring in the third period for Northwestern with her lay-up with :12 left that had the Royals clinging to a one-point lead at 46-45. For the Bethel fans in the stands, it had to be a bit disconcerting that they were not yet able to shake the pesky Eagles who were managing to hang around and then some.
To their credit, Northwestern managed to hang right in the thick of things in the opening moments of the fourth and final period. A drive along the left baseline and finish by Niewald had the Royals up 48-45 but Cooper was fouled down low at the 8:40 mark and the obligatory free throws by the Pella, Iowa native trimmed that deficit for the Eagles down to a scant point at 48-47. At some point, however, you had to figure that the Royals would get that sense of urgency to turn it up a notch. One free throw by Moorse at the 8:24 mark increased the lead to 49-47 but an offensive rebound and putback by O'Toole also drew a foul and she put down the ensuing freebie to a 52-47 Bethel advantage and, while not an insurmountable deficit, Northwestern's Kahl must have felt a bit of alarm as he called a timeout to discuss strategy with his team. But the five-point deficit was only part of Kahl's concern. The Royals were now pounding the glass on both ends of the floor and on offense, they were beginning to spread that Eagle 2-3 "match-up" zone with precise, crisp passing that created openings. Leading 53-49, O'Toole snared a long offensive rebound and promptly drove along the right baseline for a finish at the 5:45 mark to make it 55-49 and a jumper from the charity stripe area by Parupsky maintained the six-point edge at 57-51 with 3:36 left. The Eagles were able to make it a one-possession game on one free throw by Cooper with 3:26 left and a jumper from the right wing area by senior forward Courtney Cunard that cut the Bethel lead down to 57-54. Bethel, however, snuffed out the last hopes that their next door neighbor may have had about stealing a victory. Niewald snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 2:22 left and then the Fridley native found an opening in that stretched-out Eagle zone and drove into the lane for a finish with 1:33 left that made it a 61-54 game. Insurance free throws by Moorse with :56 and :48.6 left and one by Zimmerman with :14.3 left gave the Royals a tough, hard-earned 66-59 win.
Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had high praises for Niewald afterward saying that "she played her best game of the season so far" and added that the guard play, while solid, needs to become more efficient for his squad to get back to their winning ways. Northwestern's Kahl admitted afterward that his squad got "pounded on the boards" and a glance at the box score reveals just that. While the rebounding edge at the half was small for the Royals, it was an astounding 25-14 edge in the second half which played a huge difference, particularly in that final period. Bethel had a pretty balanced scoring attack as well with Moorse's 15 points leading the way while Niewald added 12 and O'Toole chipped in with 11 points. Kahl had high praises for his senior post and deservedly so as she led the way for the Eagles with her 20 points and eight rebounds. Berglund added 11 points while followed by Campbell with her nine points in the losing effort.
This game would also be a clash of defensive styles as Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl staunchly holds with his 2-3 "match-up" zone while Bethel likes the hard-nosed one-on-one defense that creates turnovers and leads to easy points. The Eagles held an early 4-2 lead on a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt by sophomore guard Amy Berglund at the 8:49 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Kim Campbell at the 7:50 mark but Bethel went on a 6-0 spurt. Free throws by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman and fellow junior guard Shanni Moorse at the 7:03 and 7:13 marks respectively tied the score at 4-all and then senior point guard Hannah Niewald connected on a lay-up in transition at the 6:13 mark and then was also able to drive into the lane for a finish at the 5:06 mark for an 8-4 Royal lead. Northwestern came right back on an offensive rebound and putback by senior post Regan Cooper with 4:52 left and a pull-up jumper from the right elbow by Campbell with 4:26 left that knotted the issue at 8 a piece. The Royals would regain a four-point edge coming down the stretch of the first half, however. Senior post Rachel Parupsky connected with a jumper from the left elbow area with 3:04 left and a short jumper by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole with 2:31 left made it 12-8. The Eagles would close the gap to two points when junior guard Tiffany Stubbs got into the lane for a finish with 2:00 left but Parupsky's lay-up with :54 left closed out the first period scoring for a 14-10 Bethel lead.
