Wow. Ouch. Sh**. What a night. The Gophers and Timberwolves both went into the deep freeze at crucial points, blew hard-won leads and lost eminently winnable games on their home courts.
Memphis Grizzlies 90 Minnesota Timberwolves 86
The Wolves missed 11-of-their-first-12 shots and fell behind 8-0 and 18-3. They caught up at 43-43 in the 3rd and led by as many as 5 at 54-49 in the 3rd and 68-63 in the 4th. Surely a team that can handle Dallas and San Antone could hold on against the Grizzlies.
But no. The Wolves missed their next 6 FG and 4 straight FT, turned the ball over twice and committed a flagrant foul. By then they'd been out-scored 13-0 to trail 76-68. Twice, they got within 2 and had the ball but they turned it over and then missed the shot with 1 tick left on the clock.
Kevin Love had 27 points and 14 boards. Michael Beasley shot 5-of-16 for 11 points, and committed 5 turnovers including that crucial one at crunch time. The Wolves' 2s, Wes Johnson and Wayne Ellington, shot 1-of-9 for 2 points.
Iowa Hawkeyes 64 Minnesota Gophers 62
As dispiriting as the Wolves' loss was, it was nothin' compared to what Tubby Smith's Gophers did. Leading Iowa 32-21 late in the 1st half, Minnesota missed 4 shots on 2 possessions and turned the ball over 3 times. A turnover by Austin Hollins at :06 led to an Iowa fast-break basket that brought the Hawks within 32-31. With that kind of momentum (Iowa's) and ineptitude (Minnesota's), Iowa clearly would not be denied, and they were not.
Iowa took is 1st lead since 5-4 at 40-38 and led by as much as 58-51. The Gophers had a chance to tie or win at the final buzzer but Maverick Ahanmisi missed a 3.
Minnesota made 4-of-23 3s, but kept hoisting them up there instead of 2s that they could make (22-of-35, 62%). As a result, they shot 10 FT, making 6. Pitiful.
Some declared moral victories in close losses at 12-3 Illinois and 12-2 Michigan. Now somebody's got to declare, If you can't beat 9-6 Iowa at home, who exactly can you beat? Purdue at home? Doubtful. At Indiana? No? OK, now you're 0-5. Then you're at Penn State and Northwestern at home. A couple winnable games. If not, you're 0-7 and well on the way to 0-18. Seriously.
Player of the Day
Taylor Sheley of the Bethel women had 20 points, 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals but it was not enough to prevent the Royals from taking their 1st loss in MIAC conference play to St. Ben's 66-56, and relinquishing a piece of 1st place.
Coach of the Day
Dave Stromme of the St.Olaf women who hammered Concordia (Moorhead) 66-51 to take over 4th place in the MIAC at 5-2.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Big Game 1-3-12: Braham girls, Duluth Denfeld boys win a pair of thrillers
The Duluth area was the center of the Minnesota basketball universe last night with classic games among both the boys and the girls.
Duluth Denfeld boys 100 Duluth East 99 (OT)
Denfeld prevailed in this high-scoring, overtime match-up despite 45 points by East guard Taylor Stafford. Stafford, small but quick-on-quick with great offensive instincts, has stepped up big time in the absence of the Greyhounds' Johnny Woodward. Denfeld was led by Andrew Laughlin with 31 points, Robinson Jodeston 27 and Derek Meger 25. Shaq Coleman added 24 for East.
Robinson hit the game-winner, a 3 as time expired in OT. Stafford's lay-up had forced OT at 88-all. Laughlin's 3-pointer in OT gave the Hunters a 97-96 lead, but Rell Ladd's 4th 3-pointer of the game put the Greyhounds back in front 99-97.
Denfeld is 6-2, East a deceptive 2-7 with losses to 4 top 10 metro Class AAAA teams--#1 Eastview, #2 Hopkins, #5 Eden Prairie and #9 Minnetonka. It was Denfeld's 1st win over East after 8 straight losses since January 2007.
