Women's Basketball

Midwest Collegiate Conference Competition

Morningside ends Bees season in Sweet 16

(March 14, 2008)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa---Fresh off a 77-58 win over Southern Oregon, the Queen Bees had their season ended by #2 nationally ranked Morningside College 70-62.

The Queen Bees pressure defense, which has forced an average of 27 turnovers per game, managed to create just 16 turnovers from the steady guard play of the Mustangs. In turn, the Bees committed 25 turnovers which directly led to 32 points for Morningside.

The key to the game came down to points off turnovers and points in the paint, which Morningside dominated. The Mustangs held a 25-16 advantage on points of turnovers and a 32-16 edge in points in the paint. The Queen Bees did not score a single point on the fast break and were forced to score in the half court offense.

The Queen Bees shot 44.4% from the field and knocked in 22-57 shots. Likewise, Morningside shot 44.4% from the field and hit 23-61 shots from the field. Despite being virtually even in fouls, Morningside shot 18 more free throws than the Bees and converted on 17-24 attempts. The Bees were just 5-6 from the line.

The Queen Bees were led by Jenny Clark's 29 point performance. Clark knocked in 9-20 shots from the field, 8-18 from beyond the arc, and dropped in 3-3 from the line. Clark also added four assists and seven rebounds while playing the entire game. For her efforts, Clark earned the NAIA National Tournament Hustle Award.

Junior Callie Sobaski was the only other Queen Bee to score in double digits. She finished with 11 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and hauled in seven rebounds.

Clark, the MCC's Player of the Year, played her best basketball of the season at the National Tournament. Averaging 16.1 points per game heading into the tournament, Clark averaged 25.0 points per game in the tourney and knocked down 12 three pointers in just two contests.

With the loss, the Queen Bees finish 29-6 and 14-2 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Picked to finish second in the MCC, the Queen Bees exceeded all expectations. They swept every possible conference honor, including Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. A year after losing seven seniors to graduation and with the hiring of a new coach, the Queen Bees put together impressive numbers without a single senior on the roster. The Queen Bees capped off the season by reaching the NAIA National Tournament for the second consecutive year and earned their first tourney win in eight years.

Queen Bees swarm Southern Oregon

(March 12, 2008)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa---Behind a career high 30 points from Ali Dolphin, the Queen Bees snapped a streak of three consecutive losses in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament with a 77-58 win over Southern Oregon.

The Queen Bees posted their first victory in the NAIA National Tournament since they knocked Central Methodist 84-66 in the second round of the 1999-2000 NAIA National Tournament.

Ali Dolphin, the MCC's Newcomer of the Year, and Jenny Clark, the MCC's Player of the Year, put the Queen Bees on their back as they both had terrific all-around games for the Queen Bees. Dolphin dropped in 30 points on 9-20 shooting from the field and hit 5-10 from the line. She finished with 14 rebounds and four assists.

Jenny Clark racked in 21 points on 7-16 shooting from the field and rained in 4-9 shots from beyond the arc. Clark also had six rebounds and four assists for the Bees.

Despite shooting just 35.7% (25-70) from the field and 54% (20-37) from the field, the Queen Bees stifled Southern Oregon with their match-up zone. The Queen Bees forced 25 turnovers and had 18 steals, which led to 22 points of turnovers.

St. Ambrose limited Southern Oregon to just 30% (21-70) shooting from the field and 9% (2-22) from three. Southern Oregon did win the rebounding battle 63-50, but managed just 17 second chance points.

Dolphin's 30 points tied for the most points in the opening round of the 2008 tourney with Morningside's Brittany Williamson. Williamson is also leading the tourney with 16 rebounds, where Dolphin is third with 14. Dolphin and Clark are tied for most steals in the tourney with six after day one.

With the win, the Queen Bees advance to the Sweet Sixteen and will take on top-seeded Morningside. St. Ambrose dropped to Morningside 76-65 in just their second game of the season back on November 3rd. They will take on the Mustangs at 5:45 p.m. on Friday, with the winner advancing to the Elite 8.

Queen Bees sweep MCC honors

(March 5, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The Midwest Collegiate Conference announced it women’s basketball all-conference honors. Twenty-one athletes were recognized as part of the all-conference teams as voted by the coaches; ten to the First Team and eleven to the Honorable Mention Team.

St. Ambrose sophomore guard Jenny Clark (Cambridge, Ill.) was selected as the MCC Player of the Year. Clark led the MCC in assists (5.21 apg), and was among MCC leaders in scoring (7th – 13.9 ppg), steals (2nd – 3.21 spg), three-point goals made (2nd - 2.64/g), three-point field goal percentage (11th - 34.6%), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd – 1.87).

 

“It's really nice to see that Jenny has been recognized for her entire body of work over the season,” said St. Ambrose head coach Nathan Altenhofen.

 

 “She has had some tough games since her foot injury, but I am pleased with the respect that the MCC coaches have for her importance to our team. A lot of our success this season due to the attention the other coaches have shown her in their game plans and the ability of our other players to step up.”

