I didn't get a chance to watch the NCAA Selection Show this afternoon while I was at work but some of the things that I feared would happen - happened. First, I want to get this out of the way before I go further. I get and I understand that there's always going to be a team or two that felt like they got a raw deal and I know that the NCAA Committee has to look at a lot of things in filling out the twenty at-large spots and that there's a lot of teams that ultimately get left on the table in the final selection process. That said, when I look at what happened this afternoon, there's a few things that leave me simply perplexed.
1. SMU - How in the blazes did the Cardinals, who finished the season at 21-6 and played UST in the MIAC Championship Game get left out? Let's look at the schedule they played and some of the vital stats of that schedule. First, they went 14-4 in one of the toughest conferences in the nation if not the toughest and finished second in regular season play and made it to the MIAC Championship Game after many, including yours truly, had picked SMU to finish in the bottom half of the conference. Second, let's take a closer look at their schedule that they played this year. They lost to tourney participant UW-Stevens Point on the Pointers home floor. They played said UST squad three times this season; twice on UST's home floor. They lost a heartbreaker to Bethel in Arden Hills while they were still ranked. The only "bad" loss on their resume was that home loss to Augsburg more than a month ago. Would it have made any difference had they won one or two more games or, more importantly, beaten one of those ranked teams such as Bethel? We'll never know now, of course but when you have to play the eighth-ranked team in the country (UST) THREE times with two of those games coming within a week of each other on the opponent's home floor just HAS to count for something. I feel badly for seniors Micaela Meredith, Bridget Pethke and Haley Trom who are most likely eating their hearts out on this disappointing day. This isn't the first time that the Cardinals have been left out of the Dance and I fear that this same movie could play again somewhere down the road.
2. Wartburg - With Luther's loss to Loras in the IIAC Championship Game at home in Decorah on Saturday, the Norse wound up getting left out while Wartburg; losers to Coe (on its home floor no less) in the IIAC quarterfinals, was a clear beneficiary of its arch-rival's misfortune and got shoved back to the front-burner and ultimately into the NCAA Tournament. Their 19-7 record isn't all that impressive at first glance but a closer look reveals that the Knights did knock off some pretty good teams along the way - including NCAA participants UW-Oshkosh and Wheaton (IL) right before the first of the year along with a win over UW-Eau Claire and one against said Luther team in the regular season finale at home in Waverly. At the same time, Wartburg also had a moment when they went into a serious funk; losing five of six games during the month of January. So, while I'm not so much against Wartburg actually receiving a bid into the Dance, I'm a little puzzled at what's actually being rewarded here. Again, they failed to make it to the IIAC Championship Game and only recorded 19 wins while teams like SMU (and GAC for that matter) recorded more. In the end, the argument will be made that Wartburg's SOS was stronger than that of either SMU or GAC because of those two key wins even though they didn't have as many wins as either SMU or GAC and failed to make it to their conference championship game.
3. UW-Whitewater - While I expected UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point to make the field along with WIAC Championship Game winner UW-Oshkosh, how in God's name UW-Whitewater got into this thing is totally beyond me. If it's based strictly on their SOS, they do have a win against NCAA Tournament participant University of New England (in the San Juan Shootout back in December) and did split with UW-River Falls during the regular season. Beyond that, they lost twice to UW-Stevens Point, lost twice to UW-Oshkosh (including a thirteen-point drubbing at home), then proceeded to lose TWICE to UW-Eau Claire - in the regular season finale and then three days later in the first round of the WIAC playoffs - both on UW-Whitewater's home floor no less. With a shaky 19-7 overall record and only 8-6 in the WIAC, I really have to wonder how they got the nod over both SMU and GAC. I'm sorry but this one really, really bothers me.
In the end, it's just really a damn shame that SMU got left out of this thing. The one thing that the changing up of the MIAC scheduling to eighteen games was (hopefully anyway) supposed to do was to give these teams an opportunity to build up their SOS outside of the conference. Sadly, that didn't happen for the Cardinals this year as they were punished for winning the games that they were supposed to win. That's why I wish it were possible for some of these MIAC schools to be able to schedule some of these powerhouse programs from either the East or West coasts or, better yet, have a MIAC-WIAC or a MIAC-IIAC Challenge that would present an opportunity for each conference to showcase its top teams in a format that would create a lot of interest. Some food for thought for the conference AD's to consider.
Los Angeles Rams
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Looking Forward To Selection Monday
While UST wrapped up its fifth straight MIAC Championship Game yesterday with a convincing 77-65 win over SMU for the MIAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, some unexpected results elsewhere shook things up in a way that not even I would have expected. That in mind, let's revisit the immediate surroundings and see how things stand going into the NCAA Tournament pairings that will be announced Monday afternoon (2-29-16).
MIAC - While the Tommies wrapped up the automatic berth (again), there was a lot of speculation going around on SMU's chances after yesterday's loss. My gut feeling is that they're in given the fact that they have 21 wins but, more importantly, five of their six losses have come against either ranked teams or likely NCAA Tournament participants. The only "bad" loss they have was the loss to Augsburg at home back in late January. So they SHOULD have enough on their resume to get an at-large bid. GAC, at 20-7, likely doesn't have enough on their resume to warrant an invitation and they can look at their schedule and point to a couple of games that did them in - the loss to Coast Guard Academy during their Puerto Rico trip and that home overtime loss to CSB on January 20th. At 22-5, they would have been much, much harder to keep out. The other big question surrounding the two likely NCAA tourney participants is exactly where do they get sent to? Because the UST men's team is ranked higher, they will get to host at Schoenecker Arena which forces the women's team to throw itself to the mercy of the NCAA Committee wrt placement and seeding. The Tommies would likely be the number one seed wherever they go but just where they go is anybody's guess at the moment. Does the committee split up the Tommies and Cardinals and send them off to different pods or do they throw them in together somewhere?
WIAC - Many thought UW-River Falls was a shoo-in to win the WIAC Championship Game yesterday afternoon but UW-Oshkosh had other ideas and went into Karges Center and upset the Falcons 65-64 to claim the title and the WIAC's automatic berth into the Dance. That was one of the monkey wrenches that was thrown into the grand plan yesterday and even though UW-River Falls is a lock to get into the Dance, the question now becomes do they get to host? Logic would have it that, given their proximity to the Twin Cities and relatively short trips for UST, SMU and perhaps Loras, that would make sense. Then again, I learned a long time ago that logic does not always prevail when it comes to the NCAA Committee. UW-Oshkosh would seemingly be in prime position to host a pod given that they did get the WIAC's automatic bid. Keep in mind as well that UW-Stevens Point is in decent shape here for an at-large bid as well with an identical 20-7 record as GAC's but likely has a stronger SOS than the Gusties do. In the final analysis, don't be shocked or surprised if the WIAC gets three bids tomorrow afternoon.
IIAC - The other monkey wrench thrown into the grand plan yesterday was when Loras made the trip up to Decorah yesterday and summarily shocked regular season champ Luther 75-60 to win the IIAC Championship Game and get the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. A Luther win yesterday certainly would have simplified things as the Norse would have likely been the lone IIAC participant in the Dance. Now, however, Luther and the rest of the Decorah community has to be sitting on pins and needles as the Norse appear to be on the outside looking in. Even more odd is that Wartburg, thought to be an afterthought in this whole thing after losing to Coe in the IIAC quarterfinals, has now suddenly popped back into the forefront and could quite possibly be a beneficiary of Luther's misfortunes yesterday which is cruelly ironic given the Knight - Norse rivalry. And GAC from the MIAC likely had to throw a fit as well as it desperately needed a Norse victory yesterday to keep both Loras and Wartburg out of the equation. Given that UST will not be hosting a first/second-round pod, Luther would have been in prime position to step right in had they won yesterday. It's still possible for the Norse to get in......I've seen stranger things happen. I think they deserve to get in. But what I think and what the Committee thinks are likely two vastly different things.
UMAC - UW-Superior took care of business last night as they dispatched Northwestern to claim not only the UMAC Championship Game title but more importantly, clinched their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament after near-misses the last few years with an impressive 24-3 record. These are unchartered waters for the Yellowjackets who are certainly basking in the joy of the moment and rightfully so. Now, with the years of frustration finally behind them, the big question for UW-Superior is exactly where to they get sent for their first-round game? One could make the case, I suppose, that UW-Superior might be a viable host candidate and I certainly would have no problem with that. I think that, in the end, that likely won't be the case and they'll get shipped off to either UW-River Falls or over to UW-Oshkosh to fill a spot. No matter where they go, you'd better not take this team coached by Don Mulhern lightly. This guy can flat-out coach the living daylights out of you.
As you can imagine, even with some issues settled there are still many more questions that need to be resolved and we'll get answers tomorrow afternoon. One thing helping all four of these conferences is that both George Fox of the Northwest Conference and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps of the SCIAC took care of business in their respective conference championship games last night which MAY give some of these bubble teams such as GAC, Luther, and Wartburg hope. Tune in tomorrow afternoon for the NCAA Selection show at 1:30 P.M. (Central Time) for all the answers.
MIAC - While the Tommies wrapped up the automatic berth (again), there was a lot of speculation going around on SMU's chances after yesterday's loss. My gut feeling is that they're in given the fact that they have 21 wins but, more importantly, five of their six losses have come against either ranked teams or likely NCAA Tournament participants. The only "bad" loss they have was the loss to Augsburg at home back in late January. So they SHOULD have enough on their resume to get an at-large bid. GAC, at 20-7, likely doesn't have enough on their resume to warrant an invitation and they can look at their schedule and point to a couple of games that did them in - the loss to Coast Guard Academy during their Puerto Rico trip and that home overtime loss to CSB on January 20th. At 22-5, they would have been much, much harder to keep out. The other big question surrounding the two likely NCAA tourney participants is exactly where do they get sent to? Because the UST men's team is ranked higher, they will get to host at Schoenecker Arena which forces the women's team to throw itself to the mercy of the NCAA Committee wrt placement and seeding. The Tommies would likely be the number one seed wherever they go but just where they go is anybody's guess at the moment. Does the committee split up the Tommies and Cardinals and send them off to different pods or do they throw them in together somewhere?
WIAC - Many thought UW-River Falls was a shoo-in to win the WIAC Championship Game yesterday afternoon but UW-Oshkosh had other ideas and went into Karges Center and upset the Falcons 65-64 to claim the title and the WIAC's automatic berth into the Dance. That was one of the monkey wrenches that was thrown into the grand plan yesterday and even though UW-River Falls is a lock to get into the Dance, the question now becomes do they get to host? Logic would have it that, given their proximity to the Twin Cities and relatively short trips for UST, SMU and perhaps Loras, that would make sense. Then again, I learned a long time ago that logic does not always prevail when it comes to the NCAA Committee. UW-Oshkosh would seemingly be in prime position to host a pod given that they did get the WIAC's automatic bid. Keep in mind as well that UW-Stevens Point is in decent shape here for an at-large bid as well with an identical 20-7 record as GAC's but likely has a stronger SOS than the Gusties do. In the final analysis, don't be shocked or surprised if the WIAC gets three bids tomorrow afternoon.
IIAC - The other monkey wrench thrown into the grand plan yesterday was when Loras made the trip up to Decorah yesterday and summarily shocked regular season champ Luther 75-60 to win the IIAC Championship Game and get the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. A Luther win yesterday certainly would have simplified things as the Norse would have likely been the lone IIAC participant in the Dance. Now, however, Luther and the rest of the Decorah community has to be sitting on pins and needles as the Norse appear to be on the outside looking in. Even more odd is that Wartburg, thought to be an afterthought in this whole thing after losing to Coe in the IIAC quarterfinals, has now suddenly popped back into the forefront and could quite possibly be a beneficiary of Luther's misfortunes yesterday which is cruelly ironic given the Knight - Norse rivalry. And GAC from the MIAC likely had to throw a fit as well as it desperately needed a Norse victory yesterday to keep both Loras and Wartburg out of the equation. Given that UST will not be hosting a first/second-round pod, Luther would have been in prime position to step right in had they won yesterday. It's still possible for the Norse to get in......I've seen stranger things happen. I think they deserve to get in. But what I think and what the Committee thinks are likely two vastly different things.
UMAC - UW-Superior took care of business last night as they dispatched Northwestern to claim not only the UMAC Championship Game title but more importantly, clinched their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament after near-misses the last few years with an impressive 24-3 record. These are unchartered waters for the Yellowjackets who are certainly basking in the joy of the moment and rightfully so. Now, with the years of frustration finally behind them, the big question for UW-Superior is exactly where to they get sent for their first-round game? One could make the case, I suppose, that UW-Superior might be a viable host candidate and I certainly would have no problem with that. I think that, in the end, that likely won't be the case and they'll get shipped off to either UW-River Falls or over to UW-Oshkosh to fill a spot. No matter where they go, you'd better not take this team coached by Don Mulhern lightly. This guy can flat-out coach the living daylights out of you.
As you can imagine, even with some issues settled there are still many more questions that need to be resolved and we'll get answers tomorrow afternoon. One thing helping all four of these conferences is that both George Fox of the Northwest Conference and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps of the SCIAC took care of business in their respective conference championship games last night which MAY give some of these bubble teams such as GAC, Luther, and Wartburg hope. Tune in tomorrow afternoon for the NCAA Selection show at 1:30 P.M. (Central Time) for all the answers.
MIAC Championship Game - SMU vs UST 2-27-16
Was back over at UST's Schoenecker Arena on this unseasonably warm late February Saturday afternoon to take in the big enchilada - the MIAC Championship Game between host UST and visiting SMU. The Cardinals, who got walloped a week ago in this same venue in the regular season finale were looking to make amends for that loss and were presumably coming into this contest with a bit of momentum after holding off a stern challenge from GAC in Winona on Thursday night. The Tommies meanwhile took care of business against Concordia on Thursday night and were looking for their fifth straight MIAC Championship Game title in a row.
The one thing that SMU absolutely could not afford to do coming into this game was to get off to another slow start like they did a week ago and allow the Tommies to grab an early cushion. And the Cardinals at least did get off to a decent start this time around. A score in the paint by junior forward Sam Jones at the 9:37 mark of the first period and two free throws by senior guard Brigette Audette gave SMU an early 4-0 lead at the 9:06 mark and a pretty lay-up in transition by senior guard Micaela Meredith at the 7:26 mark had the Cardinals up 6-2. But the Tommies quickly collected themselves and it didn't take long for them to usurp control of this one. A "3" from the left wing by sophomore forward Lauren Fischer at the 7:03 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Katie Stone had UST back out in front 7-6 and SMU Head Coach Brent Pollari; not wanting another panic attack to beset his team, called a timeout to get them settled down. To their credit, the Cardinals managed to grab one more lead at 8-7 on a jumper from the left elbow by Jones at the 5:40 mark before the Tommies managed to go on a 6-0 spurt. A short jumper off the glass by Stone at the 5:16 mark and a lay-up by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff with 4:37 left had UST up 11-8 and a score in the paint by junior post Kaitlin Langer with 3:59 left upped the lead to 13-8. SMU would manage to get back to within striking distance as freshman forward Brandi Blattner; using her strong 5'10" frame, snared an offensive rebound of her own miss with 2:48 left and a jumper from the right wing by Jones with 2:14 left cut the Tommie lead down to 14-12. UST would extend the cushion a bit before the opening period ended. Two Langer freebies with 1:57 left and and more with 1:14 left made it a 17-12 ballgame and a pretty drive and lay-up by Fischer with :32 left made it 19-12. The Cardinals would get one last strike before the end of the opening period when Meredith connected with a lay-up in transition with just :01.8 left that slimmed the Tommie lead down to 19-14 and at least had SMU in the hunt.
As good a job the Cardinals did in the first period in keeping things relatively close, things started to slowly spiral out of control once the second period got underway. Despite the fact that SMU was trying to clog the middle with their 2-3 zone defense, it didn't deter the Tommies from exploiting the opening out on the perimeter with their sharp and crisp passing. After Stone slithered through that zone defense for a lay-up at the 9:05 mark, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native then drained a "3" from the right wing at the 8:43 mark for an eight point 24-16 lead. SMU's Jones; who got into early foul trouble against the Tommies a week ago, picked up her second foul at the 6:55 mark and things only got progressively worse for the Cardinals. Stone unleashed another three-point bomb at the 6:00 mark; this one coming from the top of the key and a lay-up in transition by Fischer at the 5:19 mark gave UST a ten-point cushion at 29-19. With 4:47 left, Stone let loose with another trey - this one from the left top area that made it 32-19 and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil with 3:34 left ended this 10-0 blitz for a 34-19 lead. SMU managed to cut into the deficit a bit as one free throw by Audette with 3:22 left and two by senior guard Bridget Pethke with 2:29 left trimmed the Tommie lead down to 34-22 but the Cardinals could not get a sustained drive going to cut things into single-digit range. Stone made a hard drive along the right baseline for a finish with 2:11 left and two free throws by Langer with 1:00 left not only had the Tommies up 38-24 but now SMU's Jones was also saddled with her third foul as well. Pethke got one more score for the Cardinals on a lay-up with :45 left but UST had the last laugh of the first half when Fischer connected with a jumper from the free throw line off of an inbounds pass with just :00.3 left that gave the Tommies a cozy 40-26 lead to take into the locker room. A glance of the first half box score revealed some ugly numbers for SMU. While rebounds were fairly even at 20-18 in favor of the Cardinals, SMU shot only 28.1% from FG range and were 0-5 from three-point land. UST, while not necessarily shooting lights out, still managed to shoot 51.7% from FG range and although they were only 4-11 from three point land, Katie Stone got three of those bombs and had 17 points in all in a great first half.
Down fourteen points, it was imperative that the Cardinals get into an aggressive, attacking mode going into the third period to keep UST from applying an early choke-hold. Instead, SMU got out to quite possibly the worst-case scenario start that Pollari could have imagined. A quick 6-0 start by the Tommies in the form of two Langer free throws at the 9:37 mark along with a lay-up by Fischer at the 8:46 mark and a lay-up in transition by Stone at the 8:24 mark expanded UST's lead to 46-26 and Pollari quickly took a match to a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. After the stoppage, Fischer connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds pass at the 7:41 mark and then a Renikoff lay-up at the 7:03 mark made it 50-26 and now this one was starting to get out of control and a fully aware Pollari wasted no time in burning his second timeout of the second half. Two scores by junior guard Paige Gernes - a lay-up at the 6:01 mark and another one on a pretty give-and-go at the 5:08 mark - ended the 14-0 bludgeoning before the Cardinals finally regained their footing on an offensive rebound and putback by Blattner with 3:40 left. But that was about the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal third period for SMU. A three-point bomb by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow from the right corner with 2:58 left had UST up 57-30 and although the Cardinals Pethke responded with a lay-up in transition with 2:50 left, the New London, Wisconsin native also got tagged with her fourth foul with 1:56 left and now SMU had two of their starters in serious foul trouble. Suffice to say, things only got worse once Pethke had to be yanked from the floor. Wolkow unleashed another three-point bomb with 1:49 left - this one from the right corner and then Renikoff dropped her own three-point dagger with 1:19 left from the right corner. A jumper in the lane by Langer with :48 left completed this UST blitzkrieg for a seemingly prohibitive 65-34 advantage at the end of the third period.