Braham girls 56 Esko 54
Here it was #2AA and defending state champion Braham (10-1) squeezing by host Esko (#4AA, 8-1) 56-54. Rebekah Dahlman scored 40 points, 29 in the 2nd half. Esko was led by 6-8 Savanna Trapp with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Player of the Day
Taylor Stafford, Duluth East boys and Rebekah Dahlman, Braham girls
Coach of the Day
Annette Wiles, UMD women, who won at Bemidji State 74-54 to stay within 1 game of 1st place in the NSIC at 5-2. Katrina Newman scored a career high 30 points for the Bulldogs, and added 8 boards.
Duluth Denfeld boys 100 Duluth East 99 (OT)
Denfeld prevailed in this high-scoring, overtime match-up despite 45 points by East guard Taylor Stafford. Stafford, small but quick-on-quick with great offensive instincts, has stepped up big time in the absence of the Greyhounds' Johnny Woodward. Denfeld was led by Andrew Laughlin with 31 points, Robinson Jodeston 27 and Derek Meger 25. Shaq Coleman added 24 for East.
Robinson hit the game-winner, a 3 as time expired in OT. Stafford's lay-up had forced OT at 88-all. Laughlin's 3-pointer in OT gave the Hunters a 97-96 lead, but Rell Ladd's 4th 3-pointer of the game put the Greyhounds back in front 99-97.
Denfeld is 6-2, East a deceptive 2-7 with losses to 4 top 10 metro Class AAAA teams--#1 Eastview, #2 Hopkins, #5 Eden Prairie and #9 Minnetonka. It was Denfeld's 1st win over East after 8 straight losses since January 2007.
Braham girls 56 Esko 54
Here it was #2AA and defending state champion Braham (10-1) squeezing by host Esko (#4AA, 8-1) 56-54. Rebekah Dahlman scored 40 points, 29 in the 2nd half. Esko was led by 6-8 Savanna Trapp with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Player of the Day
Taylor Stafford, Duluth East boys and Rebekah Dahlman, Braham girls
Coach of the Day
Annette Wiles, UMD women, who won at Bemidji State 74-54 to stay within 1 game of 1st place in the NSIC at 5-2. Katrina Newman scored a career high 30 points for the Bulldogs, and added 8 boards.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Second Season: NSIC Men
The Northern Sun men's basketball season so far has gone nothing like anticipated. Take the latest round of conference play--that is, the 1st round of play in the Second Season (January 2-3), for example. The pre-season favorite (in the coach's poll), Augustana, was ravaged by St. Cloud State, who was picked for 6th place in the coach's poll, 86-61 on Monday. And, on Tuesday, the Augies lost at Concordia-St. Paul, picked for 4th but currently at #11 in conference play, 81-77. Pre-season player of the year, Cody Schilling, was held to 8 and 12 points in the 2 games and is now averaging just 15.5 points, 10th in the conference. Last year he led the NSIC in scoring at 21.2 ppg .
Meanwhile Moorhead State, picked for 5th, edged Mankato State, picked 3rd, 66-65, and Southwest State 75-67 to remain unbeaten in 7 game. The Dragons took sole possession of 1st place when Winona State, picked 2nd and now tied for 2nd, lost at Northern, picked 10th by he coaches, 60-58.
St. Cloud, picked 6th and now tied for 2nd, and Bemidji, picked for 7th and now at #4, are the other big surprises.
The biggest disappointments to date are Mankato, the defending regular season champion, now tied for 9th place at 3-5, and Concordia-St. Paul.
