MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-18-26

Evie Schmitz and her three-point bombs helped St. Scholastica slay Bethel on Saturday and throw the MIAC Women's Basketball scene into utter chaos.

Here we are on NFL Divisional Playoff and a huge game later on today for my Los Angeles Rams against Chicago - GO RAMS GO!!!  Meanwhile, in the MIAC Women's Basketball world, if you thought things were a mess the last two weekends, that was a tiptoe through the tulips compared to the utter chaos we have right now.  I have gone through this from different angles and perspectives over the last 18 hours or so and finally came up with how I should try and shake things out for today (I think).  So here we go:

1.  Concordia

2.  (tie) Hamline, CSB & St. Scholastica

3.  (tie) SMU, Bethel

4.  GAC

5.  St. Kate's

6.  (tie) Augsburg & Carleton

7.  St. Olaf

8.  Macalester

Concordia has the top spot all to themselves on this Sunday as they got through this last week unscathed but they had to survive a lulu of a game this last Wednesday night at home against GAC where the Cobbers rallied from a 15-point deficit to get the narrow victory before the romp over Augsburg yesterday.  This coming week, however, Concordia has to take its show on the road with consecutive trips down US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline to the Cities - first against Macalester on Wednesday night which certainly seems more than doable on paper but a much more daunting task awaits on Saturday when the Cobbers visit Robertson Center to take on a Bethel team that is going to be looking to make amends for a disastrous day yesterday (more on that in a bit here soon).  

But beyond this is where things get ultra messy and complicated.

First, you have to give props to the Hamline Pipers who are on an eight-game win streak with their latest victims being Carleton and St. Olaf.  And, on paper anyway, this streak should continue as the Pipers host Augsburg on Wednesday night before a trip down to Northfield to take on the same St. Olaf team that they downed at Hutton Arena yesterday........CSB avoided - at least for now - the swoon they went into last year about this time and notched two important wins this last week - at home vs St. Kate's on Wednesday night and then down in Northfield against Carleton yesterday.  But now comes perhaps the biggest week of all for the Bennies as they'll host Bethel on Wednesday night before a long trip down to Winona to go up against SMU on Saturday........Most expected St. Scholastica to come away with a split this last week (including yours truly) but instead the Saints defied the expectations and after downing Macalester this last Wednesday night, they sent shockwaves throughout Region 9 by coming from behind to knock off Bethel yesterday.  Can St. Scholastica defy expectations again this coming week?  We'll find out as the Saints go on the road this time around - first by going down to St. Peter on Wednesday night to face GAC and then down to Northfield this coming Saturday to take on Carleton.

It seems hard to believe that two of the tri-leaders from last weekend could fall to where they are right now but they only have themselves to blame for where they're currently at.  SMU, for example, got a lopsided win at home against Augsburg on Wednesday night before the debacle at Butler Center yesterday against St. Kate's.  Now, the Cardinals should recover this week with two home games on tap - first against St. Olaf on Wednesday night before CSB comes to town this coming Saturday and after yesterday, SMU can ill-afford to take ANY game lightly now........Slumping with the Cardinals on this day is Bethel and while the Royals got the easy win at St. Olaf this last Wednesday night, they choked away a 12-point fourth quarter lead on the road in falling to St. Scholastica.  If there was ever a team that had such high hopes and expectations that suddenly finds itself reeling, it's clearly Bethel and while I'm not suggesting that it's time for the Royals to hit the panic button, they at least have to know where that thing's at as they've got a heckuva lot of work to do if they want to get back into title consideration.  And this coming week is going to be as challenging as ever as Bethel has to go up to St. Joe on Wednesday night to take on a very dangerous CSB team before hosting first place Concordia this coming Saturday.  

Oh what a week it COULD have been for the Gusties as they saw a 15-point lead on Concordia up in Moorhead vanish in the fourth period as GAC fell in a heartbreaker.  True, the Gusties recovered yesterday by methodically thumping Macalester back home in St. Peter but with everything that's going on in the MIAC right now, the Gusties HAVE to know and understand that each game from here on out is going to be absolutely critical for them in more ways than one.  And this coming Wednesday night GAC has a huge home game against St. Scholastica before venturing up US Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub mainline to the Cities to take on Augsburg this coming Saturday........St. Kate's lost a tough one up at CSB this last Wednesday night but they pulled off the other shocker yesterday by getting a gigantic upset victory at home against a high-octane SMU team.  Obviously the Wildcats have an uphill battle from a MIAC Playoff perspective but on paper anyway, the 'Cats have a decent chance to consolidate on their latest gains this coming week with two more home games - against Carleton on Wednesday night and then against Macalester this coming Saturday.  

