GAC vs Northwestern 12-16-25

What a night it was for GAC junior guard Kaitlyn Schaefer!   

 Battled the heavy traffic on I-694 from my pad in the northwest suburbs over to Roseville and the Erickson Center on the campus of the University of Northwestern to take in this mid-December clash between visiting GAC of the MIAC and host Northwestern out of the UMAC.  The Gusties were coming into this contest hungry for a win as they were on a three-game skid; the latest loss being to UW-Eau Claire at home this last Saturday.  Conversely, the Eagles were entering this non-conference clash on a three-game win streak with their last win being a convincing 83-60 decision over Emmaus University out of Dubuque, IA which at least helped turned the tide somewhat for this squad considering they started this season 0-6.  

But there was little doubt that the Gusties were going to be heavy favorites going into this game and that became readily apparent as GAC took control of this one from the opening tip-off.  Slender junior guard Ella Peters came up big from the get-go as she would first knock down a pull-up jumper in transition from the left elbow area at the 9:02 mark of the opening period and after a Northwestern miscue, Peters would slither into the paint for another score at the 8:41 mark to put the Gusties up 4-0.  At the 7:29 mark, Peters would strike again as she connected with a jumper from the left elbow area to make it a 6-2 game.  At the 5:53 mark, junior reserve guard Kendyl Queensland would up the Gustie lead to 8-2 with a pretty lay-up in transition at the 5:53 mark before Northwestern could tighten things up a bit on a lay-up by speedy freshman guard Lydia Schmitter at the 5:31 mark.  But GAC would continue to put distance between itself and their opponent as Kendyl Queensland would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 5:21 mark and then with 4:13 left, junior sharpshooting guard Kaitlyn Schaefer started making her presence felt as she buried a "3" from the left corner area to push the Gustie lead to 13-4.  The Eagles would get the deficit down to seven as Schmitter would again come through from the charity stripe with a couple of free throws after getting fouled with 2:42 left but even the 1-2-2 match-up zone defense that Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl was employing on this night could not contain the potent GAC offensive as the Gusties closed out this first period with a 12-2 burst.  Back-to-back three-point bombs - one by Peters from the right top area with 2:11 left and another by sophomore point guard Anna Goodman from the right wing area with 1:39 left - had GAC up 19-6 and then sophomore reserve forward Bella Sutch took care of the rest.  The former Spring Lake Park standout would get a tough score in the paint with :47.3 left that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" made it 22-8.  Two more free throws by Sutch after she was fouled with :29.3 left and one more after getting fouled with :08.8 left had the Gusties in great shape with a sizable 25-8 lead.  

The Eagles hoped to get off to a better start in the second period and when Schmitter used a burst of speed to drive into the lane for a finish at the 9:22 mark, the Northwestern faithful hoped that they were pointed in the right direction but the Gusties had vastly different ideas as they used a 13-0 burst to widen their lead.  Kendyl Queensland would connect on a tough jumper along the left baseline at the 8:37 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Olivia Grothaus at the 8:01 mark had GAC up 29-10.  Grothaus would follow this up with a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 7:29 mark and a short time later, Peters would knock down a short jumper from the left side at the 7:11 mark to make it 33-10.  Less than a minute later, Goodman would connect on a pull-up jumper from the left wing area in transition at the 6:39 mark and Schaefer would put a bow tie on this latest run by unleashing more terror from behind the arc with a bomb from the left wing area that now had the Gusties running away with this one up 38-10.  Northwestern freshman reserve forward Emma Korinek would try and ease some of the pain as she would bang home a "3" from the right wing area with 4:50 left and with 3:25 left Korinek; the former Concordia Academy standout, would connect on a lay-up in transition but two scores in succession from the Gusties only put the home team further in the hole as willowy junior forward Whitley Ronn would connect on a pretty reverse lay-up in transition with 3:25 left and then Peters would connect on a routine jumper from the left elbow area with 2:41 left that put GAC up 44-15 and the Eagles' Kahl wasted little time in calling for a halt to the action to stem the massive bleeding.  Unfortunately for Northwestern, this was just the start of another 13-0 run by the Gusties as Goodman would drain a "3" from the right wing area with 2:03 left and then two free throws by Schaefer after an odd technical foul called on the Eagles with 1:13 left got the GAC lead to 49-15.  After Northwestern coughed the ball up again, the Gusties' Schaefer would get a short jumper to go down with 1:02 left and two free throws by freshman reserve forward Lauren Queensland with :14.1 left had GAC taking an insurmountable 52-15 lead into the locker room at the half.  

The Eagles would again try and turn the tide once the third period got underway as freshman guard Ella Frazier would bury a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:20 mark but Northwestern would then have to absorb a 6-0 Gustie punch.  Peters would connect on a short jumper in the lane at the 8:59 mark and then Ronn would snare away an Eagle pass and race the other way for an easy lay-up at the 8:42 mark before a routine lay-up by Goodman at the 8:00 mark stretched the GAC lead to forty at 58-18.  The Eagles would get a lift on a three-point bomb by junior forward Carli Elrod from the left corner area with 7:46 left before the Gusties answered that with an 11-0 burst.  Ronn would slither into the paint for a score at the 7:33 mark and a jumper by Peters from the left wing area at the 6:39 mark had GAC up 62-21.  Grothaus would muscle into the paint for another score a short time later at the 6:07 mark and then it would be Ronn again as she would connect on a lay-up at the 5:29 mark.  Schaefer would then bang home her third trey of this contest with a bomb from the left wing area with 4:35 left as the Gustie lead ballooned to 69-21 before Northwestern's Elrod came through with a little ointment for the home crowd as she would make a hard drive for a finish with 3:02 left that also drew a foul and Elrod would sink the obligatory "and one".  With 1:57 left Elrod would come through again for the Eagles by knocking down a short jumper in the lane but down 69-26, there was little joy being felt by the partisan home crowd.  