To recap, NSIC men's standings as of January 4:
1. Moorhead 7-0, picked 5th
2. Winona 6-1, picked 2nd by the coaches, defending playoff champion
St. Cloud 6-1, picked 6th
4. Bemidji 5-2, picked 7th
5. Augustana 5-3, picked 1st
Southwest State 5-3, picked 8th
7. UMD 4-3, picked 9th
8. Northern 4-4, picked 10th
9. Wayne 3-5, picked 11th
Mankato 3-5, picked 3rd, defending regular season champion
11. Concordia St. Paul 2-5, picked 4th
12. Upper Iowa 1-6, picked 13th
13. Mary 1-7, picked 12th
14, MN-Crookston 0-7, picked 14th
Here's What I Think Is Going to Happen Next
I picked Winona to win it all anyway, so I'm going to stay with 'em. Clayton Vette emerged as a big time player in last year's playoffs, and so far this year he's at 17 points and 8 boards. Behind him there's no #2, but rather a cast of thousands, and that's a good thing.
We're far enough along to know that Moorhead is for real, though #1 or #2 still might be a bit much to hope for. Still, guard D.J. Hamilton has emerged as a PoY candidate with 15 ppg, 4 assists, a steal, a pair of 3s, 90 FT% and 2 assists per turnover. And newcomer Jake Lindfors with 15.5 ppg on 54 percent shooting has helped to elevate the Mustangs as well.
But St. Cloud is also for real, as is Augustana, and the 3 of them (Moorhead, St. Cloud and Augie) will duke it our for 2nd. All 4 will get home ice for the 1st round of playoff games. Augustana, for the record, is still trying to integrated Drae Murray, a D1 transfer, into its 3-guard set with returning all-conference guards Cameron McCaffrey and Schilling. The talent is there, the chemistry has been harder to come by. If it comes, they're still a huge playoff threat. But the loss last night at Concordia St. Paul, which is even more desperate, put them 3 games down in the loss column and probably ended their hopes for a regular season championship.
The four road slots in the 1st round of playoffs right now look like they should go to much-improved Southwest State, Bemidji and UMD, along with, ah, er, well, how about Northern? That would leave Mankato and Concordia on the outside looking in, along with Wayne, Mary, Upper Iowa and MN-Crookston. That would make Mankato and Concordia the biggest disappointments by far. CSP in particular has brother act Kenny and Peter Olafeso each at 17 ppg, but they're not getting much help. Coach Kelly Boe's job security has got to be an issue if this collapse continues. Mankato will, of course, be back as long as coach Matt Marganthaler is on the job. But right now they're too young to make a run in 2012.
The playoffs are a crap shoot, of course, but surely 1 of the roadies will pull a 1st round upset. The most likely is Bemidji with a projected visit to Augustana. If that happened, you'd have Winona over Bemidji in the semi-final, while Moorhead vs. St. Cloud would be a toss-up.
All in all, it's shaping up as a great year for the old Minnesota teachers colleges. 8 of the NSIC's 14 members are Minnesota public schools and together, right now, they're 36-22.
All-Conference
All-conference so far are the aforementioned Hamilton of Moorhead (MVP), plus:
• James Ellisor of Bemidj 20 ppg (#1), 8 boards, a steal, 50% 3-pt shooting in 32 minutes
• Jake Hottenstine of UMD 18 ppg, 3 3s per game, plus 84 percent FT shooting
• Peter Olafeso of Concordia 17 ppg, 3 assists, a steal, better than 1 assist per turnover in 35 minutes
• Vontrell Seroyer of Wayne 4 assists, 2 assists per turnover, 92% FT shooting in 32 minutes
2nd Team
• Ryan Rasmussen of UMD
• Kenny Olafeso of Concordia
• Alex Novak of Moorhead
• Brett Putz of St. Cloud
• C.J. Erickson of Winona
Note that returning all-conference players Schilling and Cameron McCaffrey of Augie, Vette of Winona, Brett Barz of Concordia, Pryor of Northern and Shelby of Wayne are all projected to fall short of repeating. Some of them surely will sneak in but that doesn't mean that they're among the top 10 players so far.
Coach of the Year
That's easy. Chad Walthall of Moorhead even if Winona comes back to take the regular season title.
Meanwhile Moorhead State, picked for 5th, edged Mankato State, picked 3rd, 66-65, and Southwest State 75-67 to remain unbeaten in 7 game. The Dragons took sole possession of 1st place when Winona State, picked 2nd and now tied for 2nd, lost at Northern, picked 10th by he coaches, 60-58.
