It was an easy drive on this sunny - and MUCH warmer Saturday - over to Robertson Center in Arden Hills on the campus of Bethel University for the regular season finale that pitted visiting CSB and host Bethel. It's been something of an up-and-down rollercoaster ride for the Bennies as of late but they've been good enough to get themselves into position to possibly snare that number four seed in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and they were not only going to need a win on this day but they were also going to need some help from conference rival Carleton in hopes that the Knights could somehow pull off a big upset over Concordia up in Moorhead on this day as well. Meanwhile for the Royals, they've been neck-and-neck with GAC for not only the regular season title but the number one seed in the MIAC Playoffs as well and if both the Royals and Gusties won today, they would not only have to share the regular season title but would also have to rely on a coin flip in the MIAC office to determine the top seed. Adding to the drama on this day was the fact that it was Senior Day at Bethel as well and the seniors on this Bethel team - Elly Schmitz, Anna Garfield, Lydia Hay and Elsie Broersma were all recognized prior to tip-off. Needless to say, there was a lot of emotion and hype flowing in the pregame.
CSB would draw first blood in this contest as willowy junior combo guard/forward Kira Young connected on a short jumper from the right side at the 9:40 mark of the opening period but the Royals would waste little time in leveling the contest at two a piece when Garfield knocked down a short, turnaround jumper at the 9:12 mark. Less than a minute later at the 8:15 mark, Bethel would assume a 4-2 advantage when Hay connected on a short, turnaround jumper in the lane at the 8:15 mark but the Bennies would come right back at the 7:29 mark and get this game tied again at four a piece when senior guard Sophia Jonas was fouled in a transition opportunity and got a pair of free throws out of the deal. Bethel would manage to hold the upper hand after this point but in a slightly unexpected fashion. Sophomore reserve guard Macey Littlefield would get fouled at the 5:50 mark and although she could only get the front end attempt to cooperate, the errant back-end attempt was snared by slender junior reserve forward Ali Born and she would get a lay-up out of it at the 5:47 mark that gave the Royals a 7-4 advantage. One more free throw by junior point guard Colette Duininck after she was fouled with 4:50 left maintained the three-point edge at 8-5 and a score in the paint by Hay with 3:37 left not only kept the lead at three at 10-7 but helped propel an 8-0 push. With 3:02 left, Schmitz would grab an offensive rebound of her own miss and get a putback and two free throws by Hay after she was fouled with 2:33 left upped the Royals lead to 14-7. Junior combo guard/forward Rosalie Penke would cap this early run on a pair of charity stripe shots after she was fouled with 2:00 left to make it a 16-7 ballgame before CSB finally ended its prolonged drought on a three-point bomb by Jonas from the left top area with 1:40 left and the Bennies would keep the deficit at six when Young slithered through traffic for a lay-up with :52 left. But Bethel would grow its lead to eight when Born maneuvered into the paint for a score with :31 left as the Royals seemingly had things going their way with a 20-12 lead.
Despite stubbing its toe a bit in that opening period, this resourceful CSB team would turn the tables and get the tempo of the game going their way once the second period was underway. Perhaps just as important, Head Coach Mike Durbin had his team attacking the rim much more efficiently as well that opened up some opportunities for them. Young would get things started for the Bennies on a lay-up at the 9:10 mark that cut the deficit down to six at 20-14 and two free throws by lefty junior guard Megan Morgan at the 7:56 mark kept CSB in that six-point range down 22-16. Young would get the Bennies closer after making another daring drive into traffic at the 6:19 that drew a foul and the Hudson, WI native would get a pair of free throws out of it that reduced the deficit down to four at 22-18. At the 5:47 mark, Jonas, the primary three-point slayer on this CSB team, drained one of her patented bombs - this one from the right top area - that had the deficit down to a scant point at 22-21. With 4:53 left, Young would strike again as she knocked down a short jumper in the lane that would not only cap this 11-2 Bennie run put would also bump CSB back out in front by a 23-22 count. The Royals would momentarily take the lead back at 24-23 when Littlefield muscled into the paint for a score with 4:42 left but the Bennies were still in their attack mode and Morgan would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 4:25 to give CSB the lead back at 25-24 and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; a bit concerned after seeing his offense be in low-gear for an extended period of time, called for a halt to the action to get his troops reorganized. That stoppage in play allowed the Royals to catch their collective breaths as well and sophomore reserve forward Emily Erickson would connect on a lay-up with 4:00 left that allowed Bethel to recapture the lead at 26-25 but growing that lead proved to be a tough proposition as the Bennies weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Freshman reserve guard Tatum Findlay would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 3:42 left that tied this game at 26 and one free throw by senior combo guard/forward Olivia Boily after she was fouled with 2:48 left had CSB back out in front again 27-26. Right back came the Royals as Littlefield made a strong drive into the lane for a finish with 2:20 left to make it a 28-27 game but again, Bethel was unable to expand on this small lead. The Bennies; now easily into the bonus, continued to attack as Jonas would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:08 left and two more by Boily after she was fouled with 1:37 left now had CSB up 30-28. The Royals finally found a bit more semblance of offense as Garfield would make a hard drive into the lane and get a pretty one-handed finish with 1:24 left and a score in the paint by Penke a bit later with :45 left had Bethel up 32-30. But CSB would put a punctuation mark on this productive second period as Boily would connect on a lay-up with :17.6 left that not only tied the game but had many of the Bethel faithful in an uneasy mood given not only with how the second period went overall but also the fact that the Royals were looking at foul problems with several of their key players as this game was deadlocked at 32.