Though the outcome of this one was never in doubt for the most part of this contest, that aspect certainly didn't deter this young Northwestern team as they continued to battle hard to their credit.  A three-point bomb by Korinek from the right corner at the 8:18 mark of the fourth period helped spur an 11-2 run by the Eagles.  Schmitter would then steal the spotlight at home with with her own scoring burst as the former United Christian Academy standout would first snare a steal and race the other way for a lay-up at the 8:07 mark and at the 7:32 mark, Schmitter would make a daring drive into the lane for a score that also drew a foul and would get the ensuing "and one" to go down as well.  At the 6:28 mark, Schmitter would strike again with her defensive prowess as she would snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up.  But Schmitter was not done just yet as she would get to the charity stripe after getting fouled at the 5:48 mark and get a pair of free throw shots to go down.  Unfortunately for the Eagles, down 71-37, none of this was going to be close to being enough as GAC went back to work to widen its lead.  Schaefer would unleash her fourth three-point bomb of the evening at the 5:31 mark - this dagger coming from the left wing area - and a jumper from the free throw line area by Peters with 4:16 left had the Gusties up 76-41.  By this point, GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly got her reserves into this contest which not only gave them some valuable game minutes but a chance to get into the scoring book as well.  Freshman reserve guard Zoe Verhasselt would connect on a lay-up in transition with 2:49 left and fellow freshman reserve forward Ellie Davis would get a tough score in the paint with :59.4 left.  With :41.6 left, freshman reserve forward Miranda Palmby got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled and Davis would get one freebie to go down for good measure after getting fouled with :16.3 left as the Gusties romped to an easy 85-41 win.  

When I caught up with GAC's Kelly afterward, I congratulated her on the big win on this night and how impressive they looked when they were clicking on all cylinders.  After three straight losses (SMU in overtime, CSB and then UW-Eau Claire this last weekend), the Gusties needed a "feel good" moment to go into the Christmas holiday with and they got it on this night.  Now, while this particular game won't do much for their NPI (Power Index) rankings, it at least gets this team reset in a way in terms of getting a shot of much-needed confidence and, just as important, a bit of a head of steam as well as one more big non-conference game looms just before the first of the year when UW-Whitewater out of the WIAC visits St. Peter on 12-30.  The other thing that was noticeable in this contest:  Kelly tweaked her lineup a bit from the last time I covered the Gusties (at Hamline early this month) as both Grothaus and Schaefer got the nod to start in this one.  I think, more than anything, this game offered Kelly and her staff a chance to tinker with things just a bit to see how this starting combination might go and, at the end of the day, it worked out pretty well for them, IMHO.  I think with the 5'10" Grothaus in the starting lineup, it may provide an opportunity for the Gusties to match the physicality of some of the opponents that they're going to be running into sooner or later (UW-Whitewater, Bethel, Concordia and then SMU in the regular season finale).  We'll see but it at least provides a different look and things for Kelly and her staff to consider.  To me, the big uplift for GAC on this night was Schaefer; the former Eastview product who absolutely lit up Erickson Center on this night with her three-point artillery barrage.  Consider:  Schaefer missed all of last season with a foot injury and even had she been healthy, it's unlikely that she would've seen much in the way of playing time with all the seniors and immediate reserves behind them on last year's team.  Now with her long recovery complete, it's also apparent that she's very hungry to prove herself and we saw flashes of what she could do coming off the bench in that thrilling comeback win over Hamline.  With her three-point shooting ability, I think it was the one change that GAC may have needed to make just to make them that more dangerous on the offensive end.  In short, keep your eye on Kaitlyn Schaefer because she's going to be a very good one for the Gusties.  Kelly did add that there's still a lot of work this team needs to do when it comes to taking care of the ball and making better decisions with the ball but the good news is that these things can be worked on in practice and you know Kelly will be working them every day they're on the floor. 

Meanwhile for Northwestern, well, quite obviously reality hit them hard tonight as this young team was simply overmatched from the get-go.  Yet I think the encouraging thing for Kahl and his staff is that they never stopped fighting and kept competing until the very end and that's really all you can ask of them.  The Eagles have a very good one in Schmitter and I think this team will get better and better as this season progresses.  Regarding the technical foul that got called on Northwestern late in the second period, it's my understanding that the officials called the technical because a Northwestern player slapped the ball after it went out of bounds on her; probably in a brief moment of frustration as to how the game was going for them.  All I'll say here is that if a player does something egregiously wrong, I get it if/when they get T'd up for that.  But slapping the ball that, in this case, had virtually no consequential outcome for anyone involved?  And in a game where the outcome was, for all intents and purposes, decided in the opening period?  Officials in this case have more important things to worry about.  God knows I've got away with way worse stuff on the tennis court back in the day.  😄 

As you've probably already guessed, there wasn't much on the box score for Northwestern to cheer about on this night either.  Surprisingly, they only had three more turnovers than GAC did at 24-21 but unfortunately for the Eagles, the Gusties were able to cash in at the bank handsomely getting 29 points off of Northwestern boo-boos.  GAC completely owned the glass on this night with a whopping 37-15 edge in rebounds and the Gusties had their way with scores in the paint with a 32-20 edge.  The fact that GAC shot 32-55 from FG range for a sizzling 58.2% and 7-15 from downtown - thanks in large part to the aforementioned Ms. Schaefer - for 46.7% gives you an idea of how this game went.  And the Gusties were solid from the charity stripe on this night as well going 14-17 for 82.4%.  And GAC simply smothered the Eagles defensively as Northwestern shot a frigid 16-55 from FG range for 29.1% and the Eagles weren't much better behind the arc going 4-19 for 21.1%.  Ouch.

It was another big outing for GAC's Peters as she not only led the way for the Gusties but also led all scorers with her 21 points and it was definitely the coming-out party for Schaefer as she was 4-5 from downtown and poured in 18 points.  Northwestern's Schmitter had to carry much of the load for the Eagles on this night and she certainly didn't disappoint as she led the way for her team with 16 points while Korinek had a solid evening scoring-wise as she finished with 10 points.  

  

 

UW-River Falls vs Bethel 12-13-25

 Made the short run over to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this sunny but bitterly cold December day to take in a highly-anticipated inter-conference clash between visiting UW-River Falls and host Bethel.  Despite a rocky first half of the season, the Falcons were coming into this particular contest on a four-game win streak; their latest victim being Edgewood in Mad-town this last Wednesday while the Royals were coming into this game on a five-game win streak after dropping the season opener at UW-Stout.  This game would be a contrast of styles with the up-tempo and freewheeling offensive style of UW-River Falls and a defensive-minded Bethel team so you knew it was going to be interesting to see which style would ultimately prevail on this day.  