St. Cloud, picked 6th and now tied for 2nd, and Bemidji, picked for 7th and now at #4, are the other big surprises.
The biggest disappointments to date are Mankato, the defending regular season champion, now tied for 9th place at 3-5, and Concordia-St. Paul.
To recap, NSIC men's standings as of January 4:
1. Moorhead 7-0, picked 5th
2. Winona 6-1, picked 2nd by the coaches, defending playoff champion
St. Cloud 6-1, picked 6th
4. Bemidji 5-2, picked 7th
5. Augustana 5-3, picked 1st
Southwest State 5-3, picked 8th
7. UMD 4-3, picked 9th
8. Northern 4-4, picked 10th
9. Wayne 3-5, picked 11th
Mankato 3-5, picked 3rd, defending regular season champion
11. Concordia St. Paul 2-5, picked 4th
12. Upper Iowa 1-6, picked 13th
13. Mary 1-7, picked 12th
14, MN-Crookston 0-7, picked 14th
Here's What I Think Is Going to Happen Next
I picked Winona to win it all anyway, so I'm going to stay with 'em. Clayton Vette emerged as a big time player in last year's playoffs, and so far this year he's at 17 points and 8 boards. Behind him there's no #2, but rather a cast of thousands, and that's a good thing.
We're far enough along to know that Moorhead is for real, though #1 or #2 still might be a bit much to hope for. Still, guard D.J. Hamilton has emerged as a PoY candidate with 15 ppg, 4 assists, a steal, a pair of 3s, 90 FT% and 2 assists per turnover. And newcomer Jake Lindfors with 15.5 ppg on 54 percent shooting has helped to elevate the Mustangs as well.
But St. Cloud is also for real, as is Augustana, and the 3 of them (Moorhead, St. Cloud and Augie) will duke it our for 2nd. All 4 will get home ice for the 1st round of playoff games. Augustana, for the record, is still trying to integrated Drae Murray, a D1 transfer, into its 3-guard set with returning all-conference guards Cameron McCaffrey and Schilling. The talent is there, the chemistry has been harder to come by. If it comes, they're still a huge playoff threat. But the loss last night at Concordia St. Paul, which is even more desperate, put them 3 games down in the loss column and probably ended their hopes for a regular season championship.
The four road slots in the 1st round of playoffs right now look like they should go to much-improved Southwest State, Bemidji and UMD, along with, ah, er, well, how about Northern? That would leave Mankato and Concordia on the outside looking in, along with Wayne, Mary, Upper Iowa and MN-Crookston. That would make Mankato and Concordia the biggest disappointments by far. CSP in particular has brother act Kenny and Peter Olafeso each at 17 ppg, but they're not getting much help. Coach Kelly Boe's job security has got to be an issue if this collapse continues. Mankato will, of course, be back as long as coach Matt Marganthaler is on the job. But right now they're too young to make a run in 2012.
The playoffs are a crap shoot, of course, but surely 1 of the roadies will pull a 1st round upset. The most likely is Bemidji with a projected visit to Augustana. If that happened, you'd have Winona over Bemidji in the semi-final, while Moorhead vs. St. Cloud would be a toss-up.
All in all, it's shaping up as a great year for the old Minnesota teachers colleges. 8 of the NSIC's 14 members are Minnesota public schools and together, right now, they're 36-22.
All-Conference
All-conference so far are the aforementioned Hamilton of Moorhead (MVP), plus:
• James Ellisor of Bemidj 20 ppg (#1), 8 boards, a steal, 50% 3-pt shooting in 32 minutes
• Jake Hottenstine of UMD 18 ppg, 3 3s per game, plus 84 percent FT shooting
• Peter Olafeso of Concordia 17 ppg, 3 assists, a steal, better than 1 assist per turnover in 35 minutes
• Vontrell Seroyer of Wayne 4 assists, 2 assists per turnover, 92% FT shooting in 32 minutes
2nd Team
• Ryan Rasmussen of UMD
• Kenny Olafeso of Concordia
• Alex Novak of Moorhead
• Brett Putz of St. Cloud
• C.J. Erickson of Winona
Note that returning all-conference players Schilling and Cameron McCaffrey of Augie, Vette of Winona, Brett Barz of Concordia, Pryor of Northern and Shelby of Wayne are all projected to fall short of repeating. Some of them surely will sneak in but that doesn't mean that they're among the top 10 players so far.
