SMU vs Bethel 1-7-26

Experience paid dividends for Bethel on this night.

 Made the run through rush hour traffic on this late Wednesday afternoon to Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University for this very important early January clash between visiting SMU and host Bethel.  The Cardinal were coming into this contest flying high (no pun intended) on a nine-game win streak and an impressive 10-1 overall record and 4-0 in conference play.  The Royals meanwhile have had to endure a rather rocky road as of late - surviving a double-overtime win over Coe back on 12-20, then going over to UW-Oshkosh and dropping a tight battle to Illinois Wesleyan and then rebounding the next day to hold off Messiah before last Saturday's shocking loss to GAC down in St. Peter.  And this is a Bethel team that is currently having to endure some injury issues as well which made this clash with SMU on this night even more important.  

SMU would get a bit of a break right on the opening tip as freshman forward Ayla Olson was able to snare the tip and race in for a relatively easy lay-up at the 9:55 mark of the opening period but not much would go right for the Cardinals after that as Bethel would proceed to go on a 16-0 tear.  Senior combo guard/forward Rosalie Penke would start this run with a three-point bomb from the right corner area at the 8:17 mark and then junior reserve guard Macey Littlefield would connect on a lay-up at the 7:26 mark to put the Royals up 5-2.  Then lanky junior forward Cally Peterson would unleash a "3" from the left top area at the 6:57 mark and then at the 5:55 mark, Littlefield would show up again by connecting on a lay-up that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Centennial standout got the lead to 11-2.  Less than a minute after that, junior forward Emily Erickson would connect on a lay-up at the 5:11 mark to make it a 13-2 ballgame and Cardinals Head Coach Courtney Shelton had no choice but to call for a thirty-second halt to the action.  Still the Royals' Peterson would unleash her second trey of this night - this one from the left corner area with 3:03 left before SMU could finally stop the massive bleeding on an offensive rebound and putback by freshman forward Ayla Olson with 2:13 left.  But the Royals still had things in high gear on the offensive end as senior point guard Colette Duininck would bang home a "3" from the top of key with 1:49 left and a lay-up by Erickson with 1:09 left stretched Bethel's lead to 21-4.  The Cardinals were able to add to their ledger when senior guard Lindsey Lettner made a pretty drive for a finish with :48.5 but were already faced with a monumental task of trying to dig out of an early 15-point hole on the road no less down 21-6.

Bottled up for the entirety of the first period, SMU sophomore point guard Brianna Nusbaum finally got things going for her Cardinals team as she would connect on a lay-up at the 9:29 mark of the second period that got the deficit down to thirteen and at the 8:58 mark, Nusbaum would strike again on a tough drive into the lane for a finish that kept SMU in that thirteen-point range down 23-10.  But trying to make up more ground was proving problematic as the Royals would get a big score from Peterson in the paint at the 7:42 mark that restored the fifteen-point edge at 25-10.  Undaunted, the Cardinals would respond with a 6-0 push.  Ayla Olson would get fouled at the 7:24 mark and would get the front end to go down.  The back end attempt was not cooperative but that didn't seem to faze the freshman out of New York Mills as she somehow grabbed the long rebound and went in for a lay-up at the 7:14 mark in one of the most unorthodox three-point plays you'll ever see.  Then Nusbaum would strike again at the 6:33 mark with one of her trademark southpaw three-point bomb - this one from the top of the key - that brought SMU back into single-digit range down 25-16.  That got the attention of Bethel and they went back to work to restore their sizable safety net.  Duininck would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 6:16 mark and a three-point bomb by Littlefield from the left corner area at the 5:28 mark appeared to restore order with the Royals now enjoying a 30-16 advantage.  But this young SMU team had no intentions of taking "no" for an answer and instead went on an impressive 9-2 push.  Nusbaum would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 4:57 left and then spunky freshman reserve guard Hadley Sammons would get a pair of charity stripe shots to go down after getting fouled with 4:03 left that trimmed the margin to twelve down 31-19 and also had SMU in the bonus as well.  The Cardinals stayed aggressive in their offensive approach and with 3:32 left, Sammons would again get sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled and the former Windom standout got both attempts down that cut the deficit down to eleven at 32-21.  With 2:38 left, Nusbaum used a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up and a short time later, Sammons would connect on a lay-up of her own with 2:01 left that suddenly slashed the deficit down to seven at 32-25.  Alarmed, Bethel tried to get more separation again as Duininck would get a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 1:53 left to make it a 34-25 game and a lay-up by Peterson with 1:23 left maintained the nine-point edge at 36-27.  But the Cardinals had one last burst in them before this second period was in the books as Sammons would snare a steal and race the other way for a lay-up with :46.4 left and a short time later with :35.5 left, Nusbaum would follow suit as she snared a steal near midcourt and raced the other way for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and a rejuvenated SMU team that appeared buried early on was now right back in the thick of things down only four at 36-32 by the halftime break.  

