Totino-Grace vs Park Center 1-30-18

Made my way over to Park Center High School on this Tuesday evening to take in this Northwest Suburban Conference clash between visiting Totino-Grace which made the short hop across the River to take on host Park Center.  The Eagles were coming into this contest in the midst of a so-so season at 9-9 overall while the Pirates were coming in with a solid enough 12-6 record.  On paper anyway this looked to be a relatively easy win for Park Center but, as we've seen before this season, you simply cannot take any game for granted and especially with a tilt with arch-rival Champlin Park coming up later on in the week, the Pirates could ill-afford to take anyone lightly. 

Park Center did get off to a good start in this one as senior guard Sommer Blakemore connected with a lay-up in transition at the 17:26 mark and fellow senior point guard Meghan DuBois drained a "3" from the right top area at the 16:57 mark to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead.  Totino-Grace Head Coach Patrick Bowlin called a thirty-second timeout at this juncture to keep from getting in too big of a hole early on.  That short stoppage in play seemed to give the Eagles new life as senior guard Madison Doran connected with a lay-up at the 16:33 mark and a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Carla Meyer at the 16:07 mark trimmed the deficit to two points at 7-5.  Park Center would get its lead back to six points as freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:46 mark and DuBois was able to grab a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up at the 15:32 mark to give the Pirates an 11-5 advantage.  Totino-Grace sophomore guard Arianna LaPanta would make a hard drive for a finish at the 14:52 mark but the Pirates would embark on an 8-0 push to stretch their lead.  DuBois connected with a lay-up at the 14:33 mark and another McKenzie offensive rebound and putback at the 14:08 mark made it a 15-7 ballgame.  Sophomore guard Lauren Frost knocked down a jumper from the left wing at the 13:29 mark and lanky freshman reserve forward T'Naye Griffin connected with a lay-up at the 12:36 mark to get Park Center in good shape up 19-7.

Realizing that it was not a good idea to try and cover the Pirates quick players with "man-to-man" defense, the Eagles' Bowlin had his squad switch to a 2-3 zone defense and that seemed to slow the Park Center drive somewhat and allowed Totino-Grace to gradually climb back into the thick of things.  And the Eagles did a good job of getting Doran free on "back door" lay-ups.  She connected with the first of these at the 11:06 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Idara Etuko at the 10:39 mark had Totino-Grace back in single-digit range traling 19-11.  Another one of those Doran "back door" lay-ups took place at the 9:29 mark that kept the Eagles in that eight-point range at 21-13.  Park Center got their lead back to double-digits as diminutive sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen connected with a lay-up after a steal at the 9:02 mark and a jumper from the left wing area by senior forward Charo Nickens with 8:39 left increased the Pirate safety net at 25-13.  But Totino-Grace would not give up its comeback effort as Doran connected with her third "back door" lay-up with 7:58 left and a "3" from the right wing area by sophomore reserve guard Shay Lodermeier with 6:08 left helped the Eagles get back to within single-digit range again trailing 25-18.  With 5:17 left, Totino-Grace got another big boost as senior reserve guard Abigail Schroeder banged home a "3" from the top of the key that suddenly cut the deficit down to five points at 26-21.  An Etuko lay-up with 3:50 left kept the Eagles in that five-point range down 28-23 and another Doran lay-up with 3:22 left kept Totino-Grace reasonably close down 31-25.  Both teams hit a bit of a dry patch in the last couple of minutes although the Pirates' Frost was able to help extend Park Center's lead to eight points with her drive and finish with just :02 left that made it a 33-25 game at the halftime buzzer. 

Totino-Grace still held out some hope that it could stay close in the second half as junior forward Brianna Glynn got one free throw to go down at the 17:50 mark and a score in the paint by Etuko at the 16:36 mark kept the Eagles in single-digit range trailing 37-28.  But Park Center had no intention of letting its opponent hang around and quickly went to work to build an insurmountable cushion.  Nickens got into the paint for a score off of an inbounds pass at the 16:09 mark and a Frost "3" from the left wing area at the 15:55 mark pushed the Pirate lead to fourteen points at 42-28 and Totino-Grace's Bowlin had to take a match to a timeout.  But this was just the start of a 14-0 Park Center run.  DuBois uncorked a "3" from the left wing area at the 14:38 mark and a lay-up in transition by McKenzie at the 14:06 mark made it a 47-28 ballgame.  Griffin was able to knock down a short jumper in the lane at the 13:32 mark and a Ragulen lay-up in transition at the 11:30 mark now had the Pirates up 51-28.  LaPanta would finally end the Eagles' dry streak with her jumper from the right wing area at the 9:34 mark but any hope of a Totino-Grace comeback was now officially out the window.

A 4-0 Park Center push thanks to a short jumper by Ragulen at the 9:22 mark and a jumper from the right wing by Frost with 7:33 left got the Pirate lead to 55-30 before LaPanta could get Totino-Grace on the board again with her pretty coast-to-coast lay-up with 6:46 left.  At this point, however, the Eagles were incredibly fortunate not to be in the "running time" mode" and Park Center responded with another 6-0 push.  McKenzie knocked down a short jumper in the lane with 6:30 left and two McKenzie free throws with 6:04 left got the lead to 59-32.  Frost connected with a jumper along the left baseline with 5:40 left to make it a 61-32 ballgame before Totino-Grace's Doran was able to knock down a jumper from the right elbow area with 5:21 left.  But the Eagles were simply unable to string together a series of scores that would have significantly cut into the deficit.  Park Center's McKenzie connected with a lay-up with 5:10 left and a short jumper in the lane by Blakemore with 4:43 left gave the Pirates a 65-34 lead.  Still not willing to give up the fight, the Eagles did put together a 7-0 push.  Doran connected with a lay-up with 4:33 left and then knocked down a short jumper from the left side with 4:09 left.  LaPanta would also drain a "3" from the top of the key with 2:16 left that trimmed the deficit down to twenty-four points at 65-41.  By this point though, both Totino-Grace's Bowlin and Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf were content to gradually send in their reserves.  Eagle sophomore reserve post Allison Wilson knocked down pairs of free throws with 1:34 and 1:10 left.  Pirate junior reserve guard Asia Smith drained a "3" from the right corner with 1:03 left and Pirate sophomore reserve guard Abbie Whittemore connected with a short jumper off the glass with :02.1 left as Park Center got the easy win by a 74-45 count. 

The Pirates had three scorers in double-figures on this night.  McKenzie's 16 points led all scorers while Frost had an impressive night with her 15 points and DuBois added 12 points.  Doran was the only scorer in double-figures for Totino-Grace with her 14 points.     

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-28-18

Not that much in the way of changes in the rankings themselves this Super Bowl week but still some interesting developments that'll go a long way in determining how this season is going to shake out:


1.  UST
2.  CSB
3.  GAC
4.  Bethel
5.  SMU
6.  Augsburg
7.  Concordia
8.  St. Kate's
9.  Carleton
10.  Macalester
11.  Hamline
12.  St. Olaf


Another routine week for the Tommies as they ran roughshod over GAC on Wednesday night and thoroughly dismantled Hamline yesterday.  Meanwhile, it was a big bounce back week for CSB as they downed said Hamline team on Wednesday night before yesterday's thrilling come from behind win at Robertson Center over Bethel yesterday.  UST's upcoming week looks easy enough with in-town roadies at both Macalester and St. Kate's on the menu.  CSB's immediate future isn't necessarily that taxing either as they'll host Concordia on Wednesday night and then head down to St. Olaf next Saturday.  GAC recovered from their stomping at the hands of UST on Wednesday night to apply similar treatment to St. Olaf yesterday and the Gusties get a slumping Carleton team at home on Wednesday night before heading back up to the Cities on Saturday to take on always-tricky Hamline.  The big loser this week was Bethel which lost said thrilling game yesterday at home to CSB.  I could launch into a lengthy diatribe about how costly this latest setback was for the Royals but the bottom line is that their last lifeline is now long gone and it's going to be an all-or-nothing proposition for them the rest of the way wrt their postseason hopes.  They have to win the MIAC Championship Game at all costs to get in.  There's simply no other way for them and they know it.  They'll get St. Olaf at home on Wednesday night - an easy enough proposition - before hosting a tough SMU team next Saturday. 

Speaking of said SMU team, the Cardinals had a solid week; beating St. Olaf on the road on Wednesday night and then getting a big win at home yesterday against Augsburg.  The Cardinals will get St. Kate's at home on Wednesday night before heading up the River and the CP Rail River Sub mainline to the Cities on Saturday to take on Bethel so if SMU can come away with a split this week, that won't be bad at all.  It was a mixed week for the Auggies as they got the big win at Carleton on Wednesday night before taking it on the chin yesterday down in Winona against said SMU team.  But Augsburg has a chance to get two big wins to solidify their playoff chances this coming week as they host Hamline on Wednesday night and then make the roadie on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to Moorhead to face Concordia. 

It wasn't a terrible week for the Cobbers as they did come away with a split this last week; losing at Bethel on Wednesday night and then knocking off Macalester at home yesterday.  While this next week is a bit daunting for Concordia - at CSB on Wednesday night and then home to Augsburg on Saturday - Head Coach Jessica Rahman is building for the future and it won't be long before the Cobbers are in the mix again.  St. Kate's managed to come away with a split this last week as well; most notably knocking off Carleton yesterday down in Northfield.  Macalester meanwhile has been anything but consistent this season thus far as they beat St. Kate's on Wednesday night at Butler Center but then got dough-popped by Concordia yesterday.  IMHO, the big disappointment this season has been Carleton as the Knights lost two tough home games this last week - to Augsburg on Wednesday night and then yesterday's debacle with St. Kate's.  Given the fact that the Knights have to travel to GAC on Wednesday night before hosting said Macalester team next Saturday, they'll do well to come away with a split. 

Feel free to fire away with thoughts....   

CSB vs Bethel 1-27-18

Made my way over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this Saturday afternoon to take in the big MIAC clash between visiting CSB and host Bethel.  I arrived early enough to catch the last seven minutes of the men's game between St. John's and Bethel; a heart-stopping affair that the Johnnies won in overtime and naturally CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin was hoping that his Blazer squad could pull off some of the same heroics - minus the drama.  The Blazers had recovered from last Saturday's drubbing at home at the hands of league-leading UST to beat Hamline at home on Wednesday night and were still in the thick of things in the MIAC race; just one game behind UST.  Bethel meanwhile had taken care of business against Concordia on Wednesday night and although their regular season title hopes had long gone out the window, they were still in position to get a decent seed in the MIAC playoffs and keep their slim hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament berth. 