Two quick scores by the Tommies at the beginning of the fourth and final period - a lay-up by Langer at the 9:15 mark and another one by Stone at the 8:31 mark - seemed to indicate that SMU had pretty much packed it in and was already looking forward to the long bus ride down U.S. 61 and the CP Rail River Sub mainline back to Winona down 69-34. But actually, now down by 35 points and the game all but decided, it was here that perhaps the Cardinals finally were able to somehow forget about the score and just play like they knew how. A score in the paint by Jones that drew a foul and allowed her to go to the line to sink the obligatory freebie at the 8:21 mark started this unlikely comeback attempt that was the beginning of a 24-4 run over the next six minutes. Meredith buried a "3" from the right top area at the 7:55 mark and then Jones got into the paint at the 7:30 mark for another score. Two Meredith free throws at the 7:02 mark and a Trom lay-up at the 6:30 mark trimmed UST's lead down to 73-46 and then Meredith, the Bloomington native and Kennedy grad, drained another "3" from the right corner with 4:56 left. Blattner was able to muscle into the paint for another score with 4:31 left and two free throws by freshman reserve post McKenzie Sommers cut further into the Tommie cushion at 73-53. Then junior reserve point guard Emma Schaefer; who did such a great job in filling in for Pethke after she went down with an injury last year, connected on a tough lay-up while falling down that had the SMU contingent on their feet and also had UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn calling for a full timeout to discuss things with her team. A lay-up by Audette that drew a foul and allowed her to go to the line for the ensuing free throw sliced the Tommie lead down to fourteen at 73-59 but that's where UST drew the line and shut the door for good. Insurance free throws by both Gernes and Stone offset late Cardinal scores by both sophomore guard Alexa Huisman and Schaefer and the Tommies claimed their fifth straight MIAC Championship Game trophy by a final score of 77-65.
I managed to grab a couple of minutes with a disappointed but proud Pollari afterward about how the beginning of the second half ultimately killed off any real hope the Cardinals may have had but also about the unlikely comeback his squad made when all was lost. Pollari alluded to defensive mistakes that allowed the Tommies to shoot so well behind the arc. But he spoke with pride about his team's comeback attempt. "I told the team to play like the knew how and with guts" he said. When I asked Pollari about his squad's NCAA Tournament hopes, Pollari said that his "gut feeling" was that they were in. "We have 3 losses against the number eight team in the country (UST) and one against Bethel when they were ranked" he said. He also pointed to his team's 21 wins as well that, by all accounts, should be enough to get them in and I hope he's right. A very happy Sinn meanwhile talked about what it took this last week getting ready to be in the position that they're in with another MIAC Tournament title under their belt and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. "We just focused on getting better" she said. She talked about how the team watched a lot of film during the week; making correctors on small mistakes that they were making. But she's not surprised one bit that her squad is at where it's at right now as she talked about the goals this team set for itself back during the beginning of this season. The real scary thing is that I don't think this team has even reached its true potential yet and if they continue to get better, they definitely have a shot at making a deep run in the Dance. UST had a fairly balanced attack but Stone's 23 points led all scorers in this one and for the senior to do this in what may be the last game she plays at Schoenecker Arena has to be special for her. Langer contributed 14 points while Fischer added 13 points and Gernes had 10 points. SMU was led by Jones' 15 points while Meredith added 12 points and the backcourt duo of Pethke and Schaefer contributed eight points a piece. SMU actually outrebounded UST in this one by a 42-38 count but mistakes and defensive lapses did in the Cardinals when they were still relatively close in the second period.
The one thing that SMU absolutely could not afford to do coming into this game was to get off to another slow start like they did a week ago and allow the Tommies to grab an early cushion. And the Cardinals at least did get off to a decent start this time around. A score in the paint by junior forward Sam Jones at the 9:37 mark of the first period and two free throws by senior guard Brigette Audette gave SMU an early 4-0 lead at the 9:06 mark and a pretty lay-up in transition by senior guard Micaela Meredith at the 7:26 mark had the Cardinals up 6-2. But the Tommies quickly collected themselves and it didn't take long for them to usurp control of this one. A "3" from the left wing by sophomore forward Lauren Fischer at the 7:03 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Katie Stone had UST back out in front 7-6 and SMU Head Coach Brent Pollari; not wanting another panic attack to beset his team, called a timeout to get them settled down. To their credit, the Cardinals managed to grab one more lead at 8-7 on a jumper from the left elbow by Jones at the 5:40 mark before the Tommies managed to go on a 6-0 spurt. A short jumper off the glass by Stone at the 5:16 mark and a lay-up by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff with 4:37 left had UST up 11-8 and a score in the paint by junior post Kaitlin Langer with 3:59 left upped the lead to 13-8. SMU would manage to get back to within striking distance as freshman forward Brandi Blattner; using her strong 5'10" frame, snared an offensive rebound of her own miss with 2:48 left and a jumper from the right wing by Jones with 2:14 left cut the Tommie lead down to 14-12. UST would extend the cushion a bit before the opening period ended. Two Langer freebies with 1:57 left and and more with 1:14 left made it a 17-12 ballgame and a pretty drive and lay-up by Fischer with :32 left made it 19-12. The Cardinals would get one last strike before the end of the opening period when Meredith connected with a lay-up in transition with just :01.8 left that slimmed the Tommie lead down to 19-14 and at least had SMU in the hunt.
As good a job the Cardinals did in the first period in keeping things relatively close, things started to slowly spiral out of control once the second period got underway. Despite the fact that SMU was trying to clog the middle with their 2-3 zone defense, it didn't deter the Tommies from exploiting the opening out on the perimeter with their sharp and crisp passing. After Stone slithered through that zone defense for a lay-up at the 9:05 mark, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native then drained a "3" from the right wing at the 8:43 mark for an eight point 24-16 lead. SMU's Jones; who got into early foul trouble against the Tommies a week ago, picked up her second foul at the 6:55 mark and things only got progressively worse for the Cardinals. Stone unleashed another three-point bomb at the 6:00 mark; this one coming from the top of the key and a lay-up in transition by Fischer at the 5:19 mark gave UST a ten-point cushion at 29-19. With 4:47 left, Stone let loose with another trey - this one from the left top area that made it 32-19 and a lay-up by freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil with 3:34 left ended this 10-0 blitz for a 34-19 lead. SMU managed to cut into the deficit a bit as one free throw by Audette with 3:22 left and two by senior guard Bridget Pethke with 2:29 left trimmed the Tommie lead down to 34-22 but the Cardinals could not get a sustained drive going to cut things into single-digit range. Stone made a hard drive along the right baseline for a finish with 2:11 left and two free throws by Langer with 1:00 left not only had the Tommies up 38-24 but now SMU's Jones was also saddled with her third foul as well. Pethke got one more score for the Cardinals on a lay-up with :45 left but UST had the last laugh of the first half when Fischer connected with a jumper from the free throw line off of an inbounds pass with just :00.3 left that gave the Tommies a cozy 40-26 lead to take into the locker room. A glance of the first half box score revealed some ugly numbers for SMU. While rebounds were fairly even at 20-18 in favor of the Cardinals, SMU shot only 28.1% from FG range and were 0-5 from three-point land. UST, while not necessarily shooting lights out, still managed to shoot 51.7% from FG range and although they were only 4-11 from three point land, Katie Stone got three of those bombs and had 17 points in all in a great first half.
Down fourteen points, it was imperative that the Cardinals get into an aggressive, attacking mode going into the third period to keep UST from applying an early choke-hold. Instead, SMU got out to quite possibly the worst-case scenario start that Pollari could have imagined. A quick 6-0 start by the Tommies in the form of two Langer free throws at the 9:37 mark along with a lay-up by Fischer at the 8:46 mark and a lay-up in transition by Stone at the 8:24 mark expanded UST's lead to 46-26 and Pollari quickly took a match to a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. After the stoppage, Fischer connected with a short jumper off of an inbounds pass at the 7:41 mark and then a Renikoff lay-up at the 7:03 mark made it 50-26 and now this one was starting to get out of control and a fully aware Pollari wasted no time in burning his second timeout of the second half. Two scores by junior guard Paige Gernes - a lay-up at the 6:01 mark and another one on a pretty give-and-go at the 5:08 mark - ended the 14-0 bludgeoning before the Cardinals finally regained their footing on an offensive rebound and putback by Blattner with 3:40 left. But that was about the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal third period for SMU. A three-point bomb by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow from the right corner with 2:58 left had UST up 57-30 and although the Cardinals Pethke responded with a lay-up in transition with 2:50 left, the New London, Wisconsin native also got tagged with her fourth foul with 1:56 left and now SMU had two of their starters in serious foul trouble. Suffice to say, things only got worse once Pethke had to be yanked from the floor. Wolkow unleashed another three-point bomb with 1:49 left - this one from the right corner and then Renikoff dropped her own three-point dagger with 1:19 left from the right corner. A jumper in the lane by Langer with :48 left completed this UST blitzkrieg for a seemingly prohibitive 65-34 advantage at the end of the third period.
Two quick scores by the Tommies at the beginning of the fourth and final period - a lay-up by Langer at the 9:15 mark and another one by Stone at the 8:31 mark - seemed to indicate that SMU had pretty much packed it in and was already looking forward to the long bus ride down U.S. 61 and the CP Rail River Sub mainline back to Winona down 69-34. But actually, now down by 35 points and the game all but decided, it was here that perhaps the Cardinals finally were able to somehow forget about the score and just play like they knew how. A score in the paint by Jones that drew a foul and allowed her to go to the line to sink the obligatory freebie at the 8:21 mark started this unlikely comeback attempt that was the beginning of a 24-4 run over the next six minutes. Meredith buried a "3" from the right top area at the 7:55 mark and then Jones got into the paint at the 7:30 mark for another score. Two Meredith free throws at the 7:02 mark and a Trom lay-up at the 6:30 mark trimmed UST's lead down to 73-46 and then Meredith, the Bloomington native and Kennedy grad, drained another "3" from the right corner with 4:56 left. Blattner was able to muscle into the paint for another score with 4:31 left and two free throws by freshman reserve post McKenzie Sommers cut further into the Tommie cushion at 73-53. Then junior reserve point guard Emma Schaefer; who did such a great job in filling in for Pethke after she went down with an injury last year, connected on a tough lay-up while falling down that had the SMU contingent on their feet and also had UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn calling for a full timeout to discuss things with her team. A lay-up by Audette that drew a foul and allowed her to go to the line for the ensuing free throw sliced the Tommie lead down to fourteen at 73-59 but that's where UST drew the line and shut the door for good. Insurance free throws by both Gernes and Stone offset late Cardinal scores by both sophomore guard Alexa Huisman and Schaefer and the Tommies claimed their fifth straight MIAC Championship Game trophy by a final score of 77-65.
I managed to grab a couple of minutes with a disappointed but proud Pollari afterward about how the beginning of the second half ultimately killed off any real hope the Cardinals may have had but also about the unlikely comeback his squad made when all was lost. Pollari alluded to defensive mistakes that allowed the Tommies to shoot so well behind the arc. But he spoke with pride about his team's comeback attempt. "I told the team to play like the knew how and with guts" he said. When I asked Pollari about his squad's NCAA Tournament hopes, Pollari said that his "gut feeling" was that they were in. "We have 3 losses against the number eight team in the country (UST) and one against Bethel when they were ranked" he said. He also pointed to his team's 21 wins as well that, by all accounts, should be enough to get them in and I hope he's right. A very happy Sinn meanwhile talked about what it took this last week getting ready to be in the position that they're in with another MIAC Tournament title under their belt and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. "We just focused on getting better" she said. She talked about how the team watched a lot of film during the week; making correctors on small mistakes that they were making. But she's not surprised one bit that her squad is at where it's at right now as she talked about the goals this team set for itself back during the beginning of this season. The real scary thing is that I don't think this team has even reached its true potential yet and if they continue to get better, they definitely have a shot at making a deep run in the Dance. UST had a fairly balanced attack but Stone's 23 points led all scorers in this one and for the senior to do this in what may be the last game she plays at Schoenecker Arena has to be special for her. Langer contributed 14 points while Fischer added 13 points and Gernes had 10 points. SMU was led by Jones' 15 points while Meredith added 12 points and the backcourt duo of Pethke and Schaefer contributed eight points a piece. SMU actually outrebounded UST in this one by a 42-38 count but mistakes and defensive lapses did in the Cardinals when they were still relatively close in the second period.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
What To Look For Today With Conference Championship Games
Always an exciting time as this is the day that many conference championship games are decided and NCAA Tournament berths are determined. Let's take a capsule look at what's going on in the immediate area and how things could possibly shake out come Monday afternoon.
MIAC - It's an anticipated rematch of the regular season finale over at Schoenecker Arena this afternoon as second-seeded SMU once again comes calling to take on number-one seed UST. The Cardinals; by virtue of their win over GAC on Thursday night, SHOULD be in the Dance regardless of what happens today while the Tommies can likely assure themselves of hosting the first two rounds with another MIAC Championship Game trophy today. At this point, I see only two MIAC teams getting in as I think GAC, even with their 20 wins this year, winds up getting left out although I hope I'm wrong and get a huge surprise.
WIAC - Should be a dandy of a game across the River this afternoon as well over in Wisconsin as number-one seed UW-River Falls plays host to UW-Oshkosh. The WIAC appears to be in position to send at least two teams; possibly three (UW-Stevens Point) into the dance depending upon what happens elsewhere. The intriguing thing here is that if UW-River Falls wins today, do they get to host first- and second-round NCAA games or do they possibly get sent over to UST should the Tommies prevail in the MIAC Championship Game? Could be some VERY interesting scenarios here for sure.
IIAC - At first glance, the IIAC looks to be in position to send only one team into the Big Dance and should number-one seeded Luther hold serve at home this afternoon against second-seeded Loras, the Norse will get the automatic berth and would likely get sent up to UST for the second straight year should the Tommies take care of business in the MIAC. Sitting at 18-8, it's likely a bridge too far for the Duhawks should they lose to Luther today so it's really an all or nothing proposition for Loras.
UMAC - Number-one seed UW-Superior appears to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament with its 23-3 overall record as they take on second-seeded Northwestern tonight at 7:00 P.M. along the shores of mighty Lake Superior. Should the Yellowjackets hold serve at home, it will be interesting to see exactly what the NCAA committee decides to do with them. The Eagles; currently sitting at 21-5, would certainly prefer to get the automatic bid with an upset win tonight although they would have a strong case for getting an at-large bid should they come out on the short end of the stick tonight.
So there you have it. This is always a fun time of the year and I'm geeked for sure!
MIAC - It's an anticipated rematch of the regular season finale over at Schoenecker Arena this afternoon as second-seeded SMU once again comes calling to take on number-one seed UST. The Cardinals; by virtue of their win over GAC on Thursday night, SHOULD be in the Dance regardless of what happens today while the Tommies can likely assure themselves of hosting the first two rounds with another MIAC Championship Game trophy today. At this point, I see only two MIAC teams getting in as I think GAC, even with their 20 wins this year, winds up getting left out although I hope I'm wrong and get a huge surprise.
WIAC - Should be a dandy of a game across the River this afternoon as well over in Wisconsin as number-one seed UW-River Falls plays host to UW-Oshkosh. The WIAC appears to be in position to send at least two teams; possibly three (UW-Stevens Point) into the dance depending upon what happens elsewhere. The intriguing thing here is that if UW-River Falls wins today, do they get to host first- and second-round NCAA games or do they possibly get sent over to UST should the Tommies prevail in the MIAC Championship Game? Could be some VERY interesting scenarios here for sure.
IIAC - At first glance, the IIAC looks to be in position to send only one team into the Big Dance and should number-one seeded Luther hold serve at home this afternoon against second-seeded Loras, the Norse will get the automatic berth and would likely get sent up to UST for the second straight year should the Tommies take care of business in the MIAC. Sitting at 18-8, it's likely a bridge too far for the Duhawks should they lose to Luther today so it's really an all or nothing proposition for Loras.
UMAC - Number-one seed UW-Superior appears to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament with its 23-3 overall record as they take on second-seeded Northwestern tonight at 7:00 P.M. along the shores of mighty Lake Superior. Should the Yellowjackets hold serve at home, it will be interesting to see exactly what the NCAA committee decides to do with them. The Eagles; currently sitting at 21-5, would certainly prefer to get the automatic bid with an upset win tonight although they would have a strong case for getting an at-large bid should they come out on the short end of the stick tonight.
So there you have it. This is always a fun time of the year and I'm geeked for sure!
Coon Rapids vs Park Center Recap 2-26-16
Was over at Park Center High School again on this late February night to take in the regular season finale for the Pirates as they hosted Coon Rapids. With no seniors on the Pirates squad, this night was designated as "Parents Night" as the parents of all the players and team managers were honored before the game. More importantly, however, a win over the Cardinals on this night would not only give Park Center the Northwest Suburban Conference title but could also give them the edge in claiming the number one seed in the Class AAAA Section 5 field.
Coon Rapids was able to establish a 4-2 advantage on scores by lanky 6'1 junior forward/post Kaylee Porisch by the 16:07 mark but an offensive rebound and putback by athletic junior forward Fey Ayobamidele at the 15:10 mark and a "3" from fellow junior sharpshooting guard Ann Simonet gave the host Pirates a 7-4 advantage and many in attendance on this night thought that that might be the early spark that Park Center needed to get on a run, establish a cushion and put it in cruise control the rest of the way to an easy Northwest Suburban Conference title. The Cardinals, however, had other ideas and were not about to go away quietly into the night. While the Pirates favor a swarming, man-on-man defense that creates turnovers which ultimately leads to easy transition points, Coon Rapids was in a 2-3 zone defense and wanted to slow the game down and keep the score low. And the Cardinals have enough size down low to create match-up and rebounding issues for Head Coach Chris VanderHyde's squad. This paid dividends early on as the Pirates seemed reluctant to try and penetrate "no-man's land" and instead seemed content to settle for perimeter shots that, unfortunately for Park Center, didn't seem to fall. Worse yet, the Pirates looked totally out of sync as the turnover bugaboo reared its ugly head as Coon Rapids battled back and re-established the lead. With the score tied at 7-all, junior reserve guard Marina Nyberg uncorked a "3" from the top of the key to put the Cardinals back out in front at 10-7 at the 12:25 mark and a score in the paint by Porisch at the 11:16 mark along with one free throw by junior guard Nicole Fraser at the 10:58 mark got the lead to 13-7 and a concerned VanderHyde decided to take a match to a thirty-second timeout to discuss the issue with his squad.
