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.
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