Selection Monday Fallout - Augsburg (& UW-La Crosse) Gets Royally Hosed

I didn't get to watch the DIII Selection Show earlier this afternoon when I was at work but shortly after 2:00 P.M., I pulled up the D3 Hoops website to check the pairings when they were released and my worst fears were confirmed when I saw that Augsburg had inexplicably been left out of the NCAA Tournament; much to my fear, shock, utter disbelief - and anger as well.  As I write this, I'm just kind of numb because I was so sure that the Auggies were going to get in and the people I spoke with on the Augsburg side after the MIAC Championship Game on Saturday felt confident as well.  So I'm trying to figure out how/why things went so awry so quickly when it came time for the NCAA DIII Tournament Committee to make their selections.  And I'm doing some comparisons between Augsburg and two teams that did get in - from the ARC and WIAC - which would be Loras and UW-Whitewater to see how these teams stack up. 

Let's take a look first at Loras out of the ARC.  The Duhawks finished with a very similar record to that of Augsburg's 22-4 (16-2 in conference play) as they were 22-5 overall and 14-2 in conference play.  The thing that likely had Loras over Augsburg in this case was that Duhawks did have a stronger non-conference schedule as they played WIAC Champion UW-Oshkosh (loss) and said UW-Whitewater team (won).  They were swept by Wartburg in the regular season and then lost to the Knights again in the ARC Championship Game.  I don't have that big of a problem with Loras getting in and I even predicted they'd get in (as did the D3 Hoops wonks). 

Now let's take a look at UW-Whitewater out of the WIAC.  The Warhawks are arguably something of an enigma here as they finished with a somewhat pedestrian (among top teams anyway) overall record of 18-9 and 10-4 in WIAC play.  What sets UW-Whitewater apart from Augsburg is their non-conference schedule which saw them play a number of regionally-ranked opponents including said Loras team (loss), Illinois Wesleyan (win), Thomas More (loss) and Trine (loss).  Then, of course, you get the meat of the WIAC regular season schedule where they split with UW-La Crosse and swept eventual WIAC champ UW-Oshkosh.  Then they won the rubber match with UW-La Crosse in the WIAC semifinals before losing to UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC Championship Game yesterday.  But let's also take a closer look at that schedule and "drill down" into some of those results.  I won't argue that the number of regionally-ranked opponents is impressive and probably what got them over the top when it mattered but, at the same time, the Warhawks also had some bad losses as well.  They lost to Coe at home in early December and got hammered at UW-Eau Claire shortly after the first of the year 85-58.  That was followed up by a loss at UW-Stout four days later 78-68 before one of those losses to UW-La Crosse 60-49 (at HOME IN WHITEWATER).  Then there was a loss in the regular season finale at UW-River Falls 59-52.  They met UW-Oshkosh for a third time in the WIAC Championship Game yesterday and the Titans, obviously seeking a measure of revenge, absolutely crushed this UW-Whitewater team by almost thirty at 69-40.  So I won't dismiss the notion when it comes to all the regionally-ranked teams they played.  BUT, there's also a bad, toxic mix in there of some really bad losses as well; most notably just yesterday in the WIAC Championship Game.  And yet the NCAA Tournament Committee somehow conveniently overlooks this and gives the nod to the Warhawks anyway.  I really, truly have a problem with this and I'm willing to bet that I'm in good company here.  I mean, you have to ask yourself at times when you compare them against Augsburg exactly what they're rewarding/punishing.  Maybe Augsburg doesn't have the number of wins against regionally-ranked opponents (save for UW-Superior and they mysteriously dropped out altogether of the West Region rankings BEFORE they were upset by Bethany Lutheran) but they sure as HELL did NOT have the kinds of bad losses that UW-Whitewater absorbed during the season; much less so in the MIAC Championship Game.

I felt badly for UW-La Crosse as well this afternoon as I felt the Eagles were dealt a bad hand in this mess.  They split with said UW-Whitewater team during the regular season but were swept by UW-Oshkosh.  The only really "bad" loss they had was right after the first of the year when they lost at UW-Stout.  A very similar record to that of both Augsburg and Loras as they went 22-5 overall and 10-4 in WIAC play and they lost a heartbreaker to UW-Whitewater in the WIAC semifinals 53-51 over the weekend.  So what would have got them over the top?  Beating UW-Whitewater this last weekend?  Splitting with UW-Oshkosh?  Having that game back with UW-Stout?  You can say a lot of the same things about Augsburg in all this.  Maybe had they beaten Trinity shortly before Christmas, that might have been enough to get them in.  Or perhaps beating said La Crosse team over Thanksgiving weekend or an upset over mighty UST in the regular season. 

Again, I'm probably not the only one feeling this way so feel free to fire away with thoughts.  I'll have more on the pod being hosted beginning this Friday night at UST later on in the week.   

Looking Ahead To Selection Monday

Being that I have to go back to work tomorrow (oh joy :( ), I wanted to put something out here this afternoon to provide something of a synopsis of what's going on not only with the MIAC and the rest of the immediate area but with some of the other conferences in the West that could have implications as to who winds up getting in and who's bubble gets sadly burst.


MIAC:  UST, of course, gets the automatic bid from the MIAC with their win in the MIAC Championship Game yesterday and they'll almost certainly host a first- and second-round pod at Schoenecker Arena beginning on Friday evening.  Augsburg is virtually a "lock" to get a bid and my best guess is that they'll likely get sent down to Waverly, IA for the pod likely to be hosted by ARC Champion Wartburg.


WIAC:  UW-Whitewater is slated to battle UW-Oshkosh (by-gosh) for the WIAC's automatic bid into the Dance at 3:00 P.M. this afternoon and you have to figure that both the Warhawks and the Titans are virtual "locks" to get in no matter what happens there.  The bigger question in the WIAC right now is swirling around UW-La Crosse currently sitting at 22-5 after their seminfinal loss Friday night to said UW-Whitewater team 53-51.  I have to think that the Eagles are in and it would be a complete travesty if they were kept out. 


ARC:  Wartburg claimed the ARC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their win over Loras in the ARC Championship Game yesterday.  But Loras appears to be a "lock" to get a bid as well.


UMAC:  Bethany Lutheran pulled off the unthinkable yesterday afternoon up in the Twin Ports by upsetting heavily-favored and #1 seed UW-Superior 55-54 to claim the UMAC's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament.  We all know that the Yellowjackets are more than deserving of a bid to the Dance but, unfortunately, it's almost a sure thing that they're going to be checking into Heartbreak Hotel tomorrow afternoon as they're going to be on the outside looking in. 


NACC:  Wisconsin Lutheran picked up the NACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their win over Concordia (Wisconsin) yesterday in the NACC Championship Game. 


MWC:  Ripon got the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their win over Monmouth in the MWC Championship Game yesterday. 


NWC:  George Fox wrapped up yet another automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last night by virtue of their win over Whitman in the NWC Championship Game.  Both Whitman and Puget Sound are going to have uncomfortable waits to Monday to see if they can get in and my guess is that one of them will be too far out on the bubble.  If I had to venture a guess right now, I'd put my money on Whitman getting in by virtue of them making it to the NWC Championship Game but not both of them.  But, then again, I've been wrong before. 


SCIAC:  Pomona-Pitzer pulled off a shocker yesterday by downing heavily-favored Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the SCIAC Championship Game so while the Sagehens get the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, one can only be left guessing about the Athenas' fortunes going into Selection Monday.  If it comes down to a question of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs Puget Sound out of the NWC for one of those very last spots, I myself would be tempted to give it to the Athenas but that may be only because of my devotional ties to both the Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins. 


So there's something of a synopsis to look at going into Selection Monday of what we have around here and in the West Region as well.  Feel free to fire away with thoughts.   

MIAC Championship Game - Augsburg vs UST 2-23-19

Got over to the St. Paul side of town and Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST on this overcast, gloomy Saturday afternoon as many here in the upper Midwest braced for Winter Storm Quiana's wrath to take in the highly-anticipated MIAC Championship Game between visiting Augsburg on the Minneapolis side of town and host UST.  I got inside Schoenecker Arena early to get settled in to watch both teams warm-up.  We saw the Tommies sweep the Auggies during the regular season so I don't think it was a shock to most to understand that UST would be the decided favorite again in this particular setting.  At the same time, we also know how incredibly difficult it is to beat a team (any team for that matter) three times in one season and certainly Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso and his staff had presumably made even more tweaks for this game.  And one thing that the Auggies had going for them on this day was that a large contingent of fans and students had made the short trek over from the Minneapolis side of town to cheer on their beloved Augsburg.  Of course, the third-ranked Tommies were prepared as well and they were well-represented on this day too with parents, students/alumni and former Tommie players in the stands as well so it was going to be a fun atmosphere for this one. 

Defense took center stage after the opening tip but UST still managed to bolt out to a 5-1 advantage in the first four minutes of the opening period as sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter connected with a lay-up at the 7:38 mark that also drew a foul with the obligatory free throw to follow.  Senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding was able to get a tip-in of her own miss in traffic at the 5:43 mark to achieve that four-point edge before the Auggies could reduce the deficit to two points on a lay-up by junior forward Camryn Speese at the 5:22 mark.  The Tommies, however, responded with a 6-0 push to try and open up some more space early on.  A routine Spaulding score in the paint at the 5:12 mark and a drive and finish by Porter with 4:41 left got UST's lead up to 9-3 and still another Spaulding score down low with 4:00 left pushed the lead to 11-3 before the Auggies could make some dents in this early cushion thanks to freshman reserve forward Jen Masello.  The Darien, IL product got one score in the paint with 3:42 left and also connected with a lay-up with 1:16 left that reduced the deficit to five points at 12-7 but the Tommies would build the lead back up to eight points again before this first period expired.  Ever-improving freshman reserve guard Mia Krogseng made a drive for a finish with :58 left and one Spaulding freebie after she was fouled with :28.7 left had UST up 15-7 and clearly Augsburg was in a tough spot already as things moved into the second period.