Coon Rapids was still playing an inspired game on this night and a jumper from the left wing by Fraser at the 7:12 mark increased the Cardinal lead to 15-7 which arguably could have been more had Coon Rapids been able to drop the many perimeter shots they were attempting. Still, Porisch was proving to be a thorn in the side of the Pirates; particularly on the rebounding front as Park Center continued to struggle offensively. Somehow, the Pirates were able recover somewhat as Coon Rapids gave up some ground grudgingly. A tip-in jumper off of an inbounds pass by lanky junior post Mikayla Hayes with 6:06 left and a lay-up by the future Florida Gator trimmed the Cardinals lead down to 16-12. Two free throws by Porisch with 5:06 left increased the Coon Rapids lead to 18-12 but the Pirates were able to finish the first half on a 6-0 run. A lay-up by Hayes with 4:53 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw got Park Center back within a single possession trailing 18-15 and one more freebie by sophomore reserve forward Charo Nickens with 3:51 left and a lay-up after a steal by fellow sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore enabled the Pirates to go into the locker room knotted up at 18 with Coon Rapids. Still, things just didn't seem quite right for Park Center in this low-scoring first half with turnovers and missed shots galore and the fact that the Cardinals were making Park Center play their style of game was even more worrisome with a conference title and a possible top seed in the 5AAAA field at stake.
The Pirates, needing some sort of jolt to get them going, appeared to get it in the opening minutes of the second half as a drive and finish by the wily Ayobamidele at the 17:42 mark and a "3" by junior point guard Danielle Schaub at the 16:47 mark now had Park Center back in front by a 23-18 count. One free throw by Hayes at the 16:18 mark and a lay-up in transition by Simonet after a steal made it a 26-18 game. At this point, it seemed as if Park Center had landed the blow it had wanted to all game long and could now finally relax a little bit and put some more distance between itself and its opponent. But the pesky Cardinals were not willing to fly away just yet as they managed to battle right back and get themselves right in the thick of things once again. Two scores by sophomore guard Caitlin Ackerman - a short jumper at the 15:39 mark and a score in the paint that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie - closed the gap to three points at 26-23 by the 14:36 mark and a Porisch jumper from the right elbow area at the 12:15 mark kept Coon Rapids within a single possession trailing 28-25. At the 11:17 mark, Porisch; continuing to make life miserable for the green and gold, got to the charity stripe for two free throws that cut the Pirate lead down to a scant point at 28-27 and even though a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Azsha Michael at the 10:50 mark and a "3" by sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois with 9:55 left got the Park Center lead back out to six points at 33-27, Cardinals Head Coach Debbie Peterson had to be encouraged to see her squad right in the thick of things at the midway point of the second half with a mountain of time left before this thing was decided.
Legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said "Great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be." And, with an air of uncertainty still hanging over this game, the Pirates stepped to the plate and took control of this one even though it wasn't done in the easiest fashion. Clinging to a 33-29 lead, a "3" from the left top area by Blakemore with 6:50 left and a DuBois lay-up in transition with 6:04 left suddenly stretched Park Center's lead to nine points at 38-29 and the Cardinals Peterson, now seeing this one get away from her squad at the most critical juncture, called a timeout to try and stop the flow. But the Pirates had finally found themselves when they needed to and stamped out the last ray of hope that Coon Rapids had. An offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 5:29 left and a Hayes scores in the paint with 4:20 left now had Park Center up double digits and Coon Rapids; now having to gamble on defense and resort to taking long-range perimeter shots on questionable looks, got themselves further in the hole in the closing minutes. Schaub used her 5'5" frame to slither into the paint for one score with 3:59 left and a Blakemore drive and finish with 3:31 left now upped the Pirate lead to 46-32. A score in the paint by Caitlin Ackerman with 3:09 left and a Caitlin Ackerman free throw with 2:36 left briefly cut Coon Rapids deficit back down to eleven trailing 46-35 but Park Center was now able to put the finishing touches on its first Northwest Suburban Conference title. Two free throws by Blakemore with 1:25 left and two more by Schaub with :20 left allowed the Pirates to run out the clock and claim a tough, hard fought 50-35 victory.
Coon Rapids was able to establish a 4-2 advantage on scores by lanky 6'1 junior forward/post Kaylee Porisch by the 16:07 mark but an offensive rebound and putback by athletic junior forward Fey Ayobamidele at the 15:10 mark and a "3" from fellow junior sharpshooting guard Ann Simonet gave the host Pirates a 7-4 advantage and many in attendance on this night thought that that might be the early spark that Park Center needed to get on a run, establish a cushion and put it in cruise control the rest of the way to an easy Northwest Suburban Conference title. The Cardinals, however, had other ideas and were not about to go away quietly into the night. While the Pirates favor a swarming, man-on-man defense that creates turnovers which ultimately leads to easy transition points, Coon Rapids was in a 2-3 zone defense and wanted to slow the game down and keep the score low. And the Cardinals have enough size down low to create match-up and rebounding issues for Head Coach Chris VanderHyde's squad. This paid dividends early on as the Pirates seemed reluctant to try and penetrate "no-man's land" and instead seemed content to settle for perimeter shots that, unfortunately for Park Center, didn't seem to fall. Worse yet, the Pirates looked totally out of sync as the turnover bugaboo reared its ugly head as Coon Rapids battled back and re-established the lead. With the score tied at 7-all, junior reserve guard Marina Nyberg uncorked a "3" from the top of the key to put the Cardinals back out in front at 10-7 at the 12:25 mark and a score in the paint by Porisch at the 11:16 mark along with one free throw by junior guard Nicole Fraser at the 10:58 mark got the lead to 13-7 and a concerned VanderHyde decided to take a match to a thirty-second timeout to discuss the issue with his squad.
Coon Rapids was still playing an inspired game on this night and a jumper from the left wing by Fraser at the 7:12 mark increased the Cardinal lead to 15-7 which arguably could have been more had Coon Rapids been able to drop the many perimeter shots they were attempting. Still, Porisch was proving to be a thorn in the side of the Pirates; particularly on the rebounding front as Park Center continued to struggle offensively. Somehow, the Pirates were able recover somewhat as Coon Rapids gave up some ground grudgingly. A tip-in jumper off of an inbounds pass by lanky junior post Mikayla Hayes with 6:06 left and a lay-up by the future Florida Gator trimmed the Cardinals lead down to 16-12. Two free throws by Porisch with 5:06 left increased the Coon Rapids lead to 18-12 but the Pirates were able to finish the first half on a 6-0 run. A lay-up by Hayes with 4:53 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw got Park Center back within a single possession trailing 18-15 and one more freebie by sophomore reserve forward Charo Nickens with 3:51 left and a lay-up after a steal by fellow sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore enabled the Pirates to go into the locker room knotted up at 18 with Coon Rapids. Still, things just didn't seem quite right for Park Center in this low-scoring first half with turnovers and missed shots galore and the fact that the Cardinals were making Park Center play their style of game was even more worrisome with a conference title and a possible top seed in the 5AAAA field at stake.
The Pirates, needing some sort of jolt to get them going, appeared to get it in the opening minutes of the second half as a drive and finish by the wily Ayobamidele at the 17:42 mark and a "3" by junior point guard Danielle Schaub at the 16:47 mark now had Park Center back in front by a 23-18 count. One free throw by Hayes at the 16:18 mark and a lay-up in transition by Simonet after a steal made it a 26-18 game. At this point, it seemed as if Park Center had landed the blow it had wanted to all game long and could now finally relax a little bit and put some more distance between itself and its opponent. But the pesky Cardinals were not willing to fly away just yet as they managed to battle right back and get themselves right in the thick of things once again. Two scores by sophomore guard Caitlin Ackerman - a short jumper at the 15:39 mark and a score in the paint that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie - closed the gap to three points at 26-23 by the 14:36 mark and a Porisch jumper from the right elbow area at the 12:15 mark kept Coon Rapids within a single possession trailing 28-25. At the 11:17 mark, Porisch; continuing to make life miserable for the green and gold, got to the charity stripe for two free throws that cut the Pirate lead down to a scant point at 28-27 and even though a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Azsha Michael at the 10:50 mark and a "3" by sophomore reserve guard Meghan DuBois with 9:55 left got the Park Center lead back out to six points at 33-27, Cardinals Head Coach Debbie Peterson had to be encouraged to see her squad right in the thick of things at the midway point of the second half with a mountain of time left before this thing was decided.
Legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said "Great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be." And, with an air of uncertainty still hanging over this game, the Pirates stepped to the plate and took control of this one even though it wasn't done in the easiest fashion. Clinging to a 33-29 lead, a "3" from the left top area by Blakemore with 6:50 left and a DuBois lay-up in transition with 6:04 left suddenly stretched Park Center's lead to nine points at 38-29 and the Cardinals Peterson, now seeing this one get away from her squad at the most critical juncture, called a timeout to try and stop the flow. But the Pirates had finally found themselves when they needed to and stamped out the last ray of hope that Coon Rapids had. An offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 5:29 left and a Hayes scores in the paint with 4:20 left now had Park Center up double digits and Coon Rapids; now having to gamble on defense and resort to taking long-range perimeter shots on questionable looks, got themselves further in the hole in the closing minutes. Schaub used her 5'5" frame to slither into the paint for one score with 3:59 left and a Blakemore drive and finish with 3:31 left now upped the Pirate lead to 46-32. A score in the paint by Caitlin Ackerman with 3:09 left and a Caitlin Ackerman free throw with 2:36 left briefly cut Coon Rapids deficit back down to eleven trailing 46-35 but Park Center was now able to put the finishing touches on its first Northwest Suburban Conference title. Two free throws by Blakemore with 1:25 left and two more by Schaub with :20 left allowed the Pirates to run out the clock and claim a tough, hard fought 50-35 victory.
Monday, February 22, 2016
MIAC Playoff Preview 2-22-16
Has another MIAC regular season come and gone already? Seems like it was just yesterday when things were really getting going and you could look forward to some tasty match-ups. But, here we are in late February and it's MIAC Playoff time and there are definitely some tasty match-ups in the offing. Let's take a look at each team and their chances.
6. CSB - The Blazers got the sixth spot by virtue of their win this last Saturday at home against Augsburg in a tough, hard fought battle. That kind of seems to have been CSB's mantra lately - close, hard-fought battles where they don't really beat anyone impressively and also manage to lose those close games as well. Save for a stretch back in January where they won six out of seven games, the Blazers have not only been wildly inconsistent, they've also struggled offensively as well; breaking the 60-point mark only once during the month of February. Just glancing at the box scores of the last five games have revealed some not so pretty numbers. Interestingly enough, it's not been just one player who has stepped to the forefront for this team. One night it might be Nikki Foken, one night it might be Chelsey Guetter, another night it might be Grace Wolhowe. So the Blazers do have some weapons on offense and they have recorded a win at home against Concordia and a big overtime road win at GAC so you can't completely count this team out.
Sure sign of trouble - If the Blazers get down by double digits early down in St. Peter, I really don't think they have the firepower to recover.
5. Bethel - It has to be something of a letdown for this Royal team that had such high expectations after last year's 21-win season that saw them get to the MIAC Championship Game and get their ticket punched to the Dance - and now find themselves mired in the fifth spot. I suppose it could be worse and, in some ways, they should feel pretty fortunate to be where they're at right now considering how things were going for them back in December and January. Somehow, the Royals righted the ship and won six out of their last seven games. Still, it's been something of a rough ride for Bethel which has seemed to struggle with consistency and defense; the latter in which they take so much pride in. The fact that they'll now have to go on the road - beginning up at Concordia on Tuesday night to start this journey - makes their task that much more daunting. At the same time, this would be one team I would just as soon avoid playing if I could. When the Royals start turning the screws slowly on defense and get easy transition points out of turnovers and when Kalli Zimmerman can wheel and deal down in the lane and draw fouls, they can be a very tough team to beat. The big question is, which Rachel Parupsky will show up? The one who dominated the paint last year or the one that struggled at times this season?
Sure sign of trouble - If Parupsky gets into foul trouble early and the load down low falls on freshman Hannah Johnson which forces the Royals to rely on perimeter shooting.
4. Concordia - The Corn finds itself in a familiar spot - in the playoffs again at about the number three or four spot as they've been an amazingly consistent group over the years. At the same time, the Cobbers have been in something of a rut the last couple of seasons playoff-wise and haven't advanced to the MIAC Championship Game since 2013. And this time around could quite possibly be the same song and dance with Bethel coming to town on Tuesday night. On the other hand, there is reason for hope as this is a very balanced team offensively that normally sees Jenna Januschka and Greta Walsh leading the way with scoring and Olivia "Dibs" Johnson cleaning the glass but Head Coach Jessica Rahman's bench play has been pretty productive as well. Again, this is not a team that's going to wow you with flashy play or glitzy stars. Just solid team play and a defense that can hound you to death. Is it enough this time around to get to the MIAC Championship Game? Probably not but if they can get past Bethel on Tuesday night they can at least roll the dice when they would have to go to UST in the semis. I do think someone else is going to have to step up and have a big game or two who normally wouldn't be expected to do that. Hannah Jeske? Katie Rosenfeldt? Some of the same questions I had last year about this team at this time still linger.
Sure sign of trouble - If Januschka can't get going down low and if Johnson gets into early foul trouble, things could fall apart quickly.
3. GAC - The Gusties finally took that big step forward this season under Head Coach Laurie Kelly and now finally get to host a playoff game at Lund Center. Had it not been for that overtime loss at home to CSB back in January, GAC might very well be looking at being in the number two seed position. Still, they're in a much, much better spot than they were a year ago and, more importantly, they're arguably playing their best basketball at precisely the right time; having won eight of their last nine games. They appear to be completely healthy as well going into the playoff round which was not the case last year. The Gusties have, IMHO, the best point guard in the conference in Mikayla Miller who can not only do damage from the perimeter but can also get down in the paint and do some dirty work as well. A pretty solid supporting cast also bolsters this team's hopes. Senior Lindsey Johnson not only provides great leadership but can also be a three-point threat. There have also been some young faces that have burst onto the scene. Freshmen Brooke Lemke, Justine Lee and Taylor Anderson all have had nice outings. I think GAC has what it takes to get past CSB in the quarterfinal round at home. They would then have to go to SMU - a place where they got absolutely hammered last year in the quarterfinal round. I really think this team is much, much farther along from where they were last year and if there's one darkhorse in the MIAC playoffs, it's these guys. They have a chance - an outside chance - to advance to the MIAC Championship Game with 21 wins where they could roll the dice and feel pretty confident about their chances of getting an invite to the Big Dance which would be a huge step forward to getting back into elite status where the Gusties should be.
Sure sign of trouble - If the Gusties start giving up a lot of easy points down low and they can't get the offensive production from their bench players to help out Miller.
2. SMU - The Cardinals have put together a very good 20-5 record under first year Head Coach Brent Pollari who, IMHO, deserves the COY award from his MIAC peers for being able to step right in and take a team into the second seed of the MIAC playoffs after many, including yours truly, thought this team might be on a downward slide after Mandy Pearson left to take the job at UM-Duluth. Instead, they shocked everybody by holding onto first place at the beginning of the season and the fact that they eventually got knocked out of the top perch by UST is nothing to hang your head about. Still, some of the suspicions I had about this team's flaws were glaringly revealed this last Saturday when they got punched in the mouth by UST over at Schoenecker Arena in what may very well prove to be a preview of the MIAC Championship Game this coming weekend. On the positive side, the Cardinals have an exceptionally skilled backcourt with Bridget Pethke and Emma Schaefer and a very underrated sharp shooter in Micaela Meredith. Freshman Brandi Blattner; now back in action again, has been that anchor down low that SMU has so desperately needed and has had some great outings already. On the downside, this team seems to lack that one thing that could very well keep them from taking things to the next level - that killer instinct. They've also faltered a bit down the stretch as a loss at Bethel and escape jobs against both Carleton and St. Kate's would suggest. They'll likely have to face a very hot GAC team in the semifinals at home in Winona which could very well be the game to watch of this whole thing. Should they find a way to hold on and win that, they can then at least feel a bit more at ease about getting that bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Sure sign of trouble - The Cardinals have been very vulnerable down low and they can ill-afford to have Pethke and Schaefer carrying the entire load for this team.
1. UST - Well, well, well. Look who's number one again? It's not so much that the Tommies find themselves as king of the mountain again but rather how they got there. Earlier in the season, losses to both St. Kate's and Wheaton gave reason to think that maybe the Purple Reign might finally be over. Then there was that twenty-point home loss to Bethel in early January that sent shock waves throughout the MIAC. After those hiccups, UST got its act together and pretty much plowed the road the rest of the way, ripping off twelve straight wins including the regular season clincher against SMU this last Saturday that gives them a 22-3 record and assures them of an invite to the Dance. At the same time, let's get this out of the way. This is NOT the star-studded line-up that you saw last year with Maggie Weiers, Anna Smith, Jen Dockter, et al. Rather, this is a true team effort with Katie Stone, Kaitlin Langer, Lauren Fischer and Paige Gernes anchoring the ship and a host of young newbies bursting onto the scene. Freshmen Lucia Renikoff, Kaylie Brazil and Morganne Gruber along with sophomore Maddie Wolkow have been major contributors in all facets of the game. The scary thing is that the Tommies now seem to be jelling at just the right time and even Head Coach Ruth Sinn admitted as much last weekend after the victory over SMU. If they stay focused and locked in on each possession, it's difficult to envision a scenario where anyone comes in and beats them. Are they a team that can win the whole ball of wax in the NCAA Tournament? Probably not but they have the goods to make a nice run at it.
Sure sing of trouble - Aside from a devastating injury or two, I really can't think of any save for a nasty little habit the Tommies still seem to have for accumulating fouls.
So there you have it. I freaking love this time of the year! So let the Gumball Rally begin baby!
6. CSB - The Blazers got the sixth spot by virtue of their win this last Saturday at home against Augsburg in a tough, hard fought battle. That kind of seems to have been CSB's mantra lately - close, hard-fought battles where they don't really beat anyone impressively and also manage to lose those close games as well. Save for a stretch back in January where they won six out of seven games, the Blazers have not only been wildly inconsistent, they've also struggled offensively as well; breaking the 60-point mark only once during the month of February. Just glancing at the box scores of the last five games have revealed some not so pretty numbers. Interestingly enough, it's not been just one player who has stepped to the forefront for this team. One night it might be Nikki Foken, one night it might be Chelsey Guetter, another night it might be Grace Wolhowe. So the Blazers do have some weapons on offense and they have recorded a win at home against Concordia and a big overtime road win at GAC so you can't completely count this team out.
Sure sign of trouble - If the Blazers get down by double digits early down in St. Peter, I really don't think they have the firepower to recover.
5. Bethel - It has to be something of a letdown for this Royal team that had such high expectations after last year's 21-win season that saw them get to the MIAC Championship Game and get their ticket punched to the Dance - and now find themselves mired in the fifth spot. I suppose it could be worse and, in some ways, they should feel pretty fortunate to be where they're at right now considering how things were going for them back in December and January. Somehow, the Royals righted the ship and won six out of their last seven games. Still, it's been something of a rough ride for Bethel which has seemed to struggle with consistency and defense; the latter in which they take so much pride in. The fact that they'll now have to go on the road - beginning up at Concordia on Tuesday night to start this journey - makes their task that much more daunting. At the same time, this would be one team I would just as soon avoid playing if I could. When the Royals start turning the screws slowly on defense and get easy transition points out of turnovers and when Kalli Zimmerman can wheel and deal down in the lane and draw fouls, they can be a very tough team to beat. The big question is, which Rachel Parupsky will show up? The one who dominated the paint last year or the one that struggled at times this season?