 

St. Ambrose freshman guard Ali Dolphin (Marshalltown, Ia.) was named the MCC Newcomer of the Year. Dolphin led the MCC in scoring (16.2 ppg), steals (3.31 spg), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.19). She was among MCC leaders in rebounding (8th – 6.8 rpg), field goal percentage (6th – 52.9%), assists (7th - 3.56 apg), free throw percentage (10th – 75.3%), and blocks (4th – 1.0 bpg).

 

"This is an awesome award for Ali as she has proven to be one of the top 2-3 players in the conference," Coach Altenhofen said.

 

“I thought that she had this award sewn up pretty fast and she had to be up there for player of the year as well. She has been our top player in several games and could have been the league's MVP. I think it is really great that our two most valuable players have been recognized and they have been justly so rewarded”

Altenhofen was selected by her peers as the MCC Coach of the Year. In his first year at the helm of the Queen Bees, Altenhofen led his team to a 14-2 record in conference play, the MCC regular season title, and the MCC Tournament title. The Queen Bees (28-5) have appeared in the national ratings every week this season, and are currently the No. 15 ranked team in the NAIA Division II women’s poll. Altenhofen recorded his 100th career win this season and has the best record of any first year coach in St. Ambrose women's basketball history.

 

“Coach Nate did an outstanding job of getting the women ready to play hard and together.  It truly is impressive given the fact that we had such a young and inexperienced team to start the year.  Coach Nate very much deserves this recognition for his performance as well as his team’s,” said St. Ambrose athletic director Ray Shovlain.

  

MCC Player of the Year: Jenny Clark – St. Ambrose

    MCC Newcomer of the Year: Ali Dolphin – St. Ambrose

     MCC Coach of the Year: Nathan Altenhofen – St. Ambrose

 

MCC First Team:

Angie Creighton – Grand View

Bailey Schechinger – Grand View

Ali DeVries – Iowa Wesleyan

Rachel Mitchell – Iowa Wesleyan

Jessie Dirks – Mount Mercy

Jenny Clark – St. Ambrose

Ali Dolphin – St. Ambrose

Kari Thiel – Viterbo

Rachel Hannam – Waldorf

Kate Milbrandt - Waldorf

 

MCC Honorable Mention Team:

Kayla Crist – Ashford

Bethany Mahmens – Ashford

Mariah Bolin – Clarke

Jodi Nikkel – Grand View

Tanna Slings – Grand View

Brooke Newton – Iowa Wesleyan

Whitney Rumbold – St. Ambrose

Dara Widdop – St. Ambrose

Katie Mechling – Viterbo

Carrie Parker – William Penn

Christa Subbert – William Penn

Queen Bees capture MCC tournament title

(March 3, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees won the 2008 Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament on Monday night by defeating the third-seeded Iowa Wesleyan Tigers 63-60 at Lee Lohman Arena.

The Queen Bees and the Tigers met two previous times in the regular season and split the season series. St. Ambrose was handed its first conference loss of the season by Iowa Wesleyan back on Jan. 9 in Mount Pleasant but defeated them a month later at Lee Lohman Arena.

The Tigers would lead early, taking a 10-4 lead six and a half minutes into the game. The Queen Bees would battle back, however, keeping the game close and tying the game at 21 going into halftime.

St. Ambrose shot only 32.1 percent from the field in the first half while shooting just 1 of 12 from beyond the arc. They did, however, force 14 Iowa Wesleyan turnovers. Mary Burmeister led SAU with eight points and three blocks in the first half.

The Queen Bees opened the second half with a 9-2 scoring run which was due largely to forcing five turnovers in the first four minutes of the half. They would stretch the lead out to as high as nine with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

The Tigers would fight back, cutting the lead down to two with about nine minutes remaining. They would eventually tie the game at 50 with just over five minutes to go.

The game would stay close throughout the final minutes. With 30 seconds remaining, SAU’s Jenny Clark knocked down both free throws, giving the Queen Bees a four-point lead.

After an Iowa Wesleyan three-pointer cut the lead to one with 10 seconds remaining, Clark again knocked down both free throws which sealed the victory for the Queen Bees, making them winners of the 2008 MCC Tournament.

Ali Dolphin led SAU with 16 points. Clark followed with 14 while Burmeister added 10. Dara Widdop led the team with nine rebounds.

The Queen Bees once again improved their shooting in the second half. They shot a very respectable 48.3 percent from the field and were 4 of 10 from beyond the arc.

Next up for St. Ambrose will be the 2008 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament which runs from March 12-18. It will be held in Sioux City, Iowa.

Queen Bees advance to tournament final with win over Waldorf

(March 1, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees advanced to the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championship Game by defeating fourth-seeded Waldorf 73-61 on Saturday afternoon.

Waldorf would battle the Queen Bees hard much like they did in the regular season. Three minutes into the game, Waldorf held an 8-6 lead until St. Ambrose went on a 15-2 scoring run and took an 11-point lead around the middle portion of the first half.

Waldorf would battle back, cutting the lead down to four with just over five minutes remaining. The Queen Bees would answer back yet again by closing the half on a 12-3 scoring run and taking a 35-22 lead into halftime.