But one thing that has defined this Augsburg team all year long was how explosive they can be at times on offense and their ability to strike like an agitated rattlesnake at times.  That was demonstrated on Thursday night in their comeback win against Bethel and it was demonstrated again in the early moments of the second period as junior guard Tamira McLemore banged home one "3" from the top of the key at the 7:07 mark and fellow junior point guard Ari Jones drained another "3" from the left wing area at the 6:26 mark that suddenly had the Auggies back to within a single possession down 15-13.  Two free throws by senior guard Camille McCoy at the 5:19 mark reduced the deficit down to one point at 16-15 before UST could get a bit more breathing room on two Spaulding charity stripe shots with 4:25 left.  But one thing that has always worried Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn is an opponent's ability to hit three-point shots and that fear was probably renewed when Augsburg's McLemore unleashed yet another three-point bomb - this one from the right wing area with 3:57 left that had the raucous Auggie contingent roaring and, more importantly, had this one knotted at 18 a piece.  Again the Tommies managed to step on the gas pedal as two lay-ups in transition by Spaulding - one with 3:46 left and another one with 3:18 left - had UST up by four at 22-18.  The momentary exhiliration that the Augsburg contingent felt just a bit ago took a hit a bit later when McLemore collected her second foul of the afternoon with 2:28 left and UST sophomore reserve guard Kelsie Cox got two free throws out of it to push the Tommie lead to five at 24-19.  But hopes were high again for the Auggies as Masello got to the charity stripe after getting fouled with 2:12 left and she responded with both attempts to reduce the deficit to three points at 24-21 and then up-and-coming sophomore reserve guard Nicole Zielsdorf came up big for Augsburg as she nailed a "3" from the right wing area with 1:12 left that again tied this game at 24-all.  But the Tommies were able to end this second period with a 5-1 spurt as another Spaulding score in the paint with :57 left had UST up again 26-24 and with just :04 left, senior guard Kaylie Brazil came up big for the Tommies as she unleashed a dagger "3" from the right top area to give UST some breathing room again - and a 29-25 lead to take into the locker room at the half to boot.  A check of the first half box score reveals something of a glass half-full proposition for both teams.  On the UST side, they did have a sizable edge on the boards 24-15 and had only three turnovers to Augsburg's eight but on the downside, Sinn and her staff had to be in utter shock to see that the Tommies had an absolute dismal performance from three-point land; landing only 1-9 attempts.  Augsburg on the other hand shot decently from behind the arc; going 4-8 for a straight 50% but that was brought down by the fact that they were only 7-21 from FG range for 33.3%.  Free throw shooting was okay as they were 7-10 from the charity stripe but those eight first half turnovers they committed along with the aforementioned rebounding aspect took some of that impact away. 

The Auggies though managed to stay right in the thick of things and, at one point anyway, appeared to have momentum clearly in their favor in the opening minutes of the third period.  Speese made a drive into the lane for a jumper at the 9:46 mark to reduce the deficit to two points at 29-27 and then McLemore got Augsburg even closer when she drained yet another three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area at the 9:01 mark that reduced the deficit to a scant point at 31-30.  One free throw by McCoy at the 8:34 mark and one more by junior guard Kaezha Wubben at the 7:52 mark kept the Auggies in that one-point range down 33-32.  By this time, UST senior guard Lucia Renikoff had collected her third foul of the afternoon and at the 7:10 mark, perhaps the pivotal point of this ballgame took place when Augsburg got into the bonus after McLemore was fouled and her two free throws had the Auggies in single possession range down only 35-33 and, presumably anyway, this is where everything was laid out perfectly for Augsburg to possibly usurp control of this game if they could just play defense and make a concerted effort to drive the ball into the lane in hopes of getting several trips to the charity stripe.  Strangely, however, this never happened and the Tommies had a big part in that as they adjusted and stretched out their lead again.  Sophomore reserve guard Macy Hatlestad unleashed a dagger "3" from the right corner at the 6:56 mark to get UST's lead to five points at 38-33 and then Porter unleashed a three-point dagger of her own at the 5:15 mark from the right top area that pushed the lead to eight points at 41-33.  Brazil completed this key 9-0 run with her jumper from the left elbow area with 4:20 left that now gave the Tommies a ten-point cushion at 43-33; certainly not an insurmountable deficit from an Augsburg standpoint but the seeming momentum they had just a short while ago seemed to escape into this dreary winter afternoon.  The Auggies attempted to cut into this cushion as Masello made a drive for a lay-up with 3:05 left and another three-point bomb by McLemore - this one from the right wing area with 2:24 left - reduced the deficit to seven points at 45-38.  But Augsburg would never see the daylight of possibly being able to poke their nose out in front again.  Tommie junior guard Sarah Krynski muscled into the paint for a score with 1:53 left as would Porter with 1:26 left to push the lead back to nine points at 49-40 and then Porter would make a drive into the lane for a finish with :46 left as the shot clock was expiring to once again get the lead to ten at 51-41.  The Auggies would manage to resuscitate their fading hopes as two Wubben free throws with :33.8 left and a McLemore drive and finish with :14 left reduced the deficit to six points at 51-45.  UST's Porter got tagged with her fourth foul of the day with just :04 left that bolstered hope again on the Augsburg side but the Auggies still had an uphill climb down 51-45 going into the fourth period. 

Augsburg tried desperately to keep this one within striking distance once the fourth period got underway but it seemed like the basketball version of the "I Love Lucy" episode when she struggles to keep up with the conveyor belt of chocolates coming her way that eventually overwhelms her.  UST's Renikoff; who struggled with her shooting touch throughout most of this game, came alive in the fourth period and she unleashed one of her trademark "3's" at the 9:47 mark to get the lead to nine points at 54-45.  The Auggies tried to answer as Wubben was able to grab an offensive rebound of her own three-point miss at the 9:21 mark for a putback  and a McLemore jumper from the right wing area at the 7:54 mark reduced the deficit to seven points at 56-49 to provide at least a ray of hope going forward.  But that hope soon died a quick death as the Tommies' Renikoff soon stretched things out again for her team.  The former Minneapolis Washburn standout drained her second trey of the day from the left wing area at the 7:02 mark and added one free throw after getting fouled at the 5:45 mark to get UST's lead to eleven at 60-49.  A Krynski score in the paint at the 5:24 mark and a Porter jumper from the free throw line with 4:47 left now had the Tommie lead at thirteen points at 64-51 and Augsburg's Riverso clearly saw this one slipping away for good from his team and he quickly called a timeout in hopes of reversing this trend.  But it simply was not to be on this day as the Auggies' best chance had since come and gone.  One free throw by UST's Spaulding with 2:33 left and two more by Renikoff with 2:06 left now had the Tommies up 67-51 and a Brazil jumper from the free throw line with :56 left got the lead to eighteen at 69-51.  Augsburg's Jones got one three-point bomb to fall from the left top area with :38 left but it was simply too little, too late.  Pairs of insurance free throws by UST's Porter with :30.4 left and by Brazil with :25.8 left only added to the pad and the Tommies collected their eighth consecutive MIAC Championship Game trophy with a 73-54 victory and the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as well.

It took me a while before I could catch up with anyone afterward and, as Prince's "Purple Rain" cascaded through Schoenecker Arena as the Tommies prepared to cut down the nets once again, it struck me just how incredibly good this UST team truly is.  They absorbed Augsburg's best effort and shook it off just when the Auggies seemed to be in position to put the Tommies in a tough spot in that third period.  I finally did catch up with Augsburg Assistant Coach Jackie Voigt and asked her about that critical moment in the third period when the Auggies got into the bonus but never could capitalize on that opportunity.  "We just didn't score" she deadpanned.  I think you can probably make the argument too that the Auggies shot selection after that opportunity had come and gone was a bit questionable as well but UST is all too well known for making its opponents take bad shots at critical times.  The good news for Augsburg is that they can lick their wounds for the next 36-48 hours as they prepare for selection Monday to find out where they're going in the NCAA Tournament and, if I had to offer up a guess right now, I'm betting that they'll get sent down to Waverly, IA for the pod at ARC champ Wartburg (more on that later).  I asked UST's Sinn about how her team was potentially in a tough spot in that third period when the Auggies got into the bonus.  "It's like I've told you at the beginning of the year.....The officials aren't going to change....We have to adjust."  And I think the Tommies did a great job of that as that's exactly where they started to get some much desired separation and they completed the deal in the fourth period.  Sinn was quick to praise Augsburg's McLemore as well.  "She's just an outstanding player" she said.  So now the Tommies can sit back and wait for Monday's Selection Show to see who's all going to be making their way to Schoenecker Arena for next Friday night's first round games.  A show of the final box score shows that UST walloped Augsburg on the boards by a 43-27 count and while I expected the Tommies to win this particular battle, I felt that the Auggies had to do a better job here and it just didn't happen.  Neither team was terrible on the turnover front today with the Tommies committing 11 and Augsburg 14 but the Auggies only got one steal all game long and they had to get more to spark their up-tempo game which simply never happened on this day.  But here's an even more shocking stat that stood out to me:  In that fourth period, UST really applied the clamps to the Auggies on defense which resulted in Augsburg going only 3-17 from FG range for 17.6% and 1-8 from downtown for 12.5%.  Yikes.  Now, UST finished this game going 25-53 from FG range for 47.2% and only 5-17 from behind the arc for 29.4%.  Perhaps the biggest concern for Sinn and her staff is that the Tommies were 18-29 from the charity stripe on this day for 62.1% and that number will have to come up for the NCAA Tournament.  Just another spectacular outing for Spaulding on this day with her "double-double" of 25 points to lead all scorers along with 17 rebounds to boot.  Porter had another solid outing with 16 points and Renikoff; who started slowly on this day, came alive late when her team needed her most and she finished with ten points.  McLemore led the Augsburg effort with her 19 points and she was the only Auggie in double figures scoring-wise on this day.           