Coach of the Year
That's easy. Chad Walthall of Moorhead even if Winona comes back to take the regular season title.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Big Game 1-2-11: Gopher Women Put a Whippin' on Indiana 84-43
The Minnesota Gopher women put a whuppin' of Biblican proportions on the Indiana Hoosiers Monday afternoon at Williams Arena. The biggest lead was 44 points at 68-24 at 13:13 of the 2nd half, and the final was 84-43.
From 7-6 at 14:11, the Gophers ripped off 18 straight points to lead 25-6 at 9:20. Rachel Banham hit her 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 4 straight 3s to start the run, and Katie Loberg and Leah Cotton each scored twice. Minnesota started out shooting 2-of-10, then went 8-of-14 during the big run, followed by 6-of-10 for the rest of the 1st half. The score at the half was 48-17 as Banham already had 15 points and 8 boards, while Kiara Buford had 10 points and 4 assists.
By game's end, the Gophers were shooting 44 percent, including 64 percent for 3s, 40 percent for 2s, and 70 percent for 1s. Indiana finished at 24 percent, including 14 percent for 3s, 27 percent for 2s, and 46 percent from the FT line. Minnesota led in points off turnovers 16-2, and points in the paint 36-18. Indiana led in 2nd chance points 13-7, though the Gophers had more offensive boards, 21-17. When Minnesota missed a shot, the Hoosiers got 22 of those rebounds, the Gophers 21. Rurnovers were 15 for Indiana and just 12 for Minnesota.
Coach Pam Borton's rotation looked like this.
Gopher Minutes
C- Loberg 27 Dvorak 13
PF- Voigt 24 Kellogg 15 Clay 1
SF-Buford 13 B. Mastey 25 N. Mastey 2
PF- Banham 35 Cotton 3
OG- Cotton 24 Buford 16
Sari Noga, as you may know, is out with an ankle sprain.
Up Next
Up next is a game at Northwestern on Thursday, and the next time I think about it it's too late. Then Purdue at home a week after their loss on the own floor.
Player of the Day
Rachel Banham, Minnesota Gopher women, 19 points, 11 boards
Coach of the Day
Pam Borton, Minnesota Gopher women
From 7-6 at 14:11, the Gophers ripped off 18 straight points to lead 25-6 at 9:20. Rachel Banham hit her 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 4 straight 3s to start the run, and Katie Loberg and Leah Cotton each scored twice. Minnesota started out shooting 2-of-10, then went 8-of-14 during the big run, followed by 6-of-10 for the rest of the 1st half. The score at the half was 48-17 as Banham already had 15 points and 8 boards, while Kiara Buford had 10 points and 4 assists.
By game's end, the Gophers were shooting 44 percent, including 64 percent for 3s, 40 percent for 2s, and 70 percent for 1s. Indiana finished at 24 percent, including 14 percent for 3s, 27 percent for 2s, and 46 percent from the FT line. Minnesota led in points off turnovers 16-2, and points in the paint 36-18. Indiana led in 2nd chance points 13-7, though the Gophers had more offensive boards, 21-17. When Minnesota missed a shot, the Hoosiers got 22 of those rebounds, the Gophers 21. Rurnovers were 15 for Indiana and just 12 for Minnesota.
Coach Pam Borton's rotation looked like this.