But just when you thought that the Cardinals were on the verge of taking this contest over, SMU would again have to weather a big-time storm from the Royals in the form of an 11-0 run to start this third period.  Penke would unleash her second trey of this contest with a bomb from the right corner at the 9:40 mark and then Peterson would cash in on a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 9:25 mark that upped the Bethel lead to nine at 41-32.  A short time later, Peterson would bury a "3" from the right top area at the 8:55 mark that stretched the Royals' lead to twelve at 44-32 and once again SMU's Shelton was clamoring for a thirty-second timeout in hopes of finding some quick adjustments.  Bethel's Erickson, however, inflicted more damage when she banged home a "3" from the left top area at the 8:25 mark that restored the fifteen-point lead at 47-32 and the Cardinals were effectively back at Square One again.  While many younger teams would have felt overwhelmed in these moments, this SMU team simply found a way to dig deep and forge another comeback with the odds stacked against them.  Nusbaum would drain a "3" from the left corner at the 7:13 mark that helped spark an 11-2 Cardinal run.  Sammons would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:37 mark and then sharp-shooting sophomore combo guard/forward Julia Koch would bury a "3" from the right wing area at the 6:14 mark that got the deficit down to ten at 49-39.  Then Nusbaum would strike like a rattlesnake with two lay-ups in transition opportunities - once at the 5:44 mark and again at the 5:17 mark - that now had SMU back in striking distance down 49-43.  The Royals would get their lead back to eight at 51-43 when Erickson muscled into the paint for a score with 4:34 left but the Cardinals would keep whittling away as Ayla Olson would connect on a lay-up with 4:05 left that got the deficit down to six at 51-45 and spurred a 7-2 push.  Two free throws by Koch after she was fouled with 3:24 left kept the Cardinals in that six-point range down 53-47 and then Ayla Olson would bang home a "3" from the left corner area with 2:37 left that suddenly had SMU back to within a single possession down 53-50.  Bethel would get a bit more breathing room when sophomore reserve guard Alaina Bonacquista snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:23 left but that didn't deter the Cardinals as Nusbaum would again work magic with her defensive prowess by snaring a steal and racing the other way for a lay-up with 1:48 left and two free throws by Ayla Olson after she was fouled with 1:09 left cut the deficit down to a scant two points at 56-54.  Twice in this game, Bethel looked to be in a position to run away with this thing and twice, SMU found a way to battle back and now things definitely appeared to be up in the air at Robertson Center.