MIAC Playoff Semifinal Game - Bethel vs Augsburg 2-21-19

After leaving UST's Schoenecker Arena, I rushed back over to the Minneapolis side of town and over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University for the second semifinal game on this night between visiting Bethel and host Augsburg.  I got settled in and ready to go at the 4:20 mark of the first period with Bethel leading 11-9.

Things appeared to go the Royals' way for the most part in this first period from what I could detect when I first walked in and that trend seemed to hold true when junior point guard Haylee Barker connected with a lay-up with 3:58 left to stretch Bethel's lead to four points at 13-9.  But the Auggies finally got their up-tempo game flowing that allows them to go bombs-away from downtown.  Junior guard Tamira McLemore banged home one three-point bomb from the right wing area with 3:46 left and junior reserve sharp-shooting guard Aiza Wilson drained a "3" of her own from the left top area with 2:55 left that propelled Augsburg into the lead at 15-13.  The Royals would take the lead back on a 7-0 run to finish off this first period as junior forward Taite Anderson got one free throw to go down with 2:01 left and willowy senior post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up with 1:34 left that put Bethel ahead 16-15.  A lay-up by sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz with 1:05 left along with a trademark short turnaround one-handed jumper by Johnson with :25.4 left had the Royals in decent shape again up 20-15 going into the second period. 

In fact, things were still looking very good for Bethel in the opening minutes of the second period.  Taite Anderson would connected with a lay-up at the 9:34 mark to maintain the five-point edge and a Taite Anderson "3" from the left corner got the Royals' lead to six at 25-19 and when sophomore guard Bella Williams snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up at the 8:01 mark to make it 27-19, the Royals definitely appeared to be in control of things.  But Augsburg was finally able to get untracked at this point and they slowly started chipping away at things that not only closed the gap but propelled the Auggies into the lead.  A McLemore "3" from the left corner at the 7:40 mark sparked a 15-2 Augsburg run that really changed the complexion of things.  Two free throws by freshman reserve guard Selena Lor at the 5:45 mark reduced the deficit to five points at 29-24 and two more by McLemore after she was fouled with 4:54 left got the Auggies back to within a single possession down 29-26.  Senior guard/forward and former Park Center standout Camille McCoy knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area with 4:24 left that cut the deficit down to a single scant point at 29-28 and when McLemore got a lay-up in transition after a steal with 4:09 left, Augsburg was suddenly in front 30-29.  But the former Eagan standout was just getting warmed up as she would connect with another lay-up in transition with 3:39 left and then knock down a jumper from the right elbow area with 2:57 left that now had the Auggies up by five at 34-29.  Bethel finally stopped their extended dry spell when Johnson connected with a hook shot with 2:33 left but the Auggies still were able to close out this second period on a 5-1 push.  Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth with 2:00 left and one more by Wilson with 1:40 left got Augsburg's lead to six points at 37-31 and a jumper by McCoy with :29 left let the Auggies take a surprising 39-32 lead into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score reveals that the Royals certainly shot well enough in this first half from FG range as they were 14-27 for 51.9% but behind the arc it was a different story as they were only 2-7 for 28.6% and perhaps even more problematic was that they were only 2-6 from the charity stripe for 33.3% but the real killer, of course, was the extended run the Royals gave up in the second period where their lead simply evaporated and for a team that prides itself with its defense, this had to be a very bitter pill for Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff.  Throw in the 13 first half turnovers that the Royals suffered likely had Herbrechtsmeyer reaching for the Rolaids as well during the halftime break.  The Auggies meanwhile shot well for the most part; going 13-25 from FG range for 52% and 6-12 from downtown for a straight 50%.  And going 7-8 from the charity stripe for 87.5% was definitely something that Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso and his staff wanted to see in the locker room.  What was truly striking, however, was that McLemore already had collected 22 points of her own. 

And the Auggies threatened to put Bethel in an even tougher spot in the opening moments of the third period.  Speedy junior guard Kaezha Wubben made a hard drive for a finish at the 9:14 mark to get the lead to nine at 41-32 and then Wubben; the former Hopkins standout, drained a "3" from the right corner at the 8:24 mark that maintained the nine-point edge at 44-35.  At the 7:33 mark, Solseth would connect with a lay-up that now had the Auggies up double digits at 46-35 and from a Bethel standpoint, things were beginning to look rather bleak.  But this Royals team is a veteran squad with experience and instead of reaching for the proverbial panic button, they settled down and got things flowing on offense again.  Two free throws by Taite Anderson at the 7:15 mark after she was fouled got Bethel back into single-digit range again down 46-37 and then sophomore forward Makenna Pearson finally got things going after a slow first half with her three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 6:42 mark that trimmed the lead down to eight points at 48-40.  Then Johnson; the former Duluth East standout, not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, got an open look behind the arc from the right top area at the 6:02 mark that found nothing but cotton and drew the Royals closer to five points at 48-43.  Then it was Taite Anderson connecting with a lay-up with 4:43 left that now had Bethel back in single-possession range down 48-45 and the Auggies' Riverso; not liking this 10-2 run that his squad had just given up, called a timeout in hopes of halting this latest invasion.  Still, the Royals capped this 12-2 run on a Taite Anderson score in the paint with 4:22 left that pulled Bethel back to being down just a single solitary point at 48-47 before the Auggies could pull themselves out of this latest mess.  McLemore unleashed one of her trademark three-point bombs with 3:51 left - this one coming from the right wing area and junior point guard Ari Jones made a drive and finish with 3:12 left that gave Augsburg some more breathing space at 53-47.  But any hopes of getting their opponent to just go away quietly were not working.  The Royals countered as Taite Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:55 left in the third period and was fouled in the process and the ensuing "and one" by the former White Bear Lake standout got Bethel right back in single-possession range again down 53-50.  With 1:43 left, Pearson found the range from downtown again with a three-point bomb from the right corner with 1:43 left that now reduced the deficit to two points at 55-53.  With 1:10 left, Schwarz muscled into the paint for a score that now had this contest knotted at 55 and although the Auggies got a bit of a reprieve with a McLemore drive and finish with :53 left, there was a lot of uncertainty in the air as Augsburg took a tenuous 57-55 lead into the fourth period. 

The Royals appeared to have gained the momentum back in the early part of the fourth period as a Johnson lay-up at the 9:43 mark tied the game at 57 and then a Pearson three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 8:10 mark finally had Bethel back out in front again at 60-57.  Two free throw by Johnson after she was fouled at the 7:03 mark maintained the three-point edge at 62-59 and one more by Schwarz at the 6:05 mark got the lead to four points at 63-59; not an insurmountable edge by any stretch but at playoff time with an NCAA Tournament berth likely hanging in the balance, it can seem like a mountain.  Solseth got the Auggies closer with an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 5:46 mark but Johnson would stretch the Royals lead back out to three points with one free throw at the 5:26 mark at 64-61.  Augsburg would close back to two points on one free throw by junior forward Camryn Speese with 4:38 left but the Royals would have a chance to get their lead back to four points when Barker was fouled with 4:26 left.  Unfortunately for Bethel, the former Maple Grove standout couldn't get either charity stripe attempt to cooperate and, in looking back, I felt that this was a pivotal moment as it left the door open for the Auggies to usurp control, which they did.  Moreover, foul trouble was beginning to catch up with the Royals which only complicated matters that much more.  Augsburg got the game tied up when McLemore got into the paint for a score with 4:09 left and then it was Jones unleashing a "3" from the left wing area with 3:19 left that propelled the Auggies back out in front again at 67-64.  Bethel's Taite Anderson got her team back in one-point range with 2:58 left when she dropped two freebies after getting fouled but, just eleven seconds later, disaster struck the Royals as Taite Anderson was whistled for her fifth and final foul and with her now relegated to the bench, Bethel's best rebounder and enforcer hope down low was gone.  The Auggies' Wilson would knock down two free throws after getting fouled with 2:17 left to make it 69-66 but there was still hope for Bethel as Johnson would respond on the other end with two free throws after getting fouled with 1:57 left that kept things tight for the Royals down by only one at 69-68.  On Augsburg's next possession, McLemore would get fouled with 1:48 left and she got both free throws to go down to get the Auggie lead back to three at 71-68.  Not a fatal blow by any means for Bethel but another disaster would soon take place when the Royals inexplicably threw away an inbounds pass that gave the ball right back to Augsburg and with it, the likelihood of keeping this game within a single possession gone.  While the Auggies couldn't capitalize right away, Bethel missed yet another chance to crawl closer when Schwarz was sent to the free throw line after getting fouled with 1:42 left.  Both of her free throw attempts went awry, and this latest misfortune closed the door for good on the Royals.  Augsburg's Jones would get fouled with :47.2 left and the former Osseo standout got both of her free throw attempts to go down that now gave the Auggies some more breathing space again up 73-68.  The one last ray of hope for Bethel would occur with :45 left when Johnson connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass that cut the deficit to three at 73-70 but the Royals would never get that close again.  Augsburg's McCoy got into the paint for a score after the Royals gambled on defense and then the Auggies blocked a three-point shot attempt by Bethel's Pearson with :10 left that pretty much put a bow tie on things.  McLemore would get fouled after retrieving the ball and her two free throws with :08.6 left stretched the lead to seven at 77-70 and Wilson would add two more insurance free throws with :03.6 left as Augsburg advanced to its first-ever MIAC Championship Game with a thrilling 79-70 victory. 