Sure sign of trouble - If Parupsky gets into foul trouble early and the load down low falls on freshman Hannah Johnson which forces the Royals to rely on perimeter shooting.
4. Concordia - The Corn finds itself in a familiar spot - in the playoffs again at about the number three or four spot as they've been an amazingly consistent group over the years. At the same time, the Cobbers have been in something of a rut the last couple of seasons playoff-wise and haven't advanced to the MIAC Championship Game since 2013. And this time around could quite possibly be the same song and dance with Bethel coming to town on Tuesday night. On the other hand, there is reason for hope as this is a very balanced team offensively that normally sees Jenna Januschka and Greta Walsh leading the way with scoring and Olivia "Dibs" Johnson cleaning the glass but Head Coach Jessica Rahman's bench play has been pretty productive as well. Again, this is not a team that's going to wow you with flashy play or glitzy stars. Just solid team play and a defense that can hound you to death. Is it enough this time around to get to the MIAC Championship Game? Probably not but if they can get past Bethel on Tuesday night they can at least roll the dice when they would have to go to UST in the semis. I do think someone else is going to have to step up and have a big game or two who normally wouldn't be expected to do that. Hannah Jeske? Katie Rosenfeldt? Some of the same questions I had last year about this team at this time still linger.
Sure sign of trouble - If Januschka can't get going down low and if Johnson gets into early foul trouble, things could fall apart quickly.
3. GAC - The Gusties finally took that big step forward this season under Head Coach Laurie Kelly and now finally get to host a playoff game at Lund Center. Had it not been for that overtime loss at home to CSB back in January, GAC might very well be looking at being in the number two seed position. Still, they're in a much, much better spot than they were a year ago and, more importantly, they're arguably playing their best basketball at precisely the right time; having won eight of their last nine games. They appear to be completely healthy as well going into the playoff round which was not the case last year. The Gusties have, IMHO, the best point guard in the conference in Mikayla Miller who can not only do damage from the perimeter but can also get down in the paint and do some dirty work as well. A pretty solid supporting cast also bolsters this team's hopes. Senior Lindsey Johnson not only provides great leadership but can also be a three-point threat. There have also been some young faces that have burst onto the scene. Freshmen Brooke Lemke, Justine Lee and Taylor Anderson all have had nice outings. I think GAC has what it takes to get past CSB in the quarterfinal round at home. They would then have to go to SMU - a place where they got absolutely hammered last year in the quarterfinal round. I really think this team is much, much farther along from where they were last year and if there's one darkhorse in the MIAC playoffs, it's these guys. They have a chance - an outside chance - to advance to the MIAC Championship Game with 21 wins where they could roll the dice and feel pretty confident about their chances of getting an invite to the Big Dance which would be a huge step forward to getting back into elite status where the Gusties should be.
Sure sign of trouble - If the Gusties start giving up a lot of easy points down low and they can't get the offensive production from their bench players to help out Miller.
2. SMU - The Cardinals have put together a very good 20-5 record under first year Head Coach Brent Pollari who, IMHO, deserves the COY award from his MIAC peers for being able to step right in and take a team into the second seed of the MIAC playoffs after many, including yours truly, thought this team might be on a downward slide after Mandy Pearson left to take the job at UM-Duluth. Instead, they shocked everybody by holding onto first place at the beginning of the season and the fact that they eventually got knocked out of the top perch by UST is nothing to hang your head about. Still, some of the suspicions I had about this team's flaws were glaringly revealed this last Saturday when they got punched in the mouth by UST over at Schoenecker Arena in what may very well prove to be a preview of the MIAC Championship Game this coming weekend. On the positive side, the Cardinals have an exceptionally skilled backcourt with Bridget Pethke and Emma Schaefer and a very underrated sharp shooter in Micaela Meredith. Freshman Brandi Blattner; now back in action again, has been that anchor down low that SMU has so desperately needed and has had some great outings already. On the downside, this team seems to lack that one thing that could very well keep them from taking things to the next level - that killer instinct. They've also faltered a bit down the stretch as a loss at Bethel and escape jobs against both Carleton and St. Kate's would suggest. They'll likely have to face a very hot GAC team in the semifinals at home in Winona which could very well be the game to watch of this whole thing. Should they find a way to hold on and win that, they can then at least feel a bit more at ease about getting that bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Sure sign of trouble - The Cardinals have been very vulnerable down low and they can ill-afford to have Pethke and Schaefer carrying the entire load for this team.
1. UST - Well, well, well. Look who's number one again? It's not so much that the Tommies find themselves as king of the mountain again but rather how they got there. Earlier in the season, losses to both St. Kate's and Wheaton gave reason to think that maybe the Purple Reign might finally be over. Then there was that twenty-point home loss to Bethel in early January that sent shock waves throughout the MIAC. After those hiccups, UST got its act together and pretty much plowed the road the rest of the way, ripping off twelve straight wins including the regular season clincher against SMU this last Saturday that gives them a 22-3 record and assures them of an invite to the Dance. At the same time, let's get this out of the way. This is NOT the star-studded line-up that you saw last year with Maggie Weiers, Anna Smith, Jen Dockter, et al. Rather, this is a true team effort with Katie Stone, Kaitlin Langer, Lauren Fischer and Paige Gernes anchoring the ship and a host of young newbies bursting onto the scene. Freshmen Lucia Renikoff, Kaylie Brazil and Morganne Gruber along with sophomore Maddie Wolkow have been major contributors in all facets of the game. The scary thing is that the Tommies now seem to be jelling at just the right time and even Head Coach Ruth Sinn admitted as much last weekend after the victory over SMU. If they stay focused and locked in on each possession, it's difficult to envision a scenario where anyone comes in and beats them. Are they a team that can win the whole ball of wax in the NCAA Tournament? Probably not but they have the goods to make a nice run at it.
Sure sing of trouble - Aside from a devastating injury or two, I really can't think of any save for a nasty little habit the Tommies still seem to have for accumulating fouls.
So there you have it. I freaking love this time of the year! So let the Gumball Rally begin baby!
Sunday, February 21, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-21-16
Here's my final MIAC Power Rankings as we conclude the regular season and look forward to the upcoming MIAC Playoffs:
1. UST
2. GAC
3. SMU
4. Concordia
5. Bethel
6. CSB
7. Augsburg
8. St. Kate's
9. St. Olaf
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
No doubt about who takes the top spot in the final week - it's the Tommies as UST rolled to convincing wins; most notably over SMU yesterday to keep the regular season crown all to themselves. UST not only appears to be peaking at just the right time, they're healthy, too. They just appear to be (once again) head and shoulders above everyone else.
Where I really struggled was with my number two spot. You can easily make the argument that SMU, by virtue of its 20-5 overall record (14-4 in conference play), shouldn't have been knocked out of the number two spot in my power rankings. And yes, I'm well aware that they'll be the number two seed this next week in the MIAC Playoffs. After yesterday's blowout loss to UST, some of my fears and uneasiness with this team came into full view and it's entirely possible that this squad may have peaked too early and the fact that they've dropped two out of their last four contests would certainly suggest that. That's why I shoved GAC into the number two spot this morning. The Gusties; who have won their last five contests by comfortable margins (save for the nail-biter at CSB on Wednesday night), look like they are playing their best basketball at precisely the right time and are looking pretty good in doing it. Trust me, this wasn't any easy decision and I'm perfectly open to hear and respond to any arguments from Cardinal land.
Concordia settles into the number four spot this morning pretty much by default but even though they closed out the regular season yesterday with a convincing win at home against Macalester, they didn't help their cause when they got dough-popped at St. Kate's on Wednesday night. Bethel managed to get the bad taste of the heartbreaking loss to UST at home last week Saturday out of its mouth as they grabbed road wins at both Carleton on Wednesday night and at Hamline yesterday and got locked into the number five spot. CSB, after dropping a 52-51 heartbreaker to GAC on Wednesday night, managed to eek out a 42-37 win against Augsburg yesterday with that coveted sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs at stake for both squads.
Speaking of Augsburg, it all came crumbling down yesterday up in St. Joe with that 42-37 heartbreaking loss yesterday. The Auggie faithful will be left wondering for a while how different things might have been had senior guard Maria Loughlin not been injured. Arguably, the hottest team down the stretch this regular season may very well have been St. Kate's who finished up the season with five straight wins which easily could have been ten straight wins had it not been for heartbreaking losses to UST, SMU and Augsburg. It was an Oh, So Close proposition for the Wildcats this year as they keep improving but can't quite yet get over the hump. Meanwhile, over on the west side of Northfield, it was an entirely different story altogether for St. Olaf which dropped eight of its last ten contests; some by rather large margins and you have to wonder what the future holds for the Oles.
Despite dropping its last three contests, Macalester took a step forward under second-year Head Coach Kelly Roysland and, depending on who she's able to bring in during the off-season, there's no reason to think that they can't take it a step forward next year. Carleton, beset with injuries to its best players this year, limped along as best they could but the Knights were simply a victim of some rather rotten luck this year. Hamline was much better than its record suggests and this young squad will be better next year although finding another star player in the Jordan Sammons mold might be a tough one.
Tomorrow, I'll handicap the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and give my thoughts on each team's chances to win the big ball of wax and get the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. This is definitely an exciting time of the year!
1. UST
2. GAC
3. SMU
4. Concordia
5. Bethel
6. CSB
7. Augsburg
8. St. Kate's
9. St. Olaf
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
No doubt about who takes the top spot in the final week - it's the Tommies as UST rolled to convincing wins; most notably over SMU yesterday to keep the regular season crown all to themselves. UST not only appears to be peaking at just the right time, they're healthy, too. They just appear to be (once again) head and shoulders above everyone else.
Where I really struggled was with my number two spot. You can easily make the argument that SMU, by virtue of its 20-5 overall record (14-4 in conference play), shouldn't have been knocked out of the number two spot in my power rankings. And yes, I'm well aware that they'll be the number two seed this next week in the MIAC Playoffs. After yesterday's blowout loss to UST, some of my fears and uneasiness with this team came into full view and it's entirely possible that this squad may have peaked too early and the fact that they've dropped two out of their last four contests would certainly suggest that. That's why I shoved GAC into the number two spot this morning. The Gusties; who have won their last five contests by comfortable margins (save for the nail-biter at CSB on Wednesday night), look like they are playing their best basketball at precisely the right time and are looking pretty good in doing it. Trust me, this wasn't any easy decision and I'm perfectly open to hear and respond to any arguments from Cardinal land.
Concordia settles into the number four spot this morning pretty much by default but even though they closed out the regular season yesterday with a convincing win at home against Macalester, they didn't help their cause when they got dough-popped at St. Kate's on Wednesday night. Bethel managed to get the bad taste of the heartbreaking loss to UST at home last week Saturday out of its mouth as they grabbed road wins at both Carleton on Wednesday night and at Hamline yesterday and got locked into the number five spot. CSB, after dropping a 52-51 heartbreaker to GAC on Wednesday night, managed to eek out a 42-37 win against Augsburg yesterday with that coveted sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs at stake for both squads.
Speaking of Augsburg, it all came crumbling down yesterday up in St. Joe with that 42-37 heartbreaking loss yesterday. The Auggie faithful will be left wondering for a while how different things might have been had senior guard Maria Loughlin not been injured. Arguably, the hottest team down the stretch this regular season may very well have been St. Kate's who finished up the season with five straight wins which easily could have been ten straight wins had it not been for heartbreaking losses to UST, SMU and Augsburg. It was an Oh, So Close proposition for the Wildcats this year as they keep improving but can't quite yet get over the hump. Meanwhile, over on the west side of Northfield, it was an entirely different story altogether for St. Olaf which dropped eight of its last ten contests; some by rather large margins and you have to wonder what the future holds for the Oles.
Despite dropping its last three contests, Macalester took a step forward under second-year Head Coach Kelly Roysland and, depending on who she's able to bring in during the off-season, there's no reason to think that they can't take it a step forward next year. Carleton, beset with injuries to its best players this year, limped along as best they could but the Knights were simply a victim of some rather rotten luck this year. Hamline was much better than its record suggests and this young squad will be better next year although finding another star player in the Jordan Sammons mold might be a tough one.
Tomorrow, I'll handicap the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and give my thoughts on each team's chances to win the big ball of wax and get the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. This is definitely an exciting time of the year!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
SMU vs UST 2-20-16
Made my way over to UST's Schoenecker Arena on this unseasonably warm February Saturday afternoon to take in the regular season finale between visiting SMU which made its way up the Canadian Pacific Railway's River Sub mainline and U.S. Highway 61 and host UST. This was a special day in that it was not only the regular season finale but it was also Senior Day and seniors Katie Stone and Mykenzie Spaulding along with players and parents were honored before the game. More importantly, a share of the regular season title was at stake as the Tommies had claimed their share and the second-place Cardinals were hoping to take their share of the regular season title back to Winona with them.
Indeed, SMU had revenge on their minds as UST snuck back up the River in mid-January with a 76-67 victory in Winona that nudged the Cardinals out of having first place in the MIAC all to themselves. But they were going to have to play the perfect game and rock-solid defense if they were going to return the favor. Alas, neither of those two things happened in the early going as the Tommies took control of this one from the get-go. Leading 4-2 after freshman guard Lucia Renikoff got into the paint for a score at the 9:01 mark, sophomore forward Lauren Fischer drained a "3" from the left corner at the 8:22 mark at two free throws by lanky 6'3" junior post Kaitlin Langer suddenly made it a 9-2 ballgame by the 7:26 mark. Less than a minute later, Langer struck again from the charity stripe and promptly sank both free throw attempts that now made it 11-2. Even worse from a Cardinal perspective was that junior forward Sam Jones got whistled for her second foul and SMU Head Coach Bent Pollari had no choice but to yank his key starting forward at the 6:15 mark of this first period. When Stone, in her last regular season game at Schoenecker, drilled a "3" from the right top area at the 5:28 mark that now gave the Tommies a 14-2 advantage, Pollari had to take a match to a full timeout to try and stop the massive bleeding that was taking place. Cardinal freshman forward Brandi Blattner's score in the paint with 4:41 left trimmed the deficit to ten points but SMU's burden only grew with a plethora of missed lay-ups and an inability to box out on the defensive end. UST freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil nailed a "3" from the left top area with 3:08 left and a short, turnaround jumper in the lane by Langer with 2:08 left made it 19-6. Junior guard Paige Gernes worsened SMU's woes with a "3" from the right corner with 1:22 left and a coast-to-coast lay-up with :12.3 left in the opening period that put an exclamation point on the first ten minutes and with it, a 24-8 advantage.
A "3" by Cardinal junior reserve guard Brigette Audette from the left wing at the 9:46 mark of the second period briefly gave the sizable SMU contingent in the bleachers on this day a wisp of hope that temporarily slimmed down the Tommie lead to 24-11 but UST had no intentions of being nice to its visitors from Winona. Stone uncorked her second trey of the afternoon from the right top area at the 7:21 mark and a short jumper by Brazil after a steal upped the Tommie lead to 29-11. A jumper in the lane by Langer at the 6:07 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Stillwater native to drop the obligatory freebie cranked up the lead to 32-13. With 4:10 left, Langer used her long frame to score in the paint and added one free throw with 3:39 left that gave UST a twenty-point advantage at 35-15. When Stone connected with a jumper from the left wing area with 3:04 left, a beleaguered Pollari had to take a match to a thirty-second timeout as this one was clearly slipping away with no lifelines left. Gernes; the lefty who played her high school basketball at (ironically enough) Winona Cotter High School, let loose with a "3" from the right corner with 1:51 left that now had the Tommies up 40-15. SMU managed to get to late scores before the end of the first half - two free throws by junior guard Emma Schaefer with 1:41 left and a lay-up by senior guard Bridget Pethke with 1:19 left - but were staring at a 40-19 deficit going into the locker room at halftime. A glance at the first half box reveals some ugly numbers from a Cardinal perspective. The Tommies had the advantage on the boards by a 23-17 margin and snared seven steals in the process. Even worse was the paltry shooting. The Cardinals could only mange to shoot 25% from from FG range and were an artic-like 14.3% from three-point land. That simply won't get the job done against a championship-caliber team like UST.
Needless to say, SMU needed a fresh burst of energy; something.......ANYTHING positive at the start of the third period if they were going to take a sizable chunk off of the deficit. Senior sharpshooting guard Micaela Meredith, very quiet in the first half, shook off those early cobwebs when she connected with a jumper from the left wing area at the 9:19 mark and one Jones free throw at the 8:31 mark cut a bit of the fat off of the deficit at 40-22. Blattner snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:46 mark and then Meredith knocked down a "3" from the left top area off of an inbounds pass at the 7:10 mark that cut further into UST's lead at 45-27 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn; perhaps sensing a bit of a letdown after carrying such a big lead, called a thirty-second timeout to try and get her squad refocused. That short stoppage in play seemed to do the trick and got UST back on track. Two quick scores by Langer - one in the paint at the 6:51 mark and a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 6:10 mark - got the lead back up in the twenty-plus range at 49-27. Then it was two more three-point bombs from Stone; the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native - one from the left corner at the 5:24 mark and another one from the left top area with 3:34 left that now had the Tommies up by a 55-30 mark and had SMU back at Square One as Pollari called another timeout to assess the damage. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they would not be able to make up much ground before the third period ended. A Brazil lay-up with 2:07 left made it 57-32 and back-to-back scores by Mykenzie Spaulding - two free throws with 1:12 left and a jumper from the left wing with :29 left - gave UST a seemingly prohibitive 61-35 lead going into the fourth and final period.
SMU could have easily just looked forward to a long bus ride back down the River after Langer connected with a lay-up in transition with 9:42 left in the fourth period that made it 63-35 but surprisingly this was where the Cardinals made their first and only real charge of the day that made things interesting for a while. Two free throws by senior reserve guard Haley Trom at the 9:30 mark and a "3" by Meredith from the right wing sliced a chunk of fat off the deficit at 65-40 but still things looked secure for the Tommies when Jones picked up her fourth foul of the day at the 8:42 mark that allowed Langer to go to the charity stripe and get one free throw out of the deal for a 66-40 advantage. At this point, however, SMU went on an 11-3 run that did change the complexion of things. A short jumper by Pethke at the 8:31 mark and a jumper by Meredith from the free throw line at the 7:44 mark reduced UST's lead down to 66-44. A Pethke lay-up at the 7:13 mark and a score in the paint by Audette at the 6:28 mark cut into the Tommie cushion even more at 69-48. At the 6:04 mark, Schaefer banged home a "3" from the right top area that drew the Cardinals even closer trailing 69-51 and UST's Sinn had to call a timeout to zap her team out of its late-game snooze. Jones, riding those four fouls, got SMU even closer trailing 69-54 at the 5:06 mark when she connected on a lay-up that drew a fould and allowed the White Bear Lake native to sink the "and one" and you couldn't help but wonder for a fleeting moment or two if the Cardinals just might somehow impossibly get close again. But this is where the the Tommies awoke from their brief slumber and promptly slammed the door shut on any SMU comeback attempt. A Langer score in the paint with 4:58 left and a lay-up by Stone with 4:01 left got the lead back up to seventeen at 73-56. Blattner, the young Cardinal enforcer down low, picked up her fourth foul with 3:48 left and things went south from SMU there. A score in the paint by Fischer with 3:17 left and free throws by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow increased the lead to eighteen at 78-60. Then Wolkow, the former Lakeville South standout, drained a "3" from the right wing area with 2:47 left that had the cushion back in comfort range again at 81-60. Two free throws by Gernes with 2:26 left and a score in the paint by Mykenzie Spaulding with 2:06 left made it 85-60 that was, for all intents and purposes, the game. Both Pollari and Sinn sent in their young reserves for mop-up duty as UST took the MIAC regular season crown for itself with a convincing 89-65 victory.