6'3" senior forward/post Niki Fokken got her Blazers team on the board first with her score in the paint at the 9:30 mark but Bethel would match that as sophomore forward Taite Anderson got into the paint for another score and a three-point bomb from the left wing area by senior guard Abby Miller at the 8:15 mark propelled the Royals into the lead at 5-2.  CSB would narrow the gap to one point on a Fokken lay-up at the 7:42 mark.  Bethel again would try to open up more breathing space on a Miller drive and finish at the 7:28 mark but the Blazers would come right back on a lay-up at the 7:17 mark by freshman guard Megan Thompson.  Now it was the Royals turn and willowy junior post Hannah Johnson slithered into the paint off of an inbounds pass for a score at the 6:27 mark and drew a foul in the process and although the former Duluth East standout couldn't convert on the "and one", Bethel was still up 9-6.  The Blazers went into a bit of a drought and CSB's Durbin shed his sportcoat at the 5:33 mark knowing full and well that his team was going to be in another big-time battle today.  Reserve sophomore post Alex Johnson brought the Blazers back to a single point again with her score in the paint with 4:24 left before Bethel could extend their lead to three points again on two free throws by Taite Anderson.  CSB would try again to nestle up close as junior reserve guard Breanna Gates sneaked into the paint for a score with 3:43 left before the Royals were finally able to get a bit more elbow room with a 6-0 push.  Freshman reserve forward Lainie Cox got into the paint for a score with 3:16 left and another score in the paint by senior reserve guard Hannah Simpson with 2:02 left had Bethel up 15-10.  Hannah Johnson would strike again in the paint with one of her patented moves to extend the Royal lead to seven points at 17-10 and a Hannah Johnson lay-up with :28 left maintained the seven-point lead at 19-12.  Sophomore point guard Haylee Barker added one free throw for Bethel with :05.4 left to make it a 20-12 game but the Blazers would get a bit of a reprieve when Gates drained a "3" from the left top area with just :00.3 left on the clock to get the deficit down to five points at 20-15. 

CSB would go to work in the opening minutes of the second period to make things tight again.  Fokken knocked down a jumper from the free throw line at the 8:41 mark to get the Blazers back to within a single possession at 20-17 and a "3" from the left corner by Thompson at the 7:01 mark narrowed the gap to two points at 22-20.  Senior guard/forward Chelsey Guetter helped the Blazers forge a 22-all tie with her lay-up at the 6:32 mark and a lay-up by sophomore point guard Sidney Schiffler at the 5:43 mark kept CSB even with its opponent at 24-all.  The Royals would come alive offensively at this point with an 8-0 run as Barker made a hard drive into the land of giants for a finish at the 5:30 mark and a "3" from the right top area by Taite Anderson with 4:58 left got the Royal lead to five points at 29-24.  Simpson would drop one free throw after getting fouled with 4:33 left and another Hannah Johnson score in the paint with 3:32 left capped the drive to give Bethel more breathing space up 32-24.  Hannah Johnson's offenisve rebound and putback off the glass with 2:56 left maintained the Royals' eight-point advantage at 34-26 before Guetter could bring her CSB squad close again.  The Wabasso native drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:02 left and followed that up with a steal near mid-court and a subsequent lay-up with 1:52 left that helped the Blazers get back into single-possession range again trailing 34-31.  Bethel would step on the gas again as Simpson buried a "3" from the left wing area with 1:24 left and two free throws by senior guard Angie Kirchoff with :36.9 left before the half expanded the Royals lead to eight points at 39-31.  CSB would try and counter as Gates was able to connect with a lay-up with :23.2 left and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" by Lake City native trimmed the deficit to five points at 39-34.  Kirchoff would add more to the Royals ledger with just :06 left with a drive and finish to give Bethel a 41-34 lead at the intermission.  A check of the first half box score shows that rebounds were almost even with Bethel holding a 15-13 edge and CSB had only five turnovers to Bethel's seven.  The big difference up to this point was that the Royals shot 16-23 from FG range for 69.6% and were 3-for-3 from behind the arc in the first half as well whereas the Blazers arguably left some points on the table in the FG department; going 14-34 for 41.2%

Bethel seemed bound and determined to forge more space in the opening moments of the third period and a score in the paint by Kirchoff at the 9:29 mark and a Barker lay-up at the 8:52 mark had the Royals enjoying a 45-34 lead.  But CSB's Fokken would not let her team get beyond the point of no return and responded with three consecutive scores.  The Oronoco native first connected with a jumper from along the left baseline at the 8:03 mark and repeated the feat along the right baseline a little more than thirty seconds later at the 7:30 mark to reduce the deficit to seven points at 45-38.  At the 6:14 mark, Fokken would make a drive along the left baseline for a finish and drew a foul in the process and although she couldn't convert on the "and one" opportunity, the Blazers deficit was now down to a much more manageable five points at 45-40.  Now it was time for Bethel's Hannah Johnson to go to work and she responded with four consecutive scores.  She first slithered into the paint for one score at the 5:53 mark and then uncorked a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:11 mark for a 50-42 Royal lead.  With 4:29 left, Hannah Johnson would strike again down low with a score and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw re-established the double-digit lead that Bethel had earlier at 53-42.  With 4:07 left, Hannah Johnson would get into the paint again for another score to increase that lead to 55-42 and one Cox free throw with 3:46 left had the Royals up a couple of touchdowns at 56-42.  CSB could have easily been dead in the water right then and there but somehow this Blazer team responded.  Fokken connected with a lay-up with 3:22 left and Durbin called a timeout shortly thereafter to get his squad not only calmed down a bit but perhaps a chance to collect their respect breaths as well.  That stoppage in play may have been what exactly CSB needed as they responded with a 7-2 push before the end of the third period.  Guetter snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss in transition with 2:42 left and a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane with 1:40 left now had the Blazers back in single-digit range trailing 56-48.  With just :06 left in the period, Gates unleashed a "3" from the right top area that trimmed the deficit down to seven points at 58-51 and now CSB looked like a re-energized team. 

Bethel's Miller tried to get her team going at the outset of the fourth period with her three-point bomb that briefly extended the Royals lead back to double-digit range again at 61-51 but CSB had no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.  Guetter unleashed a "3" of her own from the right corner at the 9:30 mark to bring the Blazers back into single digits again trailing 61-54.  Gates would get into the paint for a score at the 8:59 mark and draw a foul in the process as well and although she wasn't able to convert on the "and one", Guetter was there for the offensive rebound and with 8:52 left, Guetter buried a "3" from the right wing area that suddenly closed the gap to four points at 63-59.  Feeling the pressure now, Bethel's Hannah Johnson responded with yet another score in the paint at the 8:35 mark that drew a foul and her "and one" got the Royals lead back to seven points at 66-59.  But CSB kept breathing down their host's neck and two scores by Banovetz got the Blazers back to within a single possession.  The former Holy Angels standout first scored in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 8:20 mark and followed that up with an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:07 mark that whittled the deficit down to three points at 66-63.  Bethel senior reserve guard Jasmin Bretoi; who had been quiet thus far, finally got untracked at the 6:54 mark with one of her patented three-point bombs from the left corner to give the Royals a bit more breathing space with a 69-63 advantage but CSB refused to go away.  Two Banovetz freebies at the 6:35 mark cut the deficit down to four points at 69-65 and then Blazer freshman reserve guard/forward Haylee Fingalsen went to work.  The former Rogers standout first snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 6:16 mark and after a foiled Bethel possession, Fingalsen would reign terror from three-point land; draining a bomb from the right wing area at the 5:27 mark that suddenly propelled CSB into the lead for the first time since the opening moments of the game at 70-69 and Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer called a thirty-second timeout to try and get his squad not only regrouped but presumably to catch their collective breaths as well.  The two teams would come out of that short stoppage in play; trading one-point leads in the next minute and with CSB clinging to a one-point 72-71 advantage, the Royals' Bretoi struck again from three-point land; draining one from the right wing area with 4:24 left for a 74-72 Bethel lead.  Fokken would come right back for CSB with her score in the paint with 4:10 left to knot things up at 74 a piece.  Bretoi would answer again for the Royals with her jumper from the right wing area with 3:55 left to get the lead back for Bethel at 76-74 but this is where things started falling apart for the home team as the Blazers would close out the contest with a 9-0 run.  For starters, Fokken got into the paint for a score with 3:30 left that drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" pushed CSB into the lead for good at 77-76.  The Royals would suffer a turnover on their ensuing possession and the Blazers would capitalize off of that as Gates connected with a lay-up with 2:51 left for a 79-76 CSB lead.  Still plenty of time left for Bethel to respond but on the ensuing Royal possession, Miller was unable to connect from three-point land in an effort to tie the contest.  Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer called another thirty-second timeout with 1:25 left and on the ensuing Blazer possession, Schiffler would get fouled with 1:20 left but the former Albany standout could only get one of the two free throws to go down for an 80-76 CSB lead.  Still a reasonable enough time left for the Royals down two possessions but the promptly turned the ball over again on their ensuing possession.  With :38.5 left, CSB's Gates would get fouled but both of her free throw attempts were off the mark but Gates was somehow able to get the offensive rebound off of the back-end attempt and with :31.8, Schiffler would get fouled but she was only able to get one of the two attempts to go down for an 81-76 Blazer lead.  With the Royals down to their last chance, they managed to turn the ball over again and CSB's Gates would be fouled with :14.3 left but she, too, could get only one of the two charity stripe attempts to go down for an 82-76 Blazer lead.  Another Bethel timeout but on the next Royal possession, Simpson would get called for an offensive foul that ended Bethel's chances for good.  Schiffler would get sent to the line one more time for the Blazers and she was able to add one more insurance free throw with :13 left as CSB bagged a huge road victory by an 83-76 count. 