After a long wait in which I'm sure that Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer spent considerable time consoling his team and thanking his lone senior; Johnson, for her contributions to this program over the last four years, I was able to catch up with him.  "We had some things go against us down the stretch" he offered and undoubtedly there were some questionable calls on both ends of the floor that hurt the Royals at crucial times.  I rarely comment on the officiating in games but I genuinely felt that the officiating was subpar for such an important contest.  At the same time, I'd be amiss to not give credit where credit is due - in this case to Augsburg for their resiliency in fighting back not once, but twice in this contest.  Going into the MIAC Playoffs, the one concern I had about this team was how they would respond when the pressure was on as they had never been in this position before.  I think we know the answer to that now.  With this win tonight, the Auggies virtually assured themselves of an NCAA Tournament berth although I was pretty confident they'd get in regardless.  In checking the final box score for this contest, the Royals did have a decided edge on the boards by a 34-27 count but that edge was somewhat negated by the fact that Bethel was guilty of 23 turnovers on this night; a figure that is almost unheard of for the Royals.  Yet one more bitter pill for Bethel on this night that had to have been a hard one to swallow:  They only forced eight steals on this night compared to the 13 that Augsburg got.  Bethel did have a decided edge in points in the paint at 38-26 but again that was somewhat offset by the fact that Augsburg had a decided edge in points off of turnovers by a 27-17 edge.  Bethel did have the edge in those "second chance" points at 16-6 but again that was negated when you look at the fact that the Royals were 14-24 from the charity stripe on this night and in the playoffs, that's simply not going to get the job done.  McLemore was simply outstanding for Augsburg on this night as she led all scorers by lighting up Bethel for 33 points.  Jones had 12 points and Wilson had ten.  Johnson closed out her fabulous career at Bethel with a "double-double" (again) as she scored 24 points to pace the Royals attack and grabbed 12 rebounds as well.  Taite Anderson finished with 20 points but the Royals took a big hit when they lost her to fouls.  Pearson was the only other Bethel player in double figures with her 12 points. 

MIAC Playoff Semifinal Game - GAC vs UST 2-21-19

Got myself over on the St. Paul side of town on this sunny late Thursday afternoon and over to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST for the first MIAC Playoff Semifinal Game on this day between visiting GAC which made its way up U.S. Highway 169 and the Mankato Sub portion of the Union Pacific's "Omaha Route" mainline to take on host UST.  I arrived early which gave me some time to relax and chat with Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly beforehand as well as watch both teams warm up as well.  The Gusties, of course, had pulled a shocker just two nights before when they hammered CSB up in St. Joe in one of the MIAC Quarterfinal Playoff Games so this was a GAC team coming into this game tonight with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The host Tommies would grab a 5-0 lead early on as senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding got a score in the paint at the 9:46 mark of the opening period and fellow senior guard Kaylie Brazil banged home a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:50 mark that probably had many inside Schoenecker Arena thinking, "Here we go again.".  But this GAC team has become very resilient in these last two weeks and they wasted little time in closing the gap.  Sophomore point guard Ava Gonsorowski made a sneaky little drive for a finish at the 7:27 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by fellow sophomore forward Paige Richert at the 6:50 mark had the deficit down to one point at 5-4.  Gonsorowski would strike again at the 5:44 mark with a lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" suddenly pushed the Gusties out in front by a 7-5 count.  UST would respond with a 6-0 push as senior sharpshooting guard Lucia Renikoff drained her first three of the evening from the right top area and then it was Spaulding connecting with a lay-up that also drew a foul and the obligatory free throw by the former Annandale standout now had the Tommies out in front by an 11-7 count.  The spread was maintained at four points when Brazil knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area with 1:28 left for a 13-9 advantage but GAC would get the final blow of this first period when senior forward Kendall Thompson banged home a "3" from the right wing area with :21 left as the shot clock was expiring as the Gusties closed the gap to one point at 13-12.

GAC was employing a 2-3 "match-up" zone defense in this contest which played a big role in slowing the normally efficient Tommies on offense.  And even though Gustie sophomore guard Gabby Bowlin had to come out of the game at the 9:12 mark of the second period after getting nabbed with her second foul of the night, it did not take away from the resiliency of this GAC team.  Senior guard Justine Lee pushed the Gusties back out in front with her short, turnaround jumper at the 8:33 mark and although UST would grab it back on an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve post Brynne Rolland at the 8:18 mark, the Tommies were getting bottled up down low in the post and, at least for the moment anyway, they weren't able to retaliate with their usually-reliable three-point shooting.  GAC took the lead right back as Thompson grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:23 mark and another lay-up by Gonsorowski at the 5:39 mark made it an 18-15 game.  By this time, the Gusties' Kelly had already inserted her newest weapon; 6'5" freshman reserve post Betsy Schoenrock into the line-up and after making a big presence on the defensive end, she also showed up on the offensive end as she got a score in the paint at the 5:06 mark to push GAC's lead to a startling five points at 20-15 and a concerned Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn called a timeout to get her squad regrouped and perhaps calmed down a bit as well.  That stoppage in play was key from a UST standpoint as they ended this second period on an 8-0 run that not only got the lead back but effectively sucked away all the momentum that the Gusties may have had up to this point.  Renikoff connected with a lay-up in transition with 3:18 left that closed the gap to three points and the former Minneapolis Washburn standout would follow this up with one of her trademark three-point bombs from the left wing area with 1:42 left that tied the game at 20.  With 1:01 left, sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter pushed UST ahead with a "3" of her own from the left top area to push the Tommies back out in front by a 23-20 count that they took into the locker room at the half with them.  From a GAC standpoint, being down by only three at the half to the third-ranked team in the country wasn't all that bad of a proposition but the downer was that they had the lead and seemingly the momentum as well and they let it all slip away in the last five minutes of this period.  A check of the first half box score shows that defense definitely took center stage in this one thus far as neither team was setting the world on fire with their shooting.  The Gusties were 9-33 from FG range for 27.3% and 1-6 from downtown for 16.7%.  UST wasn't a whole lot better as they went 9-31 from FG range for 29% and 4-14 from behind the arc for 28.6%.  The rebounding front was even as both teams had 23 rebounds and probably what was most annoying to Sinn and her staff was that the Tommies had committed nine turnovers thus far to the Gusties seven. 

The late great NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said, "Great teams aren't always great.  They're just great when they have to be."  And UST definitely lived up to this mantra once the third period got underway as they exploded on a 9-1 push that changed the complexion of this one for good.  A short jumper in the lane by Porter at the 9:37 mark got the Tommie lead to five at 25-20 and then the former Roseville standout increased the lead to seven when she was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 8:38 mark.  Then it was Renikoff unleashing another dagger "3"; this one from the left wing area at the 7:56 mark that pushed UST's lead to ten points at 30-20 and the Gusties' Kelly wasted little time in calling for a halt to the action as she clearly saw this one getting away from her squad.  An offensive rebound and putback by the Tommies' Spaulding at the 5:58 mark completed this initial run that made it 32-21 before GAC could make a dent back into single-digit range again on a three-point bomb by Gonsorowski from the left top area at the 5:35 mark.  But that foray back into single-digit range didn't last long as UST unleashed a 9-0 run that further spread the gap.  Senior guard Bobbi Brendefur went coast-to-coast for a lay-up at the 5:00 mark and then it was Porter striking from downtown with a three-point bomb from the left top area with 3:46 left.  A Brendefur lay-up with 2:32 left now had the Tommies up by fifteen at 39-24 and GAC's Kelly had to use a thirty-second timeout at this juncture in hopes of slowing this onslaught.  Still, UST's Porter would connect with a lay-up with :58.5 left before the Gusties' Lee could make a drive into the lane for a finish with :43 .5 left that also drew a foul and resulted in the "and one" for the former Dawson-Boyd standout.  But the Tommies would close out this third period on a solid note when Rolland got into the paint for a score with :17 left to give UST a 43-27 lead as things headed for the fourth period. 

Two scores by the Tommies' Renikoff - a short jumper at the 8:29 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 7:32 mark - got the lead to twenty at 47-27 before GAC's Gonsorowski could cut into this cushion on drive into the lane with a pretty one-handed finish at the 7:11 mark.  But the Tommies kept widening the gap as Renikoff unleashed a "3" from the top of the key at the 6:24 mark as did Porter at the 5:56 mark and the Gusties' Kelly called for another timeout as she now saw her team down 53-29.  Though GAC certainly was not waving the white flag by this point, they could only make incremental dents down the stretch.  Thompson was able to score in the paint with 4:51 left but UST kept stretching their lead.  Sophomore reserve guard Macy Hatlestad drilled a "3' from the right top area with 4:35 left and Rolland had quite a home stretch for this Tommie team.  Two scores in the paint - one with 3:59 left and another with 2:28 left - had UST up 60-33 and with 1:53 left Rolland would connect with a short turnaround jumper off the glass to make it 62-33.  Rolland would get the Tommies' last score of this contest with an offensive rebound and putback with 1:08 left before GAC could get two late scores.  Thompson would bang home a "3" from the top of the key with :55 left and Schoenrock would surprise the crowd inside Schoenecker Arena as the former NRHEG standout drained a "3" from the left top area with just :00.4 left but it would be UST advancing to the MIAC Championship Game on Saturday with a 64-39 victory. 