The Royals weren't able to establish much more distance in the opening minutes of the second period. An offensive rebound and putback by Moorse at the 9:25 mark and a pretty drive along the left baseline and finish by reserve freshman post Hannah Johnson kept the cushion at four with an 18-14 lead at the 8:45 mark. Northwestern would again come right back to tie the score at 18 on a short jumper by reserve freshman guard sensation Taryn Tumbleson at the 8:21 mark and a short jumper by Campbell at the 7:10 mark. Bethel would slowly forge a bit more breathing room over the next few minutes that may have, if anything, lulled them into a false sense of security. Senior guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz banged home a "3" from the wing area at the 6:53 mark and two freebies by Moorse at the 5:28 mark had the Royals up 23-20. An offensive rebound and putback by the versatile Moorse with 4:15 left and a drive into the lane and finish by Niewald with 4:06 left made it 27-22. Reserve sophomore guard Abby Miller's short jumper from the left wing area with 2:37 left maintained the five-point edge at 29-24 and the Royals appeared to be in good shape. Northwestern, however, had other ideas and went on a 7-0 run right before the end of the half. Cooper connected with a lay-up with 2:15 left as did reserve junior forward Emily VanLith with 1:48 left that sliced Bethel's lead down to a scant point at 29-28. With :46.8 left, sophomore reserve guard Jessica Cole sliced into the heart of the Bethel defense for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing free throw allowed the Eagles to take a somewhat surprising 31-29 lead into the locker room at the half. The Royals had a slight edge in the rebounding column at 22-19 but they were also guilty of more turnovers as well; leading that category by a 12-8 count.
Northwestern took their cue from the late second period run and opened up a four-point advantage early in the third period when Cooper took a sweet and perfectly-placed bounce pass from Campbell and got a lay-up out of it at the 9:15 mark. Bethel would manage to cut the gap on a score in the paint by Zimmerman at the 8:53 mark and two charity stripe shots by Moorse at the 8:23 mark knotted the issue at 33-all. A drive into the lane and finish by Zimmerman gave the Royals the lead at 35-33 by Northwestern would come right back again. Campbell knocked down a "3" from the left corner at the 6:33 mark that gave the lead back to the Eagles at 36-35 and a score in the paint by Cooper with 4:39 left allowed Northwestern to cling to that one-point advantage at 38-37. Bethel, though, would snare a bit of momentum back in the latter stages of the period. Trailing 39-38, Miller banged home a "3" from the left top area with 2:52 left that had the Royals back out in front 41-39 and an offensive rebound and putback by Parupsky with 1:44 left made it a 43-39 ballgame. Back again came the Eagles. Berglund banged home a "3" from the right top area with 1:21 left and one free throw by Tumbleson who was fouled with :40.2 left tied the game at 43-all. Another Schultz trey; this one coming from the left top area with :23.1 left put Bethel back on top 46-43 but Cole would close out the scoring in the third period for Northwestern with her lay-up with :12 left that had the Royals clinging to a one-point lead at 46-45. For the Bethel fans in the stands, it had to be a bit disconcerting that they were not yet able to shake the pesky Eagles who were managing to hang around and then some.