The Royals would jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of the opening period thanks to junior forward Emily Erickson as she would first knock a pair of free throws down after getting fouled at the 9:19 mark and would connect on a lay-up in transition after a steal at the 9:03 mark.  But Bethel's man-to-man "D" still didn't faze the Falcons as they responded with an 8-0 run.  Slender freshman forward Emily Anderson would start this run off with a three-point bomb from the left corner area at the 8:53 mark and senior sharp-shooting guard Zoey Buchan would follow suit from that same left corner area a short time later at the 8:18 mark to put UW-River Falls up 6-4.  Fifth-year senior reserve forward Olivia Boily would finish off this early run by snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:39 mark to make it an 8-4 game before Bethel could find some answers.  Erickson again answered the bell for the Royals as she would drain a "3" from the right wing area at the 6:43 mark that cut the deficit to one at 8-7 and then Bethel would push ahead at 9-8 after junior reserve forward Cally Peterson sank a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 6:06 mark.  Then the Falcons would nudge ahead at 10-9 when junior point guard Savannah Leopold used a burst of speed to dart into the lane for a tough lay-up at the 5:52 mark.  But that didn't last long as the Royals would come right back and assume a 12-10 lead on a three-point bomb by willowy senior forward Ali Born from the left wing area at the 5:39 mark.  UW-River Falls would get the contest leveled at 12-all when junior reserve guard Braelyn Beiler connected on a jumper from the left top area just inside the arc at the 5:08 mark but right back came Bethel as fifth-year senior forward Elly Schmitz got a tough lay-up to go down with 4:47 left to make it a 14-12 game.  It took the Falcons a bit but Buchan would come up big for UW-River Falls in the last two minutes as she would drain her second trey of this contest - this one coming from the right top area with 1:59 left - and would also connect with perfect touch on a jumper from the right elbow area with :18.2 left that had UW-River Falls in good shape with a 17-14 advantage.  

The Falcons' Buchan would picked up where she left off once the second period got underway as the Johnston, IA native would connect on a lay-up in transition at the 9:24 mark that now had them up 19-14.  Bethel would close to within a single possession when Schmitz nailed a "3" from the top of the key - off the glass no less - at the 9:04 mark but right back came UW-River Falls' Buchan as she would unleash more terror from behind the arc with a bomb from the left corner area again that restored the Falcons five-point edge at 22-17.  The Royals would then close to a single point thanks to senior point guard Colette Duininck as she would first connect on a lay-up at the 7:24 mark and then would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 6:07 mark.  But UW-River Falls would control the tempo of this one down the stretch that upped their breathing room.  Buchan would strike again at the 5:39 mark as she would dart through traffic and connect on a lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" not only grew the Falcons lead to four at 25-21 but now UW-River Falls was in the bonus as well.  With 3:40 left, freshman reserve guard Madisyn Berggren came through in a big way as she would bury a "3" from the left wing area that gave the Falcons their largest lead yet at 28-21.  A pretty drive and lay-up by Buchan with 2:40 left along with one free throw by Anderson after she was fouled with 2:24 left maintained the seven-point edge at 31-24.  Although Bethel was able to cut into the deficit with 2:08 left when Schmitz made a drive along the right baseline for a finish with 2:08 left, the Royals struggled to finish around the rim for most of the second period and worse yet, they had found no solutions for containing the Falcons' Buchan so UW-River Falls had to feel pretty good about themselves as they took a 31-26 lead into the locker room at the half.   

The Falcons would get their lead to six at 32-26 when Buchan got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 9:42 mark of the third period and then Bethel's immediate fortunes appeared to take another hit when senior combo guard/forward Rosalie Penke went down with an injury at the 8:55 mark.  Fortunately for the Royals, Penke was able to get up and walk back to the bench okay and that seemed to restore some much-needed energy for the Royals as they battled their way back into this contest.  Duininck would drain a "3" from the left wing area at the 8:26 mark and two free throws by Born after she was fouled at the 6:57 mark cut the deficit down to one at 32-31.  Worse yet for UW-River Falls, Leopold would get whistled for her third foul of this contest and Falcons Head Coach Shelby Lyman wasn't taking any chances with one of her starters and she quickly yanked her to the pine for preservation purposes.  But UW-River Falls found some salvation as Buchan would uncork yet another three-point bomb from the left corner area at the 6:02 mark and two free throws by Boily after she was fouled with 4:54 left restored the earlier six-point edge at 37-31.  Hanging on to this cushion, however, proved problematic as Bethel quickly erased this deficit.  Junior reserve guard Macey Littlefield would bang home a "3" from the right corner area with 4:41 left and a little more than a minute later, Erickson got a three-point play the old-fashioned way as she would connect on a lay-up that also drew a foul and her obligatory "and one" with 3:38 left had this contest on even terms again 37.  UW-River Falls would push ahead again when Beiler got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 2:54 left but the Royals would soon get this game tied again at 39-all when Schmitz got a pair of charity stripe shots to go down after getting fouled with 2:16 left.  Worse yet for the Falcons, senior post Jocelyn Plonski had to retreat to the bench with three fouls.  With 1:47 left, Bethel's Duininck got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled that pushed the Royals back out in front for the first time since near the midway point of the first period.  But that wouldn't last long as UW-River Falls' Leopold; carrying those three fouls, buried a "3" from the top of the key with 1:29 left to put the Falcons back on top 42-41.  Leopold would also get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with :43.3 left that would have the Falcons up 44-42 but a tough score in the paint by Bethel's Erickson had this contest knotted again at 44 a piece so off we went to the fourth period with the issue still unresolved.  

