Augustyn impressive in 1st start; ESU rolls St. Gregory’s 104-37
By Jesse Newell
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Jamie Augustyn couldn’t help but feel a bit unsettled in her first start as a Lady Hornet on Wednesday.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first,” Augustyn said, “but it helps a lot that I have good teammates that keep me going.”
The freshman didn’t look anxious in her starting debut, scoring 15 points to help No. 3 ESU to a 104-37 walloping of St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at White Auditorium.
Augustyn, a freshman from Burlington, made the jump to the starting lineup after not even playing in the team’s last game against Metro State. In fact, she had played just 15 minutes all season before racking up 21 minutes on Wednesday. Her previous high in points was 3.
Still, she looked anything but overmatched against St. Gregory’s. Augustyn made 5-of-7 shots — including 2-of-4 from three-point range — in her efficient effort.
“I thought she played within herself on offense,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said. “She did just the things we’ve asked her to do the last few days in practice.”
Among those was pressuring the ball on defense and getting the ball inside, two points of emphasis Schneider had stressed after ESU’s loss to Metro State on Saturday.
The Lady Hornets (6-1) were much-improved on both fronts Saturday, dominating the Lady Cavaliers from the get-go.
Casey Henningsen established the inside presence early, scoring the first six points of the game. The second-team All-MIAA performer played 16 second-half minutes against Metro State on Saturday without even attempting a shot.
ESU also saw the return of its stifling pressure defense, forcing 37 St. Gregory’s turnovers and 20 in the first half. The defense was so good, in fact, that after 10 minutes the Lady Hornets had made as many shots (nine) as the Lady Cavaliers had attempted.
“It’s what we’re looking for, but I’m not just looking for it one night,” Schneider said. “I’ll be impressed when I see it four or five games in a row.”
It wasn’t a game for long. A steal and lay-in from Henningsen capped a 10-0 run that stretched the ESU advantage to 36-6.
With the faster pace, Schneider switched up his substitution patterns, subbing four and sometimes five players in at a time to keep legs fresh. Ideally, the coach said he would like to expand the rotation to include more players.
“I don’t mind playing 10 or 11 kids,” Schneider said. “If you play defense and you rebound, we’ll find you some minutes.”
Augustyn proved that on Wednesday, making the most of her time on both ends of the court. Schneider said the decision to work her with the first-team players came last week.
“She works extremely hard in practice,” Schneider said. “She’s our best help defender in practice — I really believe that.”
ESU surrendered just 13 points in the second half. Meanwhile, St. Gregory’s made just 5-of-26 shots (19 percent) in the final 20 minutes.
“If you play hard on defense, I think the basketball gods will smile on you a little bit and let some good things happen to you on offense,” Schneider said.
The Lady Cavaliers’ 37 turnovers resulted in 53 Lady Hornet points.
Henningsen led ESU with 19 points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes. She made 7 of her 10 shots from the floor.
Augustyn’s 15 points was closely followed by Carolyn Dorsey’s 13. Michelle Stueve, Andrea Leiker and Tegan Stuart all scored 12 points apiece.
ESU will take on unbeaten Fort Hays State in the conference opener on Saturday at White Auditorium.