The Royals would again try and open up some space with its opponent with a quick 5-0 push at the beginning of the fourth period.  Penke would unleash her third trey of this game with a bomb from the right top area at the 9:42 mark and a pretty reverse lay-up by Erickson at the 8:57 mark had Bethel up 61-54 but they would soon find out that this SMU team was in no hurry whatsoever to get back to Winona.  Sammons would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 8:33 mark and then a jumper from the left elbow by strong sophomore forward Rylie Sternquist at the 7:20 mark had the deficit down to four at 61-57.  Bethel's situation became more complicated by the 6:55 mark when Duininck had to retreat to the bench after picking up her fourth foul and that opened the door further for the Cardinal to complete this comeback.  Nusbaum would connect on a jumper along the left baseline at the 6:51 mark that had the deficit down to two at 61-59 and then an offensive rebound and putback by Ayla Olson at the 6:18 mark finally had this contest leveled at 61 a piece and prompted Royals Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer to take a match to a thirty-second timeout.  Bethel would again attempt to put distance between itself and its opponent as Erickson would get two freebies to go down after getting fouled at the 5:29 mark and Bonacquista would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 4:39 left but SMU would not go away.  Sammons would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:34 left that would cut the deficit down to one at 64-63.  A bit later with 4:09 left, Bethel's Littlefield would come up big on the defensive side with a steal and lay-up the other way to make it 66-63 but even that ray of reassurance was short-lived for the Royals as the Cardinals would quickly get the deficit whittled down to a scant point again at 66-65 when Nusbaum was able to knock down a tough jumper from the free throw line area with 3:48 left.  SMU's Shelton would call a thirty-second timeout with 3:19 left to set up strategy and sticking with their aggressive approach on offense by taking the ball to the rim, the Cardinals were finally able to poke their nose out in front for the first time since the early moments of the contest when Ayla Olson knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:05 left to make it 67-66.  Bethel, however, would take the lead back at 68-67 when Erickson connect on a lay-up with 2:23 left but that would be negated when the Cardinals' Nusbaum was sent to the charity stripe with 1:36 left that allowed the former Spring Lake Park standout to calmly knock down a pair of free throws to put SMU back out in front 69-68.  With the tension mounting inside Robertson Center, the Royals would take the lead back at 70-69 when Erickson was able to dart through traffic to connect on a lay-up with 1:15 left.  There was still plenty of time left for the Cardinals to respond, of course, but on their subsequent possession, SMU coughed the rock up and Bethel's Peterson was able to snare the ball and get downcourt and would be fouled on the lay-up attempt.  But Peterson was unable to capitalize from the charity stripe on both free throw attempts which still left the door wide open for the Cardinals.  SMU's Shelton would then take a timeout to set up strategy for her squad's ensuing possession but a stingy Bethel defense would come up big again as senior combo guard/forward Ali Born forced a turnover and the Royals' Herbrechtsmeyer would quickly take a timeout to set up strategy.  Bethel was able to milk some time off of the clock but any hopes of adding to its ledger went up in smoke as the Cardinals' Nusbaum was able to make a lunging steal with :14.3 left in regulation and now SMU had its chance.  Shelton would take a timeout with :08.2 left in regulation in hopes of setting up the winning play.  The Cardinals would get the ball inbounded to Ayla Olson who made a drive into the lane and attempted a lay-up with :01.7 left in hopes of a foul being called but none was coming.  SMU still retained possession, however, and Sammons would get the ball to Nusbaum on the inbounds pass.  Nusbaum would have a reasonably good look from the right wing area and got a shot off before the buzzer but the attempt hit the back iron and bounced away as Bethel managed to hang on for the thrilling 70-69 victory.

When I was finally able to catch up with SMU's Shelton after the game, I had to compliment her and her team on their resiliency in this contest for finding a way to battle back after being down by double digits not once but TWICE in this game - on the road no less against one of the best teams in the MIAC.  She was gracious in defeat and my compliment but was also quick to add that "We can't let ourselves get into a hole like that" and that forced the Cardinals to have to  play on Bethel's terms for a good chunk of this contest.  Yet one would be hard-pressed not to be able to find a lot of positives in how this young team kept finding ways to get themselves into position to have a chance to pull this one out when the odds were arguably stacked against them.  I was really impressed with their defense in this one and specifically, I was very impressed with the freshman, Sammons, who was making things happen for her team on both ends of the floor and I told both her and Shelton that she may very well be the best-kept secret in the MIAC.  And we knew that this particular week was going to be the most challenging week of all for the Cardinals with this road test at Bethel and the upcoming game on Saturday against Concordia and it's still not out of the question that they could at least come away with a split this weekend that would not only keep them in the title chase but, just as important, give their NPI ranking a big boost as well.  And, it's also noteworthy to point out that SMU will get another shot at Bethel on Saturday (1-31) in Winona.  