Ali Dolphin led the team in the first half with 12 points and nine rebounds. Despite holding a 13-point halftime lead, the Queen Bees shot just 38.2 percent from the field and were just 2 of 15 from beyond the arc.

After Waldorf scored the first two points of the second half, St. Ambrose scored nine straight points, increasing their lead to 20. They would continue to increase their lead, extending it to as high as 28 points with just under nine minutes remaining.

Waldorf, however, never gave up, nearly cutting the SAU lead in half after a 10-0 scoring run with just under three minutes remaining. They would cut the lead down to as little as 12 points, but ran out of time as the Queen Bees were able to hang on.

Dolphin led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jenny Clark finished with 14 points and led the team with 10 assists and four steals. Amy Fulfs finished as SAU’s third- highest scorer with 11 points.

St. Ambrose improved to shoot 44.4 percent from the field and shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.

With the victory, the Queen Bees move on to the MCC Championship Game and will face third-seeded Iowa Wesleyan who knocked off second-seeded Grand View in Des Moines on Saturday. The game will be played at Lee Lohman Arena and is scheduled for Monday night at 7:00 p.m.

Queen Bees advance to semifinals with win over Ashford

(February 28, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament by defeating Ashford University 91-45 Thursday night at Lee Lohman Arena.

Ashford earned a chance to play St. Ambrose after they were victorious over Clarke College 72-59 in an eighth vs. ninth seed match-up.

St. Ambrose entered the night with a 25-5 overall record, and did not struggle to take control of the game early on.

After Ashford scored the first two points of the game, the Queen Bees began a 13-0 scoring run, giving them a comfortable 11-point lead. Ashford would continue to battle, trailing only by nine with just four minutes remaining in the first half.

But SAU would close out the first half with a 10-4 scoring run, giving them a 35-20 lead at halftime.

Despite having a 15-point lead at halftime, the Queen Bees shot just 36.4 percent from the field in the first half. Jenny Clark led them with 12 points and four assists.

Ashford would hold the SAU lead under 20 points for the beginning of the second half until the Queen Bees busted the game wide-open with a 15-2 scoring run, giving them a commanding 28-point lead.

With about six and a half minutes remaining in the game, the Queen Bees began yet another scoring run, this time a 19-2 run, all but sealing the victory.

The Queen Bees would improve to shoot an even 50 percent from the field in the second half while shooting a very respectable 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Clark would finish with a team-leading 25 points and six assists. Callie Sobaski added 14 points while Whitney Rumbold and Amy Fulfs would each add 10. Dara Widdop led the team with 11 rebounds while Ali Dolphin finished with a team-high 5 steals.

Another key for the Queen Bees in this game once again seemed to be creating points off turnovers, turning 25 turnovers into 35 points.

With the victory, St. Ambrose advances to the semifinals and will host fourth-seeded Waldorf on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Queen Bees are 2-0 against Waldorf this season.

Queen Bees drop last regular season game

(February 23, 2008)

DES MOINES, Iowa---Despite clinching the Midwest Collegiate Conference title a week prior, the St. Ambrose Queen Bees fell to Grand View 47-44 on Saturday afternoon. It was their last regular game of the season, and their last game before the start of the MCC Tournament.

St. Ambrose would hold a slim lead for most of the first half. They were able to stretch their lead to seven with five and a half minutes remaining. They were, however, unable to widen their lead any further as they went into halftime leading by a score of 25-20.

The Queen Bees struggled shooting in the first half, going just 9 of 27 (33.3 percent) from the field and 2 of 11 (18.2 percent) from beyond the arc. They forced 19 turnovers but committed 21 themselves.

Grand View would cut the lead immediately down to one just 90 seconds into the second half, but St. Ambrose would increase their lead back up to six and held a five-point advantage with just five and a half minutes remaining in the game.

A 10-2 Grand View scoring run spanning the last five minutes of the game would end up dooming the Queen Bees as they suffered just their second conference loss of the season and fifth loss overall.

The 44 points marked SAU’s lowest total of the season, and their 27.8 shooting percentage from the field was also a season-low.

Ali Dolphin led all players with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Saturday’s game marked the first game of the season where the Queen Bees did not have more than one player scoring in double-digits. Dolphin also led the team with three steals.

The quarterfinals of the MCC Tournament are scheduled to begin on Thursday night. The Queen Bees have earned the #1 seed and will face the winner of Clarke vs. Ashford. The game will be held at Lee Lohman Arena at 7:00 p.m.

Queen Bees clinch MCC title with win over Waldorf

(February 16, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees are the 2007-2008 Midwest Collegiate Conference Champions thanks to a 79-67 victory over Waldorf and some help from another team in the conference.

St. Ambrose entered the day atop the MCC with a 13-1 conference record and a one and a half game lead over second place Grand View. A win Saturday coupled with a Grand View loss against Viterbo would seal the conference title for the Queen Bees and give them home court advantage throughout the MCC playoffs.