And CSB definitely seemed to have things going their way early on in the third period with two quick scores by freshman point guard Lauren Arnold. The former Chanhassen standout would start things off with a three-point bomb from the top of they key at the 9:40 mark and a short while later, Arnold would make a daring drive into the lane for a finish that suddenly had the Bennies up by five at 37-32. But this Bethel team; which had seemingly been dormant from an offensive standpoint for most of the second period, suddenly came alive. Schmitz would connect on a lay-up at the 8:37 mark and then the trademark defense by the Royals also started gearing up as well as Littlefield would snare a steal and race the other way for a lay-up at the 8:23 mark that cut the deficit to one at 37-36. CSB would try and light its earlier fire as Boily got into the paint for a score at the 8:00 mark to make it a three-point game again at 39-36 but that wouldn't last long as the Royals' Schmitz would grab an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:39 mark and Hay would make a drive into the lane for a finish that would draw a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" now had Bethel out in front by a 41-39 count. The Bennies would level this contest again at 41 a piece when Young connected on a lay-up at the 6:37 mark but things would soon start going to hell in a handbasket for CSB as the Royals started to take control. Schmitz would put Bethel back out in front at 43-41 on a lay-up but the real deal-breaker for CSB came a bit later at the 6:02 mark when it looked like the Bennies might be able to forge another tie. Morgan made a hard drive into the lane on a scoring attempt but lost control of the ball when she got tangled up with two Bethel players. The officials called a charging foul on Morgan which drew the ire of CSB's Durbin and on the Royals subsequent possession, Littlefield would bang home a "3" from the right corner at the 5:44 mark that got Bethel's lead to five at 46-41. The Bennies would try and counter as Arnold drained her second trey of the afternoon - this one from the top of the key at the 5:30 mark - but right back came the Royals' Littlefield on the subsequent Bethel possession and she would again bury a heartbreaking "3" - this one from the right wing area with 4:55 left that got the lead to five at 49-44. CSB's Arnold would again try an take matters into her own hands as she would make a hard drive into the lane for a finish with 4:30 left that again had the Bennies back to within a single possession down 49-46 but then Bethel went on a 12-0 tear that changed the course of this game for good. Schmitz would get a routine score in the paint with 4:12 left and a lay-up by Littlefield with 3:47 left pushed the Royals lead to seven at 53-46. Erickson would connect on a lay-up as well with 3:02 left and then Garfield would bring the house down at Robertson Center when she buried a "3" from the left corner that also drew a foul and her obligatory free throw with 2:14 left stretched Bethel's lead to thirteen at 59-46 and the Bennies' Durbin had no choice but to take a match to a timeout as this one was getting away from them. The Royals' Garfield would also cap this decisive run by snaring a steal near the midcourt line and dashing the other way for a lay-up with 2:05 left that made it 61-46 before CSB was finally able to wipe some of the dust collecting on its basket when Boily knocked down a short jumper with 1:47 left. Still, Bethel left its opponent on notice when Born snared an offensive rebound of her own miss after a steal for a putback with :46 left as the Royals had full momentum, control and a 61-46 lead as this wacky third period finally came to a close.
Bethel would expand on its double-digit advantage early on in the fourth period when Schmitz connected on a lay-up at the 9:45 mark to make it 65-48 before the Bennies finally got untangled on the offensive end and launched a 10-2 push that tightened things up a bit. Young would drop a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 8:17 mark and would follow that up a short time later with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 7:57 mark that cut the deficit to twelve at 65-53. That deficit would be reduced to ten points when Morgan was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled at the 7:27 mark to drop a pair of freebies and Jonas would finish off this run with one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one from the left wing area at the 5:13 mark - that got CSB back to within single digits down 67-58 with presumably a good amount of time left to at least roll the dice in an effort to get back to within striking distance-range. But the Royals were being uncooperative on that front as they never let their safety net get too thin. Erickson would get a three-point play the old-fahsioned way as she slithered into the paint for a score that also drew a foul and allowed the former Chisago Lakes standout to cash in on the free throw attempt that got Bethel's lead to 70-58. Undaunted, the Bennies would make another bid as Young would connect on a lay-up with 3:27 left and after Durbin called a timeout to set up strategy for the home stretch, Morgan would dazzle the Robertson Center crowd with her coast-to-coast lay-up with 2:52 that got the deficit down to eight at 70-62. With 2:17 left, Morgan would strike again with a pretty drive into the lane and finish that kept CSB in that eight-point range down 72-64 but again, the Royals would slowly but firmly close the door on this contest. Garfield would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 1:48 left and with 1:19 left, Schmitz would leave her mark on this game as she would connect on a lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" had Bethel up 77-64. The Bennies would make one last gasp attempt on a lay-up off of an inbounds pass by Young with 1:00 left but the Royals' Penke would sink one insurance free throw after getting fouled with :35.3 left as Bethel not only earned a decisive 78-66 victory but with it also got at least a share of the MIAC regular season title.