When I caught up with GAC Assistant Coach Dan Wolfe afterward, he admitted that those last few possessions that the Tommies had right before the halftime break were a dealbreaker for his team in their hopes for an upset bid.  Kelly felt that her team had some great energy when they were in control of things in that second period but they simply were never able to recapture that same energy once the third period got underway.  She also expressed some frustration with the officiating in this contest; particularly in the second period on a questionable call and I, too, have to echo some of those sentiments as I thought the officiating was subpar for this game and I rarely make comments about officiating.  UST's Sinn certainly agreed with my assessment that the Gusties' 2-3 "match-up" zone defense presented some problems for her team in that second period.  "They definitely bottled us up down low" she said.  She felt that she had to get her squad regrouped and calmed down some.  "They were overthinking things" Sinn commented.  She felt that her team needed to rely on their instincts a bit better "and we needed to do a better job of stretching out that zone" she added.  A check of the final box score reveals that the Tommies indeed did a much better job on the boards in the second half as they finished this game with a 44-35 edge in that department.  Turnovers are still an area of concern for Sinn and her staff going forward as they were guilty of 18 boo-boos on this night compared to GAC's 15.  Still, UST shot much better in the second half obviously and they finished going 27-59 for 45.8% and were 9-22 from three-point land for 40.9%.  The Gusties were pretty much shut down in the second half and they finished this game going 16-62 from FG range for 25.8% and 4-15 from downtown for 26.7% which simply isn't going to get the job done this time of year.  Renikoff led the way for the Tommies on this night with her 18 points and she did a lot of that damage from three-point land.  Porter was right behind with 15 points and surprisingly Rolland was the only other player for UST in double figures scoring-wise with 12 points.  Spaulding finished with "only" seven points on this night but did grab 11 rebounds.  Gonsorowski had a strong performance on this night leading the Gustie attack with her 14 points while Thompson finished up her career at GAC with 12 points.       

Third Regional Rankings Announced On Wednesday 2-20-19

The latest round of regional rankings came out earlier this afternoon and here's how things stack up in the all-important West Region at the moment with current records:


1.  UST                                                                          24-1   18-0
2.  Wartburg                                                                  22-3   15-1
3.  George Fox                                                              22-3   15-1
4.  Loras                                                                        21-4   14-2
5.  Augsburg                                                                 21-4   16-2
6.  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps                                        23-2   15-1
7.  Puget Sound                                                             19-5   12-4
8.  Whitman                                                                  19-6   13-3


No changes at all in the top five spots from last week's release.....At times I wondered why Loras was ranked one spot ahead of Augsburg but the Duhawks do have that one big win over UW-Whitewater which is ranked in the Central Region, something that the Auggies don't have at the moment.  Regardless, I have to think that both teams are pretty much sure deals for the NCAA Tournament regardless of what transpires the rest of this week and weekend. 

The real shakeup came in the bottom half of the rankings.  UW-Superior was as high as sixth last week and fell completely out of the rankings this week because.....they won?  I really don't understand it nor do I understand how (a) Puget Sound out of the NWC magically comes out of nowhere to get into the rankins or (b) how Claremont-Mudd-Scripps gets shoved from the seventh spot last week to the number six spot this week.  First off, Puget Sound just got beat AT HOME by Whitworth this last weekend and is carrying a 12-4 conference record compared to UW-Superior's 15-1 conference record.  Granted, we know how tough the NWC is and I'm not disputing that for a second.  But still, how do you completely remove UW-Superior from the West Region rankings altogether when their last loss was on the road to conference opponent Bethany Lutheran back in early January?  I don't have that big of a problem with the Athenas moving up one notch as they've pretty much run roughshod through the SCIAC and haven't lost since early December when they were upset at home by Chapman.  I'm guessing Whitman Head Coach Michelle Ferenz is probably none too pleased to see the Loggers leapfrog her team as the Blues do indeed have a better conference record even though Puget Sound beat Whitman at home in Tacoma this last Friday night.  And if anyone should have a gripe about all this, it's Bethel.  They're 20-6 overall; better than both Puget Sound and Whitman although the Royals do have that one bad loss on the road to CSB a few weeks ago.

Fire away with thoughts....     

MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal Game - SMU vs Bethel 2-19-19

Made my way over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this sunny late Tuesday afternoon to take in the 5:00 P.M. contest between visiting SMU which once again made its way up U.S. Highway 61 and the Canadian Pacific Railway River Sub mainline to take on host Bethel in one of the MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal Games taking place on this Tuesday night.  It was just a year ago when this same SMU team came up here and ruined Bethel's hopes in the MIAC Playoffs last year and even though the Royals handily beat the Cardinals almost two weeks ago here in this same venue, Bethel could ill-afford to take this SMU team lightly - especially now in playoff time when the intensity levels are dramatically increased.

The Cardinals came out in a 2-3 "match-up" zone defense on this night but that didn't seem to bother Bethel -at least early on anyway.  Sophomore forward Makenna Pearson started things off with a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 9:10 mark of this first period and a score in the paint by junior forward Taite Anderson at the 8:29 mark had the Royals up 5-2.  That lead increased to 7-2 when junior point guard Haylee Barker connected with a lay-up in transition before SMU could tighten things up.  Freshman guard Brooklyn Paulson made a hard drive into the lane in transition for a finish at the 6:05 mark and two free throws by senior forward Brandi Blattner at the 5:27 mark reduced the deficit to a single point at 7-6.  Then the Cardinals assumed their first lead of this ballgame when sophomore reserve forward Rachel Kedl muscled into the paint for a score with 4:26 left to make it 8-7 before Bethel could get its nose poked out in front again.  Freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 3:32 left to give the Royals the lead back at 9-8 and two Taite Anderson free throws with 2:07 left after she was fouled got the lead to 11-8.  Still, SMU managed to close the gap to one point Blattner was fouled with 1:11 left as the game morphed into the second period.

The Royals tried to establish some more breathing room in the early moments of the second period as a lay-up by Taite Anderson at the 9:10 mark that also drew a foul and resulted in the ensuing "and one" got the lead to 14-10 and a "3" from the left wing by Barker at the 7:38 mark pushed the lead to five points at 17-12.  But this pesky SMU team was not going away anytime soon.  Paulson made a hard drive into the lane and got a finish off the glass at the 7:17 mark and followed that up with a lay-up at the 5:56 mark that had the deficit cut down to a scant point again at 17-16.  Bethel would get their lead back up to three points again when sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:39 mark but right back came the Cardinals as one Blattner free throw at the 5:23 mark got the deficit back down to two points at 19-17 and then senior guard Kirsten Keefe made a drive into the lane for a finish and drew a foul in the process and the obligatory free throw that followed suddenly pushed SMU into the lead at 20-19.  Perhaps alarmed by this latest development, the Royals quickly struck back to reclaim their lead and grow it a bit as well.  Proving to be a big spark off the bench once again, freshman reserve guard Tessah Anderson snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up with 4:28 left that allowed Bethel to reclaim the lead at 21-20.  With 3:51 left, Tessah Anderson would strike again with another steal and lay-up the other way; this time drawing a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" got the Royals' lead to 24-20.  Barker would strike again from three-point land with 2:44 left with a bomb coming from the right top area and would also add one free throw after getting fouled with 1:58 left that now had Bethel up 28-21.  Then Pearson would get a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 1:09 left that gave the Royals their largest lead in the game so far at 30-21 and the Cardinals could have arguably been in a tough spot right then and there.  But this SMU team managed to get back to within striking distance before the halftime break.  Kedl made an impressive drive along the right baseline for a finish with :44 left and two Keefe freebies with just :10.2 left had the visitors from Winona feeling a bit better about themselves down only 30-25 as both teams retreated to the locker room for the halftime intermission.  A check of the first half box score shows that SMU actually shot better in this first half than Bethel did as the Cardinals went 8-18 from FG range for 44% compared to the Royals 11-29 for 37.9%.  Perhaps the only downer for SMU up to this point was the fact that they were 0-5 from downtown although that was somewhat made up for at the charity stripe where they were 9-11.  And although the Royals had a decisive edge on the boards by a 16-9 count, Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff had to be concerned by the fact that they had committed an almost unheard of 17 first half turnovers and that SMU had pretty much given the Royals a taste of their own medicine as they snared 13 first half steals. 

And the Cardinals went right to work once the third period got underway to tighten up things again.  Sophomore guard Claire Patterson started things off with a lay-up at the 9:21 mark to reduce the deficit to three points and a Paulson "3" from the right top area at the 7:30 mark cut the deficit down to two points at 32-30.  At the 5:29 mark, Paulson would strike again from behind the arc - this bomb coming from the left wing area - that cut this deficit down to a single solitary point at 34-33.  With 4:09 left, tension in the atmosphere inside Robertson Center grew considerably when SMU's Blattner banged home a "3" from the left top area that pushed the Cardinals back out in front at 36-34 and the vision of what happened last year against this same SMU team probably was dancing through the minds of many.  But this Royals team is a year older and more experienced and more mature than last year's group and instead of panicking, they hunkered down and went right back to work themselves.  A Taite Anderson score in the paint with 3:54 left tied the game at 36 and then Pearson unleashed a "3" from the right wing area with 2:20 left that had Bethel back out in front again at 39-36.  The Cardinals would reduce that lead to one when Blattner muscled into the paint for a score with 1:21 left but then Bethel would get the lead back to three points when willowy senior post Hannah Johnson; bottled up for this game for the most part by a stingy SMU defense, snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:02 left as the Royals took a 41-38 lead into the fourth period. 