It was a bit of an unpredictable encounter but I first caught up with current CSB Assistant Coach and former Blazer standout Alison Newton afterward and couldn't help but remark that this was gut-check time for CSB after last week's disappointment with UST at home and the Blazers came through when they had to.  Both Newton and fellow assistant Kaytlin Kuefler both think that a win like this can mean a lot down the road assuming that the Blazers can take care of business where they're supposed to.  It was unusual that I would be joined later by both CSB's Durbin and Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer and both were incredibly gracious with each other given the hard-fought contest between their teams with so much on the line.  Durbin still seemed somewhat amazed by how his squad came back in the contest to begin with and Herbrechtsmeyer was a little surprised at the final score given his squad's penchant for defense.  For CSB, this win does keep alive their regular season title hopes but they've still got a lot of wood to chop and they have to have UST slip up somewhere along the way.  More importantly, they keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and well and again, should they take care of business where they're supposed to and at least get to the MIAC Championship Game, they SHOULD be in good shape on that front.  Meanwhile for Bethel, it's a disastrous setback in more ways than one.  Let's face it.  Their last lifeline has long since been used up and the simple fact of the matter is that it's going to be an all or nothing proposition now for the Royals - they have to put all their eggs in one basket and find a way to win the MIAC Championship Game to get into the Big Dance or it's all over for them.  And the funny thing is that I feel that Bethel, more than any other team in the MIAC, probably matches up better than anyone else with UST.  So now it's up to them to see if they can get there.  On the CSB side it was a fantastic outing for Fokken as she led the way with her 23 points but the Blazers also had two other players in double figures - Gates with 16 points and Guetter with 15 points.  Bethel's Hannah Johnson led all scorers with her 25 points and had a "double-double" with 15 rebounds as well.  Taite Anderson would add 11 points and Kirchoff had ten points.  Rebounds were pretty close as CSB held a 30-28 edge in that department but what ultimately may force Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer to be looking for that bottle of Tylenol PM on this Saturday night are the 21 turnovers his squad committed on this day with a bunch of them coming at the end which is so incredibly uncharacteristic for his team.  Moreover, CSB held a 24-4 edge in points off of those turnovers and had an 18-2 edge in those all-important "second chance" points as well. 

Bemidji State vs Concordia St. Paul 1-26-18

Made my way back over to the St. Paul side of town again on this unseasonably warm January night to take in this NSIC matchup between visiting Bemidji State and host Concordia St. Paul.  Both the Beavers and the Golden Bears have been having sub par seasons this year and both were coming into this game with identical 3-11 conference records.  Concordia St. Paul, however, was coming into this game with a bit more momentum, however, winning two of their last three outings including a 74-72 win over arch-rival Minnesota State on Tuesday night.  The Beavers on the other hand were coming into this contest on an eight-game losing skid and were desperate for a win - something they hadn't experienced since late December against Upper Iowa.

Bemidji State certainly didn't look like a team that was suffering through an extended losing streak in the opening minutes of the first period as they bolted out to an early 11-1 lead.  Senior forward and former Anoka standout Sam Adamich got things going for the Beavers with her "3" from the left top area at the 9:05 mark and a short jumper in the lane by fellow senior guard Mikayla Larson at the 8:21 mark made it a 5-0 game.  Concordia St. Paul couldn't seem to connect on even easy lay-ups and "bunnies" and this gave the green-clad Beavers a chance to pad their lead even more.  Two scores by senior reserve post Sierra Senske - a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc at the 6:37 mark and a jumper from near the free throw line with 4:40 left - gave Bemidji State the aforementioned 11-1 advantage before the Golden Bears finally broke the ice from FG range on a drive into the lane and short jumper by senior reserve guard and former Andover standout Haydn Becker with 4:10 left.  Bemidji State, however, would push their lead to 15-3 as one lay-up by freshman reserve forward Gabby Dubois with 3:02 left and another lay-up by sophomore post Sydney Arrington with 2:39 left seemed to have the Beavers in excellent shape.  However, a 10-2 run by Concordia St. Paul to close out the first period not only dug them out of a hole but seemed to also take a lot of the wind out of Bemdji State's sail as well.  Two free throws by Becker with 2:25 left and two more by freshman reserve forward Ayla Lemke with 1:52 left had the Golden Bears back in single-digit range trailing 15-7.  Becker would be fouled in a transition opportunity with 1:42 left and got one free throw to go down out of it and with 1:18 left Lemke drained a "3" from the top of the key that now cut the deficit down to four points at 15-11.  Freshman guard Elle Gess kept Concordia St. Paul in that four-point range with a lay-up with :54 left so considering the canyon they had dug for themselves early on, things were beginning to look up a bit for the Golden Bears. 

Bemidji State tried desperately to keep the Golden Bears at bay and a Senske score in the paint at the 8:50 mark got the Beavers some more breathing room with a 19-13 lead.  But Concordia St. Paul kept chipping away.  Junior guard Kayla Miller connected with a lay-up at the 8:34 mark to start a 7-3 Golden Bear push.  Junior point guard and former Waconia standout Anna Schmitt; who was held in check during the first period, finally broke her dry spell as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 7:53 mark to help Concordia St. Paul close within a single possession at 19-17.  Bemidji State answered with a "3" by Larson from the left corner at the 7:09 mark but Schmitt would come to the rescue for the Golden Bears with a "3" of her own from the right wing area off of an inbounds pass at the 6:50 mark that again had Concordia St. Paul back within a single possession trailing 22-20.  The Beavers would make another push to try and increase their safety net as freshman guard Sydney Zerr unleashed a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:23 mark and one Larson freebie with 3:39 left again gave Bemidji State more breathing space with a 26-20 lead.  But the Beavers suffered a bit of a blow during this push as Senske was tagged with her second foul of the evening and Bemidji State Head Coach Chelsea DeVille; not in the mood to take any chances, yanked the Glyndon native to preserve her for the second half.  This seemed to provide the Golden Bears with the opening that they had been searching for and they responded with a game-changing 14-3 run to end the second period.  Junior reserve guard Lexi Lee uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with 3:27 left to get Concordia St. Paul back to within a single possession again trailing 26-23 and a Schmitt lay-up with 2:55 left narrowed the gap to two points at 27-25.  Then Gess propelled the Golden Bears into the lead with her three-point bomb from the right wing area with 2:07 left and a Lemke lay-up with 1:33 left now had Concordia St. Paul with a 30-27 advantage.  With :56.3 left, Kayla Miller made a drive along the left baseline for a finish and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" pushed the Golden Bear lead to 33-27.  Miller would add one more free throw with :31.6 left before Bemidji State could finally get two free throws from freshman guard Brooklyn Bachmann with :12.9 left but all the early momentum that the Beavers had was now out the window as both teams headed into the locker room with Concordia St. Paul up 34-29.  A check of the first half box score reveals that neither side was setting the world on fire with their shooting - the Beavers were 11-28 for 39.3% from FG range and 3-9 from behind the arc for 33.3% while the Golden Bears shot 11-38 for 28.9% from FG range and 4-11 from behind the arc for 36.4%.  Rebounds were nearly even with the Golden Bears holding a 25-24 edge but Bemidji State's DeVille could not have been happy with her squad's ten first half turnovers that played a big part in enabling Concordia St. Paul to not only mount a comeback but to take the lead as well. 

Neither team could do much with their first couple of possessions in the third period but the Golden Bears were looking to build upon their lead and a score in the paint by junior post Lindsay Dorr at the 8:25 mark pushed Concordia St. Paul's lead to 36-29.  The Beavers, however, were not quite ready to curl up in the fetal position and call it a night and they managed to claw their way back into the thick of things with a 9-3 push.  Arrington snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:59 mark and a score in the paint by Senske at the 7:24 mark now had Bemidji State back in single-possession range trailing 36-33.  The Golden Bears would stretch the lead to 39-33 on a Lee "3" from the left wing area at the 6:54 mark but Bemidji State continued with their assault.  Sydney Zerr uncorked her second three-point bomb of the night from the same left wing area at the 6:28 mark and one free throw by freshman reserve post and Anoka native Taylor Bray at the 5:53 mark and one more by Bachmann at the 5:25 mark appeared to have the Beavers in excellent shape down by only one at 39-38.  Yet, this is exactly where things began to fall apart for Bemidji State as the Golden Bears unleashed an 11-0 run that changed the complexion of this game for good.  First, Schmitt connected with a lay-up that drew a foul in the process and her "and one" with 4:26 left gave Concordia St. Paul a four-point 42-38 edge.  That lead expanded to seven points when Becker connected with a lay-up and got fouled in the process and her "and one" with 3:40 left made it a 45-38 game.  Lemke connected with a lay-up with 3:08 left and then Lee was  able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 1:58 left to push the Golden Bear lead to nine at 49-38 and Bemidji State's DeVille had no choice at this point but to take a match to a timeout to try and stop this run.  Still, the Beavers' fortunes took another hit when Senske fouled Concordia St. Paul's Becker with 1:37 left and her free throw completed this push for a 50-38 Golden Bear lead.  Gess' drive into the lane for a finish with :46.9 left in the third period upped Concordia St. Paul's lead to 52-39 before Sydney Zerr broke the Beavers' extended drought with two free throws with just :02.5 left but with Bemidji State now down 52-41, it was going to be an uphill battle the rest of the way to say the least.

The Golden Bears hopes hit a sour note in the early moments of the fourth period when Becker not only collected her fourth foul of the night at the 9:15 mark but also had to be helped off the court with an apparent ankle or foot injury as well.  Still, the Beavers would not be able to capitalize on this opportunity as Concordia St. Paul went on a 7-2 push.  Lee dropped one free throw at the 7:14 mark and then Schmitt took over with three consecutive scores.  She first connected with a jumper from the right corner just inside the arc at the 6:11 mark and dropped two free throws with 4:59 left after being fouled in a transition opportunity.  Then the Waconia native connected with a lay-up as the shot clock was winding down with 4:13 left as the Golden Bears now had a sixteen-point cushion at 59-43.  Bemidji State tried to answer as Adamich buried a "3" from the right corner with 3:55 left and Sydney Zerr connected with a lay-up with 3:11 left but the Beavers simply could not string together enough scores to make any serious run.  Dubois' score in the paint helped Bemidji State cut the deficit down to ten points at 60-50 with 2:45 left but the Golden Bears were able to close things out down the home stretch.  Gess dropped two free throws with 2:29 left and junior guard Hanna Vidlund got one more insurance free throw to go down with :11.6 left as Concordia St. Paul collected a 63-53 victory.

Ultimately, Bemidji State's DeVille will look at her squad's 20 turnovers on this night as being one of the big factors in the team's downfall on this night; especially considering that they got off to a great start and held the lead for a good chunk of the first half.  Concordia St. Paul did hold a slight edge on the boards at 46-43 but those points that the Golden Bears got off of all those turnovers - where they held a 16-9 edge in that department - played a big role as well.  And Concordia St. Paul had a sizable edge in those points in the paint by a 28-18 count.  Bemidji State had two players in double figures scoring-wise on this night as both Sydney Zerr and Senske had ten points a piece.  On the Concordia St. Paul side, another fantastic night for Schmitt as she netted 16 points (and nine rebounds as well) while Gess had ten points. 