I was lucky enough to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer sooner than I though I might be able to considering all the people he had to touch base with afterward. But we were able to get into the lounge area of Robertson Center and catch up on this game just completed and for a look forward as well. First, I had to congratulate him on his team's win and admitted that I was unprepared for his squad's explosion on the offensive end in the third period. "I was" he gleamed. It was really just the perfect execution of his defense creating those opportunities on the other end and they cashed in on those opportunities. I pointed out that I thought that Littlefield had an exceptional game on this day (and the box score validates that notion) and she came up big during that decisive third period run with a pair of three-point bombs and a big steal and lay-up the other way that not only set the tone for this game but also helped pave the way to ultimate victory. Herbrechtsmeyer pointed out that she (Littlefield) has had some games this season where she didn't always step up with big performances but was quick to point out that she's turned it up a few notches coming down the home stretch of the regular season. We also talked about Elly Schmitz and what she's meant to this team and this program and the success they're having this season because of everything she brings to the table and she's been nothing short of utterly fantastic this year. So, in looking forward, I found out shortly after my arrival at Robertson Center on this day that the coin flip by the MIAC office to determine the number one seed for the upcoming MIAC Playoffs in case both Bethel and GAC finished the regular season tied for first place actually took place on Friday (!) 2-21 and I would find out later that Bethel did indeed win this coin flip that gives them the number one seed. Naturally, I wasn't going to say anything until the conference office officially announced it but I would have much more preferred that the MIAC office would have waited until after the games were completed on Saturday or until Sunday AM to do this. The fact that the MIAC Championship Game will now - more than likely - run through Bethel's Robertson Center is huge for this team and this program. And not only that, because of their strong NPI ranking (#15 as of today 2-23) makes them a "lock" for the NCAA Tournament and a very good chance to host a 1st/2nd round pod at Robertson Center which they got to do back in 2020. So these are some very exciting times for Bethel to be sure. But at the same time - and as I pointed out to Herbrechtsmeyer - this is where you've got to stay focused and "locked-in" and give yourselves the best chance to play your best basketball of the season. And I think Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff will have the team doing just that.
Meanwhile for CSB, a disappointing finish to be sure but given where they were back in early/mid-January when they were mired in that four-game losing streak, it could be a helluva lot worse when you sit down and think about it. First off, I liked Durbin's strategy in that second period of having his team be much more aggressive in taking the ball to the hole on drives that helped get his team into the bonus with 4:25 left in the second period and arguably forced Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff to change things up before the half with some players in foul trouble. If you look at the box score on this one, you'll see that CSB actually did shoot pretty decently from FG range going 21-51 for 41.2% which isn't terrible. Three-point shooting left something to be desired as the Bennies went 6-18 from downtown for 33.3%. and free throw shooting was a costly element on this day with CSB going 18-25 for a straight 72% and we all know that's got to be better if the Bennies hope to do damage in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs. But where this game was lost for CSB was on these fronts: Getting outrebounded by a 42-33 count. Getting blown out in points in the paint by a 52-22 count. Having one bench point compared to 30 for Bethel. Turnovers weren't terrible with CSB coughing it up only 13 times but unfortunately for the Bennies, the Royals got 23 points off of those turnovers which is playing right into their hands. Now, to be sure, Bethel can't be completely absolved of any transgressions here either as they were 13-23 from the charity stripe for 56.5% but they were able to get away with that because of all the other things I pointed out. But this would be a perfect time for this Bethel team to get some extra charity stripe shots up before they go back into action this coming Thursday evening.
What a day it was for Bethel's Schmitz as she not only paced the Royals with her 19 points but also recorded a double-double with her 11 rebounds. But you also had a lot of balance on this Bethel team as well. Consider: Littlefield; as I pointed out earlier, pouring in 15 points on a great day for her and Hay, solid as always, not far behind with 13 points and Garfield, her usually steady self finishing with 10 points. That kind of balance along with everything else the Royals do will help you win ballgames, no doubt about it. CSB had very good balance on this day on the scoring front but it unfortunately wasn't enough to make up for the other deficiencies I pointed out. Young was fantastic at times on this day as she led all scorers with her 21 points and Arnold; the young freshman, also had some good moments as she tallied 13 points on this day. And the duo of Jonas and Morgan finished with 10 points a piece.
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