The Royals took the upper hand in the early moments of the fourth period as Born would sink a pair of freebies after getting fouled at the 9:40 mark but UW-River Falls would answer on their subsequent possession as Boily knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area at the 9:14 mark to level this game again at 48 a piece.  Less than a minute later, Bethel would take the lead back as Schmitz got into the paint for a score at the 8:17 mark but then the Falcons would come down on their subsequent possession and take the lead away as Anderson would deliver a three-point bomb from the left top area at the 7:55 mark to make it a 49-48 game.  UW-River Falls' Lyman would then call for a timeout to set up strategy for the home stretch but unfortunately for the Falcons, it also gave Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff an opportunity to chart their course as well and it was here where the Royals embarked on a key 6-0 push that really changed the complexion of this game.  Schmitz would start this key push with a routine score in the paint at the 7:25 mark and Erickson would follow suit at the 6:42 mark that had Bethel up 52-49.  The Falcons would come up empty on their subsequent possession and then the Royals extended their lead to 54-49 when Duininck got the outlet pass off of a defensive rebound and then raced the other way for a lay-up at the 6:20 mark.  That forced UW-River Falls' Lyman to take a match to a thirty-second timeout in hopes of finding a quick fix.  To their credit, the Falcons were able to close within a single possession when Anderson connected on a lay-up at the 6:02 mark but Bethel would proceed to put its opponent in another bad spot with two key scores.  Erickson would connect on a lay-up at the 5:07 mark and then less than a minute later, Born would unleash a killer "3" from the top of the key with 4:18 left that now had the Royals up by eight at 59-51 and once again UW-River Falls' Lyman had to resort to using one of her remaining timeouts in hopes of stopping the bleeding.  The Falcons would cut the deficit down to six when Anderson connected on a lay-up with 4:04 left but then Bethel would establish a ten-point cushion as Schmitz would first get a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass with 3:44 left and with 2:22 left, Born would connect on a short one-handed shot off the glass that had the Royals up 63-53.  UW-River Falls would then get the deficit cut to six as Berggren would connect on a lay-up with 2:10 left as would Anderson with 1:46 left that shrunk the Royals lead to 63-57 but the Falcons would never see this game get back to a single possession again as Bethel proceeded to put the finishing touches on this game.  Erickson would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 1:37 left and with :31.4 left, Duininck would get an inbounds pass from the half-court area and race in for a lay-up that had the Royals up 67-59.  There was one last flicker of hope for UW-River Falls when Leopold buried a "3" from the left top area that cut the deficit to five at 67-62 but Bethel got the job done at the charity stripe for final closure.  Duininck would get a pair of free throws to go down with :14.8 left as would Penke with :09.4 left.  The Falcons would get one last hurrah when Berggren buried a "3" from the left wing area but two free throws by Bethel's Duininck after she was fouled with :01.8 left gave the Royals a hard-earned 73-67 victory.  

When I caught up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward, he told me that they had to make some adjustments at the halftime break in hopes of at least slowing down UW-River Falls' Buchan whom I had unofficially with 18 points in that first half.  The fact that Buchan was held to six points in the second half should tell you that whatever adjustments were made at the half by Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff worked out okay.  One thing I found out about the Royals is that they can go deeper than what you think as not only Littlefield and Peterson were contributors on this day but sophomore reserve guard Alaina Bonacquista and freshman reserve guard Jada Otoo got minutes in this game as well.  And let's not forget about another fifth-year senior on this Royals team; Lexi Schermann who's also there as well.  I have to think that at some point, she'll get some opportunities to contribute.  With finals coming up this week at Bethel, its going to be a challenging week as they must also prepare for two big games at Wisconsin Dells this next weekend - the first contest on Friday night against another WIAC contender, UW-La Crosse and the second on Saturday against ARC favorite Coe so the Royals have little time to celebrate this latest win.  

The big shocker for me was learning that UW-River Falls has had not one, not two but THREE players lost for the season thus far with ACL injuries (and possibly a fourth as I was told afterward by a parent of one of the Falcon players).  As someone who has followed the women's basketball scene - especially at the DIII level for a long time now - that's just unimaginable if not downright unfair.  Yet we saw a very resilient Falcon team on this day get themselves into position to steal a massive win on the road only to falter down the stretch to a deeper, more physical team.  In fact, if you look at the games that UW-River Falls has played already, you'll only see one game where they were defeated decisively (against Hope back on 11-8) so you have to heap a ton of praise on the Falcons' Lyman and her staff for keeping this team focused and getting the most out of them.  And UW-River Falls has a big opportunity to make amends this next Saturday when Augsburg pays a visit before they delve into WIAC play after the first of the year. 

It's a little weird when you look at the final box score for this one because it's a mixed bag and some of the numbers seem a little deceiving.  To be sure, the Royals did have a 40-34 advantage on the boards but in actuality, it was the Falcons who did a better job cleaning the glass in the first half.  The Royals shot marginally better from FG range going 21-52 for 40.4% and shot 6-17 from downtown for 35.3% while the Falcons went 23-65 from FG range for 35.4% and 10-35 from behind the arc for 28.6%.  Both teams were solid from the charity stripe on this day - Bethel going 25-28 for 89.3% and UW-River Falls going 11-13 for 84.6% although there's obviously a discrepancy in how many times each team got to the line.  The Royals were guilty of 16 turnovers compared to 12 for the Falcons and UW-River Falls did a significantly better job cashing in at the bank off of those turnovers than Bethel did (17-8).  And the Falcons also had a decisive edge in bench points at 18-9 but some of that was because of what I described earlier with all the injuries the Falcons have suffered thus far.  I think the one item that really helped pave the way for Bethel on this day is that they had a whopping advantage in points in the paint at 30-20.  We know that UW-River Falls loves more of an up-tempo game and they're definitely not shy from behind the arc.  I do think that they are a bit too reliant on the three-point shot at times and when they're not falling, you've got to have a Plan B to fall back on.  To me, that's the challenge that the Falcons have to find an answer for going forward.  

The other thing that benefitted the Royals on this day was an incredibly balanced scoring attack.  Erickson led the way with her 18 points but right behind was Duininck with her 17 points which, with her in the point guard spot and also being arguably one of the top two or three on-ball defenders in the MIAC, shows you how valuable she is to this team.  And what can you say about Schmitz, a second-team preseason All-American and her 15 points and eight rebounds?  And almost forgotten on this day was Born who collected a "double-double" with her 12 points and 10 rebounds.  She's the player who does the hard, unappreciated work who's deserving of the recognition.  Meanwhile, it was quite the day for UW-River Falls' Buchan as she easily led the Falcons attack and also led all scorers with her 24 points and lit up Robertson Center from downtown going 4-5 on this day.  Anderson had a solid day as well as she tallied 15 points while Leopold finished with 10 points.       