I also had an opportunity to speak with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer after this game as well and the first question I had to ask was if he was able to provide any sort of timetable on the return of fifth-year senior forward Elly Schmitz to action.  Because of medical considerations, Herbrechtsmeyer was unable to comment on this which I totally get and understand although he did say that she will be back at some point.  Just when that is remains uncertain at the moment and if I were bold enough to venture a guess, I would think that it might be a little while yet.  However, I think the Bethel faithful can take some satisfaction in the sense that this experienced squad is finding ways to bounce back; finding ways to win when challenged.  Let's remember that you've still got a pretty solid nucleus in Duininck, Born, Erickson, Penke and Peterson not to mention players like Littlefield coming off the bench as well.  But what stood out to me on this night was that Herbrechtsmeyer was not shy at all at going deeper into his bench which gave players like fifth-year senior guard Lexi Schermann, Bonacquista and sophomore guard Kenzie Lundeen a chance to get some quality minutes and that's crucial for the Royals given their situation at the moment I think.  Herbrechtsmeyer commented to me that his team really had to go through some "rock fights" over the last few weeks; snaring two big wins before Christmas in Wisconsin Dells against UW-La Crosse (WIAC) and a heart-stopping double OT ordeal with Coe (ARC), then going down to Florida where they lost a heart-breaker to Illinois Wesleyan (CCIW) but rebounded to hold off a tough Messiah team (MACC) before last Saturday's debacle down in St. Peter against GAC.  When you consider that most of the teams listed are likely going to be NCAA Tournament participants come March, that's akin to Murderer's Row and that's why this Bethel team is so danged tough.  

It's difficult to find any one item in the box score that you can point to and confidently say, "This is where SMU lost this game" or "this is where Bethel won it".  In fact, a few of the numbers might suggest that the Cardinals should have come out on top.  Consider:  SMU enjoyed a decided edge on the boards on this night by a 39-25 count and the Cardinals also held a 17-11 edge in fast break points.  So many of the other categories are very close.  Bethel had a slight advantage (32-30) in points in the paint and they held a very slim 22-21 edge in points off of turnovers.  SMU held a slight edge in bench points at 17-15 which is notable simply because the Royals are a much deeper team.  One could point to the fact that SMU had 24 turnovers compared to Bethel's 19 but in such a close game like this, that particular category is effectively negated, IMHO.  To me, I think the biggest factor in this contest was that the Cardinals were effectively forced to play on Bethel's terms for much of this contest and I think that that effectively stemmed their offensive output.  

Even without Schmitz on the floor right now, it's evident that Herbrechtsmeyer has others who can and will step up in the big moments and that's reflected in the fact that Erickson who finished with 19 points and Peterson who was right behind with her 18 points helped lead the way for the Royals on this night.  Littlefield coming off the bench was a big factor as well as she finished with 10 points.  Both Penke and Duininck had "only" eight points a piece but both made up for the lack of scoring with their defense on the other end - especially Duininck with her six steals on this night.  But even a stingy Bethel defense couldn't contain SMU's Nusbaum as she simply lit up Robertson Center on this night with her 30 points and Ayla Olson had a very solid night as well with a "double-double" of 18 points and 15 rebounds while Sammons had a stellar night as well finishing with 12 points and was such a disruptive force on the defensive end for the Cardinals.  

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-4-26

Taya Jeffrey's solid performance yesterday against St. Scholastica helps get Concordia atop today's MIAC Power Rankings

 So it's a new year and the time when MIAC Women's Basketball gets into the meat-grinder of the regular season and with it, the unveiling of my first MIAC Power Rankings of the 2025-26 season.  So let's get to it.