To their credit, Northwestern managed to hang right in the thick of things in the opening moments of the fourth and final period. A drive along the left baseline and finish by Niewald had the Royals up 48-45 but Cooper was fouled down low at the 8:40 mark and the obligatory free throws by the Pella, Iowa native trimmed that deficit for the Eagles down to a scant point at 48-47. At some point, however, you had to figure that the Royals would get that sense of urgency to turn it up a notch. One free throw by Moorse at the 8:24 mark increased the lead to 49-47 but an offensive rebound and putback by O'Toole also drew a foul and she put down the ensuing freebie to a 52-47 Bethel advantage and, while not an insurmountable deficit, Northwestern's Kahl must have felt a bit of alarm as he called a timeout to discuss strategy with his team. But the five-point deficit was only part of Kahl's concern. The Royals were now pounding the glass on both ends of the floor and on offense, they were beginning to spread that Eagle 2-3 "match-up" zone with precise, crisp passing that created openings. Leading 53-49, O'Toole snared a long offensive rebound and promptly drove along the right baseline for a finish at the 5:45 mark to make it 55-49 and a jumper from the charity stripe area by Parupsky maintained the six-point edge at 57-51 with 3:36 left. The Eagles were able to make it a one-possession game on one free throw by Cooper with 3:26 left and a jumper from the right wing area by senior forward Courtney Cunard that cut the Bethel lead down to 57-54. Bethel, however, snuffed out the last hopes that their next door neighbor may have had about stealing a victory. Niewald snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 2:22 left and then the Fridley native found an opening in that stretched-out Eagle zone and drove into the lane for a finish with 1:33 left that made it a 61-54 game. Insurance free throws by Moorse with :56 and :48.6 left and one by Zimmerman with :14.3 left gave the Royals a tough, hard-earned 66-59 win.
Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer had high praises for Niewald afterward saying that "she played her best game of the season so far" and added that the guard play, while solid, needs to become more efficient for his squad to get back to their winning ways. Northwestern's Kahl admitted afterward that his squad got "pounded on the boards" and a glance at the box score reveals just that. While the rebounding edge at the half was small for the Royals, it was an astounding 25-14 edge in the second half which played a huge difference, particularly in that final period. Bethel had a pretty balanced scoring attack as well with Moorse's 15 points leading the way while Niewald added 12 and O'Toole chipped in with 11 points. Kahl had high praises for his senior post and deservedly so as she led the way for the Eagles with her 20 points and eight rebounds. Berglund added 11 points while followed by Campbell with her nine points in the losing effort.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Coe vs Carleton 1-2-16
Made the trip down to Northfield this afternoon for a rare early-January non-conference game featuring one of the top-echelon teams out of the IIAC - Coe - going up against host Carleton. West Gym was a packed place when I arrived as the 1:00 P.M. men's game between crosstown rivals St. Olaf and Carleton was finishing up.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this game coming in but, once the masses from the earlier men's game started clearing out and I got settled in and started watching both teams warm-up, it was apparent that the Knights had a legion of walking wounded with two of their star players - senior guard Gabbi Stienstra and sophomore forward Anne Hamilton among them. So the burden of their absence would fall on the untested shoulders of some of the younger players on this team. On the other side of the coin, the Kohawks made the trip up from Cedar Rapids, Iowa riding on a high note with their com-from-behind win over Elmhurst (IL) right before the end of the year and a solid 8-2 record. And it didn't take long for Coe to get their offensive sparkplug; junior guard Mickey Hansche out of Iowa City, into the act. Trailing 2-0 after two free throws by Knight senior point guard Michelle Arima, Hansche dropped her first three-point bomb of the day from the right top area at the 8:27 mark. Sophomore forward Sarah Waldfogel responded for Carleton with her "3" from the top of the key at the 8:11 mark for a 5-3 Knight lead but a lay-up by sophomore guard Aleena Hobbs at the 7:42 mark and Hansche's second trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right corner at the 7:04 mark gave Coe an 8-5 advantage and a lead they would never relinquish. Like a lightning bolt, Hansche struck again from three-point land - this one coming from the right wing area at the 5:51 mark for an 11-5 Kohawk lead. To their credit, Carleton would not simply wither and blow away. Reserve freshman forward Cece Leone connected with a lay-up with 3:53 left and then was also able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:13 left that kept the Knights within striking distance trailing 14-9. Strong sophomore reserve forward Nnenna Ezem's offensive rebound and putback with 2:00 minutes left helped keep the deficit at five at 16-11 so considering how Hansche's three-point prowess already had West Gym smoldering, it wasn't a total disaster - yet anyway - for Carleton.