In all my years of covering MIAC Women's Basketball, I've never seen such a convoluted and messy situation standings-wise ever.  There's a lot of moving pieces at the moment and it's anyone's guess as to how this will all shake out in the end.  But it's a helluva lot of fun to watch.  As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts.  

SMU vs St. Kate's 1-17-26

SMU came to town looking to hang onto first place and bolster their NPI ranking as well but Jordyn Peed and her St. Kate's teammates had vastly different ideas on this day. 

 Made a fast trip over to the St Paul side of town on this seasonably cold January day over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine University for this important clash between visiting SMU and host St. Kate's.  The Cardinals recovered from the heartbreaking 70-69 loss at Bethel by notching two big wins at home - one over tri-leader Concordia last Saturday and a blowout win against Augsburg on Wednesday night.  The Wildcats meanwhile lost two tough games in the last week - one at home to GAC last Saturday and then on the road to CSB on Wednesday night.  I arrived at Butler Center early which gave me a chance to talk to St. Kate's Assistant Coach Ben Fleming as well as SMU Head Coach Courtney Shelton beforehand as well.  

The Cardinals were able to draw first blood right from the get-go as sophomore forward Rylie Sternquist connected on a jumper from the right elbow area at the 9:46 mark of the opening period but St. Kate's would recover as slender sophomore forward Elle Covey drained a "3" from the right top area at the 9:00 mark.  But it wouldn't take long for SMU to counter as sophomore guard Brianna Nusbaum's lay-up at the 8:45 mark helped spark a 7-0 Cardinal push.  Senior point guard Lindsey Lettner would bang home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:59 mark and then strong junior forward Kali Olson would snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:22 mark that put SMU up 9-3 and Wildcats Head Coach Don Mulhern felt compelled to take a match to a thirty-second timeout to try and make some quick adjustments.  That short stoppage in play appeared to pay dividends as St. Kate's was at least able to stay within striking distance.  Senior guard Kristen Oberle would connect on a lay-up in transition at the 6:38 mark cut the deficit down to four at 9-5 and two free throws by Covey after she was fouled at the 5:19 mark kept the 'Cats in that four-point range down 11-7.  One more free throw by junior guard Hattie Fox with 3:28 left got St. Kate's back to within a single possession down 11-8 before the Cardinals finally got things going again on offense.  Freshman forward Ayla Olson would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:20 left and then speedy freshman reserve guard Hadley Sammons would connect on a lay-up with 1:32 left that had SMU up 14-8.  Kali Olson would get one free throw to go down as well after getting fouled with :19.4 left that got the Cardinal lead to 15-8.  Although St. Kate's would get one last score on a jumper from the right elbow by sophomore guard Jordyn Peed with :04.5 left, SMU still seemed to have control of things with a 15-10 lead.  Little did anyone realize at this time that the Wildcats' Peed was just getting started on this day.  

