Top-five women's teams meet in anticipated rematch for "UMAC Game of the Week"
*Photo credits: Minnesota Morris and Martin Luther Sports Information
Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 - Women's Basketball: Minnesota Morris at Martin Luther
***Update***
Minnesota Morris wins 85-63
ST. PAUL, Minn.---With just four weekends of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women’s basketball remaining in the 2016-17 regular season, every game counts for teams vying for a postseason tournament berth. However, one matchup this weekend could matter just a little bit more than the rest in the long run.
Martin Luther College currently sits in a tie for fifth in the standings at 4-5, with a slight edge over the College of St. Scholastica due to a head-to-head win. However, the Knights increase their gap over the Saints should they be able to upset second-place University of Minnesota Morris Friday night in the “UMAC Game of the Week”.
Minnesota Morris may have a solid hold on second in the standings at 8-1, but a win over Martin Luther would keep them on pace to catch the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The Cougars may have taken the first matchup with the Knights this season, but it isn’t as if the Knights haven’t been able to pull off a clutch win against the Cougars when they needed it.
Last season, Martin Luther earned a key victory on the final weekend of play to earn a spot in the postseason tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Knights traveled to the No. 4 Cougars in the quarterfinal and trailed for nearly the entire game. Down 10 early in the fourth quarter, the Knights clawed their way back in and got a game-winning layup from
Jade St. Germaine with eight seconds remaining to go up 67-66 for the upset win.
That win came just three days after the Cougars downed the Knights 76-67 in the last weekend of games – a key win that helped the Cougars into the postseason. The Cougars also grabbed the first contest of the season by just six points, meaning the Cougars outscored the Knights by a total of just 14 points in three games in 2015-16.
With a history of close games in recent years, it’s no surprise that in the two squads’ first matchup this season on Dec. 10, the Cougars led by just two points at the half. In the third quarter, the Cougars managed to outscore the Knights 22-11 to pull away for good in the 65-52 victory. Sophomores
Elli Stevenson and
Kendra Raths combined for 19 of the team’s 33 second-half points to lead the Cougars to a decisive win at home.
Friday’s contest between the two postseason hopefuls could be another close one with the Knights having one key element that could help them pull off the upset – home court advantage. This season, the Knights have won three of their six games at home and three of their five conference losses have come to teams ahead of them in the standings on the road.
Heading into the season, the conference coaches underestimated both squads to this point in the season. The Cougars were picked just fourth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches Poll earning 46 points, while the Knights were selected sixth with 28 points – 14 points behind St. Scholastica in fifth.
Perhaps those selections came from the two teams’ finishes a year ago with the Cougars going just 9-7 in league play and the Knights 7-9. Both the Cougars and the Knights had strengths and weaknesses in different areas that led to their finishes last season. The Knights had a slight edge in scoring with 64.6 points per game (ppg) with the Cougars at 63.8 ppg. Martin Luther was second in rebounding (42.4 per game) and rebound margin (3.1), while the Cougars strength relied in their sharp shooting from beyond the arc – 32.4 percent was the best in the league.
With the addition of new talent, both squads returned plenty of talent to help them push for the postseason. The Knights welcomed back former Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-UMAC selection in
Grace Schultz as well as
St. Germaine who was a key player down the stretch for the Knights.
Mariah Schoof also joined that core group that would need to step up to replace the likes of Honorable Mention selection Erin Schmeling and Leah Nass who rank in the tops in program history in multiple statistical categories.
The Cougars were fortunate to return 66 percent of it’s scoring from last season with four of it’s top players making an immediate impact on the team’s early success this season. All-UMAC picks
Stevenson and
Tori Holt return to the lineup for the Cougars, as do
Mauren Thiesen and
Raths who have been the top scorers thus far in 2016-17. The biggest loss has been that of Maja Coomes who led the league in 3-point percentage last season.
The Match Up
With a win Friday, and then another Saturday against Crown College, Martin Luther would move to 6-5 and further cement its chances at a postseason position, making it ever-more challenging for the Saints to sneak in. Two wins for the Cougars would move them to 10-1 and keep them on the heels of Wisconsin-Superior for the title.
Martin Luther struggled early in the season losing six-straight including three losses to top-five teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). They opened the UMAC season with a heartbreaking two-point loss to local rival Bethany Lutheran College before rebounding with a win over Crown. The Knights scored a critical, late-game 61-58 victory over St. Scholastica before winning three-straight games after a loss to the Yellowjackets.
The Cougars suffered four-straight losses in non-conference play to open the season before going on a tear winning nine-straight conference games including six against UMAC opponents. The momentum was halted, though, when the Cougars lost a close battle to Wisconsin-Superior 81-72 in the battle of the undefeateds. The Cougars haven’t lost since and look to extend their streak to five-consecutive wins.
This season, in conference play, Minnesota Morris is outscoring opponents by a margin of 15.4 ppg and average 73.4 ppg, while the Knights are just sixth in scoring with 61.5 ppg. Defensively, the Cougars have been just a strong holding opponent under 58 ppg – second-best in the league. Sharp shooting remains the calling card of the Cougars ranking second in field goal percentage (33.4) and first in 3-point percentage (37.2). Martin Luther has stuck to glass and are second in total rebounds (45.8) and offensive rebounds (16.3) per game – both are second-best in the UMAC.
Need to Know – Martin Luther
- The Knights turn the ball over just 15.7 times per game, which is second in the UMAC behind Wisconsin-Superior at 15.6.
- Martin Luther has collected 52 rebounds in a game three times this season against conference teams.
- The Knights have won by double-digits in three of their four conference wins this season.
Need to Know – Minnesota Morris
- The Cougars have reached the UMAC Postseason Tournament in 11-consecutive seasons.
- In six of their eight UMAC wins, the Cougars have outscored their opponent by double digits.
- The Cougars boast an impressive league-best 7.8 made 3-point baskets per game.
Who to Watch – Martin Luther
St. Germaine has had a breakout junior season for the Knights. She leads them with 15.6 ppg – third in the UMAC – and 10.1 rebounds per game – also third-most. She is also fifth in shooting (41.0 percent).
Schultz continues to be a strong player for the Knights pouring in 11.9 ppg and 7.6 rebounds. Her 2.9 steals per game are third most in the conference.
Schoof adds 10.4 ppg to rank in the UMAC top 20 for scoring, and she also sets up the team with 3.3 assists per game.
Faith Schroeder also contributes 8.5 ppg and ranks 10th for rebounding (6.6).
Who to Watch – Minnesota Morris
The Cougars boast balance with five players leading at least one game in scoring.
Stevenson and
Thiesen are tied for seventh in UMAC scoring (13.6 ppg), while
Raths is just behind with 13.3 ppg and
Abby VanKempen is also in double-digits with 10.4 ppg. As a rookie, VanKempen averages a double-double with a league-best 12.0 rebounds per game. Thiesen is deadly from 3-point range at 40.0 to lead the conference. Stevenson is second in the UMAC with 4.3 assists per game. Raths and VanKempen ranks first (2.1) and second (1.9), respectively, in blocks per game.
The Basics
The conference matchup between Martin Luther and Minnesota Morris is set for this Friday, Jan. 27, with tip off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The contest will take place on the campus of the Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.
The “Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week” is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the “UMAC Game of the Week”.
2016-17 Game of the Week Archives