Concordia vs CSB 12-6-25

 Made the run up US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline on this sunny but cold Saturday morning up to the St. Cloud area and over to Claire Lynch Hall on the campus of the College of St. Benedict to take in this important early-season clash between visiting Concordia and host CSB.  The Cobbers were coming off a decisive road win at UM-Morris on Monday night while the Bennies came away with a split out on the Front Range at Colorado Springs over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend - knocking off host Colorado College but dropping a tough contest to highly-regarded Whitman.  So getting off to a good start to the conference portion was imperative for both of these squads today.

Scoring would come at a premium in the first few minutes of the opening period with both teams unable to capitalize on early scoring opportunities.  CSB finally broke the proverbial ice at the 6:31 mark when sophomore guard Drew Buslee used a burst of speed for a hard drive and a finish to put the home team up 3-1 but the Cobbers would answer on their subsequent possession when strong sophomore forward Maya Metcalf drilled a "3" from the left corner area at the 6:10 mark that pushed Concordia out in front 4-3 and they would extend their lead to 6-3 when lanky sophomore reserve forward Kaia Gack connected on a short jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass at the 5:21 mark.  The Bennies would close the gap to one when speedy sophomore point guard Lauren Arnold darted into the lane and got a pretty floater to go down with 4:50 left but Concordia's Gack would come through again a short time later as she drained a "3" from the left top area with 4:28 left that got the Cobber lead to four at 9-5.  CSB would counter on their subsequent possession as senior combo forward/post Kira Young connected on a pretty reverse lay-up with 4:04 left but the Cobbers quickly answered that on their subsequent possession as freshman reserve guard Kaitlyn Rohloff banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 3:45 left to push Concordia's lead to 12-7.  Kaitlyn Rohloff; the former Hancock standout, was hardly finished with her heroics as she would connect on a lay-up with 1:53 left and would follow that up with a lay-up in transition with :44.6 left that now had Concordia up 16-7.  The Bennies would trim the deficit down to seven when Arnold knocked down a jumper from the right elbow area with just :00.8 left on the clock but the only fly in the ointment for the Cobbers now up 16-9 was that junior post Maci Wheeldon had picked up her second foul of the afternoon with :08.9 left and had to retreat to the bench for preservation purposes.  

Concordia would get its lead to ten at 19-9 when senior guard Taya Jeffrey drained a "3" from the right top area at the 9:46 mark of the second period but the Bennies would quickly claw back to within a single possession with a 7-0 push.  Senior guard Megan Morgan would bang home one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one from the left corner at the 8:21 mark and two free throws by Arnold after she was fouled at the 7:55 mark narrowed the deficit to five at 19-14.  A short time later Arnold would knock down a jumper from the right top area; just inside the arc that had CSB right in the thick of things down only 19-16.  The Cobbers then got things going again as Gack maneuvered into the paint for a score at the 7:08 mark to make it 21-16 and then senior guard Molly Musland finally found her shooting touch with a three-point bomb from the left wing area at the 6:00 mark that got the lead to six at 24-18.  Another score in the paint by Gack at the 5:10 mark maintained the six-point lead at 26-20 but the Blazers managed to get this one tightened up again.  Young would slither into the paint for a score with 4:54 left and then Arnold used her speed to make a quick dart into the lane and knock down a pull-up jumper with 3:34 left that had CSB down by only two at 26-24.  Alarmed, Concordia launched an 11-1 run to end this second period.  Gack would get into the paint for another score with 3:16 left and then junior reserve forward Genevieve Gruba came through at the charity stripe after getting fouled - knocking down a pair with 2:36 left and one more with 2:08 left - that had the Cobbers up 31-24.  Then Metcalf would knock down a jumper from the right wing area with 1:20 left that got the lead to nine at 33-24.  Kaitlyn Rohloff would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled with :37.7 left and senior point guard Taylor Safranski would do likewise with just :02.4 left on the clock as Concordia took a 37-25 lead into the locker room at the half and it was becoming evident that the Cobbers' depth was beginning to wear on the home team.  

Concordia put its host into an even bigger hole once the third period got underway thanks to two scores by Metcalf - an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 9:43 mark and a lay-up at the 9:07 mark - that now had the Cobbers in great shape with a fifteen-point cushion up 41-26.  But Concordia had little time to rest on its laurels as the Blazers got the gap narrowed up again.  Senior reserve guard Megan Driste would drain a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:19 mark and two free throws by Buslee after she was fouled at the 7:32 mark got the deficit down to ten at 41-31.  At the 5:55 mark, Morgan knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area that had CSB back to within single digits down 41-33.  But the Blazers went into a cold spell after that and worse yet for Head Coach Mike Durbin, Driste had to retreat to the pine with three fouls as well.  This opened up the door for Concordia and they were quick to pounce on the opportunity.  Junior reserve guard Alexa Snesrud would make a hard drive for a finish with 4:26 left and although CSB's Morgan would retaliate with a "3" from the right corner area with 3:47 left, the Bennies would have to withstand an 8-0 Cobber run.  Wheeldon would connect on a lay-up with 2:41 left and Musland would knock down a pair of free throws that not only re-established the double-digit advantage at 47-36 but now Concordia was in the bonus as well.  Wheeldon would knock down a pair of charity stripe shots after getting fouled with 1:27 left and Musland would make a hard drive and connect on a lay-up with :53 left that got the Cobber lead to 51-36.  Junior reserve guard Olivia Hanson got a pair of free throw attempts to go down as well with :02.6 left and although CSB's Buslee would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with just :00.3 left, the Bennies had a lot of work in front of them down 53-40.  