1.  Concordia

2.  SMU

3.  Bethel

4.  GAC

5.  (tie) CSB and St. Scholastica

6.  Hamline

7.  Carleton

8.  Augsburg

9.  St. Kate's

10.  St. Olaf

11.  Macalester

The Cobbers have finally snared the top of the mountain - at least for this week anyway - in my initial power rankings for this season but they've got the resume to back it up.  After doing a Texas two-step in taking down two teams from the ASC - Howard Payne and powerhouse Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, TX just before the first of the year - Concordia consolidated on its latest gains by smacking St. Scholastica yesterday at home in cavernous Memorial Auditorium.  But things get much trickier this coming week for the Cobbers as they must first travel down to Northfield on Wednesday night to take on Carleton and then make another long journey down to Winona to face off against SMU in a huge showdown this coming Saturday.........One may wonder why I didn't have the Cardinals tied atop my Power Rankings with Concordia and it essentially came down to the fact that Concordia simply has more wins against quality opponents.  However, that should not deter the rapid ascension of this SMU team as they walloped Macalester in St Paul yesterday and looked pretty impressive doing it.  But now the Cardinals arguably stroll into the most challenging week of this season with not one but TWO opportunities to build on their NPI ranking.  First on tap is a return trip back up US Highway 61 and the CPKC River Sub mainline to the Cities on Wednesday night to take on Bethel and then an equally huge game on Saturday - this one at home against aforementioned Concordia team.  I realize it's only early January but this may be the best - and perhaps the only chance - the Cardinals may have to make a case for something beyond the regular season and MIAC Playoffs.

Prior to this weekend, I thought for sure that I'd have Bethel in my top spot but few (including yours truly) could have predicted that the Royals would run into a hornets nest down in St. Peter yesterday but that's precisely what happened as GAC raced out to an eighteen-point lead and never looked back as Bethel went down in the shocker of the day.  Now, I think it's way too early for any of the Bethel faithful to break out the proverbial panic button just yet but admittedly there is cause for concern here - especially when you consider that the Royals have to regroup quickly as a high-flying SMU team comes to town on Wednesday night before a trip down to Carleton this next Saturday........And speaking of the Gusties, they were in desperate need of a big win of any kind and they finally got it yesterday and looked pretty impressive in doing it.  This young GAC team may finally be coming together at the right time and this coming week provides the Gusties an excellent opportunity to consolidate on their latest gains as they host St. Olaf on Wednesday night before coming to the Cities on Saturday to take on St. Kate's.

The Bennies started 2026 on a positive note yesterday by holding off a stubborn Augsburg team in Minneapolis and if you look at the schedule, it appears that - on paper anyway - CSB has an excellent chance to solidify its footing and this coming week the Bennies will come back down to the Cities to take on Macalester on Wednesday night before hosting Hamline on Saturday........St. Scholastica took it on the chin yesterday in Moorhead against the Cobbers but, unlike CSB, the Saints immediate outlook appears to be hazy at best as they come down to the Cities on Wednesday evening to face Hamline before going down to the west side of Northfield this next Saturday to take on St. Olaf........Hamline meanwhile is riding a four-game win streak; the latest victim being St. Kate's yesterday at Butler Center but this coming week could be a challenging one for the Pipers as they host aforementioned St. Scholastica team on Wednesday night before running up to St. Joe to face CSB this coming Saturday.

So that's how things look on this last Sunday of the NFL regular season.  As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts.  

SMU vs Macalester 1-3-26

Brianna Nusbaum and the SMU Cardinals are flying high

Made the run over to Leonard Center on the campus of Macalester College on this overcast early January day to cover my first game in the new year of 2026 that featured one of the hottest young teams in the MIAC - SMU - taking on host Macalester.  The Cardinals were coming into this game with a stellar 9-1 record; their only loss coming to UW-La Crosse back in mid-November.  It's been a much different story for the Scots meanwhile as they were coming into this contest with a 1-8 overall record with the only positive mark on the ledger coming back in late November when they knocked off Northwestern.  Still, this contest was looming as a possibly dangerous game for SMU coming into today and with only a handful of opportunities available to improve its NPI ratings, the Cardinals could ill afford any kind of stumble in this outing.  