Gopher Minutes
C- Loberg 27 Dvorak 13
PF- Voigt 24 Kellogg 15 Clay 1
SF-Buford 13 B. Mastey 25 N. Mastey 2
PF- Banham 35 Cotton 3
OG- Cotton 24 Buford 16
Sari Noga, as you may know, is out with an ankle sprain.
Up Next
Up next is a game at Northwestern on Thursday, and the next time I think about it it's too late. Then Purdue at home a week after their loss on the own floor.
Player of the Day
Rachel Banham, Minnesota Gopher women, 19 points, 11 boards
Coach of the Day
Pam Borton, Minnesota Gopher women
The Second Season--MIAC Women
The MIAC second season is setting up around the question, Can anybody challenge St. Thomas? The Tommies are 5-0 and tied for 1st place, which is where the coaches picked Ruth Sinn's crew to be in its pre-season polling.
And the best answer one can give at this stage is, It seems unlikely, given the following embarrassment of riches.
Center--Maggie Weiers, 6-1 sophomore, 13 ppg, 51 FG%, 5 boards, 2 assists, a block, a steal, 24 minutes
Forward--Sara Smith, 6-0 senior, 11 ppg, 65 FG%, 8 boards, 2 assists, a block and a steal in 33 minutes
Forward--Taylor Young, 5-11 soph, 12 ppg, 42 FG%, 4 boards, 2 assists, a block, a steal, 28 minutes
Guard--Ali Johnson, 5-11, senior, 8 ppg, 50 FG%, 43 3-pt FG%, 3 boards, 2 assists, 24 minutes
Guard--5-6 sr Carolyn Dienhart, sr Haley Loesch and 5-5 jr Kelli Ring have split the 5th starting spot
Off the bench coach Sinn can call on 5-9 sophomore guard Kelly Brandenburg, who is scoring 7 ppg on 50 FG%, with 3 boards and a team-leading 3 assists. And freshman 6-0 Anna Smith is scoring 3 ppg on 57 FG%. Meanwhile, 5-9 freshman guard Jenna Dockter will be back from injury shortly.
Add it all up and St. Thomas is out-scoring its opponents 69-54 and out-shooting them 49 percent to 39. The only issue would appear to be the offensive boards where the Tommies get 9 and give 9. And I'm sure coach would like to see fewer than 16 turnovers per game, 3.5 of them from Young.
Still, this has the look of the best MIAC women's team since the heyday of the Tommies under Ted Riverso and of St. Ben's, when one or the other or both would get deep into the D3 playoffs most every year. Has it really been a decade since then? Well, happy days are here again, perhaps.
And yet, I don't mean to dampen Bethel's title hopes. Hey, they're unbeaten in MIAC play, too. What's most remarkable is that coach John Herbrechtsmayer's squad has done it without post Scotti Moats, who has chosen not to return for her senior season. Unlike St. Thomas, this is now a tent-pole team, senior guard Taylor Sheley being the one who keeps the Royals' tent all the way up. She is scoring 19.5 ppg with 4.5 steals while making almost 50 percent of her 3-point attempts. She is without question the MIAC's MVP so far this year, and Herbie its coach of the year for the "first season."
Bethel is out-scoring its opponents 62-56, out-shooting them just 41 percent to 38 and is getting out-rebounded so far. It's hard to see Sheley and company competing for 40 minutes with a 10-deep St. Thomas team. We'll find out on Monday evening, January 16, at Bethel.
Behind Bethel and St. Thomas (5-0) are Concordia, Gustavus and St. Olaf at 4-1. Concordia and Gustavus boast nice balance and depth, while guard Mackenzie Wolter is St. Olaf's obvious leader and go-to player. No other MIAC team is better than 2-3.
Reversal of Fortune
For Augsburg's under new coach Billy McKee, 2-3 represents an amazing improvement over recent years. Meanwhile, 2-3 represents for St. Ben's under super coach Mike Durbin a shocking decline. The Auggies have already beaten the Bennies for the 1st time in Durbin's 26 years on the job, though it's true that Augsburg has now lost 3 straight after opening with a pair of shocking upset wins. St. Ben's, meanwhile, has won 2 straight after losing 2 out of 3. A surprising 81-64 win at Gustavus would suggest that the ship has been righted.