GAC vs UST 1-24-18

Carefully made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this Wednesday night and over to UST's Anderson Athletic Center and Schoenecker Arena for this key MIAC match-up between visiting GAC which made its way up U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub portion of the famed "Omaha Route" mainline to the Twin Cities to take on host UST.  The Gusties were coming into this game with an 8-2 MIAC record and 14-3 overall while the Tommies; fresh off their big win up at CSB this last Saturday, brought in an unblemished 10-0 record in the MIAC and were 15-2 overall.  It seems hard to believe that the last time that GAC beat UST was eight years ago so the Tommies were enjoying an extended win streak against the black and gold but, then again, you never know from night to night how things are going to go.

It didn't seem to be any surprise at all that the Tommies again came out of the gate fast thanks to junior guard Lucia Renikoff.  The former Washburn standout started things out with a "3" from the right corner at the 9:17 mark and after fellow junior post Hannah Spaulding connected with a lay-up as the shot clock expired at the 7:49 mark for a 5-2 UST lead, another Renikoff three-point dagger - this one from the top of the key at the 6:28 mark - extended the Tommie lead to 8-2.  GAC senior forward Miranda Rice would connect with a short jumper from the right side at the 6:12 mark to reduce the Gustie deficit to four points at 8-4 but UST senior guard Maddie Wolkow's "3" from the right corner at the 5:15 mark now had the Tommies up 11-4 and GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly had to take a thirty-second timeout in hopes of not getting buried by three-point bombs early on.  That short stoppage in play seemed to revitalize the Gusties a bit as they were able to trim the deficit.  Rice was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:48 left and then senior guard Mikayla Miller knocked down her first three-pointer of the evening from the right wing area with 3:33 left that had the deficit back down to four points at 13-9.  Senior reserve forward Emee Udo connected with a short jumper with 2:52 left to keep GAC in that four-point range trailing 15-11 and two Udo free throws with 2:08 left along with two more by surprising freshman point guard Ava Gonsorowski with 1:04 left in the opening period finally had the Gusties back within a single possession trailing 18-15 which was a far sight better than what they were looking at in the early moments of the ballgame.

One of the reasons that GAC was able to slow the usually potent Tommie drive down the stretch of the first period was that they had switched to a 2-3 "matchup" zone defense after it became clear that they would not be able to stop UST's Spaulding down low with "man" defense.  The Gusties' Kelly stuck with this strategy once the second period got underway and when GAC got a stop on the Tommies' first possession, the Gusties were able to knot the score at 21 a piece when Rice banged home a three-point bomb from the top of the key off the glass at the 9:05 mark.  Perhaps somewhat alarmed by this development, UST got its lead back to five points when junior guard Kaylie Brazil drilled a "3" from the left top area at the 8:35 mark and a Spaulding score in the paint at the 5:50 mark had the Tommies up 23-18.  GAC's Miller got her team back within single possession range again with her three-point bomb from the left corner with 4:08 left but it was here where UST was finally able to establish more separation.  Spaulding would get fouled with 3:08 left and although she was only able to get one of the two free throw attempts to go down, the Gusties' hopes took a hit as Rice was tagged with her second foul and Kelly was not going to take any chances with her senior forward and promptly yanked her.  With Rice out, the Tommies now had a big advantage down low.  Spaulding connected with a short shot off the glass with 3:00 left and another Spaulding score in the paint with 2:12 left now had UST up 28-21 and Kelly called another thirty-second timeout to try and prevent her Gustie team from getting down by too much.  The Tommies, in fact, appeared to have some of their hopes dampened when Wolkow was saddled with her second foul with 1:15 left and with :45.1, GAC appeared to have righted the ship somewhat when junior forward Kendall Thompson got sent to the charity stripe and the former Holy Family standout came through with two free throws to reduce the Gustie deficit down to five points at 28-23.  Still, UST would have things there way as Wolkow; riding those two fouls, drained a "3" from the right wing area with :30 left and one Brazil free throw with :03.1 left before the buzzer allowed the Tommies to enjoy a 32-23 halftime lead.  Just checking the second period box score reveals that UST held a 9-5 advantage on the boards and that the Gusties simply didn't shoot that well; going only 2-8 for 25% from FG range alone. 

GAC tried to go back to work right away once the third period got underway and a lay-up by Gonsorowski at the 9:01 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior guard Justine Lee at the 7:30 mark cut the deficit down to seven points at 34-27.  An offensive rebound for a putback by Miller at the 6:27 mark kept the Gusties in that seven-point range trailing 36-29 but GAC's comeback efforts took a big hit when Rice was tagged with her third foul of the night at the 6:13 mark and Kelly again had no choice but to yank the former Forest Lake standout.  The Tommies' Spaulding was able to score in the paint in this sequence and although she was unable to convert on the "and one" UST was now back up by nine at 38-29.  A Brazil drive and finish at the 5:51 mark got the Tommies their first double-digit lead at 40-29.  Spaulding would add one free throw with 4:25 left and after GAC's Udo collected her third foul of the night with 3:53 left, the Gusties were really in a pinch down low.  As such, the Tommies slowly padded their advantage even more.  Renikoff drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:37 left and one free throw by senior forward Lauren Fischer with 1:02 left and one more by Renikoff with :27.8 left not only had UST up 46-32 but now the Gusties were in an even more perilous situation as Rice was slapped with her fourth foul of the night.  Udo would connect with a jumper with :01 left before the end of the third period but GAC was still staring at a twelve-point deficit at 46-34.

The Tommies and Gusties would initially trade scores in the early moments of the fourth period as UST's Spaulding connected with a lay-up at the 9:48 mark and GAC's Lee did the same at the 8:21 mark.  But the Gusties were in no position to simply trade baskets and UST put GAC in an even worse spot with a 9-2 run.  Three scores by Renikoff - a drive and finish at the 7:30 mark, a "3" from the left corner at the 6:51 mark and another drive and finish at the 6:05 mark - had the Tommies up 55-38 and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson at the 5:01 mark increased the lead to 57-38.  GAC was able to cut into the deficit a bit as Lee uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 4:09 left and Rice connected with a lay-up with 2:45 left but the Gusties could never mount a serious threat down the stretch.  Spaulding would drop two freebies with 2:31 left and Fischer would drop two more for insurancde with 1:05 left as the Tommies stayed unbeaten in MIAC play with a 61-45 victory.

You could sense some of the frustration from the GAC contingent afterward as this latest setback really does not leave them much wiggle room wrt their hopes for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  They'll most likely have to win the MIAC Championship Game now although if they do win out enroute to the MIAC Championship Game and lose a tough one to UST in the finale, they may have a shot with 23 wins but their lack of wins against regionally-ranked opponents would likely work against them.  Still, the Gusties' Kelly; as disappointed as she was by this setback, did see some positives from this game nonetheless.  She pointed out that her team seemed to do a good job defensively when they went into that 2-3 "matchup" zone defense but would have liked to have been able to take away some of those three-point daggers that UST's Renikoff unleashed on this night.  I think, too, that it's quite obvious that there seems to be some sort of mental block that the Gusties have when it comes to playing the Tommies and until they can find a way to get over that, they'll most likely continue to struggle when it comes to playing UST.  The thing of it is, I think the same can be said for a lot of other teams in the MIAC as well.  Simply another outstanding outing for UST's Spaulding on this night as she continues to solidify her case for MIAC POY this season as she recorded a "double-double" of 22 points and 11 rebounds; nine of those on the defensive side.  Renikoff was brilliant at times as well and she was right behind with 19 points.  The Gusties had two players in double figures as well as Rice collected 13 points and Miller had 10 points.  What really surprised me was the rebounds were relatively even on this night as GAC actually held a 35-33 edge on the boards on this night and turnovers were about the same - UST had 13 and GAC had 12.  What the Gusties couldn't overcome, however, was their abysmal shooting as they went 16-55 from FG range for 29.1% and 4-17 from behind the arc for 23.5%.  That simply won't get the job done.  Thanks to Spaulding, UST also held a decided edge in points in the paint by a 28-18 edge. 

Blaine vs Park Center 1-23-18

Made the short run over to Park Center High School on the night after Winter Storm Jaxson greeted the Twin Cities area to take in the Northwest Suburban Conference Clash between visiting Blaine and host Park Center.  The Bengals were having a rough go of it again this year; coming into this game with a 5-11 overall record and 1-6 in conference play while the Pirates were sporting a decent 12-6 record that could arguably be better.  Moreover, Park Center was coming off a tough overtime loss to unbeaten and second-ranked Wayzata at home last Thursday night where they led by four points with under a minute left before letting that slip away and losing the contest in the extra session so this would be an opportune time for the Pirates to right the ship against a lesser opponent.

Park Center definitely got off to a fast start in this one as a lay-up after a steal by senior guard Meghan DuBois at the 17:46 mark along with a three-point bomb from the left wing by fellow senior guard Sommer Blakemore at the 17:11 mark had the Pirates up 5-0.  Blaine was also having a devilish time just getting the ball up the court thanks to the full- and half-court pressure that the Pirates were handing out on defense and Bengal Head Coach Chris Brustuen called a thirty-second timeout to try and get his squad calmed down.  Still, a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Lauren Frost at the 16:08 mark maintained the five-point Pirate edge at 7-2 before Blaine could start to make some inroads.  Sophomore forward Kayla Bohr connected with a lay-up in transition at the 15:58 mark and one free throw by junior Hailey Babcock at the 15:27 mark along with a Babcock lay-up at the 14:44 mark cut the deficit down to two points at 9-7.  It was here, however, where the Pirates made their first decisive move of the evening in the form of a 12-1 run.  Freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:21 mark and a McKenzie lay-up in transition at the 13:30 mark stretched Park Center's lead to 13-7.  A Blakemore lay-up at the 12:19 mark and back-to-back three point bombs - one by sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen at the 12:04 mark from the right corner off of an inbounds pass and one by Blakemore from that same right corner off of another inbounds pass at the 11:55 mark - now had the Pirates up 21-8 and Blaine's Brustuen had no choice but to take a match to a timeout before this one totally got away from his squad.

