Found myself in the warm and comfy confines of venerable Hutton Arena again on this Saturday afternoon. Armed with a good lunch from Subway, I was ready for battle - as were both the visiting Concordia Cobbers and their hosts the Hamline Pipers. The Cobbers were all knotted up in the first place spot with CSB while the Pipers at least were holding a solid grip on the sixth and final playoff spot but were looking to move up if possible. And, having beaten the Cobbers up in Moorhead in overtime back in early January and riding a six-game win streak this was a confident bunch that appeared ready to seize the opportunity.
However, it would be the Cobbers who would get off to a hot start in this one. Senior forward Tricia Sorensen started it all off with a jumper in the lane at the 18:55 mark. Then it was sophomore guard Alley Fischer who hails across the Red River in Fargo draining a "3" from the left top area at the 17:38 mark. Two free throws by lanky 6'4" post Alexandra Lippert got the lead up to 7-2 by the 16:47 mark then it was Fisher again uncorking a three-point bomb from the right wing area for a 10-2 Cobber lead. At the 15:57 mark, Sorensen was able to knock down a short jumper for a 12-2 Cobber lead and Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell had to call a thirty-second timeout to try and put a halt to all this.
With the Cobber lead up to 14-2 after two freebies by Sorensen at the 15:09 mark, the Pipers slowly began to claw their way back into things. Junior guard JeNaya Brown, who scored the only two Hamline points during the initial Cobber onslaught, would also score the next four for the Pipers as well; highlighted by a "3" from the left wing at the 13:23 mark. Senior sharp-shooting guard Steph Pilgrim finally got herself untracked as she cooly drained a "3" from the left wing at the 11:42 mark that cut the Concordia lead down to a much more manageable 14-9 count. Pilgrim then made a move inside for the rack at the 10:43 mark and was fouled by Lippert which was her second, much to the consternation of Cobber Head Coach Jessica Rahman. After Pilgrim knocked down the obligatory freebies, Concordia made a brief uprising with another three-point bomb by Fisher from the right wing at the 10:31 mark and a score by junior Erika Jossart off of a sweet give and go pass at the 8:25 mark. But it was also at this point where Piper freshman Emily Behrman made a huge impact on this game - and the Pipers early fortunes as well. The 5'6" guard from Independence was able to manuever inside for a score at the 10:31 mark. Down 19-13 after the aformentioned score by Jossart, Behrman then struck fear into the Cobbers by draining consecutive three-pointers: one from the left wing area at the 8:03 mark and then another from the right top area with 7:32 left that suddenly tied things up at 19 a piece. Then it was senior forward Cassidy Vogt pulling the trigger from behind the arc with 7:03 left from the left corner that gave Hamline its first lead at 22-19 and had Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman calling for a timeout and looking for a way to pull the plug on this Hamline surge. To their credit, the Cobbers would regain themselves and keep things tight over the next few minutes - another trey by Fisher from the left wing with 6:13 left knotted it up again at 22-all and a drive in the lane and finish by sophomore reserve forward Erin Januschka tied the issue again at 24-all with 4:23 left. After Januschka was able to knock down two free throws for the Cobbers with 3:51 left to take the lead back at 26-24, the Pipers made a push. Sophomore sensation Jordan "Flash" Sammons connected with a lay-up at the 3:40 mark and then Pilgrim once again pulled the trigger from behind the arc in the left wing area to connect with 2:22 left for a 29-26 Hamline lead. Brown (who was on fire in the first half) then drained another "3" from the top of the key with just 1:19 left for a 32-26 Piper lead and it looked as if Hamline might have the Concordia in some serious doo-doo again. But credit the Cobbers for never once hitting the panic button in this one. Reserve junior post Kelsey Walloch was fouled with 1:05 left and knocked down two freebies and then on the last Cobber possession before the half she grabbed an offensive rebound and got a putback that cut the Hamline lead down to 32-30 that had Cobber fans - and Rahman - breathing a bit easier.
Things stayed tight in the opening minutes of the second half before Hamline once again threatened to make a serious move. Down 36-34, Brown utilized her speed to get in the paint for an unlikely score at the 16:42 mark and on the ensuing possession, Brown was fouled and she promptly put down two shots from the charity stripe for a 38-36 Hamline lead. Then it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer, who had a huge role in shooting down St. Olaf on Wednesday night, lighting up Hutton Arena again with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 15:49 mark for a 41-36 Piper advantage. But, not only would the Cobbers battle back again to get even, there were also warning signs for the Pipers that things could unravel for them quickly. Holding a slim 41-40 lead, Sammons expanded it to three points when she got into the paint for a score at the 13:45 mark. But Fisher came right back for the maroon-clad Cobbers as she showed that she's more than just a three-point bomber by driving into the lane for a finish that got her fouled as well and the ensuing free throw made it 43-all at the 11:42 mark. Moreover, by this time Concordia had a 5-1 advantage in the foul situation and you knew Rahman would have her team take every bit of advantage of it that they could - and they did. With 10:30 left, freshman reserve guard Hannah Jeske was fouled and that got the Cobbers into the bonus. Her obligatory freebie made it 47-all.
For whatever reason, Hamline seemed to go into a funk over the next five minutes while the Cobbers spirits were soaring and Concordia embarked on a 14-2 run that really changed the whole complexion of this game. Sorensen was able to get a lay-up in transition on a 3-on-1 fast break opportunity with 8:39 left and after two free throws by Januschka with 7:57 left, senior guard Emily Thesing; unusually quiet from a scoring standpoint on this day, drained a "3" from the right top area with 7:16 left and a 54-47 Concordia lead. Stockwell called a timeout to get her troops reorganized but that would not stop the Cobber Express on this afternoon. Two freebies by Sorensen with 6:35 left and then Walloch grabbing an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 5:58 left made it a nine-point game at 58-49 and then it was Sorensen sticking a dagger into the hearts of Piper fans as she banged home a "3" from the left top area with 5:20 left for a 61-49 Concordia lead that once again had Stockwell clamoring for a timeout. The Pipers would make inroads on the Concordia advantage coming down the stretch but could never get even again. Sammons would use her springboard jumping ability for an offensive rebound and putback with 4:56 left and then Pilgrim was able to knock down one of her rainbow "3's" from the left wing with 3:53 left that cut the Concordia lead down to seven at 61-54. Yet another "3" from Brown from the right wing area with 3:10 left and two freebies by Sammons with 2:30 left drew the Pipers closer; trailing only 63-59 but they would never get any closer. The Cobbers; now in the double bonus used frequent trips to the charity stripe and their typical tough defense to gain a measure of revenge against their hosts in this one as they claimed a 74-61 victory that; coupled with UST's easy win over CSB moved Concordia back on top of the mountain in the MIAC - all alone this time with a 17-3 conference record and 18-5 overall.
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