Was over at venerable Hutton Arena on this night to take in this all-important clash between visiting St. Olaf and host Hamline. The Pipers, who have been on a five-game tear as of late were looking to solidify their MIAC playoff hopes (and seeding) while the Oles were just hoping to keep their flickering chances alive; especially after the jolting loss at crosstown rival Carleton on Monday night. This game would showcase two vastly contrasting styles - the speedy, athletic get up and down the floor style that Hamline uses with the lack of height that they have versus the tall, big half-court style that St. Olaf utilizes. This one would feature wild momentum swings and would turn out to be one of the wildest, weirdest, strangest games I've seen in a while.
It wouldn't take long before the Pipers obvious speed advantage would become evident to the fans - and to the Oles as well. After Ole senior guard Mackenzie Wolter's jumper at the 19:29 mark got things going, the Pipers would respond quickly. First, senior sharpshooter Steph Pilgrim drained one of her patented treys; this one from the left wing at the 18:49 mark as the Pipers embarked on a 12-2 run. Then, it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer knocking down "3's" at the 16:10 and 15:03 marks. After an offensive rebound and putback by lanky junior post Elise Raney temporarily stopped the bleeding for the Oles at the 14:32 mark, a score in the paint by Pilgrim at the 14:20 mark and then a jumper by sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons made it 12-4 Hamline and it forced St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme to burn a timeout to cool the Pipers down.
But the Pipers were not going to be cooled off just yet as they continued their assault making good use of their speed and athleticism - and making it hard for me to keep up with it all. Fortunately for me, however, I was joined by former Hamline standout post player Steph Rice who was one of the main cogs on the Hamline team a year ago and provided me with insightful views on what the Pipers were doing. Sammons, meanwhile, was going off on the Oles; scoring on consecutive possessions at the 12:54, 12:15, and 11:48 marks that had Stromme steaming as he had to burn yet another timeout to make defensive adjustments. Slowly, the Oles would gather themselves and get right back into the thick of things but it took a while to overcome the double-digit deficit they were facing. Mackenzie Wolter, who has had something of an up and down year from a scoring standpoint, finally got untracked in this game as she banged home a "3" from the left wing at the 8:56 mark. Then, with 7:53 left senior reserve post Ashley Menzel was able to snare an offensive rebound and get a putback to whittle Hamline's lead down to 22-11. After withstanding a jumper by Piper senior forward Cassidy Vogt along the left baseline and yet another "3" by "The Natural"; Poirer, the Oles made their move. Down by twelve at 26-14, Raney sliced that deficit to ten points with an offensive rebound and putback with 4:28 left and then it was one of the members of St. Olaf's Front Range Crew; freshman point guard Lauren Gutierrez, who connected with a jumper with 2:44 left. Menzel knocked down one shot from the charity stripe with 1:41 left and then it was another member of that Front Range Crew who is making a name for herself in the MIAC - freshman Kim Cerjan out of Colorado Springs who knocked down a "3" from the left top area with :54 left and then, with just :09 left Cerjan connected with a jumper from the top of the key area just inside the arc as this 10-1 Ole run made it a very close 27-24 ballgame at the halftime break.
The Oles, playing with a sense of urgency in this one, picked up right where they left off as the second half got underway. Points in the paint by Raney at the 19:50 and 18:19 marks and then a long jumper by Gutierrez gave St. Olaf its first lead since the opening minutes at 30-29. Then things really got wild as each side traded leads. A jumper from the top by sophomore Rachel Usgaard gave the Pipers the lead back at the 17:01 mark but Raney countered with a lay-up on the Oles ensuing possession. "The Natural"; Poirer, enroute to a whopping 26-point performance on this night, knocked down one from behind the arc at the 16:18 mark but sophomore reserve post Nikki Frogner responded for the Oles with an unlikely "3" at the 15:53 mark. Cerjan would knock down two freebies at the 15:09 mark and a 37-34 Ole lead but then it was speedy JeNaya Brown knotting things up at 37 a piece with her "3" from the left wing at the 14:53 mark. From here though, the Oles looked like they were ready to seize control of things. A score in the paint by Frogner at the 14:37 mark and then a "3" by Mackenzie Wolter from the right top area at the 13:01 mark now had Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell calling for a timeout to think about things. Another dagger from behind the arc by "The Natural", Poirer briefly stymied the Ole attack but not for long. Raney got in the paint again for a finish at the 12:01 mark and then it was Cerjan connecting with a jumper at the 11:44 mark for a 46-40 St. Olaf lead. Then it was Mackenzie Wolter striking fear into the hearts of the Pipers with her three point bomb from the left wing that had Hamline suddenly reeling at the 11:08 mark; down 49-40 with Kerri Stockwell calling for another timeout to search for answers to this Ole onslaught.
The Pipers, however, would find those sought-after solutions and turn the tide. And it would be "The Natural", Poirer who would play a big part in the Piper comeback as she knocked yet ANOTHER one down from behind the arc with 9:42 left. Then it was freshman reserve guard Mackenzie Lee draining one from three-point land at the 9:13 mark that cut the Ole lead to 51-46. Raney was able to score on a lay-up in transition at the 8:10 mark but still ANOTHER "3" by Poirer (who was just ridiculous on this night) and a drive and lay-up by the speedy Brown at the 6:45 mark and then a rainbow "3" by the former Anoka-Ramsey standout Pilgrim at the 6:13 mark suddenly had Hamline back up 54-53 and had Stromme frantically calling for a timeout.
The closing minutes would be crucial for both sides as neither team could claim nothing more than a two point edge over the next four minutes. Brown was able to knock down another "3" at the 5:41 mark for the Pipers but a score in the paint by Raney and a jumper from Mackenzie Wolter gave the Oles the lead back. But a "3" by Pilgraim from the right wing at the 2:49 mark and a key steal by Sammons (who is simply all over the floor at times) and lay-up the other way gave the Pipers a two-point lead at 62-60; a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. St. Olaf still had a shot in this and, just as important, they still had fouls to give. But the Pipers would make the most from the charity stripe coming down the stretch. Poirer knocked down key freebies at the 1:32 mark and with :53.6 left that not only extended Hamline's lead to 66-61, but now the Pipers were in the bonus as well as the Oles were running out of lifelines. Freshman Madison Hunt, yet another Front Range Crew member, missed a key three-point attempt with :32 left that doomed St. Olaf - and its playoff hopes as well. Poirer and Sammons made more key free throws in the closing seconds as Hamline claimed a wild 69-64 victory and tightened the vicegrip they have on the fifth spot in the MIAC.
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