Still, the Bengals would have to withstand another three-point barrage from Park Center.  The diminutive Ragulen would uncork two more - one from the left wing at the 11:27 mark and another from the left top at the 10:21 mark - plus one from DuBois from the top of the key at the 9:20 mark that had the Pirates up comfortably at 30-10.  Blaine would stop some of the bleeding as freshman reserve forward Madison Hoehne got into the paint for one score at the 9:05 mark and Bohr was able to make a drive and finish off of an inbounds pass with 8:52 left that slimmed down the deficit a bit at 30-16.  Junior guard Emily Baurr drained a "3" from the left top area with 8:16 left and a score in the paint by Bahr with 7:54 left had the deficit down to thirteen points at 32-19.  The Pirates, however, were able to step on the gas and widen the gap again.  McKenzie connected with a lay-up with 7:32 left and a jumper from the right wing area by Frost with 7:16 left increased the Park Center lead to fifteen at 36-21.  McKenzie would connect with another lay-up after a steal with 6:15 left to make it a 38-21 lead before the Bengals ended their drought with a lay-up in transition by junior guard Phoebe Carson with 4:21 left.  An offensive rebound for a putback by Bohr with 3:51 left had Blaine's deficit down to fifteen points at 40-25 but the Bengals never could string together a stretch run that would put a significant dent into Park Center's cushion.  With the Pirates in the double-bonus, DuBois was sent to the charity stripe with 2:56 left for a two-shot attempt and although she could only sink the front end, Blakemore was able to grab the offensive rebound on the back-end attempt and she got a pretty, one-handed jump shot in the lane to go down with 2:53 left.  Blakemore would connect with a one-handed running jumper with 1:52 left and two Ragulen free throws with :46.9 left had Park Center up comfortably again at 47-28 by the halftime break. 

The Bengals tried desperately to cut into the fat again once the second half got underway as a Bohr drive and finish at the 17:42 mark and a drive along the right baseline and finish by sophomore guard Anna Garfield at the 16:58 mark had the deficit down to eighteen points at 50-32 but again it was a matter of trying to put a significant stretch together and Blaine simply was unable to do so.  Senior forward Charo Nickens snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:33 mark to start a 9-0 Pirate push.  Blakemore uncorked one of her patented NBA-range three-point bombs from the left wing area at the 14:58 mark and a score in the paint by McKenzie at the 14:13 mark had Park Center up 57-32.  A Frost jumper along the left baseline at the 13:46 mark upped the lead to 59-33 and now the Bengals were in the unenviable position of trying to keep the sinking ship afloat.  But the bailing of water process was simply not enough as the Pirates kept adding to their lead.  Blakemore made a hard drive for a finish at the 12:20 mark and two scores by McKenzie - a coast-to-coast lay-up at the 11:53 mark and a tip-in of her own miss at the 11:17 mark - how had Park Center past the thirty-point threshold leading 65-33.  The Bengals tried desperately to keep this one from going into running time as Baurr got into the paint for a score at the 11:02 mark but a 7-1 Park Center push ended those hopes for good.  McKenzie connected with a lay-up in transition at the 10:30 mark as did Nickens did in a transition opportunity at the 10:02 mark for a 69-36 Pirate lead.  Blakemore would then snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up at the 9:44 mark and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" made it a 72-36 ballgame. 

The good thing with the "running time" Mercy Rule that MSHSL has is that it helps speed the game along without letting things get so totally out of hand plus it gives both coaches a chance to unload their benches and give the younger players a chance to get some real-time game experience.  New Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf did just that as she gradually inserted her bench players.  Sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox drained a "3" from the right corner with 7:35 left and Ragulen got another "3" to go down from that same right corner with 6:04 left for a 78-39 Pirate lead.  Metcalf made a wholesale lineup change in the last few minutes as several of the new faces got playing time including newcomer freshman reserve guard Namia Manning who looks to be the next impressive youngster coming up.  Blaine would get the last six points of the game but the Pirates would cruise to an easy 78-45 victory. 

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-21-18

Here's the latest version of my MIAC Power Rankings on this NFC (and AFC) Championship Sunday with most Minnesota Viking fans nervously awaiting the big showdown with Philadelphia this evening and with Winter Storm Jaxson setting its sights on Minnesota and the Twin Cities as well.  Some changes and shake-ups after this last week of action: 


1.  UST
2.  CSB
3.  GAC
4.  Bethel
5.  SMU
6.  Augsburg
7.  Carleton
8.  Concordia
9.  (tie) Hamline and St. Kate's
10.  Macalester
11.  St. Olaf


No question as to rules the roost in the MIAC these days as UST dispatched both Bethel on Wednesday night and CSB yesterday - on the road no less - to take sole possession of first place in the MIAC and in my Power Rankings as well and they seemed poised and primed to do the same against GAC when the Gusties pay a visit to Schoenecker Arena this coming Wednesday night.  I only have one message for CSB, GAC, Bethel, and the rest of those in the MIAC.  Do NOT - do NOT let UST grab an early lead on you and then try and play catch-up.  It is a sure death sentence.  It does not work.  The Tommies will make you pay and make you pay dearly for that mistake.  Bethel did recover enough to lay a big hurt on Carleton down in Northfield yesterday while GAC recorded two solid victories this last week in hopes of getting some momentum when they roll into UST's Schoenecker Arena this coming Wednesday night. 

The Cardinals had a good week this last week; knocking off Carleton at home on Wednesday night and then knocking off Hamline at Hutton Arena yesterday and SMU has a big opportunity to build on this momentum as they are at St. Olaf on Wednesday night and then home to Augsburg next Saturday.  Speaking of the Auggies, they took a pounding from GAC on Wednesday night before beating Macalester at Leonard Center yesterday.  This could be a big week for the Auggies as they have to travel to Carleton on Wednesday night before said trip down the River and the CP Rail River Sub mainline down to Winona and a date with SMU next Saturday. 

Carleton is still knocking on the door but nobody seems to be interested in answering it just yet anyway as the Knights dropped two games this last week - at SMU on Wednesday night and then yesterday's drubbing at the hands of Bethel at home in West Gymnasium.  The Knights have a two-game homestand this coming week and it's vitally important that Carleton take care of business on their home floor as Augsburg visits on Wednesday night and then an always-tricky St. Kate's team comes to town next Saturday.  Concordia managed to come away with a split this last week - losing at said St. Kate's team on Wednesday night before hammering St. Olaf at Skoglund Center yesterday.  To keep their slim playoff hopes alive, they've got to hope to come away with at least a split this next week as the Cobbers go to Bethel (ouch!) on Wednesday night and then host Macalester next Saturday.       

UST vs CSB 1-20-18

Made my way up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to St. Cloud and veered over to nearby St. Joe to take in this highly-anticipated showdown of the two remaining teams unbeaten in MIAC play - visiting UST and host CSB.  The Tommies were coming into this game on the heels of a big road win at Bethel on Wednesday night while the Blazers had easily dispatched Macalester in St. Paul on the same night.  There was also a lot of anticipation in the air as well as this was NFC Championship Game weekend and both sides were hoping for a resounding Viking win on Sunday that would send this whole state into a frenzy.  For me it was a special day since it was my birthday and while I won't divulge my age, let's just say that it ends with the number "8".  :p

One thing that is becoming increasingly clear for opponents when they play UST is that the last thing you want to have happen is to fall behind early and play catch-up.  And that's exactly what happened to the Blazers early on as the purple-clad Tommies came out of the gate with both barrels blazing.  Two three point bombs from the left wing area - one by senior sharp-shooting forward Lauren Fischer at the 9:27 mark and another one by junior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 8:54 mark - quickly had UST up 6-0.  The Blazers would get on the board with a "3" of their own by freshman guard Megan Thompson from the top of the key and a drive and finish by sophomore guard Sidney Schiffler at the 8:03 mark had CSB in single-possession range trailing 8-5.  But the Tommies embarked on a 6-1 push to widen the gap some more.  Junior post sensation Hannah Spaulding twice got into the paint for a scores - once at the 7:46 mark and again at the 7:10 mark - to get the UST lead up to 12-6 and a short shot off the glass by Spaulding with 4:36 left increased the lead to eight points at 14-6.  The Blazers got a bit of a reprieve when Schiffler was fouled behind the arc with 4:26 left in the opening period and the former Albany standout got two of the three charity stripe attempts to go down that narrowed CSB's deficit down to six points at 14-8.  But when Tommie sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson drained an unlikely "3" from the left wing area with 4:04 left to up UST's lead to nine points at 17-8, the Blazers indeed looked to be in a heap of trouble.  Fortunately for CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, his young team managed to pick things up down the home stretch of the first half.  Freshman reserve guard/forward Haylee Fingalsen banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:06 left and a jumper from the left corner off of an inbounds pass by junior reserve forward Courtney Nelson with 1:24 left had the Blazers down by just four at 17-13.  UST answered as Spaulding snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 1:00 left but Blazer senior post Kate Banovetz finished off the first period with a drive and finish with just :05 left to get CSB back in that four-point range again trailing 19-15 so while Durbin and the Blazer contingent felt perhaps a bit better about things during the period-ending break, there was likely also a feeling of uneasiness as well as the Blazers had several missed "bunny" shots in the opening period that could have easily changed the complexion of things if not having them in the lead instead.

UST went to work again once the second period got underway with a 10-2 push that widened the gap again.  Spaulding connected with a pretty jumper along the left baseline at the 9:30 mark and a three-point bomb by junior guard Lucia Renikoff from the left corner at the 8:11 mark had the Tommies up 24-15.  UST's rising fortunes took a bit of a hit when Spaulding was tagged with her second foul of the afternoon at the 7:55 mark and, to add insult to injury, she was the recipient of an inadvertent shot to the head as well but she appeared to be okay as she went to the bench to sit for a spell.  Still, another Fischer "3" from the right corner at the 7:37 mark gave the Tommies their first double-digit lead of the day at ten points at 27-17 and a Fischer drive and finish at the 7:07 mark upped the lead to 29-17.  Renikoff had to come off the court as well at the 6:36 mark with a minor injury but appeared to be okay and that may have allowed CSB to temporarily slow the enemy push.  6'3" senior post Niki Fokken connected with a lay-up at the 5:53 mark and with 4:30 left, freshman reserve forward Maddie Schmitz made a hard drive and finish and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" had the Blazers back in single-digit range again trailing 31-22.  Problem was though that CSB simply was unable to get stops on the defensive end that could have brought them a bit closer and, as a result, the Tommies finished up with a 11-6 push before the halftime break.  Senior guard Maddie Wolkow unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 3:56 left to get UST's lead back to double-digit range at 34-22 and a score in the paint by freshman reserve guard Kaia Porter with 3:24 left maintained the twelve point edge at 36-24.  One Renikoff freebie with 2:12 left and another Wolkow three-point bomb - this one from the left corner with 1:18 left - got the Tommie lead to sixteen points at 40-24.  Elsa Anderson got into the paint for a score with :42.5 left to maintain the sixteen point edge at 42-26 before CSB's Fokken knocked down a jumper in the lane with :28.5 left.  Just as Bethel had on Wednesday night, the Blazers shuffled off to their locker room looking a bit dazed and beat up down two touchdowns at 42-28 when the halftime buzzer sounded.  A check of the first half box score gives a good indication as to why when you see that UST outrebounded CSB by an 18-10 count and that the Blazers suffered six turnovers in the process.  The Tommies shot 17-29 for 58.6% from FG range and 7-13 from behind the arc for 53.8% as well.  CSB didn't necessarily shoot that badly but they arguably left some points on the table at the charity stripe as they went 6-10 for 60%.  Despite the rivalry between the two schools over the years, Claire Lynch Hall came together for a resounding SKOL chant in support of the Minnesota Vikings during the halftime break.  I, of course, did not participate being a Los Angeles Ram clad in LA Rams gear but it was fun to take in nonetheless. 