The Grand View vs. Viterbo game, however, was scheduled for a later start, so the Queen Bees had to first take care of business at Lee Lohman Arena.

The Queen Bees got off to a hot start, going on a 9-2 scoring run in the first three minutes of the game. They forced two turnovers and got five consecutive offensive rebounds within the three-minute scoring run.

Waldorf would battle back to even up the score, tying the game at 13 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the first half. Each team would take turns leading during the middle portion of the half until St. Ambrose began a 10-0 scoring run with just seven and a half minutes remaining, giving the Queen Bees an 11-point lead. They would lead by 12 at halftime, 41-29.

Jenny Clark led St. Ambrose with 11 points in the first half while the Queen Bees shot an even 40 percent from the field.

The St. Ambrose lead held around 12 points for the first part of the second half until they stretched it out even further, going on a 7-0 scoring run halfway through the second half, giving them a commanding 60-41 lead.

Waldorf would cut into the lead but it wasn’t enough as SAU held on for a 12-point victory, guaranteeing them at least a share of the MCC title. The rest would be decided later in the evening when Viterbo hosted Grand View.

St. Ambrose improved to shoot 51.7 percent from the field in the second half giving them a 44.9 percent average for the game, slightly above their season average of 44.5 percent. The Queen Bees also forced 29 turnovers, and turning them into 33 points.

Ali Dolphin led the Queen Bees with 21 points. Dara Widdop added 16 while shooting 7 of 9 from the field. Clark finished as the third-highest scorer with 15 points. Clark also led the team with seven assists while Widdop led the team with 10 rebounds.

The Queen Bees finally received the news they were hoping for when the game in LaCrosse became final. Viterbo knocked off Grand View 64-60, clinching sole possession of the MCC title for St. Ambrose.

The victory marked Coach Nathan Altenhofen’s 105th career win as a collegiate coach, his 25th with St. Ambrose. Combining this season as coach of SAU with his two previous seasons as head coach of Odessa College, Altenhofen has an incredible 93-7 record.

Altenhofen and the Queen Bees will look to make a deep playoff run as the MCC Tournament kicks off on February 28. St. Ambrose will have home court advantage throughout the tournament.

According to the NAIA Division II Team Stats, St. Ambrose ranks ninth in the country in scoring offense (79.75 points scored per game), and eighth in the country in scoring defense (55.50 points allowed per game), making them the only team in the country with a top ten ranking in both categories.

Other notable team rankings for the Queen Bees include second in the country in assist/turnover ratio (1.205), second in turnover margin (10.964), third in steals per game (16.036), and third in scoring margin (24.250).

In addition to the team rankings, St. Ambrose also has several players near the top of the individual rankings for NAIA Division II.

Jenny Clark ranks fourth in the country in steals per game (3.500), fifth in three-point field goals per game (3.154), and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.042).

Other notable individual rankings include Ali Dolphin ranking ninth in steals per game (3.286), giving the Queen Bees two top ten players in that category. In addition, Casey Breitbach ranks ninth in three-point field goals per game (3.077), giving them two top ten players in that category as well.

The Queen Bees still have one regular season game remaining as they will travel to Des Moines to face Grand View on February 23.

Queen Bees struggle but find way to win

(February 13, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees shot just 32.1 percent from the field on Wednesday night but managed to hang on to a 52-44 victory against William Penn.

William Penn held a small lead for most of the first half, and went into halftime with a 24-21 advantage. 18 of their 24 first half points came from beyond the arc.

The Queen Bees shot just 27.6 percent from the field in the first half, and were just 1 of 11 from beyond the arc. They did, however, manage to force 15 first half turnovers, thus keeping them in the game going into halftime.

William Penn would slightly increase their lead at the start of the second half until St. Ambrose began a 14-2 scoring run, giving them a six point lead with just 14 minutes remaining.

SAU kept a single-digit lead for the rest of the second half before taking a 10-point lead with just 29 seconds remaining. They would hold on for an eight-point victory and their second win over William Penn on the season.

The Queen Bees improved their shooting in the second half to 37.5 percent, nearly a 10 percent increase from the first half. William Penn shot just 19.2 percent in the second half and turned the ball over nearly twice as often as St. Ambrose.

Ali Dolphin led SAU with 17 points. Mary Burmeister added 13 points while Jenny Clark finished with nine. Dolphin also led the team with four steals and three assists. Dara Widdop led all players with 12 rebounds.

SAU had five different players with two or more steals in the game.

The victory gives the Queen Bees their tenth straight win, one shy of their 11-game winning streak that ran from Nov. 9 to Dec. 18. SAU will stay at home and play Waldorf on Saturday afternoon which will be their final home game of the regular season.

Queen Bees make it nine in a row with strong second half

(February 9, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees made it nine wins in a row on Saturday, defeating the Mount Mercy Mustangs for the second time this season, 83-66.

The victory did not, however, come without a fight. The Mustangs played the Queen Bees tough in the first half and it looked like an upset might be right around the corner for Mount Mercy.