Concordia would establish its largest lead of the day in the early moments of the fourth period as Musland would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled and then when Metcalf banged home a "3" from the left top area at the 8:31 mark the Cobbers appeared to have this one all but put away with a 58-40 advantage.  But just when it seemed as if CSB was down and out and unable to crawl out of this massive hole, the Bennies hunkered down and battled back.  Morgan's short, turnaround jumper off the glass at the 8:02 mark and a short jumper from the left side off of an inbounds pass at the 7:35 mark got the deficit down to fourteen at 58-44.  One free throw by Morgan after she was fouled at the 6:07 mark and two more by Driste after she was fouled at the 5:58 mark not only had the deficit down to twelve at 59-47 but now CSB was in the bonus as well.  The Cobbers would extend their lead to sixteen as Snesrud would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 5:49 mark and with 4:14 left, Snesrud would strike again on a lay-up that made it 63-47 but again CSB refused to throw in the towel and instead launched a 10-0 run.  Morgan started this run by unleashing a "3" from the right wing area with 3:58 left and a pretty floater in the lane by Arnold with 3:40 left had the deficit down to eleven at 63-52.  Buslee would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 3:25 left and junior reserve guard Emily Crandall also got a pair of free throws to go down with 3:12 left that suddenly left a lot of uncertainty in this one with Concordia's lead now cut to seven at 63-56 with a ton of time left.  But no panic was evident on the Cobber bench and they quietly went back to work to close this one out once and for all.  Musland would connect on a lay-up with 2:31 left and was fouled in the process and although she couldn't get the "and one" to go down, Jeffrey was in the right place at the right time for the offensive rebound and she would be fouled with 2:29 left and got one free throw to go down out of it that restored the double-digit cushion at 66-56.  Jeffrey would follow that up a bit later with a lay-up of her own with 2:00 left that maintained the ten-point lead at 68-58 and with 1:20 left, it would be Musland delivering the dagger as her three-point bomb from the left corner now made it 71-58.  Safranski would come through with pairs of insurance free throws after getting fouled with :46.9 and :32.8 left and Metcalf would deliver a lay-up with :16.9 left as Concordia secured a huge road dub with a 77-64 victory.  

When I caught up with Concordia Head Coach Kim Wagers afterward, I had to congratulate her on the team's big road win.  But the other thing that really stood out to me - particularly as an Iowa grad - is how much this particular Cobber team resembles that 1986-87 Iowa men's team that went 30-5 that season and made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament (that team should've won the whole ball of wax that year but I digress) under first-year head coach Tom Davis.  And here's why - (1) Incredibly deep.  When look at the Cobber backcourt, you'll see that the three primary pieces - Safranski, Musland and Jeffrey - are all very solid and experienced (and I really love how Jeffrey has been able to elevate her game in a relatively short time span).  But Wagers can also insert youngsters who are very capable such as Kaitlyn Rohloff, Christianson and Hanson.  And consider, both sophomore Tatum Findley who's currently out with some ankle issues and fellow sophomore Peyton Briedenbach who's on the last lap of recovery from a knee injury last season will only add to this depth when they return fully healthy in the next few weeks.  (2) Very physical.  Overall, this team is much more physical than they were the last couple of seasons, IMHO.  The addition of Metcalf and Gack coming off the bench along with the length that Wheeldon provides have really changed the dynamic of this team and the guards I mentioned aren't slouches in the physicality aspect either.  (3) Changes in defensive philosophy.  I thought that one thing that had to change for this team to help get them to the next level was that they had to get better on the defensive end.  With this team, now you're seeing more trapping and more half-court/full-court pressure that can force turnovers and lead to opportunities on the other end and I think this is going to pay dividends for them down the road.  I do think there's some kinks that need to be worked out on the offensive side but I'm confident they'll get these worked out.  In short, I think this team is primed to do some very big and exciting things this season.  

Though this setback is not the end of the world for CSB, it still comes at a bad time when you consider they have an equally tough task at home on Wednesday night when GAC pays a visit to Claire Lynch and that game will be about as close to a "must win" situation for the Bennies as there can be if they want to stay in the thick of things for the conference title chase.  When I was able to speak with CSB's Durbin after the game, I mentioned to him that I thought Concordia's length was an issue for them.  Durbin believed it wasn't so much the length (CSB is "long", too) but rather it was the physicality aspect that was the difference (see above).  Granted, it's hard to replicate that sort of thing in practice.  I thought also that the Bennies may have settled for a few three-point attempts during their cold spells that maybe they shouldn't have settled for.  Durbin trusts his team in that he knows he's got very good shooters and obviously when you've got an open look, you've gotta knock those shots down.  Durbin did admit that he thinks his team needs to be better disciplined with the ball and make better decisions at times.  Yet I think this team has the goods to get things turned around and now they've got to get focused and locked-in for GAC

It's a bit of a mixed bag when you look at the final box score on this contest as you'll see where CSB actually had an edge in those all-important second chance points (16-7) and they only turned the ball over 10 times compared to 21 for Concordia and on top of that, the Bennies had a 19-9 edge in points off of turnovers.  But, the Cobbers had a huge edge edge in the rebounding department at 36-23 and they also enjoyed a sizable advantage in bench points at 32-9 (the depth factor).  And when you consider that Concordia shot 23-44 for 52.3% from FG range and 7-12 from downtown for 58.3% and held CSB to 19-64 for 29.7% from FG range and 4-25 from behind the arc for a straight 16%, then you know that they're getting the job done on both ends of the floor.  

The Cobbers leaned on both Musland and Metcalf for scoring on this day and they certainly didn't disappoint as they both led the way for Concordia with 14 points a piece and Gack wasn't far behind with her 11 points.  You can tell that Buslee is developing into a premier scorer for this CSB team and her 19 points led all scorers on this day.  Arnold is no slouch herself in the scoring department and she wasn't far behind on this day with her 16 points and Morgan was her usual steady self as she finished with 14 points on this day.  

GAC vs Hamline 12-3-25

 Made my way over to the St Paul side of town on this cold early December day - first over to El Burrito Mercado to get myself stocked up with their fabulous chicken and rice - and then backtracked going up Snelling Avenue to venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University for the opening night of MIAC play between visiting GAC and host Hamline.  The Gusties were coming into this contest with a 3-1 overall record - their only blemish coming in the season opener at Wisconsin Lutheran.  The Pipers were 3-1 as well coming into this contest as they dropped a 69-56 decision to UW-Stout out of the WIAC at Hutton Arena just before Thanksgiving.  Both teams have high hopes for this season so despite this being the conference opener for both teams, this one could loom large later on in the season.