CSB finally appeared to get untracked offensively once the third period got underway and the Blazers started things out with a 7-2 push.  A "3" from the right top area by Thompson at the 9:00 mark and a short, turnaround jumper by Fokken at the 8:04 mark cut the deficit down to eleven points at 44-33.  Thompson would then get sent to the charity stripe at the 7:19 mark after getting fouled and her two free throws had CSB back in single-digit range again trailing 44-35 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sin felt compelled to call a thirty-second timeout in hopes of reversing this trend.  A Renikoff score in the paint at the 7:06 mark helped UST slow the enemy drive a bit but the Blazers kept scratching and clawing away.  Fingalsen connected with a lay-up at the 6:53 mark and one Fokken free throw at the 6:28 mark reduced the deficit to eight points at 46-38.  A Fokken jumper in the lane at the 5:57 mark and two free throws by Schiffler with 4:06 left now had the deficit cut down to five points at 47-42.  The Tommies were able to increase their saftey net a bit as Porter snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:37 left and two Renikoff free throws with 1:27 left got UST's lead back to nine points at 41-42 although the Blazers trimmed that gap to eight points when Fingalsen dropped one free throw with :04.4 left.  Still, CSB's deficit was much more manageable at eight points at 51-43 and the fact that the Blazers outscored UST 15-9 in the third period provided a measure of hope going into the fourth period. 

But one thing about the Tommies that so many other opponents have learned the hard way over the years is that they really have a knack for upping the level of their game when challenged and any hope that the Blazers had of a comeback were dashed quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth period as UST embarked on a 12-1 run that changed this one for good.  A Spaulding lay-up at the 8:53 mark got the Tommie lead back up to double digits again at 53-43 and then things really started spiraling out of control for CSB.  After the Blazers' Durbin called a thirty-second timeout, UST really went to work.  Spaulding got into the paint for a score at the 8:29 mark and a jumper from near the left elbow area by Fischer at the 8:07 mark got the Tommie lead to thirteen points at 57-44.  Two three-point daggers by Renikoff pointed the way to ultimate victory - one from the left corner at the 7:31 mark and the other one from the right corner at the 7:00 mark for a 63-44 UST lead - and CSB's Durbin saw this one getting away from his team as clearly as a candle goes out and he was clamoring for a halt to the action to try and prevent the inevitable.  But the Blazers were only able to make nicks and dents in the deficit the rest of the way as UST slowly put surely pulled away for good.  After Fokken connected with a pretty reverse lay-up at the 6:36 mark, the Tommies finished things up.  Spaulding snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" by the former Annandale standout got UST's lead to 66-46 at the 6:10 mark.  Brazil dropped two free throws at the 5:47 mark and two more by Elsa Anderson at the 5:07 mark got the Tommie lead to 70-47.  Elsa Anderson would get a three-point play herself with 1:36 left when she knocked down a jumper in the lane and drew a foul in the process and her "and one" had UST up 73-51.  Freshman reserve guard Macy Hatlestad got two late scores for the Tommies as well - a jumper from the right elbow with :51.4 left and two free throws with :24.5 left as UST rolled to a 77-52 victory. 

While extremely pleased with her team's efforts, UST's Sinn did express some frustration afterward about the foul count as CSB was able to get to the charity stripe more often and the Tommies foul count far exceeded that of the Blazers.  Still, Sinn was able to get beyond that and look at the bigger picture as UST faces yet another test this next Wednesday when GAC comes into Schoenecker Arena for another big showdown.  I asked both Sinn and Assistant Coach Brian Silk afterward if they were at all concerned about the Tommies peaking perhaps too soon but both pooh-poohed the notion and said that they can indeed get even better.  Sinn thinks that one of the areas that her team has made progress since the loss to Luther is on the mental front.  She noted that in this game today her squad did miss some easy "bunny" shots at times and in the Luther game she felt that that would hurt them on the defensive end.  But in this game today and last Wednesday at Bethel, the squad didn't let those things bother them.  I think the other impressive thing about UST right now is that Sinn can go to her bench and get her younger players some quality minutes and in turn, get them some valuable experience as well.  Hatlestad, freshman reserve guard Madi Radtke, Porter, Elsa Anderson and junior reserve guard and former Park Center standout McKenna DuBois all got minutes and are able to contribute on both ends of the floor.  And, keep in mind as well that UST was still without the services of sophomore guard Sarah Krynski who missed the game with Bethel as well and Porter was able to come back today after missing out last Wednesday.  Meanwhile, a disappointed Durbin pointed to several factors in his squad's downfall on this day but couldn't help point out that UST is simply stronger and bigger than his team; and that appears to be especially true in the backcourt area.  The Blazers did a very good job of getting the deficit down to five points in the third period but even there Durbin admitted that his squad had to work awfully hard just to achieve that and that "they were gassed afterwards."  Still Durbin believes in his squad and that they can still do a lot of big things down the stretch of the regular season and get themselves into position for an NCAA Tournament bid.  UST had four players in double figures scoring wise and it was yet another outstanding day for Spaulding who is making an incredibly strong case for POY honors as she netted 23 points on this day.  Renikoff had 14 points and both Fischer and Elsa Anderson had 10 points a piece.  CSB had three players in double figures with Fokken leading the way with her 15 points while both Thompson and Schiffler had 10 points a piece.  I imagine that Durbin could only shake his head in total dismay when he saw that UST pounded the Blazers on the boards on this day by a 42-24 count not to mention the fact that the Tommies had a sizable edge in those all-important "second chance" points by a 14-7 count and that UST had a 28-16 edge in points in the paint as well. 

Southwest Minnesota State vs Concordia St. Paul 1-19-18

Made my way over to Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia St. Paul University for the first time in way too long to cover this important match-up of two NSIC South Division teams struggling to work their way up in the standings - visiting Southwest Minnesota State and host Concordia St. Paul.  The Mustangs were coming into this contest with a 4-11 overall record and 3-9 in NSIC play while the Golden Bears were 4-13 overall but only 1-10 in NSIC play.  Tonight's contest would be the beginning of a five-game homestand for Concordia St. Paul and getting a win to start things out would certainly get the Golden Bears off to a good start in this stretch.  And as I would find out later, I picked an incredibly good game to end my dry streak of covering the Golden Bears as well.

Concordia St. Paul certainly couldn't have asked for a better start in this one as they bolted out to an early 11-2 lead.  Two scores by junior guard Hanna Vidlund - a jumper from the right elbow at the 9:15 mark and a jumper from the free throw line at the 8:43 mark - had the Golden Bears up 4-0 right off the bat and the fact that Concordia St. Paul was in a 2-3 "matchup" zone defense probably added to the offensive woes that the Mustangs encountered early on.  Senior sharp-shooting guard Anna Schmitt drained her first trey of the evening - this one coming from the left top area at the 7:54 mark - that stretched the Golden Bear lead to 7-2.  A Schmitt lay-up in transition at the 7:11 mark and a Schmitt jumper from the left wing area at the 6:26 mark made it 11-2 and Southwest Minnesota State was behind the eight-ball early on in the first period on the road and Head Coach Tom Webb called for a timeout to try and get his troops reorganized.  That breather seemed to get the Mustangs untangled a bit as senior forward Lauren Hedlund got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:13 mark and a Hedlund score in the paint at the 5:39 mark had the deficit down to six points at 11-5.  Concordia St. Paul would step on the gas again at this point as a Schmitt drive and finish at the 5:00 mark and a pretty jumper along the right baseline by freshman guard Ellie Gess with 4:34 left in the opening period gave the Golden Bears a ten-point advantage at 15-5.  Southwest Minnesota State would now respond and get the deficit back down to six points again as two free throws by sophomore forward Caleigh Rodning with 3:30 left and a Rodning score in the paint with 2:49 left had the Mustangs in better shape down 15-9 and two more Rodning freebies with 1:51 left kept Southwest Minnesota State in that same six-point range trailing 17-11.  The Golden Bears would try and widen the gap on a score in the paint by lanky junior post Lindsay Dorr with 1:42 left but a lay-up by willowy freshman forward Erin Baxter with 1:17 left again Southwest Minnesota State in reasonably good shape considering the bad start down 19-13.

The Mustangs held onto hope in the early moments of the second period that they could close the gap right away but Concordia St. Paul had vastly different ideas.  Schmitt drained her second trey of the night from the right wing area at the 9:08 mark and junior reserve guard and former Maranatha Christian Academy standout Lexi Lee unleashed two three-point bombs of her own - one from the left wing area at the 7:53 mark and another one from the left corner at the 7:08 mark - that doubled-up the Mustangs by a 30-15 count.  Even more encouraging from a Golden Bear standout was that they were getting contributions from some of their other bench players as well.  After junior guard Kayla Miller snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:17 mark that helped maintain Concordia St. Paul's fifteen-point edge at 32-17, lanky freshman reserve post Sydney Weierke got back-to-back scores in the paint - one at the 5:26 mark and another one with 4:56 left - to boost the Golden Bear lead to sixteen points at 36-20.  Then it was a sweet stroke from behind the arc in the right top area by Gess with 3:18 left that ballooned the lead to 39-20 and Southwest Minnesota State's Webb knew full and well his team was in a heap of trouble by this point and had no choice but to call a timeout.  Again, the Mustangs came out of the stoppage in play a bit more refocused as freshman guard Meleah Reinhart banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 2:34 left and one free throw by junior guard and former Marshall standout Sarah Buysse with 1:51 left helped trim some of the fat from the deficit with Southwest Minnesota State down 39-24.  Golden Bear freshman reserve forward Ayla Lemke upped her team's lead to seventeen points with her lay-up with 1:38 left but the Mustangs ended this first half on a 6-0 push courtesy of Rodning.  Pairs of free throws - with 1:29 left and with :50.3 left - along with an offensive rebound and putback with just one tick on the clock had Southwest Minnesota State in much better shape down 41-30 at the half.  A quick glance of the first half box score shows just how well the Golden Bears shot in this first half - 17-32 for 53.1% from FG range and 5-10 from three-point land for 50%.  And Schmitt was on fire in the first half alone racking up 14 points.  Not nearly the gaudy numbers for the Mustangs as they shot 9-31 for 29% from FG range and a dismal 1-7 from behind the arc.