One Taite Anderson free throw at the 9:09 mark of the fourth period pushed Bethel's lead to 42-38 but the Royals were certainly not out of the woods just yet as SMU's Paulson was fouled at the 8:45 mark and the Holmen, Wisconsin native got both of the obligatory free throws to go down that had the Cardinals right back in the thick of things down just 42-40 with a mountain of time left in this one.  It was here, however, where Bethel finally got the separation they had been looking for all game long with a key 8-0 push.  Johnson started this key run with a short, one-handed jumper in the lane at the 8:04 mark and then Pearson came up big-time with her three-point bomb from the right corner at the 7:35 mark that now had the Royals up 47-40.  Another key sequence took place when Taite Anderson was fouled at the 7:02 mark.  She got the front end to go down but the back end of the deal missed its mark.  SMU, however, neglected to box out Pearson who snared the offensive rebound and promptly got the ball to Taite Anderson who proceeded to get a tough score in the paint at the 6:54 mark that now had the Royals up by ten at 50-40 which drastically changed the complexion and the strategy going forward for the Cardinals the rest of the way.  SMU got the deficit down to seven points as Keefe would unleash a "3" from the left top area at the 6:30 mark and two charity stripe shots by Blattner after she was fouled at the 5:23 mark kept the Cardinals in that seven-point range down 52-45.  But the roof would soon cave in for the visitors from Winona as Bethel's Barker got back-to-back scores - a "3" from the top of the key at the 5:00 mark and a lay-up after a steal shortly thereafter with 4:49 left - that had the Bethel crowd roaring in approval with a 57-45 lead and now Cardinal first-year Head Coach David Foley was clamoring for a timeout with his SMU squad now down double-digits and the sands of time running out on his team.  The Cardinals would attempt one last foray of a comeback as Blattner would get one free throw to go down with 4:16 left after getting fouled and a lay-up in transition by Keefe with 3:41 left briefly had SMU back in single-digit range again down 57-48.  But that last ray of hope for the Cardinals vanished into the cold night as Bethel started putting on the finishing touches on this one to close things out for good.  Tessah Anderson uncorked a dagger "3" from the top of the key with 3:23 left to get the lead to twelve at 60-48 and one Johnson free throw with 2:26 left and a Taite Anderson score in the paint with 1:48 left had the lead to thirteen at 63-50.  Barker would connect with a lay-up in transition with 1:28 left and Johnson would add one insurance freebie with 1:10 left as the Royals advanced to the MIAC Playoff Semifinals with a 66-52 victory. 

When I was able to catch up with a relieved Herbrechtsmeyer afterward in the lounge area of Robertson Center, I had to congratulate him on a hard fought win and was impressed with how his team responded when they found themselves embroiled in a tight battle with a pesky SMU team; a team they had beaten convincingly just a couple of short weeks ago that had adjusted and made some tweaks for this contest.  I think Herbrechtsmeyer was as well and the only disappointment he expressed was the amount of unforced errors his squad committed when I brought up the subject of the Cardinals using a 2-3 zone on his team.  Yet this team was good enough to overcome that in the second half by making some adjustments of their own.  When I review the final box score on this one, the one thing that stands out to me is what a true team effort this really was on the Bethel side.  Taite Anderson led the way with her 17 points and Barker was right behind with her 16 points.  The former Maple Grove standout had "only" four steals but one of those steals came at a crucial time when things were still hanging in the balance somewhat during the Royals' key run right after Barker had nailed a "3" and Barker was able to get a score off of that steal to increase Bethel's safety net.  Pearson netted 11 points on this night and her ability to nail those big three-point bombs at crucial times are so vitally important to the success of this team.  And how about Tessah Anderson?  What a spark she is coming off the bench on both ends of the floor and she finished with ten points on this night.  Johnson, who struggled for most of the contest as she was corralled and pushed around by a stingy Cardinal defense, refused to get frustrated and although she finished with "only" six points, she was a monster on the boards with her 16 rebounds; 13 of those coming on the defensive end that snuffed out a lot of SMU opportunities.  Indeed, the Royals owned the boards on this night thanks largely in part to Johnson by a 36-22 margin and that's so important in playoff basketball.  And, as Herbrechtsmeyer pointed out to me afterward as well, the Royals cut down on their turnovers in the second half as well as they committed 11.  When you look at things from an SMU standpoint, I think Foley can be proud of the fact that his squad snared 20 steals on this night and they did in fact have the edge in points off of turnovers by a 27-25 margin.  I mentioned the rebounding aspect where the Royals controlled the boards on this night but here's one other stat to throw out that will undoubtedly keep Foley and his team wondering what might have been:  Bethel had a decided edge in those points in the paint by a 36-22 margin.  One other stat to throw out there as well:  The Royals also had an 11-2 advantage in those all-important "second chance" points which, in a close game for the most part, are incredibly huge.  Not surprisingly, Blattner finished out her fabulous career at SMU leading the way with her 18 points to lead all scorers and Paulson came alive from three-point land in the second half to finish with 14 points.  Keefe finished out her SMU career with ten points. 

MIAC Playoff Preview 2-18-19

Well, here we go again.  That time of the year where the mantra becomes survive and advance.  And what better way to start this little party than with the MIAC Playoffs.  Your usual cast of characters are in there, of course, but there's a newcomer that's crashed this little party and wants to take home a MIAC Playoff title all to itself.  And there's still that element of unpredictability that makes this year's version of it that much more interesting as well.  So let's try and break this all down from the bottom to the top. 


6.  SMU - You can certainly make the argument that the Cardinals may not even deserve to be in this position in the first place given the fact that they ended the regular in a Titanic-like tailspin; losing five of their last six games; including to cellar-dwellers St. Olaf at home and at Macalester blowing a seventeen-point halftime lead in the process.  This team is simply not coming in with either (a) momentum or (b) confidence and those are usually fatal blows this time of the year.  The confounding thing about all this is that this team is loaded with talent starting with senior forward Brandi Blattner who leads the team in scoring with her 15.5 ppg.  Freshman guard Brooklyn Paulson adds scoring punch with her 11.1 ppg and sophomore guard Isabel Bettag has given new Head Coach David Foley some solid minutes off the bench and fellow sophomore guard Claire Patterson is definitely someone you want to keep your eye on.  Now granted, I've only seen this team in action once this season so I probably don't know them as well as I should.  But, on the other hand, the results as of late speak for themselves and it's difficult for me to envision a scenario where they do a 180 and go on a tear. 

Sure sign of trouble - It all starts with Blattner for this team and should she gets saddled with foul trouble early, they'll need one of their guards to bail them out and that's highly unlikely. 


5.  GAC - I think you had to figure that the Gusties would slip this season without the dynamic duo of Mikayla Miller and Miranda Rice and they did; finishing 14-11 overall and 11-7 in MIAC play.  Still, they were good enough to get the ship sailing straight again - for the most part anyway - after a disastrous stretch right around the first of the year.  With this team and what they have - they pretty much won the games they were supposed to and lost the ones where you expected them to.  No huge surprise there.  They're led by senior forward Kendall Thompson's 14.3 ppg and fellow senior Justine Lee is right behind with her 13.3 ppg.  Sophomore post Paige Richert has begun to elevate her game as well as she averages 10.0 ppg and sophomore Ava Gonsorowski has begun to settle into the all-important point guard spot.  Realistically, I think this team is still probably a year or two away from getting back up to the level where they were at the last couple of seasons but you still can't completely dismiss the notion of them doing some damage in this thing.  Winning it all?  No.  But doing some damage?  Yeah. 

Sure sign of trouble - The Gusties were guilty of 27 turnovers this last Wednesday night at Bethel and have taken a pounding on the boards at times as well this season.  Together, both of them are double-whammys for this team.


4.  CSB - Both CSB and GAC had identical 11-7 conference records but the Blazers swept the Gusties in the regular season to give them the edge for that fourth spot and the home game that comes with it which means a rematch with said GAC team at St. Joe Tuesday night.  The thing of it is, I look at this CSB team and shake my head in absolute wonderment at times.  Yes, they did win five of their last six games of the regular season (including an upset win over Bethel) so you can say that they got "hot" at the right time.  At the same time, I look at how the Blazers got absolutely destroyed at UST this last Wednesday night and, in my mind anyway, that just raises a whole bunch of red flags about this team.  You can just never be completely sure about what you're going to get.  They're led by sophomore guard Megan Thompson's 13.6 ppg and fellow sophomore forward Maddie Schmitz isn't far behind with 12.2 ppg.  Junior post Alex Johnson has been solid down low with her 10.1 ppg and 8.9 rebounds a game.  Junior point guard Sidney Schiffler can be dynamite at times and senior guard/forward Breanna Gates is no slouch with her defensive play.  So why don't I trust this team?  I don't know.....They've had their share of lucky breaks this season that helped put them in the position they're in right now but they can't count on that to carry them far in this show. 

Sure sign of trouble - The Blazers have never struck me as a physical team and they can ill-afford to get pounded on the boards which isn't that much of a stretch against a Bethel or a UST. 