Both teams would get early scores in the early minutes of the opening period - SMU sophomore forward Ryle Sternquist's drive and lay-up at the 9:38 mark and the Scots' answering on sophomore guard Sydnee Smith's score in the paint at the 7:29 mark - that had the game leveled at deuce but the Cardinals would not mess around on this day and quickly went to work to up their margin.  Junior forward Kali Olson would get a short shot in the paint to go down at the 7:10 mark and one free throw by Sternquist after she was fouled at the 5:31 mark had SMU up 5-2.  A lay-up in transition by freshman reserve guard Hadley Sammons at the 5:16 mark extended the lead to 7-2 before Macalester was able to crawl back to within a single possession on a score in the paint by Sydnee Smith at the 5:00 mark.  The Cardinals, however, would continue to grow their lead as sophomore combo guard/forward Julia Koch would bang home her first trey of this ballgame from the left corner with 3:42 left which got the attention of the Scots first-year Head Coach AD Donovan who took a match to a thirty-second timeout in hopes of some quick adjustments on the defensive end of the floor.  Unfortunately for the Macalester faithful, not many solutions seemed to be at hand as the Cardinals would follow up on the latest score as sophomore point guard Brianna Nusbaum weaved through traffic and got a pretty one-handed floater in the lane to go down with 2:24 left that now had SMU up 12-4.  Macalester would manage to narrow the deficit when freshman reserve guard Megan Matthews got a short pull-up jumper to go down with 1:46 but the Cardinals added to their ledger with just :01.8 left in this first period as Nusbaum would bury a cold-hearted "3" from the top of the key that had SMU enjoying a 15-6 advantage.

Hope was briefly restored among the Scot faithful inside Leonard Center on this day when sophomore guard Emma Karlin buried a "3" from the left top area at the 9:40 mark of the second period but those hopes were soon dashed as SMU proceeded to go on an 8-2 burst.  Kali Olson would snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:38 mark and then Koch; the Omro, Wisconsin native, did more slaying from downtown as she would get one "3" from the right corner area at the 8:05 mark and would follow that up later with another bomb from the left corner at the 6:45 mark that now had the Cardinals up 23-11.  To its credit, Macalester would trim the deficit down to nine a short time later when senior reserve forward Ellie Corbett drained a "3" from the left top area at the 6:19 mark that made it a 23-14 ballgame and the Scots would stay in that nine-point margin when Matthews connected on a short shot in the lane at the 5:27 mark at 25-16.  Unfortunately for the Scots, SMU would close out this second period on a 9-3 push.  A routine score in the paint by Kali Olson at the 5:03 mark and a pretty drive and finish by senior guard Lindsey Lettner with 3:57 left restored the double-digit cushion at 29-16.  With 2:05 left, Koch would be sizzling again behind the arc as she drilled her fourth trey of this contest from the left corner area.  Less than a minute later, Koch would show that she's more than just a one trick pony as she would make a hard drive for a finish with 1:08 left.  Macalester would add to its total with just :30.6 left as Sydnee Smith connected on a lay-up but the Cardinals still took a hefty 34-19 lead into the locker room at the half.  

Both teams would trade scores at the beginning of the third period as SMU's Nusbaum knocked down a jumper from the left wing area at the 8:38 mark and the Scots' Karlin unleashed a "3" from the right top area at the 7:47 mark.  The problem for Macalester, however, was that the math was so far working against them and they needed many more of these to get back to within striking distance and the Cardinals simply were in no mood to let that happen on this day.  Freshman forward Ayla Olson got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 6:27 mark and then Sternquist would connect on a jumper from the free throw line area at the 5:32 mark that had SMU up 39-22.  Then Nusbaum would work more magic as she would first connect on a lay-up off of an inbounds pass with 3:56 left and would also connect on a short, turnaround jumper with 2:27 left.  Ayla Olson would also connect on a lay-up with 1:47 left that now had the Cardinals up comfortably 45-26.  Macalester would try and counter on a three-point bomb by freshman reserve guard Faith Accardo from the left corner with 1:19 left but SMU's Nusbaum would answer shortly thereafter with a hard drive and finish with :59 left and even though the Scots would add to its total thus far on a score in the paint by sophomore combo guard/forward Cady Davis with :43 left, Macalester still found themselves on the wrong end of a 47-31 score.  