Southwest Minnesota State tried desperately to make up ground once the third period got going but, for the most part anyway, it seemed like all they could do was tread water.  After the Golden Bears upped their lead on a score in the paint by Dorr at the 8:12 mark, Mustang freshman reserve guard Sadie Stelter drilled a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:38 mark that cut the deficit down to ten points for Southwest Minnesota State at 43-33.  But that chess move seemed to be negated when the Golden Bears' Gess banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:16 mark for a 46-33 Concordia St. Paul lead.  Another Schmitt three-point bomb - this one from the right corner off of an inbounds pass at the 6:22 mark - had the Golden Bear safety net up to fourteen points at 49-35 and a Dorr score at the 5:41 mark maintained the fourteen point advantage at 51-37.  A short shot off the glass by Miller with 4:59 left and a Dorr lay-up with 4:25 left increased Concordia St. Paul's lead to sixteen points at 55-39 and at that point it simply looked as if it would a bridge too far for the Mustangs.  But an undeterred Southwest Minnesota State team was not quite yet ready to give up the ship and they again started making inroads again.  Rodning dropped one free throw with 3:57 left and then Baxter; the former Apple Valley standout, really picked up her game.  She dropped the front-end of a one-and-one situation after getting fouled with 3:06 left and when the back-end attempt rattled out, she sneaked through traffic to grab an improbably offensive rebound and promptly got fouled again with 3:04 left where she would drop another freebie that reduced the Mustang deficit down to thirteen points at 55-42.  Freshman reserve forward Sara Teske then drained a "3" from the left top area with 1:54 left and a drive and finish by Stelter with 1:21 left now had Southwest Minnesota State down by just ten at 57-47.  The Mustangs were finally able to claw back into single-digit range when Rodning got to the charity stripe after getting fouled with :41.5 left to drop two free throws to make it a 57-49 ballgame and although Concordia St. Paul was able to get their lead back to ten points again at 59-49 when freshman reserve point guard and former Park Center standout Danielle Schaub uncorked a pretty running jumper in the lane with just :00.2 left on the clock, the Golden Bears likely didn't feel as safe as they may have a few minutes before.

After Sarah Buysse helped Southwest Minnesota State crawl back into single-digit range again at 59-51 with her offensive rebound and putback in transition at the 9:32 mark of the fourth period, the Golden Bears may have felt a sense of urgency to try and open up more distance as Gess let loose with another one of her pretty three-point bombs from the right wing area at the 8:40 mark and a Schmitt lay-up a bit later at the 8:18 mark had Concordia St. Paul's lead back in double-digits again at 64-51.  Complicating the situation for both teams by this point was that foul trouble was beginning to become a factor for some of the key players.  After Reinhart got the Mustangs a bit closer with her jumper from the free throw line at the 7:53 mark, her teammate Rodning got tagged with her fourth foul of the night at the 7:16 mark and shortly after that, Concordia St. Paul's Miller was sent to the bench with her fifth foul at the 7:07 mark.  The Golden Bears were trying desperately to stay safely out in front and when Schmitt made a hard drive for a finish that drew a foul, her ensuing "and one" at the 6:48 mark appeared to have Concordia St. Paul in reasonably good shape up 67-55.  But this never-say-die Mustang team was again primed to make a major move that finally got them close.  Stelter connected with a short jumper from the right side off the glass at the 6:29 mark and a Baxter drive and finish at the 5:48 mark now had Southwest Minnesota State back in single-digit range again trailing 67-59.  At the 5:06 mark, Baxter unleashed a "3" from the top of the key that trimmed the deficit down to seven points at 69-62 and with 4:38 left, Stelter made a hard drive along the right baseline for a finish and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" suddenly reduced the Mustang deficit down to five points at 70-65.  With 4:02 left, things got even tighter as Hedlund muscled into the paint for a score and drew a foul in the process and her obligatory free throw finally had Southwest Minnesota State back in single-possession range again trailing by just two at 70-68.  The Golden Bears' Schmitt put her team on her back in an attempt to establish a bit more breathing room.  The former Waconia standout knocked down a short jumper with 3:51 left and dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 3:14 left for a 74-70 Concordia St. Paul lead.  One Dorr free throw a bit later with 3:02 left increased the Golden Bear lead to five points at 75-70 but this pesky Southwest Minnesota State team simply would not go away.  Hedlund snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" with 2:45 left allowed the Mustangs to cut the deficit back down to two points at 75-73.  Again, Concordia St. Paul's Schmitt came to the rescue for the Golden Bears with a drive and finish that drew a foul and her "and one" with 2:20 left made it a 78-73 ballgame.  Two more free throws by Lee with 1:47 left maintained that five-point edge for Concordia St. Paul at 80-75 but then the 'Stangs' Baxter came to the rescue for her teammates.  She dropped one pair of free throws with 1:13 left and after two foiled Golden Bear possessions, Southwest Minnesota State got another chance as Baxter would get fouled with :33.9 left and two more free throws now had the Mustangs trailing by a tantalizing point a 80-79.  Concordia St. Paul Head Coach Amanda Johnson called a timeout to set up her squad's gameplan and with :22.8 left, Schmitt would get sent to the charity stripe where she calmly dropped two free throws to extend the Golden Bear lead back to three points at 82-79.  Considering the fact that Southwest Minnesota State had to work so incredibly hard to get things tight again by this point was a remarkable feat in itself and there were probably several Mustang parents and fans in the stands who probably would have been satisfied with that alone.  But this Mustang team had higher aspirations than that and with seemingly all lifelines all but used up, it was an all or nothing proposition.  But Southwest Minnesota State; playing without any fear, rolled the dice and took its chance.  With :11.9 left in regulation, Rodning got free behind the arc in the left wing area and she uncorked a cold-blooded "3" that suddenly had this one knotted at 82 a piece.  There was still time for the Golden Bears to respond but on their ensuing possession they lost control of the ball with time expiring so off we went to an extra five-minute session.

The Mustangs' fortunes appeared to take a serious hit in the first few minutes of the extra session as another Gess three-point dagger from the right wing area with 4:42 left got Concordia St. Paul back out in front 85-82 and with 2:51 left Southwest Minnesota State's Rodning was tagged with her fifth and final foul on a somewhat controversial call by the officials that eliminated a big piece of the Mustang offensive attack.  Two Gess free throws extended the Golden Bear lead to five points at 87-82 with 2:51 left and the Mustangs' prospects looked dim at best by this point.  Baxter would get her Southwest Minnesota State team back into single-possession range with two free throws with 2:37 left but when Concordia St. Paul's Dorr got into the paint for a score with 2:23 left and Schmitt followed up with a lay-up with 1:50 left to make it a 91-84 ballgame, the Mustangs' hopes appeared to be dead in the water again.  But, as we saw earlier, this Southwest Minnesota State team has an incredible knack for turning even the most dire situations into something positive.  Baxter would give Southwest Minnesota State a three-point play with her drive and finish that drew a foul with the obligatory free throw with 1:33 left and then Sarah Buysse came up big on defense as she blocked a Lee jumper with 1:10 left and was fouled when she got the ball and her two free throws suddenly had the Mustangs back in single-possession range again down by two at 91-89.  On Concordia St. Paul's ensuing possession, Southwest Minnesota State momentarily looked like it was going to get a big break when Schmitt's running jumper in the lane rattled off the rim - presumably into the waiting arms of a Mustang player but the 'Stangs forgot to box out Concordia St. Paul's Dorr who snared the offensive rebound and got a putback out of it to extend the Golden Bear lead to four points at 93-89.  But Southwest Minnesota State's Stelter would be fouled with :38.8 left on the ensuing Mustang possession and her two charity stripe shots narrowed the gap to two points again at 93-91.  Concordia St. Paul's Johnson called a thirty-second timeout and on the ensuing Golden Bear possession, Schmitt was unable to knock down a jumper but the officials had brought the action to a halt as they had to review the shot clock.  Action would again be delayed by yet another officials' review to determine ball possession and once it was determined that Concordia St. Paul would retain possession, Golden Bear senior reserve guard Haydn Becker was fouled with :18.5 left but the former Andover standout could only get the back-end of the two shot attempt to go down which still had the Mustangs in single-possession range trailing 94-91.  Now it was Southwest Minnesota State's turn to call a timeout and Webb undoubtedly was going to set something up for a three-point shot attempt to try and force a second overtime.

The Mustangs got the ball into play near the half-court line to try and set up their desperation attempt.  It appeared as if Baxter was the designated "go to" person if possible but Concordia St. Paul was not going to let the former Apple Valley standout get a decent look so Baxter had to pass the ball over to Stelter who got a nice screen near the top of the key and with :07.5 left Stelter launched her attempt that found nothing but cotton and the Mustang contingent inside Gangelhoff Center was going nuts with the thought of forcing a second overtime.  But what Southwest Minnesota State likely could not have counted on was the Golden Bears getting one last shot which is all they needed.  Schmitt quickly got the ball up the court and with the Mustangs doing everything possible not to commit a costly foul which would have doomed them, they had to pick their poison and risk Schmitt making a desperation NBA-range three-pointer.  But Schmitt was as cool as a cucumber as she got to the left top area and, with just under a second left, delivered the dagger of the night that made the net dance and the crowd inside Gangelhoff Center erupted as Concordia St. Paul came away with a dramatic 97-94 victory in overtime.