St. Ambrose would force more turnovers and out-rebound the Mustangs in the first half. However, SAU shot only 37.8 percent from the field, compared with a very impressive 54.2 percent for the Mustangs. Despite shooting almost 17 percent worse, the Queen Bees still only trailed by three points at the half.

SAU would answer back immediately in the second half, going on a very impressive 23-3 scoring run in the first 10 minutes. The Queen Bees forced three turnovers in the first 90 seconds of the half, igniting the large scoring run.

St. Ambrose continued to increase their lead as the second half continued, leading by as many as 26 and holding onto a 17-point victory. After a sub-par shooting performance in the first half, the Queen Bees answered by shooting an impressive 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, nearly a 20 percent increase. This, along with the Mustangs shooting just 34.5 percent in the second half, paved the way to another St. Ambrose victory.

The Queen Bees had six players scoring in double-digits, led by Jenny Clark with 17 points. Ali Dolphin and Amy Fulfs had 12 points each while Mary Burmeister finished with 11. Dara Widdop and Callie Sobaski also would add 10 points each. Dolphin led all players with 10 rebounds while Clark led all players with nine assists.

SAU improves to 12-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, and 23-4 overall. The Queen Bees will play at home Wednesday night against William Penn as they go for their tenth straight win.

Queen Bees hold on after late surge from Tigers

(February 6, 2008)

DAVENPORT, Iowa---After being postponed one day due to inclement weather, the St. Ambrose Queen Bees got their eight consecutive win on Thursday night by holding on to a 64-61 victory despite a late rally from the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers.

The lead would swap back and forth between the two teams many times throughout the first half. St. Ambrose would enter halftime with just a one-point lead despite dominating the turnover battle 16-5 and scoring 15 of their 28 first half points off turnovers.

Although they won the turnover battle easily, they were out-rebounded 27-9 and shot just 32.1 percent from the field compared to 40 percent for the Tigers.

SAU came out in the second half and began to slowly but surely increase their lead. They would go on a 9-0 scoring run about two and a half minutes into the second half, giving them an eight-point lead with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game.

The Queen Bees would continue to stretch out their lead in the second half. They improved their shooting both from the field and from beyond the arc and forced 11 additional turnovers.

With just under five minutes remaining, SAU held a comfortable 12-point lead and the Queen Bees looked poised to cruise to another victory. However the Tigers had different ideas as they would embark on a 14-4 run throughout the last five minutes of the game, cutting the St. Ambrose lead down to two.

With just 15 seconds remaining, Iowa Wesleyan would get a key rebound and had the ball trailing by just two points. They had a chance to tie the game or win it with a three-pointer until SAU’s Ali Dolphin came up with a crucial steal with just three seconds remaining, all but sealing the victory for St. Ambrose.

Casey Breitbach led the Queen Bees with 15 points, all 15 of them coming from beyond the arc. Dolphin added 13 points, and led the team with seven rebounds and five steals. Mary Burmeister was SAU’s third-highest scorer with 10 points.

This was the Queen Bees’ first victory of the season over Iowa Wesleyan after falling to them 73-60 in Mount Pleasant back in early January.

St. Ambrose improves to 11-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and 22-4 overall as the Queen Bees made a jump up to #15 in the latest NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Poll. They will travel to Cedar Rapids on Saturday to face Mount Mercy for an afternoon contest.

St. Ambrose takes early lead, cruises to victory

(February 2, 2008)

Just five days after his 100th win as a collegiate basketball coach, Nathan Altenhofen and the St. Ambrose Queen Bees notched their 10th conference win of the season by defeating Viterbo University 80-50.

The Queen Bees got off to a quick start by taking a 19-6 lead halfway through the first half. They would shoot a slightly below average 41.8 percent from the field but good defense relegated Viterbo to shoot just 25 percent. SAU closed the first half with a solid 9-3 scoring run and went into halftime leading 38-18.

Once again St. Ambrose thrived on forcing turnovers and turning them into points, scoring 21 of their 38 first half points off turnovers.

St. Ambrose came out in the second half and would steadily increase their 20-point halftime lead. They would bust the game wide open about five minutes into the second half by scoring 11 points in under 90 seconds. This gave the Queen Bees a substantial 59-23 lead and they never looked back from there.

SAU improved their shooting in the second half, shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Queen Bees were out-rebounded 42-33 but won the turnover battle 27-12 and ended up with 39 total points off turnovers.

For the fourth straight game, the Queen Bees had at least four players scoring in double-digits, this time with five. Mary Burmeister and Casey Breitbach shared the team-lead with 16 points each, while Jenny Clark followed with 15. Ali Dolphin would add 12 and Dara Widdop followed with 10. Dolphin also matched a season-high with seven steals, while Widdop led all players with 12 rebounds.

The victory gives the first place Queen Bees 10 conference wins on the season, and 21 wins overall. They will head home to face Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday at Lee Lohman Arena.

Altenhofen wins No. 100, Queen Bees alone in 1st

(January 28, 2008)

Coach Nathan Altenhofen won his 100th collegiate coaching game as the Queen Bees moved into first place of the Midwest Collegiate Conference all by themselves with a 92-49 win over Clarke.