Indeed, Peed would strike again with a lay-up at the 9:35 mark of the second period that got St. Kate's back to within a single possession down 15-12 before the Cardinals could establish some more breathing room.  Lettner would unleash her second trey of this ballgame - this one from the left corner at the 9:14 mark - that gave SMU an 18-12 advantage and one free throw by Kali Olson after she was fouled at the 7:32 mark still gave the Cardinals ample breathing room at a 19-14 lead.  But those pesky Wildcats kept hanging around and St. Kate's subsequent possession, Fox would drain a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:20 mark that got the Wildcats back to within a single possession down 19-17.  SMU would try again as Lettner would use a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up at the 7:00 mark that made it a 21-17 ballgame but then St. Kate's would get another lift from Peed; the Eau Claire, WI native, as she buried a cold-blooded "3" from the right wing area at the 6:42 mark that got the deficit down to a scant point at 21-20.  That got the attention from the Cardinals' Shelton who called for a thirty-second timeout in hopes of patching up the holes.  SMU would manage to get some more breathing room after the short stoppage in play as Sternquist would connect on a lay-up at the 6:30 mark that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Big Lake standout gave the Cardinals a 24-20 lead.  Unfortunately for the Cardinal faithful, this is exactly where things started to go to hell in a handbasket for SMU as a rejuvenated Wildcat team not only ripped off a 13-0 run but also had SMU reeling with its pressure defense as well.  Oberle started this run with a three-point bomb from the right corner with 4:19 left that had the deficit down to one again at 24-23 and with 3:37 left, Peed would make a hard drive into the lane and would get a one-handed shot to go down that pushed St. Kate's back into the lead at 25-24.  With 2:22 left, sophomore reserve guard Raya Cassidy got into the act as she banged home a "3" from the right top area and a short time later with 1:52 left, junior forward Lily Peper would connect on a lay-up in transition that pushed to Wildcat lead to 30-24 and SMU's Shelton had no choice at this point but to take a match to a full timeout in hopes of stopping the bleeding that was going on.  Still, St. Kate's would cap this run - fittingly - on a three-point bomb by Peed from the left corner area with :35.7 left before the Cardinals got a bit of relief when Sammons drained a "3" of her own from the right corner area with just :05.1 left but down 33-27 at the half and stretched to the limit by the frenetic effort of this St. Kate's team, the Cardinals had to have known that they were going to have to dig down deep as both teams headed for their respective locker rooms for the halftime break.  

SMU would attempt to get things tightened up once the third period got underway as Kali Olson would snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:49 mark that cut the deficit down to four at 33-29 and a lay-up by Sternquist at the 8:25 mark kept the Cardinals in that four-point range down 35-31.  But once St. Kate's started up with their full-court pressure defense, the errors started to mount for the Cardinals and that allowed the 'Cats to seize the opportunity.  Fox would bury a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:56 mark to make it 38-31 and Peper would follow suit with a bomb of her own from the left corner area at the 5:24 mark that made it 41-33 and SMU was basically back at Square One again.  To their credit, the Cardinals would again get the deficit cut to four as Ayla Olson would snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:04 mark and then Sternquist would get a tough score in the paint off of an inbounds pass with 4:25 left that had SMU back in the thick of things down 41-37.  But just when the Cardinals thought they could feel better about the entire situation, consecutive scores by St. Kate's had them in a hole again.  Sophomore reserve guard Kate Flicek grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:51 left and then Peper would drain a "3" from the right top area with 2:37 left that increased the Wildcat safety net to nine at 46-37.  But a resourceful SMU team was able to close out this third period on a 7-2 push that at least got them close again.  Nusbaum; quiet for much of the first half, would knock down a short jumper in the lane with 2:18 left and then Lettner would unleash her third trey on this day with a bomb from the right corner with 1:09 left that had the deficit down to six at 48-42.  With just :11.2 left, Ayla Olson would get a short jumper in the lane to go down that had the Cardinals back in that four-point range again down 48-44.  Now the question that the SMU faithful were asking themselves was if the Cardinals had enough in the tank to get them over the top again.  