It's unlikely that one could have asked for such drama and, coming off last Sunday's "Minneapolis Miracle" that the hometown Minnesota Vikings pulled off against New Orleans to advance to Sunday's NFC Championship Game, it's uncanny to say the least.  Even wilder was the fact that this game featured three participants from the monumental 2014 Class AAA State Championship Game between Marshall and Park Center - Southwest Minnesota State's Sarah Buysse and younger sister sophomore reserve guard Emily Buysse and Concordia St. Paul's Schaub.  Just like she had in that unforgettable game for Park Center, Schaub hit a running jumper in the lane as the clock was expiring - this time before the halftime buzzer.  And although this night's contest featured only one overtime unlike the three overtimes back in 2014, there were still some eerie parallels nonetheless.  Despite the loss, it was a great effort from the Mustangs who had to fight, scratch and claw their way back from almost certain defeat more than once.  Southwest Minnesota State had four players in double figures scoring-wise on this night as Baxter; who caught fire in the second half, led the way with her 25 points.  Rodning was right behind with 22 points while Stelter had 15 points and Hedlund had 11 points.  Unnoticed in all this was Sarah Buysse's ten rebounds on this night and she grabbed some big ones when the Mustangs needed them.  For Concordia St. Paul, no guessing as to who stole the spotlight on this night as Schmitt cashed in for an unbelievable 37 points that included the biggest three points of the night at the very end.  Dorr had a solid night as well with her "double-double" of 19 points and 16 rebounds while Gess added 16 points and the former Bloomington Jefferson standout was 4-5 from behind the arc on this night.  Two things that stand out in looking at the box score closely that likely had a big part in Southwest Minnesota State's downfall on this night was that the Golden Bears had a 27-17 advantage in those all important "second chance" points and Concordia St. Paul also enjoyed a sizable 42-30 edge in points in the paint as well. 

UST vs Bethel 1-17-18

Was back over at Bethel's Robertson Center on this Wednesday night to take in another highly-anticipated match-up of two of the upper-tier teams in the MIAC between visiting UST and host Bethel.  The Tommies; winners of six straight games since that loss to Luther at home back in mid-December, were hoping to stay neck-and-neck with MIAC co-leader CSB while the Royals had reeled off eight straight wins; including a big one at home over GAC this last Saturday and were hoping to stay in the conference race.

Things would stay relatively tight over the first six minutes of the opening period as expected with both teams in man-to-man defense.  UST relied heavily on Spaulding early and often and she got the Tommies on the board first with an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 8:58 mark.  At the 6:42 mark, Spaulding would strike again in the paint and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" by the former Annandale standout had UST up 5-2.  The Royals would close the gap to one point on a lay-up by senior guard Angie Kirchoff at the 6:35 mark but a short drive and finish by Spaulding at the 6:05 mark had the Tommies up by three at 7-4.  Bethel would again close the gap to one when willowy junior post Hannah Johnson slithered into the paint for a score with 4:21 left but it was here where the slope became slippery for the Royals as UST made its first decisive move in the form of a 9-0 run.  Spaulding dropped two free throws after getting sent to the charity stripe with 4:07 left got the lead back to three points again at 9-6 and a Spaulding lay-up with 3:40 left pushed the lead to five points at 11-6.  The Royals were unable to convert on their ensuing possession and UST quickly got into transition off of the defensive rebound and Spaulding finished with a pretty lay-up in transition with 3:20 left that now made it a 13-6 ballgame.  The icing on the cake of this first Tommie blitz was a three-point dagger from the left wing by senior guard Maddie Wolkow with 2:36 left that pushed the UST lead to ten points at 16-6 and Royal Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer right away knew his squad was in a heap of trouble right then and there and quickly called a halt to the action.  Sophomore forward Taite Anderson finally stopped some of the bleeding for Bethel with two free throws with 1:27 left but another Spaulding score in the paint with 1:06 left and two free throws by junior guard Kaylie Brazil with :48.3 left had UST up 20-8 going into the second corner and for Herbrechtsmeyer and the Royals it was a situation which they had hoped to avoid at all costs - having to play catch-up with the Tommies early on.

And trying to play catch-up with the Tommies proved to be quite an arduous task as the second period rolled around.  A Spaulding lay-up at the 9:41 mark and a jumper from the left wing by Brazil at the 8:48 mark stretched the UST lead to sixteen at 24-8.  Two scores in the paint by the Royals' Johnson - one at the 8:24 mark and another at the 7:56 mark - momentarily slowed the downward spiral that Bethel seemed to be in.  Two scores by Taite Anderson - a lay-up at the 7:21 mark and a score in the paint at the 6:51 mark - at least kept some hope alive for the Royals down by twelve at 28-16.  It was here, however, where UST was really able to put Bethel into a serious hole; going on a 14-3 run to close out the first half.  Brazil drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 6:25 mark and a short, one-handed shot in the lane by junior guard Lucia Renikoff with 4:02 left got the Tommie lead to seventeen at 33-16.  With 3:23 left, Renikoff would strike from behind the arc; draining a "3" from the left wing area and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Madi Radtke with 2:59 left upped UST's lead to 38-19.  With 2:29 left, Brazil would strike on the defensive end with a steal and whiz the other way for a lay-up attempt.  Though she was unable to get the lay-up to go, she was fouled in the process and was able to get one of the free throw attempts to go down for a 39-19 lead.  Lanky sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson knocked down a short, turnaround jumper with 1:13 left and one more free throw by Renikoff with :53.8 left allowed the Tommies to take a virtually insurmountable 42-19 lead into the locker room at the half as the Bethel team shuffled off to their locker room a bit dazed and frustrated.  A glance at the first half box score is enough to make your eyes pop out and little wonder why.  UST's Spaulding had already accumulated 17 points and Brazil had 12 points in the first half alone.  More importantly, The Tommies owned the boards by a 21-16 count and the Tommies also forced nine Bethel turnovers in the first half as well.  For Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff, it was probably their worst nightmare come true having dug themselves into a canyon and with little chance of getting out of this mess.

The Royals needed something positive to happen once the third period got underway and they finally started showing a few signs of life in the first five minutes.  Kirchoff knocked down a jumper from the left elbow at the 9:20 mark and although UST's Brazil banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:39 mark, Bethel continued with this early second half charge.  Taite Anderson was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" at the 5:56 mark had the Tommie lead down to 45-24.  A bit later, senior reserve guard Hannah Simpson drained a "3" from the left corner at the 5:27 mark and a Taite Anderson drive and finish with 4:48 left in the period whittled UST's lead down to 45-29 and Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn felt compelled to call a thirty-second timeout to get her troops reorganized.  That short stoppage in play seemed to get UST refocused and they responded with a 9-4 push down the stretch of the third period.  Spaulding got into the paint for a score with 4:25 left and drew a foul as well and she dropped the obligatory free throw to up the Tommie lead to 48-29.  Two more Spaulding freebies with 3:20 left and a three-point bomb by Renikoff from the left corner with 2:15 left had UST up 53-31 and one free throw by Elsa Anderson with :14.7 left in the third period appeared to have the Tommies safely ahead by a 54-33 count going into the fourth period.

It may have been somewhat of a desperation mode but Bethel had no intentions of going quietly into the night on their home floor and the Royals started out the fourth period with an 8-0 burst.  Freshman reserve forward Lainie Cox kissed a short jumper off the glass at the 9:37 mark and two Johnson free throws at the 8:42 mark trimmed the deficit down to seventeen points at 54-37.  Back-to-back scores in the paint by Taite Anderson - one at the 7:42 mark and another one at the 6:55 mark - now whittled that deficit down to thirteen points at 54-41 and UST's Sinn called a halt to the action to try and prevent further inroads.  A Spaulding lay-up at the 6:26 mark temporarily stopped some of the Tommie bleeding but Bethel was far from finished from putting a scare into its opponent.  A Taite Anderson drive and finish at the 5:46 mark started a 10-2 Royal run and a steal in the backcourt by senior guard Abby Miller forced a Tommie foul and the former Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted standout got one free throw to go down at the 5:35 mark.  Then Miller; who was held in check for the most part of the evening by that stifling Tommie defense, finally got free from behind the arc in the left corner with 4:57 left and unleashed a bomb that finally had the Royals back in single-digit range trailing 56-47.  A Kirchoff lay-up with 3:16 left kept Bethel in that nine-point range trailing 58-49 and when Taite Anderson muscled in for a lay-up with 2:34 left, the Royals now trailed by seven at 58-51 and UST's Sinn had no choice but to take a match to another timeout.  But this unlikely comeback attempt by Bethel would prove to simply be a bridge too far with not enough time to pull it off.  The Tommies righted the ship in the last two minutes as Spaulding connected with a lay-up at the 2:02 mark as the shot clock was winding down to increase UST's lead to 60-51 and the Royals were unable to cut into the deficit down the stretch.  A "3" from the left corner by Brazil with just :17 left was all the insurance that the Tommies would need in the stretch run as they claimed an important 63-51 road victory.

I caught up with UST's Sinn afterward and mentioned to her that that may have been the best first half that her Tommie squad has played thus far this year.  She wouldn't completely agree with that notion but she did mention to me back in the early part of the season that she felt that her squad was still trying to find an identity for itself; that some of the younger players needed to know and understand their roles a bit better.  I think that we're finally beginning to see that and when they play at or near their best, they're incredibly tough to beat.  Spaulding was simply unstoppable at times in the first half and though Bethel did a better job on her defensively in the second half, she was still able to come up with a big play when she needed to.  The Annandale native may only be a junior but she's got my vote for POY right now.  There was a bit of concern on my part on how difficult it would be for UST to replace an All-American like Kaitlin Langer but I think they've weathered that potential storm quite well.  Meanwhile for Bethel, while this loss broke an eight-game winning streak, in reality it's a devastating blow to their already-slim MIAC title and NCAA Tournament hopes.  Herbrechtsmeyer pointed out to me afterward that they really had only one day of preparation for this game as they had that Monday night make-up game at Concordia.  "We dug ourselves into too big of a hole" he lamented.  He said that they had a chance to get refocused at the half and that "we were fine in the second half" but they just had dug themselves too deep to bring it back all the way.  And that really seems to be the prevailing pattern for any other top-tier team in the conference right now when they play the Tommies.  The margin for error is so small when you play them and they can hurt you in so many different ways and you can ill-afford to try and play catch-up with them.  It just doesn't work and when UST ventures up to CSB on Saturday for a titanic clash with the Blazers, it will be interesting to see how CSB handles the moment.  It was simply a spectacular night for Spaulding as she finished with a "double-double" of 26 points and 12 rebounds.  Brazil, too, had an incredibly solid night from a scoring standpoint as she finished with 20 points.  For Bethel, Taite Anderson really came on strong in the second half and she finished with 19 points with thirteen of those points coming in the second half alone.  Johnson was the only other Bethel player in double figures on this night with her 12 points.  Undoubtedly, Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff will look at the 16 turnovers as one of the contributing factors in this loss alongside with getting into too big of a hole too early.