The Knights would draw even closer in the opening minutes of the second period. Two scores in the paint - one by sophomore post Kayla Frank at the 8:30 mark and another one by Leone at the 7:54 mark - had Carleton back to within one possession trailing 18-15 but they couldn't put the clamps on the Kohawks wings. Senior guard Allie Wirth connected with an easy lay-up at the 7:24 mark and a lay-up in transition by Hobbs at the 6:25 mark expanded the lead to seven at 22-15. Ezem's lay-up at the 5:53 mark cut Coe's lead down to 22-17 but a pull-up "3" from the left wing area by Hobbs with 4:56 left and a score in the paint by Lehman increased the Kohawk lead to 27-19. Carleton failed to get someone on Hansche as she uncorked yet another three-point bomb - this one coming from the right wing area with 3:57 left for a 30-19 Coe lead and Knights Head Coach Cassie Kosiba wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down. Arima's lay-up with 3:40 left that also drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink one freebie appeared to give Carleton a bit of a spark as they got back to within single digits trailing 30-22 but the Kohawks embarked on a 7-0 burst to end the first half. Junior reserve guard/forward Courteney McCrary connected with a pull-up jumper in transition with 2:35 left and two scores by Lehman - one in the paint with 2:00 left and a "3" from the right wing area with 1:36 left - gave Coe a cozy 37-22 lead when the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Hansche's three treys were the difference in this first half as she led all scorers with her nine points. Though the Knights committed only two turnovers in the first half, they shot only 22.2% from FG range and a paltry 14/3% from three-point land.
Not satisfied with their 15-point lead coming out of the halftime break, the Kohawks came out of the gate fast in the third period. Lehman connected with a lay-up at the 9:35 mark and then Hansche got a good look from the right top area behind the arc and unleashed another bomb for a twenty-point 42-22 Coe lead. Sophomore Shelby Lehmann's offensive rebound for a putback upped the lead to 44-22 and Carleton's Kosiba saw this one slipping away fast and called a full timeout. But the Kohawks had no intention of letting the stoppage in play affect their hot streak. A score in the paint by Hobbs at the 7:58 mark and a Hobbs "3" from the right wing area at the 7:14 mark along with one free throw by senior guard Allie Wirth completed this decisive 12-0 run and left no doubt as to how this one was going to go with Coe now up 50-22 at the 6:47 mark. A lay-up by Arima at the 5:58 mark and a score in the paint by Ezem cut some of the fat off of the deficit for the Knights but back-to-back "3's" - one by sophomore reserve guard Jordan Holmes from the right top area with 4:48 left and the shot clock winding down and another by McCrary from the top of the key with 3:55 left - increased Coe's lead to 58-26. To their credit, the Knights shaved more fat off of the deficit as Arima connected with a jumper from the left wing off of an inbounds pass with 3:30 left and Ezem got into the paint for another score with 2:36 left but they simply did not have the horses on the floor to stop the Kohawks on this day. A rebound and putback by McCrary with 1:19 left and a McCrary free throw with :06.3 left closed out the third period with Coe up comfortably now at 61-32.
Even with such a big lead, the Kohawks were reluctant to let their feet off the accelerator just yet. A Lehman pull-up jumer in the lane at the 9:42 mark and Hansche's fifth trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the top of the key at the 8:18 mark - ballooned the lead to 66-34 and a Hobbs score in the paint at the 7:19 mark doubled up things at 68-34. First-year Coe Head Coach Nate Oakland had no reservations about unloading his bench by this point which made everything else academic. Diminutive Carleton sophomore guard Maya Okamoto finally got into the scoring column with her "3" from the right corner at the 5:22 mark in an otherwise bleak afternoon for the Knights. Freshman reserve guard Lakyn Boltz also made sure her name got in the paper with her three-point bomb from the left wing with 2:10 left as did fellow freshman reserve guard Janai Robinson with her "3" from the left top area with :43.3 left as the Kohawks waltzed to a 77-39 romp.