That question looked to be answered early on in the fourth period as back-to-back scores by SMU finally got this game leveled again.  Nusbaum would connect on a lay-up at the 9:48 mark and then Sternquist would muscle into the paint for a score at the 9:11 mark that had this game tied at 48.  The Wildcats could have panicked right then and there but instead they hunkered down and unleashed a 7-1 push that had their opponent on their heels again.  Fox would slither through traffic into the paint for a score at the 8:58 mark and one free throw by Flicek after she was fouled at the 8:11 mark had St. Kate's up 51-49.  At the 7:48 mark, Covey would knock down a tough jumper along the right baseline and with the Wildcats employing more pressure defense, Peed would snare a steal in the backcourt and race in for an easy lay-up at the 7:38 mark that had St. Kate's up by six at 55-49.  The Cardinals would get the deficit down to four when Sternquist was able to get a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 7:09 mark but two quick scores by the 'Cats widened the gap again.  Peed would connect on a lay-up at the 6:50 mark and then Flicek would grab an offensive rebound of her own miss and get a putback at the 6:14 mark that now had St. Kate's up by eight at 59-51 and SMU reeling again.  To their credit, the Cardinals battled back to get things tightened up again.  Nusbaum would snare a steal and race the other way for a lay-up at the 5:46 mark and after SMU's Shelton called a timeout, Kali Olson would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:54 left that not only got the deficit down to four at 59-55 but now the Cardinals were in the bonus as well.  A bit later with 3:23 left, Kali Olson muscled into the paint for a score that brought SMU back to within a single possession down 59-57 and with a ton of time left and being in the bonus as well, the Cardinals definitely seemed to have a path available to them to prevail.  But this St. Kate's team refused to bend at the critical juncture.  With 3:04 left, Peed got an open look from the right top area and drained a casually cruel three-point bomb that got the Wildcats lead to five at 62-57.  St. Kate's Mulhern would call a timeout to set up some defensive strategy but SMU still had one last push in them.  Kali Olson would connect on a lay-up with 2:36 left that got the Cardinals back to within a single possession down 62-59 and with 2:03 left, sophomore reserve combo guard/forward Julia Koch connected on a lay-up that cut the deficit down to a tantalizing point at 62-61 that had the door open for SMU.  The Wildcats' Mulhern would then take a timeout to set up strategy for the final home push and this St. Kate's team responded.  Peed would connect on a short, turnaround jumper with 1:45 left and after a foiled Cardinal possession, Peper would connect on a lay-up with :50 left in regulation that made it a two-possession game at 66-61 and now SMU's Shelton had to take a timeout in hopes of drawing up something to dig her squad out of this five-point hole.  Alas, the Cardinals would come up empty as both Ayla Olson and Lettner missed three-point attempts.  St. Kate's Mulhern would take a timeout and the only thing that SMU had left was to use up their handful of fouls to give in order to preserve as much time on the clock as possible.  With :17.8 left, the Wildcats' Fox would get sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled and the Osceola, WI native got both attempts to go down that helped seal the deal as St. Kate's pulled off a massive upset win with a 68-61 victory.  

I was able to catch up with SMU's Shelton afterward who was glumly reviewing the final box score on this one.  I brought up how it appeared to me that the pressure defense that St. Kate's was employing on this day seemed to take her SMU squad out of any real rhythm offensively.  "We knew from looking at them that that's what they were going to do and we had two days to prepare and we still couldn't handle it" she said dejectedly.  She added that her young team needs to learn from this - and quickly and that they have to be ready to go with each outing.  Undoubtedly, it had to be a long, dismal ride back down US Highway 61 and the CPKC River Sub mainline to Winona for this young team but I think this team is more than good enough to recover from this latest setback and get the ship righted again.

St. Kate's Mulhern was obviously thrilled about this conquest but more importantly he was really tickled for his team as they were looking for a big boost and it's moments and games like these that can provide that needed boost.  Mulhern had a lot of good things to say about this SMU team and how far they've come in such a relatively short span of time.  But he was really happy for his squad and couldn't help but boast about the big game that Peed had on this day on both ends of the floor.  Mulhern and his staff decided to use Peed to defend SMU's Nusbaum - a tough task for sure - and Peed rose to the occasion and then some.  In fact, when I got to talk with Peed afterward, she was still beaming from this big win on this day.  "I was almost in tears in that last timeout we took" she said.  Simply put, she was just outstanding on this day.  

The final box score on this game is deceiving because if you hadn't actually watched the game itself, you could almost conclude that SMU might've pulled this one out.  Consider:  While St. Kate's had a slight edge on the boards at 32-29, turnovers were about even (SMU with 15 and St. Kate's with 14) as were those all-important "second chance" points (St. Kate's with 12 and SMU with 11).  Points off of turnovers were close too with SMU having a 14-13 edge as were bench points with St. Kate's having an 8-7 edge there.  In fact, the only lopsided category was points in the paint where SMU had a decided edge at 34-24 but let's remember too that the Cardinals really didn't get their inside game going until the second half.  You have to peel the onion back further in this one and when you do, you'll see that while SMU shot decently enough from FG range (25-55 for 45.5%, it was a much different story from downtown as the Cardinals shot only 4-16 for a straight 25% and for a team that does have some great three-point shooters (Nusbaum, Lettner, Sammons and Koch), this had to contribute to their downfall on this day.  Another likely sore spot for Shelton and her staff was that SMU struggled at the charity stripe on this day as well going 7-13 for 53.8% and in a game like this, that's simply not going to cut it.  Contrast that with St. Kate's going 8-10 for a straight 80%.  