A happy and seemingly satisfied Sinn talked about that fourth period run that the Cardinals went on that made things a little dangerous at one point. "We had to get 'locked in' on each possession again" she said. Sinn admitted that her squad got a little complacent going into the fourth quarter with the big lead and she emphasized how important it is for her team to be 'locked in' mentally on each possession. At the same time, she was also bubbling with enthusiasm at the strides her team has made since January; particularly the young freshmen who have been stepping into the limelight and have blended nicely with the veteran returners. "We've been getting better and better" she said and added that her team can be "downright scary" when they're playing their best. As far as looking ahead to the MIAC playoffs where the Tommies will once again have the number one seed, Sinn just replied "We have to focus on ourselves". SMU's Pollari on the other hand quickly admitted that this one got out of hand early and pointed to missed lay-ups and an inability to box out that allowed things to snowball. Still, Pollari seemed confident that his squad could make amends in the MIAC playoffs this next week. "We think we'll get into the Nationals (NCAA Tournament ) if we can get to the MIAC Championship Game" and there's no doubt that this game today could very easily have been a little MIAC Championship Game preview. With an overall record of 20-5, the sun certainly has not yet set on the Cardinals and they have a chance to be back in this same venue a week from now if they take care of business against an opponent to be determined Thursday night in Winona. Langer had a fabulous outing on this day; leading all scorers with her 28 points while Stone added 16 points and Wolkow added 13. Blattner's 15 points paced SMU on this day while Meredith added 12 points and Audette chipped in 10 points. The Tommies held an overall 40-35 advantage on the boards and though the Cardinals offensive efficiency definitely took a step up in the second half, they ultimately got themselves into too deep a hole early on to ever recover.
Indeed, SMU had revenge on their minds as UST snuck back up the River in mid-January with a 76-67 victory in Winona that nudged the Cardinals out of having first place in the MIAC all to themselves. But they were going to have to play the perfect game and rock-solid defense if they were going to return the favor. Alas, neither of those two things happened in the early going as the Tommies took control of this one from the get-go. Leading 4-2 after freshman guard Lucia Renikoff got into the paint for a score at the 9:01 mark, sophomore forward Lauren Fischer drained a "3" from the left corner at the 8:22 mark at two free throws by lanky 6'3" junior post Kaitlin Langer suddenly made it a 9-2 ballgame by the 7:26 mark. Less than a minute later, Langer struck again from the charity stripe and promptly sank both free throw attempts that now made it 11-2. Even worse from a Cardinal perspective was that junior forward Sam Jones got whistled for her second foul and SMU Head Coach Bent Pollari had no choice but to yank his key starting forward at the 6:15 mark of this first period. When Stone, in her last regular season game at Schoenecker, drilled a "3" from the right top area at the 5:28 mark that now gave the Tommies a 14-2 advantage, Pollari had to take a match to a full timeout to try and stop the massive bleeding that was taking place. Cardinal freshman forward Brandi Blattner's score in the paint with 4:41 left trimmed the deficit to ten points but SMU's burden only grew with a plethora of missed lay-ups and an inability to box out on the defensive end. UST freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil nailed a "3" from the left top area with 3:08 left and a short, turnaround jumper in the lane by Langer with 2:08 left made it 19-6. Junior guard Paige Gernes worsened SMU's woes with a "3" from the right corner with 1:22 left and a coast-to-coast lay-up with :12.3 left in the opening period that put an exclamation point on the first ten minutes and with it, a 24-8 advantage.
A "3" by Cardinal junior reserve guard Brigette Audette from the left wing at the 9:46 mark of the second period briefly gave the sizable SMU contingent in the bleachers on this day a wisp of hope that temporarily slimmed down the Tommie lead to 24-11 but UST had no intentions of being nice to its visitors from Winona. Stone uncorked her second trey of the afternoon from the right top area at the 7:21 mark and a short jumper by Brazil after a steal upped the Tommie lead to 29-11. A jumper in the lane by Langer at the 6:07 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Stillwater native to drop the obligatory freebie cranked up the lead to 32-13. With 4:10 left, Langer used her long frame to score in the paint and added one free throw with 3:39 left that gave UST a twenty-point advantage at 35-15. When Stone connected with a jumper from the left wing area with 3:04 left, a beleaguered Pollari had to take a match to a thirty-second timeout as this one was clearly slipping away with no lifelines left. Gernes; the lefty who played her high school basketball at (ironically enough) Winona Cotter High School, let loose with a "3" from the right corner with 1:51 left that now had the Tommies up 40-15. SMU managed to get to late scores before the end of the first half - two free throws by junior guard Emma Schaefer with 1:41 left and a lay-up by senior guard Bridget Pethke with 1:19 left - but were staring at a 40-19 deficit going into the locker room at halftime. A glance at the first half box reveals some ugly numbers from a Cardinal perspective. The Tommies had the advantage on the boards by a 23-17 margin and snared seven steals in the process. Even worse was the paltry shooting. The Cardinals could only mange to shoot 25% from from FG range and were an artic-like 14.3% from three-point land. That simply won't get the job done against a championship-caliber team like UST.
Needless to say, SMU needed a fresh burst of energy; something.......ANYTHING positive at the start of the third period if they were going to take a sizable chunk off of the deficit. Senior sharpshooting guard Micaela Meredith, very quiet in the first half, shook off those early cobwebs when she connected with a jumper from the left wing area at the 9:19 mark and one Jones free throw at the 8:31 mark cut a bit of the fat off of the deficit at 40-22. Blattner snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:46 mark and then Meredith knocked down a "3" from the left top area off of an inbounds pass at the 7:10 mark that cut further into UST's lead at 45-27 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn; perhaps sensing a bit of a letdown after carrying such a big lead, called a thirty-second timeout to try and get her squad refocused. That short stoppage in play seemed to do the trick and got UST back on track. Two quick scores by Langer - one in the paint at the 6:51 mark and a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 6:10 mark - got the lead back up in the twenty-plus range at 49-27. Then it was two more three-point bombs from Stone; the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native - one from the left corner at the 5:24 mark and another one from the left top area with 3:34 left that now had the Tommies up by a 55-30 mark and had SMU back at Square One as Pollari called another timeout to assess the damage. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they would not be able to make up much ground before the third period ended. A Brazil lay-up with 2:07 left made it 57-32 and back-to-back scores by Mykenzie Spaulding - two free throws with 1:12 left and a jumper from the left wing with :29 left - gave UST a seemingly prohibitive 61-35 lead going into the fourth and final period.
SMU could have easily just looked forward to a long bus ride back down the River after Langer connected with a lay-up in transition with 9:42 left in the fourth period that made it 63-35 but surprisingly this was where the Cardinals made their first and only real charge of the day that made things interesting for a while. Two free throws by senior reserve guard Haley Trom at the 9:30 mark and a "3" by Meredith from the right wing sliced a chunk of fat off the deficit at 65-40 but still things looked secure for the Tommies when Jones picked up her fourth foul of the day at the 8:42 mark that allowed Langer to go to the charity stripe and get one free throw out of the deal for a 66-40 advantage. At this point, however, SMU went on an 11-3 run that did change the complexion of things. A short jumper by Pethke at the 8:31 mark and a jumper by Meredith from the free throw line at the 7:44 mark reduced UST's lead down to 66-44. A Pethke lay-up at the 7:13 mark and a score in the paint by Audette at the 6:28 mark cut into the Tommie cushion even more at 69-48. At the 6:04 mark, Schaefer banged home a "3" from the right top area that drew the Cardinals even closer trailing 69-51 and UST's Sinn had to call a timeout to zap her team out of its late-game snooze. Jones, riding those four fouls, got SMU even closer trailing 69-54 at the 5:06 mark when she connected on a lay-up that drew a fould and allowed the White Bear Lake native to sink the "and one" and you couldn't help but wonder for a fleeting moment or two if the Cardinals just might somehow impossibly get close again. But this is where the the Tommies awoke from their brief slumber and promptly slammed the door shut on any SMU comeback attempt. A Langer score in the paint with 4:58 left and a lay-up by Stone with 4:01 left got the lead back up to seventeen at 73-56. Blattner, the young Cardinal enforcer down low, picked up her fourth foul with 3:48 left and things went south from SMU there. A score in the paint by Fischer with 3:17 left and free throws by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow increased the lead to eighteen at 78-60. Then Wolkow, the former Lakeville South standout, drained a "3" from the right wing area with 2:47 left that had the cushion back in comfort range again at 81-60. Two free throws by Gernes with 2:26 left and a score in the paint by Mykenzie Spaulding with 2:06 left made it 85-60 that was, for all intents and purposes, the game. Both Pollari and Sinn sent in their young reserves for mop-up duty as UST took the MIAC regular season crown for itself with a convincing 89-65 victory.
A happy and seemingly satisfied Sinn talked about that fourth period run that the Cardinals went on that made things a little dangerous at one point. "We had to get 'locked in' on each possession again" she said. Sinn admitted that her squad got a little complacent going into the fourth quarter with the big lead and she emphasized how important it is for her team to be 'locked in' mentally on each possession. At the same time, she was also bubbling with enthusiasm at the strides her team has made since January; particularly the young freshmen who have been stepping into the limelight and have blended nicely with the veteran returners. "We've been getting better and better" she said and added that her team can be "downright scary" when they're playing their best. As far as looking ahead to the MIAC playoffs where the Tommies will once again have the number one seed, Sinn just replied "We have to focus on ourselves". SMU's Pollari on the other hand quickly admitted that this one got out of hand early and pointed to missed lay-ups and an inability to box out that allowed things to snowball. Still, Pollari seemed confident that his squad could make amends in the MIAC playoffs this next week. "We think we'll get into the Nationals (NCAA Tournament ) if we can get to the MIAC Championship Game" and there's no doubt that this game today could very easily have been a little MIAC Championship Game preview. With an overall record of 20-5, the sun certainly has not yet set on the Cardinals and they have a chance to be back in this same venue a week from now if they take care of business against an opponent to be determined Thursday night in Winona. Langer had a fabulous outing on this day; leading all scorers with her 28 points while Stone added 16 points and Wolkow added 13. Blattner's 15 points paced SMU on this day while Meredith added 12 points and Audette chipped in 10 points. The Tommies held an overall 40-35 advantage on the boards and though the Cardinals offensive efficiency definitely took a step up in the second half, they ultimately got themselves into too deep a hole early on to ever recover.
Monday, February 15, 2016
UST vs Bethel 2-13-16
Note: I apologize for the delay in getting this game into my blog. Had a good buddy of mine in town this weekend for the AC/DC concert and we had to get caught up on things. :)
Made my way over to Bethel's Robertson Center on this Saturday afternoon to take in the much-anticipated clash between visiting UST and host Bethel. A good crowd was on hand for this game for both schools as the Tommie - Royal rivalry has been upped a few notches since UST and Bethel met in last year's MIAC Championship Game. The Tommies were likely coming into this game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder as they absorbed an 80-60 defeat at home in Schoenecker Arena back in early January and wanted to repay the favor. The competitive juices were flowing in this one and the tension was definitely in the air. It was also Senior Day as well as seniors Hannah Niewald, Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz and Rachel Parupsky were honored before the game.
It would be the Royals who would initially get off to a good start after the tip-off. A lay-up in transition by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 9:26 mark and a drive and lay-up by Parupsky at the 8:32 mark gave Bethel an early 4-0 advantage and a lay-up by Niewald at the 7:54 mark gave the Royals a 6-2 lead. The Tommies would cut the deficit to one point when sophomore guard/forward Lauren Fischer connected on a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the "and one" made it a 6-5 game. The Royals would again build a bit of a cushion as one "3" from the left corner by Schultz at the 5:30 mark and another trey from the left top area by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole gave Bethel a 12-7 by the 5:04 mark. UST, however, would slyly whittle away at the deficit and then grab control down the stretch of the opening period. A Fischer "3" from the right top area with 3:55 left and two free throws by the Oshkosh, Wisconsin native cut the Bethel lead to 14-12 with 3:15 left and a score in the paint by lanky 6'3" junior post Kaitlin Langer knotted the issue at 14 a piece with 2:07 left. Parupsky briefly put the Royals ahead at 16-14 with her score in the paint with 1:50 left but then the Tommies would go on a 7-0 run to end the period. A jumper from the free throw line by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with 1:18 left and a lay-up in transition after a steal by freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil with :59 left put UST up 18-16. Fischer would put an exclamation mark on the opening period with her "3" from the left top area with just :02.3 left that now had the Tommies up 21-16 and left Bethel wondering what in the blazes just happened.
UST would build their lead to ten points in the early moments of the second period when Wolkow unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 9:41 mark and Langer connected on a very tough lay-up around Parupsky at the 8:08 mark that made it a 26-16 game. The Royals were in a very precarious situation by this point and could have folded right there. However, they kept their composure and embarked on an 10-0 run. A jumper from the right top area just inside the arc by Parupsky at the 7:39 mark started the burst and a lay-up by Zimmerman that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe for the obligatory freebie sliced the Tommie lead down to five at 26-21 at the 6:23 mark. Junior guard Shanni Moorse uncorked a "3" from the right wing area at the 5:48 mark and two O'Toole free throws with 4:42 left tied the score at 26-all. But just when you thought that maybe Bethel had regained its footing and was possibly on the cusp of retaking control of this game UST struck back. A 7-0 burst; ignited by a jumper from the right elbow by Langer with 4:25 left had the Tommies back out in front and a lay-up by senior guard Katie Stone upped the lead to four at 30-26 with 3:14 left. Fischer connected with her third trey of the first half when she banged one home from the left wing area with 2:06 left that completed the run and gave UST a 33-26 advantage. The Royals would try to respond to this run when diminutive sophomore reserve point guard Abby Miller drained a "3" from the right wing area with 1:45 left but two late scores by the Tommies - a lay-up in transition by junior guard Paige Gernes with 1:00 left and a "3" by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff from the left wing area with :28 left - enabled UST to take a 38-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. The first half was arguably a game of runs and UST seemed to make the most of their opportunities. A glance at the first half box score doesn't reveal a lot of discrepancies although Bethel recorded only one offensive rebound and did have 14 defensive rebounds.
A Stone lay-up at the 9:40 mark of the third period put the Tommies up 40-29 and indeed things were beginning to look bleak for Bethel in the early moments of the second half. But the Royals, who have been left for dead more than once this season, hunkered down and battled back. Parupsky; in her Robertson Center finale, uncorked a rare three-pointer from the right top area at the 8:49 mark and two free throws by Zimmerman at the 8:20 mark allowed Bethel to get back into single-digit range trailing 42-34. At the 8:17 mark, Parupsky reverted to her more conventional way of scoring by getting a lay-up that drew a foul and sent her to the line where she sank the free throw which cut the UST lead down to five at 42-37. Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn, sensing trouble for her squad, called a timeout to try and make adjustments but the Royals were going to try and make the most of this opportunity on Senior Day. Bethel went into a 2-3 zone on defense that changed things up and gave UST a different look. A Zimmerman freebie at the 8:03 mark and a jumper from the free throw line by Niewald at the 6:47 mark cut UST's lead down to a single possession at 42-40. The Tommies would manage to step on the gas a little bit as a short jumper in the lane by Wolkow with 4:03 left and a jumper from the right wing area by Stone with 3:26 left increased UST's lead to 48-42 but an 8-0 burst by the Royals had them right back in the thick of things. One free throw by Moorse with 3:10 left and a "3" from the left corner by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff with 2:37 left cut the Tommie lead down to two again at 48-46. Pairs of free throws by Parupsky with 1:50 and 1:03 left put Bethel back into the lead for the first time since the early moments of the first period at 50-48 and a "3" by O'Toole from the left wing area with :12.8 left increased the Royals lead to four at 53-49 that ended the third period. Now it was the Tommies turn to be under the gun.
In its usual calm and collected way, UST responded to this latest Bethel challenge. Pairs of free throws by Langer - two at the 9:42 mark and two more at the 8:26 mark - tied the game at 53. Complicating both teams paths to victory in this contest was that now foul trouble was beginning to rear its ugly head. Parupsky got tagged with her fourth foul on Langer's last set of free throws but then Langer got whistled for her fourth foul as well at the 8:04 mark. Still, both squads competed as if this game were a life or death matter. With the Royals clinging to a 54-53 lead, Moorse made a hard drive and finish that put Bethel up 56-53 but that was matched by Fischer's fourth trey of the day at the 5:14 mark; this one coming from the right wing area that tied things up at 56 a piece. A minute later, it was the senior, Stone; draining a "3" from the left top area as the shot clock was expiring that gave UST a 59-56 advantage. With the Tommies holding that three-point edge at 60-57, Miller gave the Bethel crowd a chance to erupt as she nailed a "3" from the left corner that once again tied this incredible game at 60 with 3:11 left. The Royals' fortunes appeared to crumble shortly thereafter, though, when Parupsky exited the game with her fifth foul and left the court with a big round of applause from the home contingent of fans. Langer was sent to the line but could get only one free throw out of the deal for a 61-60 UST lead. With 1:52 left, O'Toole; the transfer from SMU, snared an offensive rebound for a putback that put Bethel back out in front 62-61. With the Royals back in their 2-3 zone on the ensuing Tommie possession, they hoped to clog the middle that would eliminate an easy shot by Langer but UST passed the ball around the court masterfully and spread the Royal defense which eventually got Stone, the senior open and she responded with an ice-water in your veins "3" from the left top area that put the Tommies back out in front 64-62 with 1:29 left. Still, a mountain of time left in a close game like this and now it was Bethel's turn to respond. Zimmerman; wheeling and dealing in a crowd of Tommies, somehow slithered her way through the mass of purple uniforms for a finish with :26 left to forge a 64-64 tie. Now UST would hold for the last shot to try and win it in regulation. Both Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and UST's Sinn called timeouts to set up strategy for the final seconds. The Tommies worked the ball down the court and got set up; hoping to find someone open for that last-second dagger. With crisp, sharp passing, the Tommies worked in vain to spread the floor just enough to get someone open. With :02 left, Wolkow got the ball and got just enough of a decent look to let loose with a three-point attempt from the right wing. This one, though, banged off the rim and into the waiting arms of Bethel's Schultz as time ran out in regulation with the game tied at 64.
