Was back over at one of my favorite venues last night; venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University to take in this Wednesday night clash between visiting CSB and host Hamline. The Pipers were coming off a victory over at St. Kate's on Monday night while the Blazers were looking to make amends on the home loss they suffered this last Saturday against SMU - and to bolster their playoff aspirations as well. I just had the feeling that this was going to be a wild, fun and unpredictable game to watch and, well, I was pretty much spot on.
In fact, the opening five minutes of the first half revealed what kind of a fast-paced and free-wheeling game you usually get from Hamline as they were neck-and-neck with the Blazers. Sophomore guard Emily Behrman had a big part in the Pipers early fortunes; making good on a drive and finish at the 17:44 mark and then knocking down a "3" from the left wing at the 16:14 mark for a 7-3 Hamline lead. CSB would strike right back behind a "3" from the left corner by freshman guard Annie Dittberner and a "3" from sophomore sharpshooting forward Mattie Lueck for a 9-7 Blazer lead by the 15:23 mark. Hamline would get the game tied twice at 9-all and 11-all so it looked like anyone's game with a little under 14:00 to go in the first half.
CSB, however, would make a move just before the midway point of the first half and get some distance between themselves and the host Pipers. A score in the paint by senior forward Morgan Dale at the 13:37 mark got CSB going and then Mattie Lueck got into the groove as well. A drive along the right baseline for a finish at the 12:19 mark upped the lead to 15-11. A short jumper off the glass by senior guard Brianna Barrett with 8:51 left kept the margin at four and then Mattie Lueck nailed a "3" from the right top area with 7:54 left and also sank two free throws to boot with 6:07 left. Big sis Emily Lueck got in on the act with a "3" from the top of the key with 4:29 left and then it was little sis Mattie Lueck getting into the paint for a score with 4:01 left for a 27-17 Blazer lead. Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell immediately called a timeout to try and halt this Blazer blitzkrieg but complicating the problem for the Pipers was that they were squandering several scoring opportunities during this Blazer run; missed jump shots and missed lay-ups that, at the very least, could have shrunk the deficit somewhat. To their credit, the Pipers made some amends for their earlier sins as they closed the gap before the half. Trailing 29-20 after a "3" from CSB's Barrett, speedy senior reserve guard Je'Naya Brown got a steal in the backcourt for an easy putback with :51 left and then freshman reserve guard Chelsey Bonsante gave the fans a glimpse of what to expect in the second half: she sunk two freebies after being fouled with :31 left and then took a long pass after a steal by Brown to get a lay-up in transition with just :10 left on the clock for intermission that trimmed the CSB lead down to a much more manageable count of 29-25.
CSB looked to be in business in the opening minutes of the second half as the Pipers reverted back to their old bad habits of blowing easy scoring opportunities. Both Barrett and senior guard Tish Alexander got lay-ups in transition and then Mattie Lueck connected with a jumper along the right baseline with 16:21 left for a 37-26 Blazer advantage. Big sister Emily Lueck got a lay-up in transition as well at the 13:54 mark that had CSB up 39-26 and left Hamline in a big hole. Stockwell burned a timeout at this point; hoping to get some kind of spark to light things up. And this is where Bonsante almost single-handedly stole the show on this night. First, she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 12:58 mark and followed that up some twenty seconds later with a foray into the paint for a score that slimmed the CSB lead back to single digits at 39-30. Another "3" from CSB's Mattie Lueck upped that lead to 42-30 at the 12:12 mark but then Bonsante; looking like she was on a mission, connected with a short jumper at the 12:01 mark and then found the mark again along the left baseline at the 11:41 mark that had the Hamline faithful going wild and reduced the Blazers lead to 42-34. CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin, sensing immediate trouble, called a timeout but it did little to cool off Bonsante and her Piper teammates as they now sensed blood. Sammons connected with a jumper with 9:44 left and then Bonsante again got a lay-up in transition with 9:24 left. CSB tried valiantly to slow this Hamline drive as Dale connected with a big "3" and Mattie Lueck got an offensive rebound and putback but freshman reserve guard Erika Moede made a drive into the lane for a finish with 8:10 left and then "Flash" Sammons got a steal and streaked down the court for an easy lay-up the other way with 7:16 left. Still trailing by eight at 50-42, freshman reserve forward Brooke Degelau was able to maneuver inside for a score with 6:45 left and then Sammons got a short jumper to go with 6:20 left that now had the CSB advantage at a tenuous 50-46 with plenty of time left.
But, just as quickly as Hamline came alive, they faded almost the same way and CSB was quick and decisive to get the lead back up to a safe margin - and keep it there. Emily Lueck connected with a short jumper in the lane with 5:55 left and then it was Alexander draining two big-time "3's" - one from the right top area with 5:29 left that expanded the lead to nine at 55-46 and then again from the right wing with 4:07 left for a 60-50 Blazer lead that the Pipers could never recover from. Despite some late heroics by both Sammons and Bonsante, the Blazers would make the big score or snare the big rebound or get the steal that snuffed out any remaining hope Hamline had. Sammons finally fouled out of the game with 1:15 left and the issue already decided and CSB booked an all-important 68-58 win to move to 7-6 in the MIAC and 10-6 overall and gave Head Coach Mike Durbin and his long-time assistant Denny Johnson their 600th win together.
A very happy and humble Durbin afterward pointed out that, without Johnson on the bench with him, "I'd have probably gone 4-22!" Durbin may have been saying that in jest but both Johnson and Steve Howe-Veenstra have been dedicated assistants for Durbin and have played a big role in CSB's success over the years. As for the game itself, Durbin had to give a lot of credit to the team's defensive play. "I thought we played very well defensively" Durbin said; pointing out to getting big stops or steals although he was quick to admit that Hamline had more than their share of missed opportunities. But, at the same time, he couldn't help but praise his opponent on this night. "They're WAY better than their record" Durbin said matter of factly about Hamline. On the other side, the disappointment and frustration was plain to see on the faces of Head Coach Kerri Stockwell and her assistants. I know you can make the excuse about what a young team this is but, in reality, it's likely the biggest reason as to why they can be so wildly inconsistent at times. They're arguably the most athletic team in the conference (even Durbin called Sammons "the best athlete in the conference without a doubt" which I agree with 110%) and they have tremendous potential. It's just about being able to put forth a consistent performance night in and night out and with one senior, three juniors, and a bevy of freshman and sophomores that can be a lot easier said than done. Still, I think the future is going to be very bright for this program.
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