And what a day it was indeed for St. Kate's Peed who not only led the way for the Wildcats but led all scorers as well with her 19 points and again, her defense was just lights out on this day.  Perhaps just as important, Peed got a lot of help on this day as well as Fox was her usual, steady self as she tallied 15 points and Peper; who never gets enough credit, IMHO, was right behind with her 14 points.  SMU did have a balanced scoring attack on this day as Sternquist led the way with her 13 points while Kali Olson was right behind with 12 points and Lettner finished with 11 points.  Ayla Olson, in fact, just missed out on a "double-double" with her nine points and nine rebounds.  

MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-11-26

SMU got it done yesterday at home against Concordia.

 Didn't get to cover any games yesterday because my LA Rams started off Wildcard Weekend on Saturday afternoon but that didn't stop me from watching games online.  In all the years that I've done this, I don't ever recall having THREE teams tied atop the standings and then four more teams right behind them all tied for second place - especially in early January.  Yet that's exactly where we are at the moment and it's certainly resulted in some revisions in my Power Rankings on this day so let's get to it:

1.  (tie) Concordia, Bethel & SMU

2.  Hamline

3.  GAC

4.  (tie) CSB & St. Scholastica

5.  Augsburg

6.  Carleton

7.  St. Kate's

8.  St. Olaf

9.  Macalester

What a week it was for the three team tied atop both the standings and my Power Rankings on this day.  The Cobbers easily took care of business on the east side of Northfield against Carleton on Wednesday night but their normally-potent offensive attack was shackled yesterday down in Winona against SMU.  Concordia does have two home games this coming week but they have to quickly get things turned around for Wednesday evening's big clash with GAC before Augsburg comes to town next Saturday........Bethel meanwhile got through the week "clean" but neither of the wins this last week were what you'd call impressive by any stretch.  They had to survive a 70-69 thriller against SMU on Wednesday night and yesterday the Royals found themselves down 29-27 to Carleton at halftime at home before rallying for an otherwise uninspiring 62-55 win.  And things could get tricky for Bethel this coming week as they take their show on the road - first down to the west side of Northfield to take on St. Olaf on Wednesday night before a trip up to the frigid shores of Gitche Gumee to face off against St. Scholastica on Saturday........And it was definitely a wild roller coaster ride for SMU this last week as they fell just short against Bethel last Wednesday night in a 70-69 heartbreaker but turned things around yesterday in shutting down a normally-potent Concordia attack that not only has them entangled in a three-way dispute at the top but also gives their NPI ranking a huge boost as well.  On paper anyway, the Cardinals appear to have the easiest path forward - certainly for this week anyway - as they'll host Augsburg on Wednesday night before a trip back up US Highway 61 and the CPKC River Sub mainline to St Paul to take on St. Kate's this next Saturday.  

Somewhat surprisingly, the biggest beneficiary of the results this last week might very well be Hamline but to be sure, the Pipers didn't take any chances as they held off a stern test from St. Scholastica on Wednesday night before yesterday's huge road win up at CSB.  And if you look at the road ahead for Hamline, it's easy to see that things could be setting up very well for them over the next week or so.  For this coming week anyway, things certainly look manageable with two home games - against Carleton on Wednesday night and then against St. Olaf on Saturday........The Gusties took care of business on their end this last week as well; dumping St. Olaf on Wednesday night before holding off a pesky St. Kate's team yesterday over at Butler Center.  But GAC will likely have to settle for a split this coming week as the dreaded road trip up to Moorhead to play Concordia on Wednesday awaits before the Gusties host Macalester this next Saturday.

CSB had to settle for a split this last week; holding off a stubborn Macalester team in St Paul this last Wednesday night before the faltered down the stretch at home against Hamline yesterday.  I look at this coming week as critical for the Bennies if they want to avoid last year's January swoon as they'll host St. Kate's on Wednesday night before a trip down to Northfield to take on Carleton this coming Saturday........St. Scholastica had to take a split this last week as well as they fell at Hamline on Wednesday night before recovering yesterday in getting a big road win at St. Olaf.  The guess here is that this next week will be more of the same - even with two home games - as the Saints will host Macalester on Wednesday night before Bethel comes to town this coming Saturday.........Augsburg has an uphill battle to say the least in their hopes of staying alive in all this as the Auggies have to go down to Winona on Wednesday evening to face SMU before the dreaded trip up US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline up to Moorhead to take on Concordia this coming Saturday.

So that's how things are looking on this Sunday.  As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts. 

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.     

    

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.