With all the injuries that the Knights have suffered early on this season - including the ones to both Stienstra and Hamilton - all you can do is keep battling. "We just have to keep plugging away" said a disappointed Kosiba afterward. Stienstra; currently out with concussion symptoms, is a tough situation with her being a senior and I hope she can get back this season as she's a very tough player and Carleton needs her experience on the floor. Hamilton, who did her ACL, is in the beginning stages of rehab and that's normally a 6-month plus deal. So, it's a tough situation for the Knights all around. Coe meanwhile has to be feeling very good about themselves as they enter 2016 and why not? Hansche ranks fifth in DIII alone in three-point shooting averaging 3.50 triples per game. "She really helps spread the floor when she's out there" Oakland said proudly afterward and she's not the only threat either. "Lehman has that long-reach ability and is a very good player and athlete as well" he added. And certainly Coe has to figure to be in the mix as far as top honors in the IIAC is concerned. Oakland thinks this will be a four-horse race in the IIAC and he's hopeful that the conference can get one or two at-large bids when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Don't be shocked or surprised if the Kohawks are one of those teams if not outright IIAC champs. I think they've got the goods to do it. Hobbs' 19 points followed by Hansche's 18 points paced the Kohawks in this big road win as Coe shot 50% from three-point land. The Kohawks also enjoyed a decisive advantage on the boards as well at 44-33. Arima's 13 points led the way for Carleton in the losing effort.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this game coming in but, once the masses from the earlier men's game started clearing out and I got settled in and started watching both teams warm-up, it was apparent that the Knights had a legion of walking wounded with two of their star players - senior guard Gabbi Stienstra and sophomore forward Anne Hamilton among them. So the burden of their absence would fall on the untested shoulders of some of the younger players on this team. On the other side of the coin, the Kohawks made the trip up from Cedar Rapids, Iowa riding on a high note with their com-from-behind win over Elmhurst (IL) right before the end of the year and a solid 8-2 record. And it didn't take long for Coe to get their offensive sparkplug; junior guard Mickey Hansche out of Iowa City, into the act. Trailing 2-0 after two free throws by Knight senior point guard Michelle Arima, Hansche dropped her first three-point bomb of the day from the right top area at the 8:27 mark. Sophomore forward Sarah Waldfogel responded for Carleton with her "3" from the top of the key at the 8:11 mark for a 5-3 Knight lead but a lay-up by sophomore guard Aleena Hobbs at the 7:42 mark and Hansche's second trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right corner at the 7:04 mark gave Coe an 8-5 advantage and a lead they would never relinquish. Like a lightning bolt, Hansche struck again from three-point land - this one coming from the right wing area at the 5:51 mark for an 11-5 Kohawk lead. To their credit, Carleton would not simply wither and blow away. Reserve freshman forward Cece Leone connected with a lay-up with 3:53 left and then was also able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:13 left that kept the Knights within striking distance trailing 14-9. Strong sophomore reserve forward Nnenna Ezem's offensive rebound and putback with 2:00 minutes left helped keep the deficit at five at 16-11 so considering how Hansche's three-point prowess already had West Gym smoldering, it wasn't a total disaster - yet anyway - for Carleton.
The Knights would draw even closer in the opening minutes of the second period. Two scores in the paint - one by sophomore post Kayla Frank at the 8:30 mark and another one by Leone at the 7:54 mark - had Carleton back to within one possession trailing 18-15 but they couldn't put the clamps on the Kohawks wings. Senior guard Allie Wirth connected with an easy lay-up at the 7:24 mark and a lay-up in transition by Hobbs at the 6:25 mark expanded the lead to seven at 22-15. Ezem's lay-up at the 5:53 mark cut Coe's lead down to 22-17 but a pull-up "3" from the left wing area by Hobbs with 4:56 left and a score in the paint by Lehman increased the Kohawk lead to 27-19. Carleton failed to get someone on Hansche as she uncorked yet another three-point bomb - this one coming from the right wing area with 3:57 left for a 30-19 Coe lead and Knights Head Coach Cassie Kosiba wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down. Arima's lay-up with 3:40 left that also drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink one freebie appeared to give Carleton a bit of a spark as they got back to within single digits trailing 30-22 but the Kohawks embarked on a 7-0 burst to end the first half. Junior reserve guard/forward Courteney McCrary connected with a pull-up jumper in transition with 2:35 left and two scores by Lehman - one in the paint with 2:00 left and a "3" from the right wing area with 1:36 left - gave Coe a cozy 37-22 lead when the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Hansche's three treys were the difference in this first half as she led all scorers with her nine points. Though the Knights committed only two turnovers in the first half, they shot only 22.2% from FG range and a paltry 14/3% from three-point land.
