Viterbo gets revenge

MLC women lose first game after three week break

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The last game the Martin Luther College women played before their break was against Viterbo, beating them by eight points.

Wednesday, Viterbo beat MLC 66-55, gaining their own eight point win.

"They had more fire than we did," said Erin Czer, normally MLC's second leading scorer. Czer scored two points. "We outhustled them in that game (before break), and they outhustled us in this one."

"They had nine straight losses, so they really wanted to win," said Sarah Gronholz, who scored 20 points for MLC. "Our intensity was not at that level. They played their hearts out."

The MLC women began the game behind and trailed for most of the first half. They tied Viterbo momentarily at four when Sarah Gronholz made a shot off of a pass from Erin Czer and then hit a jumper from the elbow in the next possession.

The Knights quickly fell behind again when Viterbo made two quick three-pointers and the next two shots. Emma Babinec brought the Knights up to trail 18-11 after Czer made two free throws. Gronholz made a jump shot from the elbow, and later ended scoring on a short bank shot for the Knights, who went into halftime behind 26-20.

Gronholz led the first half for the Knights with 12 points.

Because of their winter break and only having two practices before the game, MLC coach Gene Pfeifer felt that the girls were a little off, especially in the first half.

"We were just out of sync," he said. "The rust was a big thing."

In the second half, the women felt like they picked it up a little. They were able to score 14 points off of Viterbo turnovers, and held their own number of turnovers to 19 for the game.

At the beginning of the second half, Gronholz helped the Knights stay close by making a shot early on. But Viterbo made nine straight points to lead 40-30.

Even though MLC momentarily came back with back-to-back baskets by Gronholz, Viterbo pulled ahead again. At one point, Viterbo led by 15 before Emma Babinec made three free throws and Annie Uecker made a three-pointer to trail 51-61.

In a last surge, Bethany Bauer made a three, Uecker stole the ball for a basket, and Babinec put back a rebound to pull up to 62-58. But Viterbo had the edge, and ended the game 66-58.

"It was nice that we could fight back," said Pfeifer, who had his team go to a four- and even five-guard offense to try to make outside shots at the end.

"We just got together and said, 'We've gotta step it up,' and that's what we did," said Gronholz. "It was mental at that point."

The women also stepped up their shooting in the second half, doubling their shooting percentage from 23 to 41, 32 percent overall.

Viterbo players made eight three-pointers in the game and shot 76 percent from the free throw line, 39 percent from the floor.

"They (Viterbo) shot pretty well," said Pfeifer. "They had some really timely shots. And they shot their free throws well, which kept us from getting too close."

Coach Pfeifer feels that because the team has now shaken off their rust, they will be ready to play in their next game.

The Knights' next play when they host Crown College Saturday at 5:30 p.m.