Altenhofen reach the 100 win plateau in just three and a half seasons as a head coach. 80 of his wins were with Odessa College, where he went 80-15. Altenhofen went 68-3 in his final two seasons at Odessa College. Altenhofen was named the NJCAA National Coach of the Year after guiding Odessa College to a 32-2 record and an NJCAA National Championship.

The young coach has picked up where he left off by guiding St. Ambrose to a 20-4 mark thus far. The Queen Bees are 9-1 in the conference, a full game and a half over second place. Iowa Wesleyan (7-2) suffered a 77-73 OT loss to William Penn to move the Bees into first place all by themselves.

Coach Altenhofen's Queen Bees got up early on Clarke and never looked back. The Queen Bees jumped out to a 19-2 lead with 15:10 to play in the first half.  Jenny Clark hit three straight three pointers to open the game and Casey Breitbach knocked in 2-3 from beyond the arc in the game's first minutes of play.

After the barrage of points, the Queen Bees could not get a shot to drop. Having scored 26 points in just seven minutes of action, SAU did not score a single point for the next six straight minutes. Finally, Mary Burmeister broke the drought with a jumper from the left baseline to put the Bees up 28-12 with 6:27 to play.

The Queen Bees went on a 17-4 run to close the half with a 45-16 advantage.

For the game, the Queen Bees shot 47.8% (33-69) while knocking down 10-26 from beyond the arc. St. Ambrose hit 16-17 of their foul shots and forced 35 turnovers.

Jenny Clark led all scorers with 20 points. Clark was 8-13 from the field, including 4-7 from beyond the arc. She also had five assists and two steals in just 23 minutes of action.

Casey Breitbach scored 16 points on 4-10 shooting from beyond the arc. She was 1-2 on two pointers and 2-2 from the line.

Ali Dolphin, currently the MCC's leading scorer (16.3 ppg), dropped in 14 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. She was 2-2 from the line and dished out six assists.

Now at 20-4 on the season, the Queen bees still have six games before the conference tournament. Coach Altenhofen has a chance to break the school record for wins by a first year coach. Rhonda Osborn went 27-4 in her first season with the Queen Bees in the 1990-91 season.

Queen Bees keep rolling

(January 26, 2008)

by: Eric Brundies

DAVENPORT, Iowa---The St. Ambrose Queen Bees increased their winning streak to five games on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Grand View 76-57 at Lee Lohman Arena.

SAU got off to a quick start offensively. They would score 16 points in the first five minutes of the game due to a 10-1 scoring run spanning two and a half minutes. St. Ambrose kept increasing their lead, which reached as high as 20 in the first half with just under three minutes to go. SAU ended up scoring 44 points in the first half, and held a 15- point lead going into halftime.

The Queen Bees impressive first half was largely due to dominating the turnover battle. St. Ambrose forced 14 first-half turnovers which led to 19 points. They would only commit three turnovers themselves. Another key factor for SAU was their 54.8 shooting percentage from the field and the 41.7 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, both very respectable.

St. Ambrose would continue forcing turnovers in the second half as they increased their lead to as high as 21 points early on. Grand View would cut the lead down to 12 with just under five minutes to go, but SAU responded by going on a 13-2 scoring run which all but sealed the win for the Queen Bees.

SAU was able to overcome just a 36 percent second-half shooting percentage and being out-rebounded 26-13. They did, however, shoot 80 percent from the line and force 11 additional turnovers in the second half.

Ali Dolphin had a season-high 29 points, which also tied a team-high for the season. Jenny Clark, who returned after missing two games with an injury, added 15 points. For the second game in a row, the Queen Bees had four players scoring in double-digits. Callie Sobaski finished with 12 points, while Casey Breitbach added 11 to go along with Dolphin’s 29 and Clark’s 15. Dolphin and Breitbach both led the team with five steals each.

St. Ambrose improves to 8-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and 19-4 overall. The Queen Bees will head on the road to face Clarke on Monday night in Dubuque.

Queen Bees Dolphin named Athlete of the Week

(January 23, 2008)
by Eric Brundies

SAU’s Ali Dolphin was named the Midwest College Conference Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 23.

Dolphin scored 16 points and had nine rebounds in the Queen Bees’ 74-40 victory over William Penn on Jan. 16. She would follow that up with a 24-point performance against Waldorf on Jan. 19, which included a game-winning shot as St. Ambrose rallied to a 53-52 victory.

Over the span of the two games, Dolphin shot a combined 60 percent from the field. She also had 13 total rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks, and shot 4 of 6 from the line.

 

Queen Bees defeat Ashford for fourth straight victory

(January 21, 2008)

by Eric Brundies

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees overcame a double-digit deficit and an injury to edge out Waldorf 53-52 on Saturday in Forest City, Iowa.

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees won their fourth straight game on Monday night at Lee Lohman Arena, defeating Ashford University 76-47.

 The Queen Bees were once again without their leading scorer Jenny Clark, who sat out a second straight game with an injury.