The question going into the overtime period - at least in my mind anyway - was who had more in their tank for the extra five-minute period? Ultimately, that answer was the Tommies but the Royals certainly had their chances. A Fischer three-point attempt early on in the extra period missed its mark as did a lay-up attempt by Renikoff but when Bethel had opportunites early in the extra period to try and take advantage of those Tommie miscues they couldn't convert either. Both Moorse and Zimmerman couldn't convert on lay-up attempts and, with the score still knotted at 64, UST's Langer made a drive and finish with 3:00 left that put the Tommies up 66-64. On the ensuing Bethel possession, Zimmerman made another attempt to get into no-man's land for a score but that lay-up attempt was swatted away by Fischer and Wolkow made the Royals pay when she converted on a drive into the lane for a finish with 2:02 left that now had UST up 68-64. Bethel still had life, however and one free throw by both Moorse and two by Zimmerman cut the Tommie lead to one at 68-67 with just under a minute left. Now the Royals had to get that stop on defense to have a crack at regaining the lead. UST tried desperately to eat as much clock as they could on its ensuing possession but with just over :30 left, Zimmerman was able to pry the ball away from Langer and now Bethel had its chance. But just when it looked like the Royals might be on the verge of pulling off another huge upset of the Tommies, O'Toole inadvertently lost the ball on an errant dribble with :20 left and UST's Gernes was there for the steal. The Tommies craftily kept the rock away from greedy Royal defenders and with just under ten seconds left, Bethel had to foul to preserve clock. Gernes was injured on a hard foul and Sinn inserted the freshman, Brazil to finish the work at the charity stripe. Brazil got the first free throw to go down for a 69-67 UST lead but the second attempt was too hard and took a high rebound which the Royals seemed to be in a position to grab. Langer, however, used that 6'3" frame and long reach to come out of nowhere and snare the offensive rebound putting yet another nail in the Bethel coffin. Langer got the ball to Fischer who was immediately fouled with :04.8 left and sent to the line. Fischer, however, was unable to convert on both free throw attempts and this time Bethel got the rebound with one last gasp of a chance. But when Zimmerman tried to weave into the lane to draw a foul, she lost the ball in the process with :02 left and UST somehow held on for the exasperating 69-67 overtime win.
I asked Sinn afterward if there was perhaps a revenge factor coming into this contest with regard to the twenty-point loss they suffered at the hands of Bethel a little more than a month ago. Sinn said that it really had more to do with the things that they had to work on to improve coming into this game; particularly for the young players that are now getting substantial playing time. "They found out that there's accountability at the next level" she said and added that the youngsters now realize what they had to work on to improve. And Sinn was quick to agree that a tough and emotionally draining game such as this will pay huge dividends for them as they prepare for the final week of the regular season and the MIAC playoffs. I also had the opportunity to speak with Stone afterward and asked her specifically about that one three-pointer she hit with 1:30 left in regulation. "It was just something that came natural to me" she replied when she got the open look. Stone; one of the two seniors on this Tommie team, has been rock-solid this year in all phases of the game and you can bet that her experience and veteran leadership is something that could take the Tommies far in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, on the other side, a disappointed Herbrechtsmeyer could only say "Great game" about this contest and was willing to shoulder some of the blame for this heartbreaking loss. Still, even in defeat, he was proud of his squad's effort in this one and said that he'd gladly go to war with any team in the country with his team. A glance of the final box score shows how incredibly close this game really was. Rebounding was nearly even and the Royals recorded eight blocked shots to the Tommies two. UST did have more second-chance points and also held an edge in points in the paint but the Royals held a decisive edge in points off the bench. All you can say about this one was that it was simply a great game. UST had a pretty balanced offensive attack with Fischer leading all scorers with her 18 points while Langer added 16 and Stone added 12. For Bethel, Parupsky led the way with her 16 points while both Zimmerman and O'Toole added 14 points a piece.
Made my way over to Bethel's Robertson Center on this Saturday afternoon to take in the much-anticipated clash between visiting UST and host Bethel. A good crowd was on hand for this game for both schools as the Tommie - Royal rivalry has been upped a few notches since UST and Bethel met in last year's MIAC Championship Game. The Tommies were likely coming into this game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder as they absorbed an 80-60 defeat at home in Schoenecker Arena back in early January and wanted to repay the favor. The competitive juices were flowing in this one and the tension was definitely in the air. It was also Senior Day as well as seniors Hannah Niewald, Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz and Rachel Parupsky were honored before the game.
It would be the Royals who would initially get off to a good start after the tip-off. A lay-up in transition by junior forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 9:26 mark and a drive and lay-up by Parupsky at the 8:32 mark gave Bethel an early 4-0 advantage and a lay-up by Niewald at the 7:54 mark gave the Royals a 6-2 lead. The Tommies would cut the deficit to one point when sophomore guard/forward Lauren Fischer connected on a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the "and one" made it a 6-5 game. The Royals would again build a bit of a cushion as one "3" from the left corner by Schultz at the 5:30 mark and another trey from the left top area by sophomore reserve forward Molly O'Toole gave Bethel a 12-7 by the 5:04 mark. UST, however, would slyly whittle away at the deficit and then grab control down the stretch of the opening period. A Fischer "3" from the right top area with 3:55 left and two free throws by the Oshkosh, Wisconsin native cut the Bethel lead to 14-12 with 3:15 left and a score in the paint by lanky 6'3" junior post Kaitlin Langer knotted the issue at 14 a piece with 2:07 left. Parupsky briefly put the Royals ahead at 16-14 with her score in the paint with 1:50 left but then the Tommies would go on a 7-0 run to end the period. A jumper from the free throw line by sophomore reserve guard Maddie Wolkow with 1:18 left and a lay-up in transition after a steal by freshman reserve guard Kaylie Brazil with :59 left put UST up 18-16. Fischer would put an exclamation mark on the opening period with her "3" from the left top area with just :02.3 left that now had the Tommies up 21-16 and left Bethel wondering what in the blazes just happened.
UST would build their lead to ten points in the early moments of the second period when Wolkow unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 9:41 mark and Langer connected on a very tough lay-up around Parupsky at the 8:08 mark that made it a 26-16 game. The Royals were in a very precarious situation by this point and could have folded right there. However, they kept their composure and embarked on an 10-0 run. A jumper from the right top area just inside the arc by Parupsky at the 7:39 mark started the burst and a lay-up by Zimmerman that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe for the obligatory freebie sliced the Tommie lead down to five at 26-21 at the 6:23 mark. Junior guard Shanni Moorse uncorked a "3" from the right wing area at the 5:48 mark and two O'Toole free throws with 4:42 left tied the score at 26-all. But just when you thought that maybe Bethel had regained its footing and was possibly on the cusp of retaking control of this game UST struck back. A 7-0 burst; ignited by a jumper from the right elbow by Langer with 4:25 left had the Tommies back out in front and a lay-up by senior guard Katie Stone upped the lead to four at 30-26 with 3:14 left. Fischer connected with her third trey of the first half when she banged one home from the left wing area with 2:06 left that completed the run and gave UST a 33-26 advantage. The Royals would try to respond to this run when diminutive sophomore reserve point guard Abby Miller drained a "3" from the right wing area with 1:45 left but two late scores by the Tommies - a lay-up in transition by junior guard Paige Gernes with 1:00 left and a "3" by freshman guard Lucia Renikoff from the left wing area with :28 left - enabled UST to take a 38-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. The first half was arguably a game of runs and UST seemed to make the most of their opportunities. A glance at the first half box score doesn't reveal a lot of discrepancies although Bethel recorded only one offensive rebound and did have 14 defensive rebounds.
A Stone lay-up at the 9:40 mark of the third period put the Tommies up 40-29 and indeed things were beginning to look bleak for Bethel in the early moments of the second half. But the Royals, who have been left for dead more than once this season, hunkered down and battled back. Parupsky; in her Robertson Center finale, uncorked a rare three-pointer from the right top area at the 8:49 mark and two free throws by Zimmerman at the 8:20 mark allowed Bethel to get back into single-digit range trailing 42-34. At the 8:17 mark, Parupsky reverted to her more conventional way of scoring by getting a lay-up that drew a foul and sent her to the line where she sank the free throw which cut the UST lead down to five at 42-37. Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn, sensing trouble for her squad, called a timeout to try and make adjustments but the Royals were going to try and make the most of this opportunity on Senior Day. Bethel went into a 2-3 zone on defense that changed things up and gave UST a different look. A Zimmerman freebie at the 8:03 mark and a jumper from the free throw line by Niewald at the 6:47 mark cut UST's lead down to a single possession at 42-40. The Tommies would manage to step on the gas a little bit as a short jumper in the lane by Wolkow with 4:03 left and a jumper from the right wing area by Stone with 3:26 left increased UST's lead to 48-42 but an 8-0 burst by the Royals had them right back in the thick of things. One free throw by Moorse with 3:10 left and a "3" from the left corner by sophomore reserve guard Angie Kirchoff with 2:37 left cut the Tommie lead down to two again at 48-46. Pairs of free throws by Parupsky with 1:50 and 1:03 left put Bethel back into the lead for the first time since the early moments of the first period at 50-48 and a "3" by O'Toole from the left wing area with :12.8 left increased the Royals lead to four at 53-49 that ended the third period. Now it was the Tommies turn to be under the gun.
In its usual calm and collected way, UST responded to this latest Bethel challenge. Pairs of free throws by Langer - two at the 9:42 mark and two more at the 8:26 mark - tied the game at 53. Complicating both teams paths to victory in this contest was that now foul trouble was beginning to rear its ugly head. Parupsky got tagged with her fourth foul on Langer's last set of free throws but then Langer got whistled for her fourth foul as well at the 8:04 mark. Still, both squads competed as if this game were a life or death matter. With the Royals clinging to a 54-53 lead, Moorse made a hard drive and finish that put Bethel up 56-53 but that was matched by Fischer's fourth trey of the day at the 5:14 mark; this one coming from the right wing area that tied things up at 56 a piece. A minute later, it was the senior, Stone; draining a "3" from the left top area as the shot clock was expiring that gave UST a 59-56 advantage. With the Tommies holding that three-point edge at 60-57, Miller gave the Bethel crowd a chance to erupt as she nailed a "3" from the left corner that once again tied this incredible game at 60 with 3:11 left. The Royals' fortunes appeared to crumble shortly thereafter, though, when Parupsky exited the game with her fifth foul and left the court with a big round of applause from the home contingent of fans. Langer was sent to the line but could get only one free throw out of the deal for a 61-60 UST lead. With 1:52 left, O'Toole; the transfer from SMU, snared an offensive rebound for a putback that put Bethel back out in front 62-61. With the Royals back in their 2-3 zone on the ensuing Tommie possession, they hoped to clog the middle that would eliminate an easy shot by Langer but UST passed the ball around the court masterfully and spread the Royal defense which eventually got Stone, the senior open and she responded with an ice-water in your veins "3" from the left top area that put the Tommies back out in front 64-62 with 1:29 left. Still, a mountain of time left in a close game like this and now it was Bethel's turn to respond. Zimmerman; wheeling and dealing in a crowd of Tommies, somehow slithered her way through the mass of purple uniforms for a finish with :26 left to forge a 64-64 tie. Now UST would hold for the last shot to try and win it in regulation. Both Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and UST's Sinn called timeouts to set up strategy for the final seconds. The Tommies worked the ball down the court and got set up; hoping to find someone open for that last-second dagger. With crisp, sharp passing, the Tommies worked in vain to spread the floor just enough to get someone open. With :02 left, Wolkow got the ball and got just enough of a decent look to let loose with a three-point attempt from the right wing. This one, though, banged off the rim and into the waiting arms of Bethel's Schultz as time ran out in regulation with the game tied at 64.
The question going into the overtime period - at least in my mind anyway - was who had more in their tank for the extra five-minute period? Ultimately, that answer was the Tommies but the Royals certainly had their chances. A Fischer three-point attempt early on in the extra period missed its mark as did a lay-up attempt by Renikoff but when Bethel had opportunites early in the extra period to try and take advantage of those Tommie miscues they couldn't convert either. Both Moorse and Zimmerman couldn't convert on lay-up attempts and, with the score still knotted at 64, UST's Langer made a drive and finish with 3:00 left that put the Tommies up 66-64. On the ensuing Bethel possession, Zimmerman made another attempt to get into no-man's land for a score but that lay-up attempt was swatted away by Fischer and Wolkow made the Royals pay when she converted on a drive into the lane for a finish with 2:02 left that now had UST up 68-64. Bethel still had life, however and one free throw by both Moorse and two by Zimmerman cut the Tommie lead to one at 68-67 with just under a minute left. Now the Royals had to get that stop on defense to have a crack at regaining the lead. UST tried desperately to eat as much clock as they could on its ensuing possession but with just over :30 left, Zimmerman was able to pry the ball away from Langer and now Bethel had its chance. But just when it looked like the Royals might be on the verge of pulling off another huge upset of the Tommies, O'Toole inadvertently lost the ball on an errant dribble with :20 left and UST's Gernes was there for the steal. The Tommies craftily kept the rock away from greedy Royal defenders and with just under ten seconds left, Bethel had to foul to preserve clock. Gernes was injured on a hard foul and Sinn inserted the freshman, Brazil to finish the work at the charity stripe. Brazil got the first free throw to go down for a 69-67 UST lead but the second attempt was too hard and took a high rebound which the Royals seemed to be in a position to grab. Langer, however, used that 6'3" frame and long reach to come out of nowhere and snare the offensive rebound putting yet another nail in the Bethel coffin. Langer got the ball to Fischer who was immediately fouled with :04.8 left and sent to the line. Fischer, however, was unable to convert on both free throw attempts and this time Bethel got the rebound with one last gasp of a chance. But when Zimmerman tried to weave into the lane to draw a foul, she lost the ball in the process with :02 left and UST somehow held on for the exasperating 69-67 overtime win.
I asked Sinn afterward if there was perhaps a revenge factor coming into this contest with regard to the twenty-point loss they suffered at the hands of Bethel a little more than a month ago. Sinn said that it really had more to do with the things that they had to work on to improve coming into this game; particularly for the young players that are now getting substantial playing time. "They found out that there's accountability at the next level" she said and added that the youngsters now realize what they had to work on to improve. And Sinn was quick to agree that a tough and emotionally draining game such as this will pay huge dividends for them as they prepare for the final week of the regular season and the MIAC playoffs. I also had the opportunity to speak with Stone afterward and asked her specifically about that one three-pointer she hit with 1:30 left in regulation. "It was just something that came natural to me" she replied when she got the open look. Stone; one of the two seniors on this Tommie team, has been rock-solid this year in all phases of the game and you can bet that her experience and veteran leadership is something that could take the Tommies far in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, on the other side, a disappointed Herbrechtsmeyer could only say "Great game" about this contest and was willing to shoulder some of the blame for this heartbreaking loss. Still, even in defeat, he was proud of his squad's effort in this one and said that he'd gladly go to war with any team in the country with his team. A glance of the final box score shows how incredibly close this game really was. Rebounding was nearly even and the Royals recorded eight blocked shots to the Tommies two. UST did have more second-chance points and also held an edge in points in the paint but the Royals held a decisive edge in points off the bench. All you can say about this one was that it was simply a great game. UST had a pretty balanced offensive attack with Fischer leading all scorers with her 18 points while Langer added 16 and Stone added 12. For Bethel, Parupsky led the way with her 16 points while both Zimmerman and O'Toole added 14 points a piece.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-14-16
Things are finally beginning to take shape as far as the MIAC playoff picture is concerned on this Valentine's Day Sunday:
1. UST
2. SMU
3. GAC
4. Concordia
5. Bethel
6. CSB
7. Augsburg
8. St. Olaf
9. St. Kate's
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
UST widens the gap between themselves and second place SMU as they added two more wins this last week; most notably yesterday's 69-67 overtime thriller at Bethel. The Cardinals meanwhile had to settle for a split as they got the big win at home yesterday against St. Olaf but were knocked off on Wednesday at Bethel. Though SMU hangs on to the number two spot in my power rankings, they had better be careful in this last week of the regular season as they're on the road Wednesday at Hamline and finish up the regular season next Saturday at UST - which could be a little MIAC Championship Game preview. More importantly, both GAC and Concordia are a game behind the Cardinals and coming away with just a split this week could prove fatal to SMU's hopes of hanging on to that number two seed in the playoffs.
GAC had another good week; recording big wins at home against St. Olaf on Wednesday and Hamline yesterday and looked pretty impressive in doing it. This last week could be a challenge as the Gusties travel up to St. Joe to take on CSB on Wednesday night; a venue where they haven't enjoyed a lot of success over the years. At the same time, make no mistake about it: This last week presents a huge opportunity for GAC to get two wins and possibly wrest that number two seed away from SMU. The same could be said for Concordia as they came away with two wins as well this last week and, on paper anyway, they should record two more "W's" in the last week of the regular season. The Cobbers looked solid in their home win yesterday over CSB and props to Concordia for honoring the memory of the late Leanne Miller.
Oh, what COULD have been for the Bethel Royals. They got the big win at home on Wednesday night against SMU and had mighty UST on the ropes before losing in heartbreaking fashion in overtime yesterday. Still, the Royals have an opportunity to make amends and get locked into the fifth spot as they go on the road to Carleton on Wednesday night and then down Snelling Avenue to Hamline on Saturday. CSB finishes the regular season with two games at home in Claire Lynch but both games will be big challenges - GAC on Wednesday night and then Augsburg on Saturday and the Blazers are by no means out of the woods yet as far as clinching that sixth spot.
Augsburg came away with a split this last week which was more or less anticipated with last Wednesday night's game at UST but, more importantly, the Auggies suffered a big blow when point guard Maria Loughlin was lost for the season with a broken foot. A damn shame as well as Loughlin was arguably one of the best playmakers to come along in the MIAC in a long, long time. Still, the Auggies have a shot at that sixth spot if they can take care of business this next week AND get a bit of help from GAC on Wednesday night as well. While St. Olaf is falling faster and harder than the obligatory anvil in the Road Runner/Wylie Coyote cartoons, St. Kate's has quietly gone on a nice little three-game win streak as of late and can only wonder what might have been had they been able to take care of business back in January.
1. UST
2. SMU
3. GAC
4. Concordia
5. Bethel
6. CSB
7. Augsburg
8. St. Olaf
9. St. Kate's
10. Macalester
11. Carleton
12. Hamline
UST widens the gap between themselves and second place SMU as they added two more wins this last week; most notably yesterday's 69-67 overtime thriller at Bethel. The Cardinals meanwhile had to settle for a split as they got the big win at home yesterday against St. Olaf but were knocked off on Wednesday at Bethel. Though SMU hangs on to the number two spot in my power rankings, they had better be careful in this last week of the regular season as they're on the road Wednesday at Hamline and finish up the regular season next Saturday at UST - which could be a little MIAC Championship Game preview. More importantly, both GAC and Concordia are a game behind the Cardinals and coming away with just a split this week could prove fatal to SMU's hopes of hanging on to that number two seed in the playoffs.
GAC had another good week; recording big wins at home against St. Olaf on Wednesday and Hamline yesterday and looked pretty impressive in doing it. This last week could be a challenge as the Gusties travel up to St. Joe to take on CSB on Wednesday night; a venue where they haven't enjoyed a lot of success over the years. At the same time, make no mistake about it: This last week presents a huge opportunity for GAC to get two wins and possibly wrest that number two seed away from SMU. The same could be said for Concordia as they came away with two wins as well this last week and, on paper anyway, they should record two more "W's" in the last week of the regular season. The Cobbers looked solid in their home win yesterday over CSB and props to Concordia for honoring the memory of the late Leanne Miller.
