New Ulm's girls basketball team faced a tough challenge against Marshall in a Big South Conference game. Trailing by 18 points in the second half, they showed remarkable determination and fought hard to close the gap but ultimately fell short. This article delves into the key moments, player performances, and strategies that defined this intense matchup.

"New Ulm's Eagles Fight to the End in a Close Contest"

Defense and Pressure

New Ulm's head coach Julie Rogers emphasized the importance of their defensive style. "We were playing really good defense," she said. "We were getting after loose balls and putting some pressure on. That's our style of play, is to pressure the ball and take it away from you." The Tigers' full-court trap defense pestered the Eagles all game, exasperating their turnovers and leading to transition opportunities for Marshall. On the other hand, New Ulm's guards needed to improve their box-out skills to prevent offensive rebounds. "We talked about everybody rebounding," Rogers added. "Not just the people underneath, but the guards out on top need to box out as well so the offensive girl doesn't come down and get an offensive rebound when we're on defense."

Offensive Rebounds and Second-Chance Points

Offensive rebounds and second-chance points played a crucial role in New Ulm's comeback attempt. Brooklyn Lewis led the Eagles with 21 points, while Morgan Hulke had 16 points with four 3-pointers and five rebounds. Maddie Backer had 14 points, and Ramsey Hopp had 12 points and four rebounds. Rebounding was a major issue for both teams, with Marshall hauling in more boards in the first half and New Ulm gaining more of an advantage in the second half. "We need rebounding from everybody," Rogers said. "We'll keep working on it."

Player Performances

Reese Drake led Marshall with 23 points, including 10 made free-throws. Paige Gillingham hit five 3-pointers and totaled 19 points. Taleigh Bigler and Avery Schneekloth each added 13 points for the Tigers. Betsy Joyce and Maggie Joyce were both key in getting rebounds for New Ulm in the second half, as they both finished with eight.

Turnovers and Shooting

Turnovers have been a common issue for the Eagles as they search for their first win of the season. "We've had turnovers in the 20s in both of our first two games," Rogers said. "We'll see what this one comes back now, but it's definitely something we need to work on and that we've been talking about in practice and halftime and postgame and everything. You can't turn the ball over that many times unless we're shooting lights out. We need to get a shot down the court every time, or at least two out of the three times down the court, and that's not happening for us right now. When it does, you'll see us put a lot of points on the board. We put 79 points on the board tonight and turned the ball over a lot."Marshall's full-court trap defense led to turnovers for New Ulm, but they also struggled with their shooting at times. Gillingham hit another 3-pointer to stop a short 6-0 run by the Eagles and put the lead at 29-21, but New Ulm continued to battle and cut the lead to 29-27 on a 3-pointer by Hopp and a free-throw by Betsy Joyce. Marshall went on a 8-2 run, 4 of which were scored by Bigler, to extend the lead out to 37-29. Hulke hit a 3-pointer before halftime to put the score at 40-32.In the second half, Gillingham hit her fifth 3-pointer to open the half, but New Ulm responded with a 3 by Hopp. Marshall went on a 6-0 run to bring the lead to 49-37, and New Ulm fought back to bring it to 51-44. Avery Fahl hit two consecutive 3-pointers to begin an 11-5 run for Marshall, then the teams traded buckets for several possessions. Marshall eventually built its 83-65 lead after a transition layup by Schneekloth before New Ulm kicked into gear. Backer started it off with a midrange jumper, followed by a putback by Maggie Joyce. Backer hit a driving layup to cut the lead to 83-71 before knocking down three of four free throws to cut the lead to 10 with 1:33 to play in the game. New Ulm called a timeout, then a free throw by New Ulm's Leah Brunstad was followed by a tough baseline floater by Backer to cut the lead to 83-77. New Ulm took a timeout with 35 seconds left, and Lewis got a steal that led to a basket by Hopp, followed immediately by another Marshall turnover. However, New Ulm missed the next shot and Marshall took enough time off the clock to put the game away as the Eagles' comeback fell short.Though the Eagles have started the season with three consecutive losses, Rogers believes the pieces are still there to have a strong contender for the rest of the season. "Everybody's just got to hang with us," she said. "Keep the faith kind of thing. We're getting better every single day, every single practice. I've said it before that this is a journey, and we're on the road and we're working on things and getting better every single day. We need to find that first win though. We're kind of hungry for that right now."New Ulm will get its next opportunity for that Friday at Jackson County Central.