The Cardinals were not letting their collective foot off the gas pedal once the fourth period got underway.  Ayla Olson would bang home a "3" from the right corner area at the 9:47 mark that helped spark an 11-2 burst that effectively erased any doubts about how this game was going to go.  Scores in the paint - one by Koch at the 9:15 mark and another by Kali Olson at the 8:45 mark - had SMU up 54-33.  Nusbaum would cap this run by first knocking down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 6:19 mark and getting a short jumper in the lane to go down at the 5:35 mark that padded the Cardinals lead at 58-33.  Macalester was still fighting hard despite the fact that this game was now beyond reach as Sydnee Smith would connect on a lay-up with 3:41 left and Davis would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:02 left.  Both the Scots' Donovan and SMU Head Coach Courtney Shelton now had their reserves in for clean-up duty for the last two minutes.  Cardinals sophomore reserve guard Emma Mann would knock down a jumper from the free throw line as the shot clock was expiring with 1:27 left and Macalester junior reserve guard Kendall Bernbaum would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:12 left so when the buzzer finally sounded, SMU had secured an important road dub with a 60-38 victory.  

I was able to catch up with SMU's Shelton shortly afterward and after I congratulated her and her team on the convincing win on this day, I couldn't help but ask her if this rapid ascension by her team to the top echelon of MIAC Women's Basketball was something that she saw happening so soon.  "I hope I don't sound selfish saying this, but yes, I did see this coming" she said.  Shelton added that she knew she had a good nucleus of players when she took the SMU job prior to last season and so far anyway, this team is showing that last year's appearance in the MIAC Playoffs was indeed no fluke.  I have to admit that I had my doubts as well but it you take a look at MIAC team statistics, you'll see the Cardinals at the top of the heap in team offense and team scoring margin as well as combined team rebounds and team offensive rebounds.  Moreover, they're near the top in several other categories as well and, most importantly, they're off to their best start in a long, long time .  True, it's only early January and a lot of things can happen between now and late February but when you look at the makeup of this Cardinals roster and you see that it's dominated by freshmen and sophomores, it becomes even clearer that they're far from reaching their ceiling.  For me, the only knock I might have on this SMU team is that they're not particularly deep beyond their normal rotation and that could be problematic for them later on down the road.  But considering where this program has been and where they are right now, it's safe to say that SMU hit a home run when they hired Shelton to take the reigns of this program.  For the near term, however, there'll be little time for celebrating this latest conquest as the Cardinals have to make the return trip up US Highway 61 and the CPKC River Sub mainline to the Twin Cities to face Bethel this coming Wednesday evening (1-7) and when I brought up the fact that SMU appears to have only a few opportunities to really strengthen its NPI ranking with Shelton, she was quick to agree that her squad absolutely has to make the most of those chances and that Wednesday night's game is going to be a big challenge.  

As you can imagine, the box score on this one shows that the Cardinals pretty much dominated this contest in most facets of the game as SMU had a whopping 46-32 advantage on the boards and a decided 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.  Throw in a 13-2 advantage for the Cardinals in those all-important "second chance" points and you get a pretty good idea of how this contest went.  Perhaps the only fly in the ointment for SMU on this day is that Macalester forced 19 Cardinal turnovers on this day but lets give credit to the Scots on this because their aggressive style of defense can be problematic for opponents.  Neither team got to the charity stripe often on this day but SMU shot 4-8 for a straight 50% and I'm sure that's something that Shelton and her staff will want to address this week in practice.

The Cardinals did have a reasonably-balanced scoring attack on this day as Nusbaum's 17 points led all scorers but Koch tallied 16 points on this day; including going 4-5 from downtown and Ayla Olson had an impressive day as well as she recorded a "double-double" of 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Macalester leaned heavily on Sydnee Smith as she paced the Scots with 10 points on this day.