Not satisfied with their 15-point lead coming out of the halftime break, the Kohawks came out of the gate fast in the third period. Lehman connected with a lay-up at the 9:35 mark and then Hansche got a good look from the right top area behind the arc and unleashed another bomb for a twenty-point 42-22 Coe lead. Sophomore Shelby Lehmann's offensive rebound for a putback upped the lead to 44-22 and Carleton's Kosiba saw this one slipping away fast and called a full timeout. But the Kohawks had no intention of letting the stoppage in play affect their hot streak. A score in the paint by Hobbs at the 7:58 mark and a Hobbs "3" from the right wing area at the 7:14 mark along with one free throw by senior guard Allie Wirth completed this decisive 12-0 run and left no doubt as to how this one was going to go with Coe now up 50-22 at the 6:47 mark. A lay-up by Arima at the 5:58 mark and a score in the paint by Ezem cut some of the fat off of the deficit for the Knights but back-to-back "3's" - one by sophomore reserve guard Jordan Holmes from the right top area with 4:48 left and the shot clock winding down and another by McCrary from the top of the key with 3:55 left - increased Coe's lead to 58-26. To their credit, the Knights shaved more fat off of the deficit as Arima connected with a jumper from the left wing off of an inbounds pass with 3:30 left and Ezem got into the paint for another score with 2:36 left but they simply did not have the horses on the floor to stop the Kohawks on this day. A rebound and putback by McCrary with 1:19 left and a McCrary free throw with :06.3 left closed out the third period with Coe up comfortably now at 61-32.
Even with such a big lead, the Kohawks were reluctant to let their feet off the accelerator just yet. A Lehman pull-up jumer in the lane at the 9:42 mark and Hansche's fifth trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the top of the key at the 8:18 mark - ballooned the lead to 66-34 and a Hobbs score in the paint at the 7:19 mark doubled up things at 68-34. First-year Coe Head Coach Nate Oakland had no reservations about unloading his bench by this point which made everything else academic. Diminutive Carleton sophomore guard Maya Okamoto finally got into the scoring column with her "3" from the right corner at the 5:22 mark in an otherwise bleak afternoon for the Knights. Freshman reserve guard Lakyn Boltz also made sure her name got in the paper with her three-point bomb from the left wing with 2:10 left as did fellow freshman reserve guard Janai Robinson with her "3" from the left top area with :43.3 left as the Kohawks waltzed to a 77-39 romp.
With all the injuries that the Knights have suffered early on this season - including the ones to both Stienstra and Hamilton - all you can do is keep battling. "We just have to keep plugging away" said a disappointed Kosiba afterward. Stienstra; currently out with concussion symptoms, is a tough situation with her being a senior and I hope she can get back this season as she's a very tough player and Carleton needs her experience on the floor. Hamilton, who did her ACL, is in the beginning stages of rehab and that's normally a 6-month plus deal. So, it's a tough situation for the Knights all around. Coe meanwhile has to be feeling very good about themselves as they enter 2016 and why not? Hansche ranks fifth in DIII alone in three-point shooting averaging 3.50 triples per game. "She really helps spread the floor when she's out there" Oakland said proudly afterward and she's not the only threat either. "Lehman has that long-reach ability and is a very good player and athlete as well" he added. And certainly Coe has to figure to be in the mix as far as top honors in the IIAC is concerned. Oakland thinks this will be a four-horse race in the IIAC and he's hopeful that the conference can get one or two at-large bids when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Don't be shocked or surprised if the Kohawks are one of those teams if not outright IIAC champs. I think they've got the goods to do it. Hobbs' 19 points followed by Hansche's 18 points paced the Kohawks in this big road win as Coe shot 50% from three-point land. The Kohawks also enjoyed a decisive advantage on the boards as well at 44-33. Arima's 13 points led the way for Carleton in the losing effort.
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