 Ashford kept the game close for the first 10 minutes before St. Ambrose began to stretch their lead. The Queen Bees led by as many as 16 points in the first half, largely due to 13 forced turnovers which led to 12 points. Ashford cut the lead down to 11 before the end of the half as they went into halftime trailing St. Ambrose 34-23.

 Despite leading by 11 at halftime, SAU shot just 36.8 percent from the field in the first half and were just 1 of 10 from beyond the arc. They did, however, out-rebound Ashford 22-14.

 The Queen Bees would immediately increase their lead when the second half began, due mainly to improved shooting and good defense. St. Ambrose forced 11 more turnovers in the second half, 10 of which were steals by seven different players. SAU also shot 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from beyond the arc, a significant improvement over the first half.

 St. Ambrose had things well in control throughout most of the second half, leading by as many as 32 points at one point, and cruising to a 29-point victory.

 The Queen Bees ended up with four players scoring in double-digits on the night. Ali Dolphin led the team with 13 points, while Whitney Rumbold and Amy Fulfs added 11 points each. Mary Burmeister had 10 points. Dolphin also led the team with nine rebounds.

 SAU shot an outstanding 87.5 percent (14 of 16) from the free throw line. It marked their best effort from the line this season, topping their 81.8 percent (18 of 22) performance on November 12th against Olivet Nazarene.

 With the win, St. Ambrose improves to 7-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and 18-4 overall. The Queen Bees stay home this weekend for a Saturday afternoon game against Grand View at Lee Lohman Arena.

Queen Bees rally late against Waldorf

(January 19, 2008)

by Eric Brundies

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees overcame a double-digit deficit and an injury to edge out Waldorf 53-52 on Saturday in Forest City, Iowa.

The Queen Bees trailed by as many as 17 points, but would storm back late in the second half for a nail-biting victory. The late rally came without their leading scorer Jenny Clark, who sat out the game with an injury.

As the game began, Waldorf got off to a quick start as they began a 14-0 scoring run just two minutes into the game, quickly putting St. Ambrose in a hole as they trailed 26-9 halfway through the first half. SAU would draw closer, cutting the lead down to 10 on a pair of free throws by Callie Sobaski with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. The Queen Bees went into halftime trailing by a score of 33-22.

Waldorf would quickly increase their lead to 16 points at the start of the second half. That wouldn’t stop St. Ambrose from fighting however, as they cut down the lead to as little as eight points with just seven minutes remaining.

With about five minutes remaining in the game and trailing by 11, the Queen Bees began to rally. St. Ambrose went on a 10-0 scoring run capped off by a three-pointer by Whitney Rumbold which cut the Waldorf lead down to one.

A Waldorf free throw increased the lead back to two before a field goal by SAU’s Callie Sobaski tied the game at 50. The lead would change back and forth for the next minute with Waldorf taking a one-point lead with only a minute and a half remaining.

With 1:27 left in the game, the Queen Bees’ Ali Dolphin hit what ended up being a game winning shot, giving St. Ambrose the lead 53-52. Waldorf would end up taking four shots in the final minute due to three straight offensive rebounds, but could not convert as the Queen Bees held on for the win.

Ali Dolphin led St. Ambrose with 24 points. The next highest Queen Bees scorer was Callie Sobaski with 10 points. Casey Breitbach and Callie Sobaski both led the team with seven rebounds.

Despite the win, the Queen Bees shot just 38.5 percent from the field. Even more surprising was their dismal 15 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc, but their overall effort was good enough for the victory.

With the win, St. Ambrose improves to 6-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, and 17-4 overall. The Queen Bees head home for a Monday night game against Ashford at Lee Lohman Arena on January 21st.

SAU pulls away early, defeats William Penn

(January 16, 2008)

by Eric Brundies

OSKALOOSA, IA- The St. Ambrose Queen Bees notched their third straight victory Wednesday evening in Oskaloosa, Iowa as they defeated William Penn 74-40.

William Penn would jump out to a 4-0 lead at the start of the game and kept the game close for the first eight minutes. The Queen Bees would then begin a 16-5 scoring run which propelled them to a 27-17 lead with just over three minutes to go in the first half.

SAU immediately followed that up with a 13-0 scoring run to close the first half as they went into halftime leading by a score of 40-17.

The Queen Bees large scoring runs in the first half were fueled by forcing 18 turnovers and recording seven first half three-point shots. They scored 40 first half points despite shooting only 41.4 percent from the field.

St. Ambrose shot as well from beyond the arc as they did from the field in the first half, knocking down 7 out of 17 three-point shots (41.2 percent) versus 12 out of 29 shots from the field (41.4 percent.).

The Queen Bees would steadily increase their lead in the second half. This was largely due to forcing 15 additional turnovers in the second half and holding William Penn to just 25 percent shooting from the field. St. Ambrose would lead by as many as 35 points in the second half, and held on for a 34-point victory.

Jenny Clark led SAU with 18 points and seven steals. Ali Dolphin was the next-highest scorer with 16 points, and led St. Ambrose with nine rebounds. Casey Breitbach also added 12 points for the Queen Bees.

