Made the easy drive back over the Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this sunny but cold first day of March to take in the grand finale of the MIAC Women's Basketball season - the MIAC Championship Game with this one featuring second-seeded GAC and the number one seed, Bethel. The Gusties and the Royals had not only split their regular season series but both had also earned a share of the MIAC regular season title so this game would fittingly be the rubber match between the two. The Gusties had easily waltzed past Hamline in one semifinal game on Thursday night while the Royals demolished CSB in the other semifinal to force this matchup. As you can imagine, Robertson was packed and rocking on this day and with the atmosphere and the pressure and everything else, you knew it was definitely going to be "on" this day.
And Robertson Center was about ready to explode when the Royals drew first blood in this contest - on a short, turnaround jumper by senior combo guard/forward Elly Schmitz at the 9:40 mark of the opening period and Bethel would hold a 4-2 advantage when fifth-year senior Anna Garfield was able to connect on a lay-up off of an inbounds pass as the shot clock was expiring at the 8:18 mark. The Gusties were then able to assume their first lead of the afternoon when senior reserve forward Rachel Kawiecki knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area at the 8:00 mark and shortly thereafter, willowy fifth-year senior guard Emma (not evil) Kniefel would connect on a jumper from the right wing after a steal in the backcourt to push GAC out in front by a 6-4 count. The Royals were able to get this game leveled at six a piece when sophomore reserve forward Emily Erickson connected on a lay-up at the 6:39 mark but it was here that Bethel ran into their first rough patch of the afternoon and the Gusties were able to capitalize on it with an 8-0 push. Kniefel would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 5:45 mark and a jumper from the right elbow area by sophomore reserve forward Whitley Ronn with 4:34 left had GAC out in front 10-6. With 3:46 left, fellow sophomore reserve guard Kendyl Queensland scored on a pretty give-and-go lay-up and shortly thereafter, Kniefel would connect on a lay-up in transition with 3:22 left as the Gusties surged to a 14-6 lead before Bethel could finally trim things up a bit on a short jumper off the glass by Schmitz with 3:00 left. GAC, however, was able to maintain its newfound space as senior point guard Kyle Baranick would cash in on a perfectly executed give-and-go lay-up with 2:01 left to make it 16-8 and the Royals could only make a couple of nibbles in the latter stages of this first period from the charity stripe as Garfield would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 1:44 left as would Erickson with 1:10 left. But the Gusties would up their lead to seven when Kawiecki got one free throw to go down when she was fouled with just :00.7 left on the clock that gave GAC a 17-10 advantage.
The Gusties would expand their lead to double digits early on in the second period as Kawiecki was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 9:19 left and then Ronn was able to make a hard drive into the lane for a finish at the 7:40 mark that now had GAC up 21-10. That prospect finally got the Royals attention as they went to work to tighten things up again. Erickson would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 7:23 mark and a three-point bomb by Schmitz from the right corner at the 6:47 mark had the deficit down to six at 21-15. Bethel would call on Schmitz again a short time later at the 5:33 mark and she would respond with a hard drive and lay-up that had the Royals right back in the thick of things again down 21-17. But just when the partisan Bethel contingent inside Robertson Center on this day finally started feeling good about their team's chances, GAC would unleash a 14-4 run that was indeed a setback for the home team. Senior combo forward/post Morgan Kelly would connect on a jumper from the left wing area at the 5:33 mark and with 3:16 left, Kniefel would bury a heartbreaking "3" from the right corner as the shot clock was expiring that pushed the Gustie lead to 26-17. With 2:36 left, Kniefel would get sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled and the former Medford standout got a pair of freebies out of the deal to make it 28-17. With 1:59 left, Kawiecki would add a short, turnaround jumper in the lane and with 1:22 left, Kniefel would connect a short jumper that now had GAC up 32-19. The Royals' Garfield would take a bite out of this deficit with one free throw after getting fouled with :49.1 left but the Gusties would add more to their expanding ledger as Kawiecki would connect on a lay-up that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Holy Angels standout had GAC up by fifteen at 35-20. Bethel's Garfield was able to add one more free throw after getting fouled with :04.2 left but down a coupled of touchdowns at 35-21, the Royals were definitely in a fix. What was unexpected, however, was the controversy that soon ensued as the Gusties were bringing the ball back up the court. GAC's Morgan Kelly was near the center court; ready to set a screen as Kniefel was bringing the ball up the court who in turn was being hounded by the Royals' Schmitz. Schmitz collided with Morgan Kelly right at the midcourt line and Morgan Kelly got the worst of it as she was sent to the floor and appeared to be in significant discomfort. Kniefel was unable to get the last-gasp three-point shot to go down but the immediate concern for the Gusties was Morgan Kelly who was still on the floor. GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly; obviously and understandably upset, rushed out onto the court as the halftime buzzer sounded and gave the officials a piece of her mind about the whole business . Thankfully, Morgan Kelly was able to get up under her own power and was apparently okay. Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff had other worries on their minds - particularly the fact that his team had so far been out-rebounded by a 17-7 count and that his squad had committed seven turnovers thus far and that the Gusties got 13 points off of those turnovers. Overall shooting was another concern as the Royals just were not being very efficient as they had gone 7-20 from FG range for 35% and were only 1-5 from downtown for 20%. Free throw shooting was another area of concern with the Royals going only 6-11 for 54.5% and against a team like GAC, you didn't exactly have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that that was a losing proposition.