Individual Performance
Along with Sheley and Sara Smith, the "first season" MIAC all-stars would probably include 6-4 post Alexandra Lippert of Concordia (13 ppg, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks), guard Jenny Ramey of Carleton (14 points, 10 assists) and perhaps Serenae Levine of Augsburg (10 boards, 5 assists).
Freshmen Sarina Baker of St. Kate's and Jordan Sammons of Hamline are next (behind Sheley) in scoring at 18 and 15 ppg.
And the best answer one can give at this stage is, It seems unlikely, given the following embarrassment of riches.
Center--Maggie Weiers, 6-1 sophomore, 13 ppg, 51 FG%, 5 boards, 2 assists, a block, a steal, 24 minutes
Forward--Sara Smith, 6-0 senior, 11 ppg, 65 FG%, 8 boards, 2 assists, a block and a steal in 33 minutes
Forward--Taylor Young, 5-11 soph, 12 ppg, 42 FG%, 4 boards, 2 assists, a block, a steal, 28 minutes
Guard--Ali Johnson, 5-11, senior, 8 ppg, 50 FG%, 43 3-pt FG%, 3 boards, 2 assists, 24 minutes
Guard--5-6 sr Carolyn Dienhart, sr Haley Loesch and 5-5 jr Kelli Ring have split the 5th starting spot
Off the bench coach Sinn can call on 5-9 sophomore guard Kelly Brandenburg, who is scoring 7 ppg on 50 FG%, with 3 boards and a team-leading 3 assists. And freshman 6-0 Anna Smith is scoring 3 ppg on 57 FG%. Meanwhile, 5-9 freshman guard Jenna Dockter will be back from injury shortly.
Add it all up and St. Thomas is out-scoring its opponents 69-54 and out-shooting them 49 percent to 39. The only issue would appear to be the offensive boards where the Tommies get 9 and give 9. And I'm sure coach would like to see fewer than 16 turnovers per game, 3.5 of them from Young.
Still, this has the look of the best MIAC women's team since the heyday of the Tommies under Ted Riverso and of St. Ben's, when one or the other or both would get deep into the D3 playoffs most every year. Has it really been a decade since then? Well, happy days are here again, perhaps.
And yet, I don't mean to dampen Bethel's title hopes. Hey, they're unbeaten in MIAC play, too. What's most remarkable is that coach John Herbrechtsmayer's squad has done it without post Scotti Moats, who has chosen not to return for her senior season. Unlike St. Thomas, this is now a tent-pole team, senior guard Taylor Sheley being the one who keeps the Royals' tent all the way up. She is scoring 19.5 ppg with 4.5 steals while making almost 50 percent of her 3-point attempts. She is without question the MIAC's MVP so far this year, and Herbie its coach of the year for the "first season."
Bethel is out-scoring its opponents 62-56, out-shooting them just 41 percent to 38 and is getting out-rebounded so far. It's hard to see Sheley and company competing for 40 minutes with a 10-deep St. Thomas team. We'll find out on Monday evening, January 16, at Bethel.
Behind Bethel and St. Thomas (5-0) are Concordia, Gustavus and St. Olaf at 4-1. Concordia and Gustavus boast nice balance and depth, while guard Mackenzie Wolter is St. Olaf's obvious leader and go-to player. No other MIAC team is better than 2-3.
Reversal of Fortune
For Augsburg's under new coach Billy McKee, 2-3 represents an amazing improvement over recent years. Meanwhile, 2-3 represents for St. Ben's under super coach Mike Durbin a shocking decline. The Auggies have already beaten the Bennies for the 1st time in Durbin's 26 years on the job, though it's true that Augsburg has now lost 3 straight after opening with a pair of shocking upset wins. St. Ben's, meanwhile, has won 2 straight after losing 2 out of 3. A surprising 81-64 win at Gustavus would suggest that the ship has been righted.