With the victory, the Queen Bees improve to a record of 5-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, and 16-4 overall. St. Ambrose will travel to Forest City to face Waldorf on January 19th.

 

Queen Bees are sharp beyond the arc

DAVENPORT, Iowa (January 12, 2008)
by Eric Brundies

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees bounced back nicely from their loss against Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday by defeating Mount Mercy College 96-45 on Saturday afternoon at Lee Lohman Arena in Davenport.

The Queen Bees opened up the game with a 16-4 scoring run and never looked back from there. Mount Mercy would cut the lead down to seven at one point in the first half but went into halftime trailing by a score of 32-20. Despite only shooting 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, SAU would force 16 turnovers which helped carry them into halftime with a 12 point lead.

As the second half started, Mount Mercy quickly cut the lead down to nine. It was not enough however to keep the Queen Bees from catching fire and embarking on an amazing 48-3 scoring run spanning only about 10 minutes. SAU would end up scoring a very impressive 64 second half points which was due largely to Mount Mercy turning the ball over another 17 times in the second half and the Queen Bees hitting an incredible 12 three-pointers in the second half alone. SAU led the game by as many as 55 points in the second half, and would hold on for a 51 point victory.

Casey Breitbach led all players with 20 points while Jenny Clark added 18. Both players would have huge days from beyond the arc, combining to hit 11 of 20 shots from three-point range. Dara Widdop was the next-highest scorer with 13 points, while Amy Fulfs added 11. Ali Dolphin led all players with 8 rebounds.

The 64 second half points marked the most points scored in one half by the Queen Bees all season, beating a mark of 61 they scored in the second half of the season opener against Trinity International on November 2nd.

All in all it was a huge day for St. Ambrose beyond the arc. They connected on 17 of the 35 shots attempted, with six different players knocking down a shot from three-point range.

The Queen Bees improve to a record of 4-1 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and 15-4 overall. SAU will go on the road to face William Penn on January 16th in Oskaloosa.


St. Ambrose hindered by poor shooting in loss to Iowa Wesleyan

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa (January 9, 2008)
by Eric Brundies

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees shot a dismal 31.9% from the field on Wednesday night as they were defeated 73-60 by the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. It marked only their fourth loss of the season and first loss in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

The lead swapped back and forth for the majority of the first half until the Tigers began to increase their lead with just below five minutes remaining due to an 18-5 scoring run. The Queen Bees were just 1 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half, as they entered halftime trailing by a score of 38-28.

St. Ambrose began the second half on fire. They would rally to an 11-2 scoring run which spanned a little less than five minutes, cutting the deficit to one point. Unfortunately for the Queen Bees, the momentum would quickly shift in the other direction as Iowa Wesleyan would answer the SAU run with an 18-1 run of their own, giving them a lead of 58-40. It was all Tigers from there. St. Ambrose did manage to end the game on a 7-0 scoring run, but it was too little, too late as the Tigers held on for a 13-point victory.

Along with shooting 31.9% from the field, the Queen Bees shot just 20% from beyond the arc and 50% from the line. Despite the loss, St. Ambrose did manage to win the turnover battle 26 to 18 and outscored the Tigers 27-20 in points off turnovers.

Jenny Clark led the Queen Bees in scoring with 19 points, which also included five steals. Ali Dolphin was the next highest SAU scorer with 10 points, while Dara Widdop added nine points and 11 rebounds.

St. Ambrose began play on Wednesday ranked 17th in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Poll. After Wednesday’s loss, they now sit at 14-4 overall and 3-1 in the MCC. Next up for the Queen Bees is a Saturday afternoon game against Mount Mercy at home in Lee Lohman Arena.


Queen Bees ride quick start to victory over Viterbo

DAVENPORT, Iowa (January 5, 2008)
by Eric Brundies

The St. Ambrose Queen Bees kicked off 2008 with an 81-57 victory over Viterbo University on Saturday afternoon. The game marked the beginning of the main portion of conference play.

The Queen Bees jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead fueled by three Viterbo turnovers and Ali Dolphin’s six points in the game’s first three minutes. Dolphin set the tone in the first half, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the game’s first 20 minutes. Jenny Clark added eight in the first half, six of those coming from beyond the arc.

Despite stumbling to only 36 first half points after scoring 23 in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Queen Bees went into halftime with a comfortable 14-point lead.

Viterbo would cut the SAU lead to 10 points at the start of the second half. However, it was short-lived as the Queen Bees doubled their lead due to a 15-5 run that spanned a little under five minutes. SAU would keep pouring it on, following up their 15-5 run with a 9-0 run just a few minutes later, all but sealing a victory for the Queen Bees.

The Queen Bees shot a respectable 58% from the field, a mark that was an outstanding 68% in the second half alone. They also managed to shoot 78% from the line.

Jenny Clark led SAU with 19 points, and shot 63% from beyond the arc. Ali Dolphin would add 14, while Callie Sobaski finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Dara Widdop led all players with eight rebounds.

SAU improves to 3-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, and 14-3 overall. The Queen Bees will travel to Mount Pleasant to face Iowa Wesleyan on January 9th.