3.  Bethel - For the most part, I think you can say that the Royals have made amends for last season's disappointments but, at the same time, they've had just enough slip ups to have all their lifelines for the NCAA Tournament taken away from them in all likelihood.  They pretty much know that it's going to be an all-or-nothing proposition for them at this point.  Yet, if there's one team in this six-team field that's truly equipped to take down mighty UST, it's this group.  Without question, there's simply no one in the MIAC that can play defense like Bethel does and they can absolutely suffocate you in the half- and mid-court and make you pay in spades on the other end.  And, unlike last year, they've got some younger players who can be lights out from behind the arc.  They're led in scoring by two players - both averaging 16.5 ppg - junior forward enforcer Taite Anderson and senior post Hannah Johnson.  Sophomore forward Makenna Pearson isn't far behind with her 12.5 ppg.  Junior point guard Haylee Barker may not necessarily be that prolific of a scorer but she's easily the best on-ball defender in the conference and sophomore guard backcourt mate Bella Williams appears to have recovered from that nasty bout of the flu she had a few weeks ago.  Freshman guard Tessah Anderson has proven to be quite a spark off the bench and sophomore forward Elizabeth Schwarz provides a lot of help on the front line coming off the bench.  There just aren't a lot of weaknesses on this team.  The big test will likely come Thursday night at Augsburg and at some point, the Royals have to prove that they can get over the hump. 

Sure sign of trouble - Should the Royals go suddenly ice-cold from behind the arc, it puts more pressure on the front line duo of Taite Anderson and Johnson to get the job done.  And Taite Anderson has GOT to stay out of foul trouble.


2.  Augsburg - You've got to give Head Coach Ted Riverso and his staff a lot of credit for taking the Auggies from a no playoff season a year ago to this year's 21-4 overall record and 16-2 in the conference and almost a sure spot in the NCAA Tournament.  The core "Fab Five" group that came in a couple of years ago - Tamira McLemore, Kaezha Wubben, Ari Jones, Camryn Speese and Aiza Wilson - are juniors now and have all shown their potential in helping to lead this Augsburg program to the upper echelon of the MIAC which wasn't an easy thing to do.  They're led by McLemore's 15.6 ppg and Wubben isn't far behind with her 10.0 ppg.  The hallmark of this team is their incredible athleticism and speed and the way they get into transition and what makes them so tough is that there's simply no one else in the conference that can play the style they do which makes them truly unique.  At the same time, when they get forced to play a half-court game (especially against a team like UST), they're much, much more vulnerable.  This isn't what you would call a "big" team but what they have fits very well into their system.  Now the big question is how do they handle this moment?  They've never been in this position before as one of the top-two seeds and it'll be interesting to see what their response is in a pressure situation. 

Sure sign of trouble - Again, if the Auggies get forced to play a half-court game and can't get the steals to spark their transition game like they did in their home game against UST back in early January, they're in a heap of trouble. 


1.  UST - The world is round - and UST is once again in the top-dog spot.  So what else is new?  Well, not a lot.  The Tommies again ran roughshod over the MIAC this season going 18-0 in conference play and 24-1; the only slip-up being at Wartburg just before the first of the year.  And when you look at this current crop of players, it's easy to see why they're so good.  Senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding leads the way with her 16.9 ppg and sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter isn't far behind with her 13.0 ppg.  Senior sharp-shooting guard Lucia Renikoff is an absolute terror from downtown and she averages 11.7 ppg as well.  As of late, sophomore guard Kelsie Cox has stepped up to the plate in the starting position but junior guard Sarah Krynski did play this last Saturday in the win at SMU so it will be interesting to see what Head Coach Ruth Sinn does with her starting line-up on Thursday night   This is a team that can hurt you in so many different ways and they've been in this position so many times it's almost like second nature to them.  What's even better for Sinn and the team is that there are younger players gradually stepping up to the plate to help take the load off of the main chain gang such as sophomore guard Madi Radtke, sophomore guard Macy Hatlestad, freshman post Brynne Rolland and fellow freshman guard Mia Krogseng.  Does this mean that the Tommies are completely infallible?  No, but until someone comes in and finally knocks them off, they're going to control the top spot. 

Sure sign of trouble - One thing that likely makes Sinn keep that bottle of Tylenol PM handy at night is the fear of an opponent getting hot against them from three-point land and both Bethel and Augsburg have those kinds of weapons.  Turnovers have been a problem at times for this team and both Bethel and Augsburg feast on turnovers. 


So there you have it.  The action gets underway tomorrow night with Quarterfinal play.  Feel free to fire away with thoughts.  Let the party begin!                   

Second Regional Rankings Announced On Wednesday 2-13

Am late getting this in again (hopefully it'll be different this week as I'm on vacation (a MUCH NEEDED vacation) but want to bring everyone up to date on what things look like with the latest round of rankings released for the all-important West Region from this last Wednesday.


1.  UST                                                                  24-1   18-0
2.  Wartburg                                                           22-3   15-1
3.  George Fox                                                       22-3   15-1
4.  Loras                                                                 21-4   14-2
5.  Augsburg                                                          21-4   16-2
6.  UW-Superior                                                    23-2   15-1
7.  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps                                23-2   15-1
8.  Whitman                                                          19-6   13-3


No surprises, really, at the top two spots where UST and Wartburg are shoo-ins regardless of what happens this next week in the conference tournaments but obviously both want to finish strong with conference titles in order to host first- and second-round pods at their facilities.  George Fox won the NWC regular season title and it seems conceivable that they'll come out on top in the NWC Playoffs this next week.  While I expected Augsburg to fall a bit after they lost at UST the previous weekend, I DIDN'T expect Loras out of the ARC (formerly IIAC) to leapfrog from the seventh spot all the way up to the fourth spot and I'm not exactly sure what prompted the committee to do so.  Okay, the Duhawks beat both Simpson and Coe the previous weekend - neither of which are ARC powers at the moment.  So this one I'm just not understanding at the moment.  But the Auggies SHOULD be fine as long as they make the MIAC Championship Game but they'd have to sweat it out should they lose in the semifinals.  UW-Superior continues to impress as they won the UMAC regular season title this weekend and its difficult to envision a scenario where they get tripped up in the UMAC Playoffs this next week.  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps has been rolling over opponents in the SCIAC and I don't see that trend changing this coming week.  It'll be interesting to see what happens to Whitman this coming week as they came away with a split this last weekend in the final week of regular season play in the NWC. 

Fire away with thoughts.... 

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-17-19

I know it's Sunday night but wasn't going to get comfortable on my couch until I put out my last power rankings of this regular season.


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


Again, no argument at all on the top three spots as all three teams closed out the regular season on a relatively strong note.  The Tommies absolutely destroyed CSB on Wednesday night and then went down U.S. Highway 61 and the Canadian Pacific Railway River Sub mainline to Winona where they unceremoniously dumped SMU yesterday.  Augsburg had a bit more of a difficult time at home with pesky opponents Macalester and St. Olaf but still got the job done while Bethel took both GAC (at home) and Hamline (up the road on Snelling Avenue yesterday) to the woodshed.  While the Tommies will undoubtedly be the favorite to repeat again as champs in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs next week, you can also make arguments for both Augsburg and Bethel as well and this next week will be fun for sure (more on that tomorrow).

Where I'm sure there WILL be some arguments and fussing (and perhaps rightfully so) is how I've got the middle part arranged.  I put the Gusties in the fourth spot because, even though they got popped (as expected) on Wednesday night at Bethel, they came back strong yesterday and applied the same type of treatment to Concordia up in Moorhead that is normally an incredibly tough venue for GAC (or any other team for that matter) to win.  To me anyway, I can forgive what happened to them at Bethel but I CANNOT forgive CSB for getting utterly undressed and humiliated in every way, shape and form this last Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena in the form of a 90-31 beatdown.  C'mon Blazers.....You've GOT to at least show up.  To their credit, they did beat Carleton yesterday but, then again, everyone has beaten Carleton this year.  And I put St. Kate's in my sixth spot ahead of SMU even though it was the Cardinals who wound up snaring that sixth playoff spot by virtue of their win over the Wildcats in Winona on Wednesday night.  Just from what I saw of the Wildcats yesterday in their win over Macalester, they LOOKED to me like a real playoff team.  Everything was clicking for them on both ends of the floor and this team will only be better next season.  I look at SMU and how they managed to go on yet another tailspin down the home stretch of the season; dropping five of their last six games and this simply does not bode well for a team going into the MIAC Playoffs next week.

It was a roller coaster of a season in more ways than one for Hamline as they fell short of trying to get that sixth spot.  They have made improvements, however, and I expect this squad to be just as dangerous next year.  The continuing nagging question for the Pipers:  Can they EVER find some consistency along the way?  Both Concordia and St. Olaf took strides forward this season and although the Cobbers faltered down the stretch, it may only be a matter of time when they're again in the mix in the MIAC Playoff picture.  The Oles faltered in their last four games but we'll just have to keep our eyes open to see what Head Coach Dave Stromme is bringing into the picture for next year.  Macalester is definitely better than what their 6-19 overall record suggests and they should have everybody back for next year.  Meanwhile, it was a dismal season over on the east side of Northfield as Carleton finished 3-22 on the year and 0-18 on the conference.  I have no idea what lies ahead for this program but the glory days the Knights enjoyed between 2001-08 sure seem like a long time ago.

Tomorrow, I'll handicap the MIAC Playoff picture to get everyone prepared on what should be an incredibly fun week.       