Hamline had its high-octane offense in full gear coming out of the gate in the opening period as senior guard Camille Cummings took care of things early on for the Pipers.  The former Centennial standout would first connect on a lay-up at the 9:21 mark and would follow that up with a pull-up jumper from near the free throw line area at the 8:16 mark that had Hamline up 4-0.  Cummings would also add one free throw after getting fouled at the 7:35 mark to push the lead to 5-zip.  The Gusties finally shook off their initial jitters with a 5-0 push of their own.  Junior reserve guard Ava Westerman would bury a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:22 mark and a lay-up by slender junior guard Ella Peters at the 5:16 mark leveled the contest at five a piece.  Peters would put GAC ahead at 7-6 when she knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:48 left and then both teams would trade jabs that saw them trading small leads.  The Pipers took the lead back at 8-7 when junior reserve forward Evelyn Wiltrout snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:36 left but then the Gusties pushed ahead at 10-8 when junior reserve guard Kaitlyn Schaefer drained a "3" from the right wing area with 4:09 left.  Hamline took the lead back at 11-10 when sophomore reserve guard Emma Lamppa buried a "3" of her own from the left wing area with 3:49 left and lost it twenty seconds later when Gustie sophomore reserve forward Bella DeHaan knocked down a short jumper from the right side with 3:29 left that had GAC back up again 12-11.  The Gusties upped this lead to 14-11 when sophomore reserve forward Bella Sutch muscled into the paint for a tough score with 2:25 left but Hamline would get this contest leveled again at 14 when senior combo guard/forward Sophie Stork banged home a "3" from the left top area with 2:09 left.  Sutch would come through for GAC with 1:02 left with another score in the paint to put the Gusties up 16-14 but they certainly weren't breathing easy when this first period finally came to a close.

The first sign of trouble for GAC came at the 9:36 mark of the second period when the Pipers' Wiltrout made a daring drive into traffic along the left baseline and connected on a pretty reverse lay-up that also drew a foul and Wiltrout's obligatory free throw that not only pushed Hamline back in front 17-16 but also sent one of the Gusties' primary weapons back to the pine - junior forward Whitley Ronn - for preservation purposes.  Still, the initial flow of this second period seemed to mirror that of the first.  GAC's DeHaan would slither into the paint for a score at the 9:10 mark that pushed the Gusties back out in front 18-17 but that didn't last long as Wiltrout would come through again for the Pipers with a score in the paint a short time later at the 8:51 mark to make it a 19-18 game.  Then the Gusties' DeHaan would come right back with a lay-up on GAC's subsequent possession at the 8:40 mark to give the gang from St. Peter a 20-19 lead.  Then at the 8:01 mark Hamline's Cummings would get fouled and she would knock both charity stripe shots down that pushed the Pipers back out in front by a 21-20 count.  But instead of the Gusties finding a quick answer to this, this actually was the beginning of an 11-0 run by Hamline that had GAC on its heels.  Junior forward Marina LaFreniere would extend the lead to 23-20 at the 7:15 mark on a lay-up and at the 5:14 mark, two more free throws by Cummings not only got the lead to 25-20 but now the Pipers were in the bonus as well.  With 4:41 left, things became even more precarious for GAC as Hamline sophomore reserve guard Josie Schmidt got one free throw to go down after getting fouled and now the Gusties' Westerman had to trot back to the bench with her second foul of the evening.  A short time later with 4:18 left, the Pipers Schmidt would scurry through traffic for a lay-up that got the lead to 28-20 and when junior reserve combo guard/forward Anna Rynkiewich snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:28 left, Hamline now had a ten-point cushion at 30-20 and Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly had seen enough to know that a thirty-second timeout was warranted.  GAC's DeHaan finally broke the extended Gustie drought with a jumper from the left elbow area with 2:37 left but GAC's trouble were far from over as the Pipers continued to be aggressive on the offensive end.  Cummings would use a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up with 2:19 left and two free throws by junior guard Lauren Cooper after she was fouled with 1:36 left had Hamline up 34-22.  LaFreniere would connect on a lay-up of her own with 1:14 left and one free throw by Cummings after she was fouled with :47.6 left allowed the Pipers to carry a sizable 37-22 lead into the locker room at the half while GAC looked dazzled and frazzled as they retreated to their locker room.

Given how the latter stages of the second period went, it was difficult to envision the Gusties getting this turned around anytime soon.  Yet, once the third period got underway, they started showing signs of doing exactly just that.  Junior guard Peyton Stevermer; who struggled in the first half, finally got into the books on the scoring front after knocking down a pair of freebies after getting fouled at the 8:07 mark.  At the 7:31 mark, the first crack in Hamline's armor showed when GAC junior forward Kendyl Queensland got fouled and got she got one free throw to go down that not only narrowed the deficit to twelve at 37-25 but now the Pipers' Stork had to retreat to the bench with her third foul of the evening.  Then at the 6:41 mark, the Gusties' Stevermer struck again - this time from behind the arc with a three-point bomb from the right wing area that pulled GAC back to within single-digit range down 37-28.  Hamline did some quick patch-up work as Wiltrout got into the paint for a score at the 6:09 mark to up the lead to 39-28 but Piper Head Coach Joshua Hersch sensed trouble and called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of getting his troops reorganized.  GAC however, had found new life as Kelly had her squad employ a 1-2-2 zone defense that effectively plugged up the holes that the Pipers had found too often in the first half and now the Gusties were applying some full- and half-court pressure defense as well that had Hamline backpedaling and allowed GAC to claw away at this deficit.  At the 5:52 mark, Ronn used her 5'11" frame to slither into the paint for a score to get the Gusties back into single-digit range again down 39-30.  Although Ronn would collect her third foul of the night a short time later at the 5:00 mark, she had plenty of teammates ready and willing to come to the rescue.  Peters would connect on an easy lay-up with 4:36 left after the Gusties forced a turnover near midcourt and then sophomore sparkplug point guard Anna Goodman finally found her shooting touch with a tough jumper near the free throw line area with 4:10 left that suddenly had the deficit down to five at 39-34.  With 3:07 left, Peters would knock down a pair of free throws that not only brough GAC back to within a single possession down 39-36 but now the Gusties turned the table on its opponent by getting into the bonus as well.  Hamline finally found a bit of relief on the offensive end when Rynkiewich got into the paint for a score but GAC was far from finished with this third period onslaught.  Schaefer got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:40 left and with 2:01 left, DeHaan would connect on a lay-up in transition that pulled the Gusties back to within a single possession down 41-39.  Hamline's Hersch would take a match to a thirty-second timeout shortly thereafter but the Pipers were no longer finding the easy opportunities they had found in the first half because of a rejuvenated Gustie defensive effort and that cushy advantage that Hamline enjoyed at the half had now been reduced to a perilous two points.  