The Gusties' Morgan Kelly had obviously shaken off any ill-effects of that midcourt collision right before the halftime buzzer as she started out this third period by connecting on a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:24 mark that now had GAC up sixteen at 37-21. The Royals knew they had to get to work and they were able to get this deficit down to ten in the span of less than a minute. Junior combo guard/forward Rosalie Penke would bury a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:03 mark and then Bethel definitely seemed re-energized when Schmitz drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:09 mark that had the Gustie lead down to 37-27. GAC would calmly respond as fifth-year senior guard Syd Hauger knocked down a jumper from the free throw line area at the 7:49 mark and fellow fifth-year senior forward Izzy (Izzy Izzy, you're making me dizzy) Quick would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 7:23 mark that had the Gusties up 40-27. Bethel would embark on another bid in hopes of tightening this one up again as Garfield would make a crafty drive for a lay-up at the 7:00 mark and at the 6:08 mark, slender junior reserve forward Alli Born would bang home a "3" from the left top area that again had the deficit down to ten at 42-32 and the Bethel student section crazies were roaring in approval. Once again, things would fall apart for the Royals as GAC went on a push to increase its safety net. Baranick would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 4:32 left as would Hauger with 4:19 left that not only had the Gusties up 44-32 but GAC was now in the bonus as well. With 3:37 left, Morgan Kelly would connect on a short, turnaround jumper in the lane and when Kniefel knocked down a short jumper in a transition opportunity with 3:09 left, the Gustie lead was stretched out to 48-33 and Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer knew full and well his team was in the danger zone and promptly took a match to a timeout to get his troops reorganized. The Royals were finally able to find some semblance of offensive production but they weren't able to make much of a dent in the deficit they were facing. Junior point guard Colette Duininck; with the shot clock winding down, made a daring drive into traffic with 2:35 left and connected on a pretty floater and two free throws by Garfield after she was fouled with 1:59 left had the deficit down to thirteen at 50-37. GAC's Hauger would inflict more pain, however, when she snared a steal near midcourt and was off to the races the other way for an easy lay-up with :57 left to make it 52-37 and although Bethel's Garfield would add free throws after getting fouled - once with :40.3 left and again with just :00.1 left, the Royals were still on the wrong end of a 52-39 score once this third period came to a close.
Bethel initially looked to be in an even more shaky position at the beginning of the fourth period when fifth-year senior forward Lydia Hay was whistled for her third foul of the afternoon at the 9:50 mark but here, Herbrechtsmeyer was willing to roll the dice and keep one of his "bigs" in the game. In any event, the Royals seemed to find new life on consecutive three-point bombs that suddenly had Bethel back within single-digit range. Penke would find the range from the right top area at the 9:20 mark and Duininck; the former Central Minnesota Christian standout, unleashed a bomb from the right wing area at the 8:30 mark that suddenly cut GAC's lead down to seven at 52-45 and the Gusties' Laurie Kelly wasted little time in calling for a halt to the action to make some quick adjustments. Still, Bethel managed to hang around in this seven-point range as Garfield would make a hard drive for a finish at the 7:33 mark to keep the deficit at seven at 54-47 and after GAC's Quick muscled into the paint for a score at the 7:06 mark that also drew a foul and added the obligatory "and one" the Gustie lead was up to ten again at 57-47. The Royals finally got that deficit back down to seven again with 4:40 left when Penke made a hard drive into the lane for a finish that also drew a foul and Penke's ensuing "and one" had the Gustie lead down to 57-50. The last real window of opportunity for Bethel came with 3:43 left when Penke banged home a "3" from the right top area that now had the deficit down to six at 59-53 with a ton of time left. Unfortunately for the Royals, GAC firmly sealed up whatever leaks were found as Bethel could never get closer than that down the home stretch. Once the Gusties got into the bonus with 3:17 left, the writing was pretty much on the wall for this contest as GAC made a concerted effort to close this one out from the charity stripe. Hauger would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:01 left and Baranick would add a pair as well after getting fouled with :43.1 left that increased the Gusties' safety net to nine at 62-53. Hauger would add yet another pair of freebies after getting fouled with :22.6 left and Baranick would add two more for insurance after getting fouled with :11 left as GAC claimed its fourth straight MIAC Championship Game with a 66-53 victory.