Macalester vs St. Kate's 2-16-19

Made the trip back over to the St. Paul side of town on this sunny Saturday morning to get over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Kate's as the host Wildcats prepared to host neighboring Macalester in the season finale for both teams. While the Scots were knocked out of the playoff race early in the season, St. Kate's chances hinged on their road game at SMU on Wednesday night; a game that the Wildcats lost 71-56 that knocked them out of the playoff race.  But despite the playoffs no longer being a factor for both teams, there was still a lot of pride for both sides coming into this contest and Macalester was certainly proving to be no pushover as they had won two out of their last three games.  Just as important, it was Senior Day at St. Kate's for senior point guard Audra Clark who was able to come back for a fifth year after suffering an injury in the previous season and she was duly honored before the game. 

The 'Cats indeed got off to a solid start in this one; building a 7-2 lead early on in the opening period.  Freshman forward Sam Orth connected with a short jumper from the left side and also got into the paint for another score at the 9:01 mark that had St. Kate's up 4-2.  Then it was flashy junior forward Danica Cambrice nailing a "3" from the right corner at the 8:40 mark before the Scots were able to close the gap to two points at 7-5 when junior guard Tyana Loiselle drained a "3' of her own from the left top area at the 7:34 mark.  The Wildcats again spread their lead to five points when Clark banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 6:43 mark but Macalester was still hanging touch as junior guard Holly Hull connected with a lay-up at the 6:07 mark that saw the Scots within a single possession down 10-7.  St. Kate's this time pushed their lead to seven points thanks to Orth as she first connected with a short shot from the left side at the 5:12 mark and then snared a steal of a Scot inbounds pass and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:25 left that now had the 'Cats up 14-7.  But right back came Macalester as sophomore guard Justine Barraza drained a "3" from the top of the key with 4:00 left and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve forward Katherine Podoll with 1:46 left closed the gap to two points at 14-12 and it appeared that things would be tight going into the second period.  But this is exactly where the wheels started coming off for the Scots as they gave up a 9-1 run by St. Kate's to close out this wildly unpredictable first period.  With 1:14 left, freshman reserve guard Grace Amacher unleashed a "3" from the right top area and, after an untimely turnover by the Scots, fellow freshman reserve guard Lauren Isaacson connected with a short shot off the glass with 1:02 left to get the Wildcat lead to seven again at 19-12.  With :36 left it was the wily Clark striking again; this time on a drive into traffic for a finish that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Kenyon-Wanamingo standout got the lead to nine at 22-13.  With :12 left, Orth connected with another lay-up in transition to get the lead to double digits at 24-13 and Macalester; which appeared to be right in the thick of things just a minute ago, looked like it got hit by a Mack truck. 

And things continued to worsen for the Scots in the opening moments of the second period as St. Kate's took charge.  At the 9:43 mark, Clark; the lone senior on this team and leaving it all out on the floor today, got an opening from three-point land at the right top area and let loose with a bomb that found its mark that not only increased the lead to 27-13 but Wildcats Head Coach Don Mulhern quickly called a timeout as the St. Kate's bench and fans erupted as Clark had just set a new all-time career record in points; eclipsing the mark set by LaShay Holt just a few short years ago.  After play resumed, Macalester tried desperately to bring this one back as two free throws by Barraza at the 9:08 mark and two more by Hull at the 8:48 mark got the deficit down to twelve points and when Hull connected with a lay-up after a steal at the 7:36 mark getting the Scots back in that ten-point range down 29-19, there was some renewed hope among the Macalester faithful in the stands.  But those hopes quickly soured thanks to the Wildcats' Cambrice as back-to-back scores by the former St. Croix Lutheran standout - a lay-up in transition at the 6:27 mark and a score in the paint at the 5:46 mark - pushed St. Kate's lead back to fourteen at 33-19 and first-year Scot Head Coach Pamela Findlay called a timeout in hopes of choking off this latest Wildcat charge.  To its credit, Macalester did find a bit of a second wind as sophomore reserve forward Kayla Togneri knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area at the 5:20 mark and a "3" from the left wing area by fellow sophomore reserve guard Luci Swift with 4:27 left reduced the deficit to eleven at 35-24 and hopes were momentarily renewed on the Scot side.  St. Kate's, however, took up another charge as a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Katie Benjamin with 4:10 left and a Cambrice lay-up with 3:26 left got the lead to fifteen at 39-24.  Again the Scots tried to counter as one free throw by freshman reserve guard Celine Sabbagh with 3:09 left and a "3" from the left top area by Loiselle with 2:40 left brought the deficit back down to eleven points at 39-28 and there was every reason to think that Macalester could bring things back into single-digit range again.  But those hopes again went up in smoke as the Wildcats ended this second period much like they did the first period - with a big spurt.  Isaacson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:16 left and the Faribault native followed that up with a tough score in the paint with 1:48 left to get the lead back to fifteen at 43-28.  Then freshman guard Taylor Johnson finally got untracked and nailed a "3" from the left wing area with 1:12 left to get the lead to eighteen at 46-28 and the lead would grow to twenty when Benjamin was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with :17.1 left in this second period that saw St. Kate's take a sizable 48-28 advantage into the locker room at the half.  Looking at the stats provided online, the Wildcats had an 18-13 edge on the boards thus far but the Scots simply were not shooting the ball well from FG range - going 4-14 from FG range in the second period alone for 28.6 % and they obviously were not getting the job done on defense either as St. Kate's wound up getting two big runs in the last minute of both the first and second periods.  Probably just as important for the 'Cats was that they were getting contributions from a lot of different players as well.

And St. Kate's sought out to make sure nothing was left to chance as the third period got underway by going on a 9-2 push that provided even more separation.  Clark; showing the experience of the veteran she is, made a hard drive into the lane and got a finish off the glass at the 9:46 mark to start things and one Cambrice free throw after she was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 7:03 mark got the lead to 51-28.  Benjamin connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:12 mark and the versatile Orth knocked down a jumper along the right baseline at the 5:24 mark to push the lead to 55-28.  A drive into the lane and finish by junior guard Jackie Radford with 3:56 left made it 57-30 before the Scots could finally get some more points on the board as Podoll was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:38 left.  Still, the Wildcats would close out this third period as a drive and lay-up by Radford with 2:25 left and two free throws by sophomore reserve post Kassidy Jenkins with just :25.2 left saw St. Kate's taking an insurmountable 61-34 lead into the fourth period. 

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Wildcats were playing so well on this day was because all the pressure was off of them now that the MIAC Playoffs were no longer there for them and because they were playing for pure pride - and perhaps also to give their lone senior; Clark, one to remember as well.  A short, turnaround jumper in the lane by Radford at the 8:59 mark of the fourth and final period helped spark a 14-3 run by St. Kate's.  Orth would get a score in the paint at the 8:15 mark to make it a 65-34 game.  The Scots' Barraza would try to counter with a three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 7:54 mark but Orth would get the 'Cats rolling again with another score in the paint at the 7:34 mark to make it 67-37.  Radford would get another drive for a finish at the 7:12 mark and then St. Kate's would get back-to-back three-point bombs - one by Isaacson from the left corner at the 6:48 mark and another one by freshman reserve guard Mackenzie Kurczek at the 6:21 mark - that suddenly ballooned the lead to 75-37.  Macalester's Podoll would answer with a "3" of her own from the left top area at the 5:24 mark but the Scots' hopes of bringing this one back had gone out the window a long time ago.  St. Kate's Isaacson continued to make big plays on this day and with 4:57 left she snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up.  With a 78-42 lead, Wildcat Head Coach Don Mulhern now saw the perfect opportunity with 3:04 left in the contest to bring Clark to the bench where she was saluted by her teammates and fans with a big round of applause.  But it also gave the younger players; particularly Kurczek to shine in the last couple of minutes.  Two free throws by the Ripon, Wisconsin native with 2:20 left and a coast-to-coast lay-up with 1:04 left put St. Kate's up 40 at 82-42 and Kurczek would also get a lay-up as well with :32 left.  Macalester would get one last score on a Togneri "3" from the left wing area with :10 left and Wildcat freshman reserve post Sophie Willems got into the books as well with her jumper from the left elbow as St. Kate's ended the 2018-19 season on a high note at least with a resounding 86-47 victory. 

When I met up with both Mulhern and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar afterward, I told them that the only disappointment on this day was that the Wildcats - without question - looked like a playoff team after today's performance.  Both were in quick agreement with my observation and I think the encouraging thing for Mulhern and his staff going forward into this offseason is how they got a lot of contributions from their young players on this day.  Mulhern has started to assemble a lot of talent on this team - young talent for sure - but players who will grow and mature and I think they've got the ability to take St. Kate's to the next level.  And it's not an easy thing to do in an incredibly tough conference like the MIAC.  Meanwhile, a flat performance by the Scots on this day and it was apparent that they simply didn't come out with a lot of energy on this day.  Like St. Kate's, Macalester is an incredibly young team as well with no seniors and - presumably anyway - everybody will be back for next season.  Despite the loss on this day, this Scot team is no slouch and they've had some good moments this season as they took the first game from St. Kate's over at Leonard Center back in January and also got wins over Northwestern of the UMAC in the early part of the season and, even more impressive, got a big come-from-behind win over SMU the previous weekend at home.  Improving on the core of players that they already have and getting some consistency on both ends of the floor will be the big challenge for Findlay and her staff.  Fittingly, Clark's 15 points on this day led all scorers as she closed out a fabulous career at St. Kate's and it's always an emotional thing when a senior plays their last game - thank you SO MUCH Audra for everything you've done and the memories!  Orth is only going to get better with time as she gains more experience and gets stronger as well and she definitely had a strong performance on this day with her 14 points.  Cambrice should have a stellar senior season next year and she had another solid day with her 12 points and Isaacson continues to impress as she finished with 11 points.  Podoll paced the Macalester effort on this day with her 13 points while both Barraza and Hull finished with ten points.