GAC's Kelly and her staff had to have been frustrated after the fourth period got underway as the Gusties missed out on several scoring opportunities in the early minutes that kept them at bay.  The good news, however, was that the Pipers had been unable to claim any advantage on GAC miscues on the offensive end.  But given how the momentum in this game had clearly shifted toward the Gusties as the third period ensued, Hamline's Hersch and his staff certainly had to have had premonitions that things were not going as planned.  Finally, at the 6:22 mark, the Gusties grabbed their first lead since the early part of the second period when Schaefer; the former Eastview standout, drained a cold-blooded "3" from the left corner that had the black and gold out in front 42-41.  Alarmed, the Pipers would take the lead back when senior combo guard/forward Josie Wiebusch made a hard drive for a finish at the 5:50 mark but this small advantage for Hamline would be short-lived as GAC's Ronn got into the paint for a score that put the Gusties back out in front 44-43.  At the 5:00 mark, the Gusties' Schaefer came through with more heroics as she perfectly kissed a one-handed floater off the glass that extended GAC's lead to 46-43 and Hamline's Hersch - in grave concern if not full-fledged panic - had to take a match to a full timeout.  The Pipers were able to cut the deficit to one when Wiebusch got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 2:44 left but on the Gusties' subsequent possession, Peters connected on a jumper from the free throw line area with 2:29 left that restored the three-point edge at 48-45.  However, any hopes of order being restored anytime soon took a hit as the Piper contingent inside Hutton Arena exploded when Cummings unleashed her trademark terror from behind the arc with a bomb from the right wing area with 2:21 left that leveled this contest at 48 a piece.  GAC would retake the lead at 50-48 when Goodman got a pair of free throws to go down with 2:09 left but Hamline would again get this contest on even terms when Wiebusch was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with :48.3 left and the former St. Peter standout got both free throw attempts to go down.  GAC's Kelly would then take a timeout of her own to set up strategy and whatever the play it was that she and her staff decided upon, it wound up paying huge dividends.  The Gusties worked the ball around in the half court and got the rock to Peters and with :37.3 left in regulation, she found an opening and unleashed a dagger "3" from the left corner that pushed GAC ahead 53-50.  Still, the Gusties were by no means out of the woods just yet as Hamline would soon get their opportunity and with :26.5 left in regulation, the Pipers' Hersch would take a thirty-second timeout in hopes of setting up something.  Hamline would in-bounds the pass to Schmidt who dribbled over to the far right wing area which allowed Cummings to work her way to the left top area.  Schmidt would get the ball to Cummings and with the shot clock under ten seconds, Cummings fired up a three-point bomb attempt with :12.1 left on the clock.  But the shot hit banged off the rim and a struggle ensued for the rebound.  With the possession arrow favoring the Pipers, it certainly appeared they would get one more chance with :09.9 left on the clock.  But that last sliver of a chance went up in smoke on the ensuing inbounds pass as Hamline's LaFreniere was whistled for a moving screen.  The Gusties were able to finish out the last few seconds of play and came away with a wild, unpredictable and thrilling win. 

When I was able to finally catch up with GAC's Kelly after the game, I half-jokingly suggested that the GAC Athletic Department should probably have a disclaimer on the game video with a "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME" slogan at the beginning; referring to getting into a big hole and then miraculously finding a way to come back.  She got a good chuckle out of that and then kind of went back to the line she used with me when I saw her (along with Associate Head Coach Kelsey Letourneau) upon my arrival at Hutton Arena about an hour before gametime.  "It's like a box of chocolates" when I asked her about how things were going with her and the team - and again now after witnessing her team claw their way back from a fifteen-point deficit to to claim a thrilling win.  I have to admit that it's indeed very interesting to watch this young Gustie team grow and ever so slowly carve an identity for themselves.  And, make no mistake, it's a process.  When you lose all the great seniors you had from a year ago that helped take you to the Elite Eight last season and you're essentially starting over with a new group, there's going to be some growing pains and you'll probably see some more up-and-down play from them as this season progresses.  Even Kelly admitted that there's a lot of little things that they need to get better at with the ball on the offensive end and I have no doubt they will as the season goes on.  I asked Kelly what specifically changed at the halftime break when they were in a fifteen-point hole.  Per Kelly, there wasn't any big pep talk or anything like that.  Rather, it was a switch-up in strategy - especially on the defensive end - that helped turn the tide for them.  Going to a 1-2-2 zone defense and the full- and half-court pressure defense that really took Hamline out of their comfort zone were the keys - and holding the Pipers to just FOUR points in that third period alone was nothing short of outstanding.  It's funny how a game like this can sometimes catapult a young team that's been struggling some with consistency and give them a huge shot of confidence going forward.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if this team looks back at this game as possibly being the defining moment for them.  Here's another item to consider:  The fact that Peters, Goodman and Ronn were all riding with four fouls in the home stretch and the fact that Kelly had to dig deeper into her bench - and much earlier than what she would've liked - shows you how resilient this team is.    

For Hamline meanwhile, it's not the end of the world by any stretch but it's definitely a setback of sorts especially when you look at how this game transpired for them.  Getting a sizable lead by the halftime break and then watching it all disappear in the second half.  These things happen, of course, but the Pipers never seemed to be able to come up with a solution on either end of the floor when GAC made their run at them.  When you look at the final box score for this one, it's weird because it's tough to find one area where Hamline really faltered.  Rebounding was essentially even and although Hamline had a few more turnovers than GAC did 21-18, the Pipers actually did a much better job converting the turnovers into points (18-10).  Hamline had more points in the paint (24-20) and both teams were solid enough from the charity stripe (Gusties were a bit better percentage-wise going 10-12 for 83.3%).  No, what did in Hamline on this night is that they were stymied on the offensive end when the Gusties started applying the full- and half-court pressure and time and time again they missed key shots or, worse yet, had shots swatted away that may have turned the tide for them.  And the Pipers did struggle mightily behind the arc in this one going 3-19 for 15.8%.  Ouch.  

The Gusties leaned heavily on both Peters and DeHaan on this night as they finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.  To me, the real surprise on this night was Schaefer tallying nine points and her ability to score certainly adds depth and stability to Kelly's backcourt.  For Hamline, it was Cummings who led all scorers with her 15 points