I was first able to catch up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and I mentioned to him that every time his squad seemed to be close to getting to within striking distance, the Gusties shut the door each time. "Yeah, they're (GAC) a poised team and their physicality today was certainly a big factor.....We didn't rebound well and obviously we didn't shoot well either." But Herbrechtsmeyer did try and put a positive spin on this latest setback. "We needed a game like this.....Stout was our last single-digit game and this one was single-digits for a while." Herbrechtsmeyer was quick to acknowledge that the experience factor that the Gusties had in games like this was another big factor but he was still bullish on his squad and said "I like my kids coming back." Herbrechtsmeyer also weighed in on what the outcome of this game and those in the surrounding conferences - specifically the WIAC - means for his squad come Monday's NCAA Tournament Selection Show. "Whitewater probably moves into a hosting spot because they beat Oshkosh so they'll jump us (in the NPI rankings) into the top 16 and we'll probably end up there......Oshkosh would still probably be too high and they can't put us down to Gustavus because conference teams aren't supposed to meet until the Sweet 16 so we'll probably be going to Whitewater."
When I was able to catch up with GAC's Laurie Kelly, I had to offer compliments on her squad's defensive effort on this day that effectively bottled up a potent Bethel attack. "When you have this many veteran players that have been playing together for so long - four years this group has been together - they almost don't even have to talk; they just know each other and that's been a lot of hard work on their part; extra time in the gym. So we've really bought into your shots coming out.....The defense is just about your heart, your effort and we've kind of hung our hat on that and when games haven't gone well offensively, we've been able to get it done defensively." I also had to ask Laurie Kelly; now having her team with a very high NPI ranking, about what it'll be like to be finally hosting a 1st/2nd round pod at their place. "I don't know" she replied but there's little doubt that this will be a very exciting time for GAC to have things on their home floor for a change after being denied the last two years of having a chance to host. But, as Laurie Kelly pointed out, they've got to be able to hold serve at home. "Getting out of the first/second round has kind of been our achilles heel" she admitted but having a 1st/2nd round pod at home is a big advantage nonetheless. More than anything, Laurie Kelly wants this team; this group to really enjoy the moment and soak it all up. I think this time around, GAC is poised to make a significant run. They've got the goods to do it. You certainly can't deny that.
The first two items on the final box score that grabbed my attention right away were rebounds and turnovers. The Gusties outrebounded Bethel 28-17 and the Royals simply gave up too many offensive rebounds in this game (10) as even Herbrechtsmeyer admitted afterward. Bethel was also guilty of 21 turnovers on this day and what made matters worse for the Royals is that GAC got 25 points off of those boo-boos. GAC also enjoyed an advantage in points in the paint at 24-18 and also had the edge in bench points at 16-9. The other stat that really stood out to me was at the charity stripe where the Royals were only 12-20 for a straight 60% and anyone who knows a thing or two about basketball will tell you that that's not even close to being good enough and this aspect definitely left some much-needed points on the table for Bethel. Not that GAC was perfect either (23-30 for 76.7%) but they were able to make up for it in other areas.
What an afternoon it was for GAC's Kniefel as her 19 points easily led all scorers and she was perfect from the charity stripe going 6-6. Both Hauger and Kawiecki finished with 10 points and Kawiecki had a double-double with 10 rebounds as she was a monster on the boards. Garfield had to shoulder most of the load for Bethel on this day as she finished with 15 points while both Schmitz and Penke finished with 12 points a piece.
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