Blazers Pass First Test

St. Cloud Times Feb. 22, 2005

Frank Rajkowski, Staff Writer

Coming into the MIAC women's basketball tournament, College of St. Benedict head coach Mike Durbin knew he could rely on All-MIAC posts Anna Heikenen and Kim Johnson for solid play inside.

What he was hoping for was to get some scoring from the outside as well. It was a hope sophomore wing Jen Dalhed and her backcourt cohorts turned into reality in Monday night's 74-62 opening-round victory over St. Thomas at Claire Lynch Hall.

Dalhed and fellow wing Katie Kempe finished with 12 points apiece while Heikenen and Johnson scored 19 and 14 points, respectively, as the third-seeded Blazers held off the sixth-seeded Tommies.

"It was kind of a combination," said Dalhed, who also finished with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. "We were hitting inside with Kim and Anna, and (senior) Tara (Schloe) really stepped up, too. We just tried to match it from the outside."

St. Benedict (20-4 overall) travels to Moorhead to face No. 2 seed Concordia (19-4) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Blazers split their two meetings with the Cobbers this season, winning 75-63 at home on Dec. 1, but falling 83-75 on the road on Jan. 24.

"I thought our guard play was outstanding tonight," Durbin said. "That and our ability to get to the free-throw line and control the tempo were the big factors.

"Jen Dalhed just played amazing. She had a great individual performance."

The Blazers dominated the game at the free-throw line, finishing 24-for-28 overall and 17-for-18 in the second half. The Tommies were 6-for-9.

"I think the key was that we were being more aggressive than they were," said Heikenen, who also finished with six rebounds and two steals. "They were more scared and timid, which meant we got a lot of the calls and we were able to nail the free throws.

"That hasn't always been a strength for us this year, but it was tonight."

Heikenen played despite a recent bout with the flu.

"I kind of kept that on the down low," Heikenen said. "No one really knew I was feeling sick. Not even Mike. But it wasn't that big of a deal. I was sick yesterday, but I feel a lot better today."

St, Benedict went on a 12-2 run in the first half to go up 25-15, but the Tommies rallied and cut the gap to four before going into the locker room down 34-28. The Blazers mounted another surge in the second half and led by as many as 13, but once again St. Thomas refused to go away.

The Tommies cut it to 50-45 on a jump shot by senior Vel Williams with 9:54 left. However, it took St. Thomas four possessions to pull within five, but then Dalhed, Schloe and Kempe each hit a pair of free throws, and Dalhed added a 3-pointer with 5:08 to play to put her team back up by 12.

The Tommies cut the gap to six twice in the final 21/2 minutes but that was as close as they would get. Senior post Erica Opdahl led St. Thomas with 23 points and eight rebounds.

"I thought we did a nice job getting the ball inside and identifying single coverage," said Tommies coach Tricia Dornisch, whose team finished 11-14 overall. "Erica knocked the shots down. She played big in a big game. You have to appreciate that. But when you're playing a team that's solid at every position, and that's what St. Ben's is, it's tough."

St. Benedict will face a team like that in Concordia. The Cobbers enter Wednesday's game on a 15-game winning streak and are led by returning MIAC MVP Mandy Pearson, who is averaging 26.6 points per game in her team's last five matchups with the Blazers.

"We know it's going to be a challenge," said Dalhed, who likely will draw the assignment of covering Pearson. "It's a three-hour bus ride up there, and they always play well at home. They're going to have a great crowd. We have to go in there with confidence. We have to show them from the very beginning that they're not going to have an easy game."

ST. THOMAS (62)

Vel Williams 8-17 1-1 18 (4 rebounds, 3 assists), Melissa Gotchnik 0-4 0-0 0 (4 rebounds), Jessie Hays 0-2 0-0 0 (2 rebounds), Amy Kittelson 2-4 0-0 6, Erica Opdahl 10-19 2-4 23 (8 rebounds, 2 blocks), Katie Toutant 0-3 3-4 3 (3 assists, 2 rebounds), Katy Slater 0-0 0-0 0, Melissa Keiser 3-4 0-0 6 (4 rebounds, 2 assists), Connie Rudolph 0-0 0-0 0, Lindsey Willgohs 0-1 0-0 0, Molly Miller 3-9 0-0 6 (6 rebounds). Totals: FG 26-63, FT 6-9, REB 30, TO 12, PF 21.

ST. BENEDICT (74)

Darby Noreen 1-8 0-0 2 (5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists), Jen Dalhed 4-7 2-3 12 (5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), Katie Kempe 1-4 9-12 12 (4 rebounds, 2 assists), Anna Heikenen 7-13 5-5 19 (6 rebounds, 2 steals), Kim Johnson 6-10 2-2 14 (9 rebounds, 3 assists), Judy Falvey 0-0 0-0 0, Laura Zwach 1-1 2-2 4, Tara Schloe 2-3 4-4 8 (5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Justine Richels 1-2 0-0 3, Ellie Boone 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: FG 23-49, FT 24-28, REB 38, TO 15, PF 12.

3-point goals: ST — 4-15 (Williams 1-4, Gotchnik 0-1, Opdahl 1-1, Kittelson 2-4, Toutant 0-3, Miller 0-2); SB — 4-14 (Kempe 1-2, Dalhed 2-4, Noreen 0-3, Heikenen 0-1, Johnson 0-2, Richels 1-2); Fouled out: none; Technical fouls: none; Deadball rebounds: ST 1, SB 1; Bench points: ST 15, SB 15; Halftime score: SB 34, ST 28.

Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098