Oh, what COULD have been for the Bethel Royals. They got the big win at home on Wednesday night against SMU and had mighty UST on the ropes before losing in heartbreaking fashion in overtime yesterday. Still, the Royals have an opportunity to make amends and get locked into the fifth spot as they go on the road to Carleton on Wednesday night and then down Snelling Avenue to Hamline on Saturday. CSB finishes the regular season with two games at home in Claire Lynch but both games will be big challenges - GAC on Wednesday night and then Augsburg on Saturday and the Blazers are by no means out of the woods yet as far as clinching that sixth spot.
Augsburg came away with a split this last week which was more or less anticipated with last Wednesday night's game at UST but, more importantly, the Auggies suffered a big blow when point guard Maria Loughlin was lost for the season with a broken foot. A damn shame as well as Loughlin was arguably one of the best playmakers to come along in the MIAC in a long, long time. Still, the Auggies have a shot at that sixth spot if they can take care of business this next week AND get a bit of help from GAC on Wednesday night as well. While St. Olaf is falling faster and harder than the obligatory anvil in the Road Runner/Wylie Coyote cartoons, St. Kate's has quietly gone on a nice little three-game win streak as of late and can only wonder what might have been had they been able to take care of business back in January.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Spring Lake Park vs Park Center Recap 2-12-16
Made the quick hop over to Park Center High School on this cold February Friday evening to take in the contest between visiting Spring Lake Park and Park Center. The host Pirates; returning to Northwest Suburban Conference play after the previous night's loss at home to Minnetonka, wanted to wash away the disappointment and this game against the Panthers might be just what the doctor ordered for the two-time defending Class AAA state champs.
The one concern for Park Center coming into this game tonight would be how they would operate without lanky 6'3" junior post Mikayla Hayes who suffered an ankle injury the night before against Minnetonka and was dressed in street clothes for this game; relegated to a cheerleader on the bench on this night. But those concerns were quickly washed away as the Pirates raced out to a 13-0 lead in the game's first three minutes as scores from junior forward Fey Ayobamidele and fellow junior point guard Danielle Schaub along with a suffocating defense that created a plethora of problems and turnovers had Spring Lake Park Head Coach Randy Eatherton clamoring for a timeout. But that stoppage in play did little to stop the massive bleeding that was already underway. Sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore swished a "3" from the right wing area at the 12:41 mark that made it a 16-0 game before Panther senior forward Aamira Redd finally got her team on the scoreboard with one free throw after getting fouled at the 12:26 mark. But a 6-0 spurt by the Pirates; fueled by a "3" from junior sharpshooting guard Ann Simonet from the left top area made it 22-1 by the 11:46 mark
The Panthers finally got their first FG of the game on a drive and finish by senior forward Marissa Siegfried at the 11:28 mark but Spring Lake Park simply couldn't match the quickness, speed and skills of their opponent on this night. Another "3" from Simonet at the 11:13 mark and one from Schaub at the 10:05 mark made it 28-5. Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde knew this one was in the bag and he slowly started inserting his reserves. Junior reserve guard Siah Tamba snared one offensive rebound for a putback with 9:35 left and got a lay-up with 9:14 left for a 32-5 advantage and Spring Lake Park's Eatherton called another timeout in a vain effort to spare his players from the wolves. But Park Center had their knives out and sharpened on this night and were zeroing in on the kill. An Ayobamidele "3" from the right top area with 8:07 left and one from the left corner by sophomore guard Meghan DuBois with 6:04 left ballooned the lead to 39-8. Sophomore reserve forward Charo Nickens got a lay-up in transition after a steal with 5:14 left and another Blakemore "3"; this one from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass with 4:08 left made it 44-11. The Panthers manged to trim a bit of the fat off of the deficit as senior guard Sierra Reiland scored on a drive along the left baseline and finish with 3:09 left and added one free throw with 2:30 left but the Pirates response was a 7-0 spurt; fueled by a running jumper in the lane by Ayobamidele and a lay-up in transition by Simonet along with yet another Blakemore "3" that bulged the lead to 51-15 with 1:34 left. Redd did get a lay-up for Spring Lake Park with 1:10 left but one free throw by Tamba with just :04.2 left had the Panthers looking at a Mt. Everest-style avalanche; trailing 52-17 at the half.
With this one already well-decided, Park Center's VanderHyde inserted his young reserves at the start of the second half as this was the perfect opportunity to give them not only quality minutes but gain some valuable game time experience as well and the young ones took full advantage of the opportunity handed to them. At the same time, it also helped to keep the score somewhat respectable as well. Spring Lake Park actually got the first two scores of the second half on a short jumper in the lane by Redd at the 17:50 mark and a short running jumper by sophomore forward Emma Curran at the 17:20 mark but the younger Pirates wanted their moment as well. Sophomore reserve guard Naomi Fields got one lay-up in transition at the 16:41 mark and DuBois made a pretty drive along the right baseline for a finish that drew a foul as well and her free throw upped Park Center's lead to 62-23 with 15:11 left. Spring Lake Park was still keeping up the fight despite the enormous deficit they were facing and the young Curran was having a nice second half for the Panthers. A short running jumper at the 16:12 mark and a drive and finish at the 13:54 mark coupled with a score in the paint by Redd at the 12:53 mark but this was where another up and coming young Pirate had her moment under the bright lights. Eighth-grader Kayla Cox banged home a "3" from the right top area off of the glass at the 12:41 mark and also snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 11:38 mark for a 69-30 Park Center lead. At the 10:36 mark Cox struck again from three-point land; draining one from the left corner that made it 72-30 and fellow eighth-grader Lauren Frost got into the paint for a score to make it a 74-31 ballgame.
With the MSHSL running-time rule in effect down the stretch because of the score gap, Spring Lake Park's Eatherton also had an opportunity to put in some of his reserves as well. Freshman reserve guard Leah Sheedlo dropped two free throws with 7:56 left and fellow freshman guard Erin Donnelly connected with a jumper from the right corner with 2:25 left. Park Center's Frost was able to get three more scores before this one was over. A "3" from the top of the key with 2:05 left and two lay-ups in transition with 1:19 and 1:05 left made it 81-36 and a lay-up in transition by Fields with :48 left put the finishing touches on the Pirates romp on this night by an 83-36 count.
The one concern for Park Center coming into this game tonight would be how they would operate without lanky 6'3" junior post Mikayla Hayes who suffered an ankle injury the night before against Minnetonka and was dressed in street clothes for this game; relegated to a cheerleader on the bench on this night. But those concerns were quickly washed away as the Pirates raced out to a 13-0 lead in the game's first three minutes as scores from junior forward Fey Ayobamidele and fellow junior point guard Danielle Schaub along with a suffocating defense that created a plethora of problems and turnovers had Spring Lake Park Head Coach Randy Eatherton clamoring for a timeout. But that stoppage in play did little to stop the massive bleeding that was already underway. Sophomore guard Sommer Blakemore swished a "3" from the right wing area at the 12:41 mark that made it a 16-0 game before Panther senior forward Aamira Redd finally got her team on the scoreboard with one free throw after getting fouled at the 12:26 mark. But a 6-0 spurt by the Pirates; fueled by a "3" from junior sharpshooting guard Ann Simonet from the left top area made it 22-1 by the 11:46 mark
The Panthers finally got their first FG of the game on a drive and finish by senior forward Marissa Siegfried at the 11:28 mark but Spring Lake Park simply couldn't match the quickness, speed and skills of their opponent on this night. Another "3" from Simonet at the 11:13 mark and one from Schaub at the 10:05 mark made it 28-5. Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde knew this one was in the bag and he slowly started inserting his reserves. Junior reserve guard Siah Tamba snared one offensive rebound for a putback with 9:35 left and got a lay-up with 9:14 left for a 32-5 advantage and Spring Lake Park's Eatherton called another timeout in a vain effort to spare his players from the wolves. But Park Center had their knives out and sharpened on this night and were zeroing in on the kill. An Ayobamidele "3" from the right top area with 8:07 left and one from the left corner by sophomore guard Meghan DuBois with 6:04 left ballooned the lead to 39-8. Sophomore reserve forward Charo Nickens got a lay-up in transition after a steal with 5:14 left and another Blakemore "3"; this one from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass with 4:08 left made it 44-11. The Panthers manged to trim a bit of the fat off of the deficit as senior guard Sierra Reiland scored on a drive along the left baseline and finish with 3:09 left and added one free throw with 2:30 left but the Pirates response was a 7-0 spurt; fueled by a running jumper in the lane by Ayobamidele and a lay-up in transition by Simonet along with yet another Blakemore "3" that bulged the lead to 51-15 with 1:34 left. Redd did get a lay-up for Spring Lake Park with 1:10 left but one free throw by Tamba with just :04.2 left had the Panthers looking at a Mt. Everest-style avalanche; trailing 52-17 at the half.
With this one already well-decided, Park Center's VanderHyde inserted his young reserves at the start of the second half as this was the perfect opportunity to give them not only quality minutes but gain some valuable game time experience as well and the young ones took full advantage of the opportunity handed to them. At the same time, it also helped to keep the score somewhat respectable as well. Spring Lake Park actually got the first two scores of the second half on a short jumper in the lane by Redd at the 17:50 mark and a short running jumper by sophomore forward Emma Curran at the 17:20 mark but the younger Pirates wanted their moment as well. Sophomore reserve guard Naomi Fields got one lay-up in transition at the 16:41 mark and DuBois made a pretty drive along the right baseline for a finish that drew a foul as well and her free throw upped Park Center's lead to 62-23 with 15:11 left. Spring Lake Park was still keeping up the fight despite the enormous deficit they were facing and the young Curran was having a nice second half for the Panthers. A short running jumper at the 16:12 mark and a drive and finish at the 13:54 mark coupled with a score in the paint by Redd at the 12:53 mark but this was where another up and coming young Pirate had her moment under the bright lights. Eighth-grader Kayla Cox banged home a "3" from the right top area off of the glass at the 12:41 mark and also snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 11:38 mark for a 69-30 Park Center lead. At the 10:36 mark Cox struck again from three-point land; draining one from the left corner that made it 72-30 and fellow eighth-grader Lauren Frost got into the paint for a score to make it a 74-31 ballgame.
With the MSHSL running-time rule in effect down the stretch because of the score gap, Spring Lake Park's Eatherton also had an opportunity to put in some of his reserves as well. Freshman reserve guard Leah Sheedlo dropped two free throws with 7:56 left and fellow freshman guard Erin Donnelly connected with a jumper from the right corner with 2:25 left. Park Center's Frost was able to get three more scores before this one was over. A "3" from the top of the key with 2:05 left and two lay-ups in transition with 1:19 and 1:05 left made it 81-36 and a lay-up in transition by Fields with :48 left put the finishing touches on the Pirates romp on this night by an 83-36 count.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-7-16
A few more changes in my power rankings on this Super Bowl Sunday.
1. UST
2. SMU
3. GAC
4. Concordia
5. (tie) CSB & Bethel
6. Augsburg
7. St. Olaf
8. St. Kate's
9. Macalester
10. (tie) Carleton & Hamline
Tommies solidify their hold on the number one spot with two big wins this last week and the remaining regular season schedule that includes three games at home in the friendly confines of Schoenecker Arena seemingly gives them the inside track to the MIAC regular season title. SMU also recorded two wins this week; including a nail-biter at home against St. Kate's on Wednesday. But as the regular season progresses to its conclusion, the greater the uneasiness I have about this squad. Barring a late-season collapse, they're probably a lock for the number two seed but, for some reason, I just have my doubts about this team. It's almost as if, in my mind anyway, that the whole is somehow less than the sum of the parts here. It's the best explanation I can come up with and if there's anyone out there that is in disagreement with me, please, by all means, let your feelings be known.
So, while some things change, others remain the same. And then there's the matter of GAC taking on its nemesis UST; which resulted in yet another "L" in the long-standing series between these two teams. I could easily say, "Same old Tommies. Same old Gusties." However, to their credit, the Gusties came back on Saturday and threw a thumb to the nose of gloom and doom and snared a huge overtime victory at Moorhead against Concordia. Because of that, I keep GAC entrenched in the third spot. Certainly a tough, disappointing loss for the Cobbers who had to settle for a split this last week but the schedule down the stretch is favorable on paper and if they're going to overtake GAC for the third spot they'll have to take care of business.
Bethel DID take care of business this last week recording wins over both St. Olaf and Macalester but now a huge and daunting week awaits them that could easily decide its postseason fate: SMU on Wednesday night and then UST on Saturday. Both are in the friendly confines of Robertson Center and the Royals did beat UST back in early January at Schoenecker. I think that the Royals are going to have to somehow come out with at least a split this week to solidify their shaky playoff status. CSB got a win as expected against Macalester but took one on the chin yesterday against SMU and the home stretch will not be easy for the Blazers as dates with both Concordia and GAC await.
A big week for Augsburg as they recorded wins against both Hamline and St. Kate's. Now comes the tough part - going over to play at UST this next Wednesday night. They're still in the hunt but they'll need to win and get a lot of help along the way as well. St. Olaf had two home games this last week but could only come away with a split. Considering the road ahead (games with GAC, SMU and UST), they'll need a bigger miracle than the '69 Mets to make it into the MIAC playoffs. The heartbreaks just keep on coming for St. Kate's. They've been so close in their last three games and just.....can't....quite.... get over the hump.
1. UST
2. SMU
3. GAC
4. Concordia
5. (tie) CSB & Bethel
6. Augsburg
7. St. Olaf
8. St. Kate's
9. Macalester
10. (tie) Carleton & Hamline
Tommies solidify their hold on the number one spot with two big wins this last week and the remaining regular season schedule that includes three games at home in the friendly confines of Schoenecker Arena seemingly gives them the inside track to the MIAC regular season title. SMU also recorded two wins this week; including a nail-biter at home against St. Kate's on Wednesday. But as the regular season progresses to its conclusion, the greater the uneasiness I have about this squad. Barring a late-season collapse, they're probably a lock for the number two seed but, for some reason, I just have my doubts about this team. It's almost as if, in my mind anyway, that the whole is somehow less than the sum of the parts here. It's the best explanation I can come up with and if there's anyone out there that is in disagreement with me, please, by all means, let your feelings be known.
So, while some things change, others remain the same. And then there's the matter of GAC taking on its nemesis UST; which resulted in yet another "L" in the long-standing series between these two teams. I could easily say, "Same old Tommies. Same old Gusties." However, to their credit, the Gusties came back on Saturday and threw a thumb to the nose of gloom and doom and snared a huge overtime victory at Moorhead against Concordia. Because of that, I keep GAC entrenched in the third spot. Certainly a tough, disappointing loss for the Cobbers who had to settle for a split this last week but the schedule down the stretch is favorable on paper and if they're going to overtake GAC for the third spot they'll have to take care of business.
Bethel DID take care of business this last week recording wins over both St. Olaf and Macalester but now a huge and daunting week awaits them that could easily decide its postseason fate: SMU on Wednesday night and then UST on Saturday. Both are in the friendly confines of Robertson Center and the Royals did beat UST back in early January at Schoenecker. I think that the Royals are going to have to somehow come out with at least a split this week to solidify their shaky playoff status. CSB got a win as expected against Macalester but took one on the chin yesterday against SMU and the home stretch will not be easy for the Blazers as dates with both Concordia and GAC await.
A big week for Augsburg as they recorded wins against both Hamline and St. Kate's. Now comes the tough part - going over to play at UST this next Wednesday night. They're still in the hunt but they'll need to win and get a lot of help along the way as well. St. Olaf had two home games this last week but could only come away with a split. Considering the road ahead (games with GAC, SMU and UST), they'll need a bigger miracle than the '69 Mets to make it into the MIAC playoffs. The heartbreaks just keep on coming for St. Kate's. They've been so close in their last three games and just.....can't....quite.... get over the hump.
Augsburg vs St. Kate's Recap 2-6-16
Was over at Butler Center on this unseasonably warm February Saturday afternoon to take in the game between visiting Augsburg and host St. Kate's. The Auggies were coming into this contest trying desperately to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive while the Wildcats were hoping to get back on the winning track after dropping consecutive heartbreakers on the road to the top two teams in the conference - UST last week Saturday and SMU on Wednesday night.
The 'Cats came out of the gate in this one with a purpose as they built a 7-2 lead by the 6:19 mark thank to a drive into the lane and finish by sophomore guard Audra Clark and a "3" from the right top area by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch along with a lay-up by junior forward Mari Lee. St. Kate's built their lead to seven at 11-4 with 3:52 left thank to two Lee free throws and a lay-up in transition by the former Dawson-Boyd standout. The Auggies fortunes indeed appeared dim when senior guard Marie Fitzgerald went down with 2:17 left with an apparent shoulder injury but a resourceful Augsburg team managed to battle their way back. Senior forward Jessica Lillquist got into the paint for one score with 1:24 left and a drive and finish by fellow senior point guard Maria Loughlin with just :00.4 left in the opening period cut the Wildcats lead down to 13-10 which, considering how much things went for St. Kate's early on, wasn't a bad spot to be in.
A jumper along the left baseline by junior reserve guard/forward Alexis Garcia stretched the Wildcat lead to 15-10 by the 9:39 mark of the second period but the Auggies would keep digging away at the deficit. One lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 9:25 mark and a drive into the lane and finish by Loughlin at the 8:39 mark cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 15-14 and a jumper along the left baseline by senior reserve guard Jenna Orth at the 7:53 mark gave Augsburg its first lead of the afternoon at 16-15. Wildcat Head Coach Sean Pinkerton shed his sportcoat shortly thereafter and a short running jumper along the left baseline by Orth at the 6:40 mark helped the Auggies turn up the heat even more with a 19-15 lead. St. Kate's would recover and knot the score at 19 a piece on scores by junior forward Kennedy Jennings and sophomore guard Meg Clark with 4:47 left and each side would trade small leads down the stretch. A score in the paint by Lillquist with 3:37 left put Augsburg back up briefly by a 21-19 count but that was bettered by a score in the paint by Jennings which also drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie putting the 'Cats back up 22-21. An offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve forward Megan Quam gave the Auggies the lead back at 23-22 with 3:04 left but a drive and finish by flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt gave St. Kate's a 24-23 advantage which they took with them into the locker room at the half. A quick glance at the first half box score indicates how even the first half was. Rebounding was nearly even (24 for St. Kate's, 22 for Augsburg) as were turnovers (Augsburg with eight; St. Kate's with seven). Looking ahead to the second half, there were a lot of unanswered questions on both sides.