Individual Performance
Along with Sheley and Sara Smith, the "first season" MIAC all-stars would probably include 6-4 post Alexandra Lippert of Concordia (13 ppg, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks), guard Jenny Ramey of Carleton (14 points, 10 assists) and perhaps Serenae Levine of Augsburg (10 boards, 5 assists).
Freshmen Sarina Baker of St. Kate's and Jordan Sammons of Hamline are next (behind Sheley) in scoring at 18 and 15 ppg.
December Awards
Player of the Month
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves--Player of the Month. OK, I was a serious skeptic about Rubio. Now, he's played all of 4 games with the Wolves and he's Player of the Month? In a word, yes. He makes other guys better, period, end of story. And the Target Center is seeing excitement it hasn't seen since 2004.
Runner-Up--Tyus Jones, Apple Valley boys. The sophomore phenom returns vastly improved after a summer of international play with the U.S. 16U team.
Team of the Month
Eastview boys--started 7-0, moved up to #1AAAA after Benilde beat Hopkins 76-71. Eastview had beaten Benilde earlier 61-54. 6-8 senior forward Joey King leads the way for coach Mark Gerber.
Runner-Up--Moorhead State men, of whom little was expected, get to the new year undefeated and tied for 1st in the NSIC.
Coach of the Month
Mike Roysland, Minnesota-Crookston--has the former doormat at 3-2 and tied for 5th in the NSIC.
Runner-up--Billy McKee, Augsburg women--another erstwhile doormat opens with 2 shocking upsets of St. Ben's and Concordia (Moorhead).
Game of the Month
Minnesota Timberwolves 117 Milwaukee Bucks 96--sure, it was an exhibition, but the 1st game of the Adelman/Rubio era was a smashing success and a victory, too.
Runner-Up--Benilde-St. Margaret's boys 76 Hopkins 71--#1 over #1.
The Big Game 1-1-12: Timberwolves Throw a Perfect Game at NBA Champs
The previously winless (0-3) Minnesota Timberwolves took no chances--nor any prisoners--in a 99-82 rout of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.
The Wolves led 74-69 after 3. And, so it would be decided in the 4th quarter and who thought the Mavs, with NBA playoff MVP Dirk Nowitzki, would be denied?
The Wolves led 74-69 after 3. And, so it would be decided in the 4th quarter and who thought the Mavs, with NBA playoff MVP Dirk Nowitzki, would be denied?
Well, Ricky Rubio scored the 1st 5 points of the 4th on a finger roll and a 3, and soon the Wolves were up 80-69. The Mavs roared back within 84-82 when Kevin Love made a pair of 3s, Tolliver a 3, Love a dunk and Tolliver another 3 and suddenly it was all over at 98-82 with 2:02 to go. Oh, and Rubio assisted on 4 of the 5 buckets.
It was without a doubt the best 3:30 of basketball that T-Wolves fans have seen at the Target Center in 7-and-a-half years, courtesy of Tolliver, Love, Beasley, Ridnour and Rubio...and coach Rick Adelman. Not only did the Wolves score on 5 straight possessions with the game on the line, the Mavs failed to score a single point in the final 5:35.
Love finished with his usual 25 and 17. Nowitzki finished at 21 and 4. Rubio was next (on either team) with 14 points and led all players with 7 assists.
They Also Ran
Earlier in the day, the Minnesota Gophers played their 2nd strong Big 10 game but dropped to 0-2, falling at #18-rated Michigan 61-56. Freshman guard Trey Burke scored 27 to lead the Wolverines to their 7th straight win. The Gophers had 2 chances to tie or lead inside of 1 minute, but 3-pointers by Maverick Ahanmisi and Rodney Williams were off the mark.
Player of the Day
Ricky Rubio, T-Wolves guard, with 5 points and 5 assists in the 4th quarter in which the Wolves dominated the defending world champion Dallas Mavericks 25-13.
Coach of the Day
Rick Adelman, Minnesota Timberwolves.
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