The Auggies looked to get an inside track in the early moments of the third period as an offensive rebound and putback by Lillquist at the 9:35 mark and a Loughlin lay-up at the 9:09 mark had Augsburg out in front 27-24 but St. Kate's would come right back and regain the lead at 28-27 by the 8:02 mark on a short jumper by Audra Clark and two Lee free throws. Two more Lee charity stripe shots and a score in thge paint by Audra Clark gave the 'Cats a 32-29 lead but the Auggies would come right back as a "3" from the right top area by senior guard Allison McKee knotted the issue at 32 a piece. St. Kate's would grab another three-point edge at 37-34 with 4:28 left thanks to a score in the paint by Jennings and a "3" from the right corner by Holt. But this was where Augsburg was able to make its first decisive move. A short jumper off of an inbounds pass by Orth with 3:28 left cut the Wildcat lead down to one at 37-36 and then freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta gave the Auggies the lead with one freebie with 3:05 left and a jumper from the left top area with 2:25 left at 39-37. A Holt score in the paint with 2:08 left tied the score at 39-all but Augsburg then started its key 11-0 run that started late in the period and spilled over to the fourth period. A score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by Lillquist with 1:46 left gave the Auggies the lead for good at 41-39 and an offensive rebound and putbackby the Sebeka native increased the lead to 43-39 with :57 left. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus ended the third period with a steal and lay-up the other way with just :03 left that suddenly had Augsburg up 45-39 and Pinkerton and his Wildcats had to be wondering what just hit them.
Two scores by Loughlin early in the fourth period - a "3" from the right wing at the 9:28 mark and a jumper along the left baseline with 8:38 left - capped the 11-0 burst and now the Auggies were up by a count of 50-39 and St. Kate's had to play yet another desperate game of catch-up. Holt was able to maneuver into the paint for a score with 8:29 left and got fouled in the process and her free throw got the 'Cats back to within single-digit range trailing 50-42 and a score in the paint by Lee at the 7:30 mark cut into the Augsburg lead even further at 50-44. One free throw by McKee at the 6:40 mark and a drive and lay-up by Loughlin at the 6:05 mark got the lead back up to nine points at 53-44 but St. Kate's was far from finished. A lay-up in transition by Audra Clark at the 5:14 mark and a "3" from the right corner by Horsch trimmed the Auggie lead down to six at 55-49 and a short jumper by Audra Clark with 4:09 left reduced Augsburg lead even further at 55-51. The Auggies stretched the lead out to seven at 58-51 with 3:11 left on free throws by both Steinhaus and Quaranta but a drive and short jumper by Horsch with 2:53 left and a "3" by Audra Clark from the right wing area with 1:51 left got the 'Cats back in striking distance again traling 60-56. Pinkerton called a timeout to set up strategy and St. Kate's was able to get a stop on the Auggies ensuing possession. With a chance to get the game back into a one-possession situation, St. Kate's worked the ball downcourt in hopes of getting one of their three-point sharpshooters open. With 1:07 left, Horsch got that open look behind the arc and let loose with a trey attempt but this one rattled out and refused to fall through the cylinder. Steinhaus was able to get a score in the paint with :41.8 left that upped the lead to six at 62-56. The never-say-die 'Cats refused to throw in the towel however. Lee uncorked a "3" from the left corner with :03.4 left that did get things back to a one possession game at 62-59 but St. Kate's had to foul immediately as well. Loughlin got the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled with :01.6 left and she calmly trotted down to the other end to sink two insurance free throws for a 64-59 Augsburg lead. Horsch would get two free throws as well with just :01 left but the Auggies took a treasured road win by a count of 64-61 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
A relieved Augsburg Assistant Coach Josh Hersch talked about how any win in the always-tough MIAC is a good win but this one was obviously important for the Auggies who improved their conference record to .500 at 7-7 and stay in the hunt for that coveted sixth playoff spot. It's a one-game-at-a-time mentality for Hersch who says that their next game with UST is now their most important game. It's going to be a tough home stretch for Augsburg to be sure and even though they'll need some help along the way, it's a doable proposition. Meanwhile, a third consecutive heartbreak for the Wildcats who have been so close in their last three outings but can't quite yet find a way to finish the job. A disappointed Pinkerton seemed emotionally worn out afterward and could only ponder what might have been had a few things gone differently for them. Surprisingly, it was the Wildcats that held a small 43-39 rebounding advantage and, in fact, had a 17-12 edge in offensive rebounds. The three-point shooting aspect hurt St. Kate's in this one as did that key 11-0 run by the Auggies. Shooting 21.7% behind the arc won't get the job done.
The 'Cats came out of the gate in this one with a purpose as they built a 7-2 lead by the 6:19 mark thank to a drive into the lane and finish by sophomore guard Audra Clark and a "3" from the right top area by senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch along with a lay-up by junior forward Mari Lee. St. Kate's built their lead to seven at 11-4 with 3:52 left thank to two Lee free throws and a lay-up in transition by the former Dawson-Boyd standout. The Auggies fortunes indeed appeared dim when senior guard Marie Fitzgerald went down with 2:17 left with an apparent shoulder injury but a resourceful Augsburg team managed to battle their way back. Senior forward Jessica Lillquist got into the paint for one score with 1:24 left and a drive and finish by fellow senior point guard Maria Loughlin with just :00.4 left in the opening period cut the Wildcats lead down to 13-10 which, considering how much things went for St. Kate's early on, wasn't a bad spot to be in.
A jumper along the left baseline by junior reserve guard/forward Alexis Garcia stretched the Wildcat lead to 15-10 by the 9:39 mark of the second period but the Auggies would keep digging away at the deficit. One lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar at the 9:25 mark and a drive into the lane and finish by Loughlin at the 8:39 mark cut St. Kate's lead down to one at 15-14 and a jumper along the left baseline by senior reserve guard Jenna Orth at the 7:53 mark gave Augsburg its first lead of the afternoon at 16-15. Wildcat Head Coach Sean Pinkerton shed his sportcoat shortly thereafter and a short running jumper along the left baseline by Orth at the 6:40 mark helped the Auggies turn up the heat even more with a 19-15 lead. St. Kate's would recover and knot the score at 19 a piece on scores by junior forward Kennedy Jennings and sophomore guard Meg Clark with 4:47 left and each side would trade small leads down the stretch. A score in the paint by Lillquist with 3:37 left put Augsburg back up briefly by a 21-19 count but that was bettered by a score in the paint by Jennings which also drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie putting the 'Cats back up 22-21. An offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve forward Megan Quam gave the Auggies the lead back at 23-22 with 3:04 left but a drive and finish by flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt gave St. Kate's a 24-23 advantage which they took with them into the locker room at the half. A quick glance at the first half box score indicates how even the first half was. Rebounding was nearly even (24 for St. Kate's, 22 for Augsburg) as were turnovers (Augsburg with eight; St. Kate's with seven). Looking ahead to the second half, there were a lot of unanswered questions on both sides.
The Auggies looked to get an inside track in the early moments of the third period as an offensive rebound and putback by Lillquist at the 9:35 mark and a Loughlin lay-up at the 9:09 mark had Augsburg out in front 27-24 but St. Kate's would come right back and regain the lead at 28-27 by the 8:02 mark on a short jumper by Audra Clark and two Lee free throws. Two more Lee charity stripe shots and a score in thge paint by Audra Clark gave the 'Cats a 32-29 lead but the Auggies would come right back as a "3" from the right top area by senior guard Allison McKee knotted the issue at 32 a piece. St. Kate's would grab another three-point edge at 37-34 with 4:28 left thanks to a score in the paint by Jennings and a "3" from the right corner by Holt. But this was where Augsburg was able to make its first decisive move. A short jumper off of an inbounds pass by Orth with 3:28 left cut the Wildcat lead down to one at 37-36 and then freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta gave the Auggies the lead with one freebie with 3:05 left and a jumper from the left top area with 2:25 left at 39-37. A Holt score in the paint with 2:08 left tied the score at 39-all but Augsburg then started its key 11-0 run that started late in the period and spilled over to the fourth period. A score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by Lillquist with 1:46 left gave the Auggies the lead for good at 41-39 and an offensive rebound and putbackby the Sebeka native increased the lead to 43-39 with :57 left. Sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus ended the third period with a steal and lay-up the other way with just :03 left that suddenly had Augsburg up 45-39 and Pinkerton and his Wildcats had to be wondering what just hit them.
Two scores by Loughlin early in the fourth period - a "3" from the right wing at the 9:28 mark and a jumper along the left baseline with 8:38 left - capped the 11-0 burst and now the Auggies were up by a count of 50-39 and St. Kate's had to play yet another desperate game of catch-up. Holt was able to maneuver into the paint for a score with 8:29 left and got fouled in the process and her free throw got the 'Cats back to within single-digit range trailing 50-42 and a score in the paint by Lee at the 7:30 mark cut into the Augsburg lead even further at 50-44. One free throw by McKee at the 6:40 mark and a drive and lay-up by Loughlin at the 6:05 mark got the lead back up to nine points at 53-44 but St. Kate's was far from finished. A lay-up in transition by Audra Clark at the 5:14 mark and a "3" from the right corner by Horsch trimmed the Auggie lead down to six at 55-49 and a short jumper by Audra Clark with 4:09 left reduced Augsburg lead even further at 55-51. The Auggies stretched the lead out to seven at 58-51 with 3:11 left on free throws by both Steinhaus and Quaranta but a drive and short jumper by Horsch with 2:53 left and a "3" by Audra Clark from the right wing area with 1:51 left got the 'Cats back in striking distance again traling 60-56. Pinkerton called a timeout to set up strategy and St. Kate's was able to get a stop on the Auggies ensuing possession. With a chance to get the game back into a one-possession situation, St. Kate's worked the ball downcourt in hopes of getting one of their three-point sharpshooters open. With 1:07 left, Horsch got that open look behind the arc and let loose with a trey attempt but this one rattled out and refused to fall through the cylinder. Steinhaus was able to get a score in the paint with :41.8 left that upped the lead to six at 62-56. The never-say-die 'Cats refused to throw in the towel however. Lee uncorked a "3" from the left corner with :03.4 left that did get things back to a one possession game at 62-59 but St. Kate's had to foul immediately as well. Loughlin got the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled with :01.6 left and she calmly trotted down to the other end to sink two insurance free throws for a 64-59 Augsburg lead. Horsch would get two free throws as well with just :01 left but the Auggies took a treasured road win by a count of 64-61 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
A relieved Augsburg Assistant Coach Josh Hersch talked about how any win in the always-tough MIAC is a good win but this one was obviously important for the Auggies who improved their conference record to .500 at 7-7 and stay in the hunt for that coveted sixth playoff spot. It's a one-game-at-a-time mentality for Hersch who says that their next game with UST is now their most important game. It's going to be a tough home stretch for Augsburg to be sure and even though they'll need some help along the way, it's a doable proposition. Meanwhile, a third consecutive heartbreak for the Wildcats who have been so close in their last three outings but can't quite yet find a way to finish the job. A disappointed Pinkerton seemed emotionally worn out afterward and could only ponder what might have been had a few things gone differently for them. Surprisingly, it was the Wildcats that held a small 43-39 rebounding advantage and, in fact, had a 17-12 edge in offensive rebounds. The three-point shooting aspect hurt St. Kate's in this one as did that key 11-0 run by the Auggies. Shooting 21.7% behind the arc won't get the job done.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Hamline vs Augsburg Recap 2-3-16
Was back over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this Wednesday night to take in the contest between visiting Hamline and host Augsburg. The Auggies were looking to get back on track after last Saturday's disappointing loss to Concordia while Hamline was simply looking for some kind of magic to break their eight-game skid and to get their first "W" of 2016. While this appeared to be an easy game on paper for Augsburg, you can never take Hamline for granted as their speed and athleticism along with their three-point shooting ability always makes them dangerous.
The Auggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead on scores by senior point guard Maria Loughlin and sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus along with one free throw by senior forward/post Jessica Lillquist. But Hamline came right back and knotted the issue at 5 a piece by the 5:58 mark on a score in the paint by freshman forward Haley Greene and a "3" from the right wing by Chloe Graves. Augsburg would hold small leads over the next three minutes but with the score tied at 9-all with 2:32 left, the Auggies were able to build a bit of a cushion towards the end of the first period. One freebie by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Megan Quam made it 12-9 and with just :05 left in the first period senior reserve guard Jenna Orth was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up that gave Augsburg a 14-9 lead.
The Pipers were able to close the gap to one point early on in the second period on a jumper from the free throw line by sophomore reserve forward Ivannie Robertson and a short jumper by junior guard Chelsey Bonsante and things momentarily looked a bit dicey for the Auggies but the one player that Augsburg always seems to lean on when they need a jump start is Loughlin; the Rogers native and she came through with shining colors when it counted. One "3" from the left corner at the 7:21 mark and another from the left top area at the 5:50 mark had Augsburg back up by five at 20-15 and a lay-up with 4:35 left extended the lead to seven at 22-15. A jumper from the left elbow area by Graves allowed Hamline to cut the deficit down to five at 22-17 with 3:42 left but one score in the paint by senior guard Allison McKee with 3:18 left and another one by Lillquist got the lead back up to nine at 26-17. The Auggies were able to get the lead into double-digit range right before the end of the half. McKee made a drive across the lane and connected on a short jumper with 2:06 left and a short jumper off the glass by Loughlin allowed Augsburg to take a 30-20 lead into the locker room at the half. While the Pipers actually outrebounded the Auggies in the first half by a 23-19 count, Augsburg committed only one turnover in the first half while Hamline was guilty of six.
The Pipers needed to get some shots to go down in the second half that weren't going for them in the first half and treys by both Bonsante and senior guard Emily Behrman helped trim Augsburg's lead down to seven points at 33-26 by the 7:32 mark before the Auggies could re-establish their double-digit advantage. A score in the paint by Steinhaus at the 6:49 mark and a lay-up in transition by McKee at the 6:29 mark pushed the lead to eleven at 37-26 before Hamline recovered a bit. A 5-0 push; spurred by two Greene scores cut the Auggie lead down to six at 37-31 with 3:47 left but once again Augsburg was able to regain their double-digit cushion. McKee dropped a three-pointer from the left wing area with 3:22 left and one Quam charity stripe shot and a short jumper off the glass by Bednar now stretched the lead to twelve at 43-31 with 1:38 left. Hamline made a bit of an inroad on a "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard Tia Diggins with 1:12 left and one free throw by Greene slimmed down Augsburg's lead to 43-35 going into the fourth and final period.
Despite the fact that so many things have gone wrong at the worst possible time for the Pipers this season, that doesn't mean that they've quit or gone into any shell by a long stretch. This one was far from over by this point and Hamline made a gamey comeback attempt. A Behrman lay-up in transition at the 9:25 mark and another one by Graves at the 7:42 mark closed the gap to six points trailing 45-39 and a Graves "3" from the left wing area at the 6:53 mark drew the Pipers even closer trailing 47-42. Strangely enough, that's where the Hamline comeback effort died as they were shut out the rest of the way. When Augsburg needed another lift, Loughlin came to rescue again. A jumper along the right baseline at the 6:27 mark and two free throws at the 5:25 mark extended the lead to nine points at 51-42 and a score in the paint by Lillquist got the lead to eleven at 53-42 with 4:52 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Bednar with 3:23 left effectively shut the door on Hamline's hopes as the lead was extended to 55-42. Late scores - one in the paint by senior guard Marie Fitzgerald and a "3" from the left top area by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta helped give Augsburg a 62-42 victory and keeps them in the mix for that sixth spot in the MIAC playoff race.
The Auggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead on scores by senior point guard Maria Loughlin and sophomore forward Hannah Steinhaus along with one free throw by senior forward/post Jessica Lillquist. But Hamline came right back and knotted the issue at 5 a piece by the 5:58 mark on a score in the paint by freshman forward Haley Greene and a "3" from the right wing by Chloe Graves. Augsburg would hold small leads over the next three minutes but with the score tied at 9-all with 2:32 left, the Auggies were able to build a bit of a cushion towards the end of the first period. One freebie by sophomore reserve forward Bridget Bednar and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Megan Quam made it 12-9 and with just :05 left in the first period senior reserve guard Jenna Orth was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up that gave Augsburg a 14-9 lead.
The Pipers were able to close the gap to one point early on in the second period on a jumper from the free throw line by sophomore reserve forward Ivannie Robertson and a short jumper by junior guard Chelsey Bonsante and things momentarily looked a bit dicey for the Auggies but the one player that Augsburg always seems to lean on when they need a jump start is Loughlin; the Rogers native and she came through with shining colors when it counted. One "3" from the left corner at the 7:21 mark and another from the left top area at the 5:50 mark had Augsburg back up by five at 20-15 and a lay-up with 4:35 left extended the lead to seven at 22-15. A jumper from the left elbow area by Graves allowed Hamline to cut the deficit down to five at 22-17 with 3:42 left but one score in the paint by senior guard Allison McKee with 3:18 left and another one by Lillquist got the lead back up to nine at 26-17. The Auggies were able to get the lead into double-digit range right before the end of the half. McKee made a drive across the lane and connected on a short jumper with 2:06 left and a short jumper off the glass by Loughlin allowed Augsburg to take a 30-20 lead into the locker room at the half. While the Pipers actually outrebounded the Auggies in the first half by a 23-19 count, Augsburg committed only one turnover in the first half while Hamline was guilty of six.
The Pipers needed to get some shots to go down in the second half that weren't going for them in the first half and treys by both Bonsante and senior guard Emily Behrman helped trim Augsburg's lead down to seven points at 33-26 by the 7:32 mark before the Auggies could re-establish their double-digit advantage. A score in the paint by Steinhaus at the 6:49 mark and a lay-up in transition by McKee at the 6:29 mark pushed the lead to eleven at 37-26 before Hamline recovered a bit. A 5-0 push; spurred by two Greene scores cut the Auggie lead down to six at 37-31 with 3:47 left but once again Augsburg was able to regain their double-digit cushion. McKee dropped a three-pointer from the left wing area with 3:22 left and one Quam charity stripe shot and a short jumper off the glass by Bednar now stretched the lead to twelve at 43-31 with 1:38 left. Hamline made a bit of an inroad on a "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard Tia Diggins with 1:12 left and one free throw by Greene slimmed down Augsburg's lead to 43-35 going into the fourth and final period.
Despite the fact that so many things have gone wrong at the worst possible time for the Pipers this season, that doesn't mean that they've quit or gone into any shell by a long stretch. This one was far from over by this point and Hamline made a gamey comeback attempt. A Behrman lay-up in transition at the 9:25 mark and another one by Graves at the 7:42 mark closed the gap to six points trailing 45-39 and a Graves "3" from the left wing area at the 6:53 mark drew the Pipers even closer trailing 47-42. Strangely enough, that's where the Hamline comeback effort died as they were shut out the rest of the way. When Augsburg needed another lift, Loughlin came to rescue again. A jumper along the right baseline at the 6:27 mark and two free throws at the 5:25 mark extended the lead to nine points at 51-42 and a score in the paint by Lillquist got the lead to eleven at 53-42 with 4:52 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Bednar with 3:23 left effectively shut the door on Hamline's hopes as the lead was extended to 55-42. Late scores - one in the paint by senior guard Marie Fitzgerald and a "3" from the left top area by freshman reserve guard Alaina Quaranta helped give Augsburg a 62-42 victory and keeps them in the mix for that sixth spot in the MIAC playoff race.
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