Got over to the Leonard Center on the campus of Macalester College in plenty of time today (nice not to have to fight the weekday traffic) to enjoy my lunch from Jimmy Johns and to get ready for the MIAC contest between visiting Hamline which made its way down Snelling Avenue to play host Macalester. Both squads have had their struggles this year and both are playing out the string this season but it seems like whenever these two teams meet that weird things can happen (and usually do).
The Scots would grab small leads of 4-1 and 8-5 in the opening minutes but were unable to sustain any decided push that may have given them an advantage. A "3" by Hamline's junior forward Rachel Usgaard from the top of the key tied the issue at 8-all and a lay-up by junior guard Jordan "Flash" Sammons gave the Pipers their first lead at 10-8 at the 15:45 mark. Macalester's senior guard Emma Leyden put the Scots back out in front 10-8 with a jumper from the right baseline area a bit later but another Usgaard "3" from that top of the key spot allowed Hamline to get their nose out in front at 13-10 at the 15:11 mark. But Macalester sophomore guard Erin Murray knocked down a "3" from the right wing at the 13:48 mark and then Leyden's short jumper at the 12:55 mark put the Scots back out in front at 15-13. Two free throws by Hamline senior reserve guard Je'Naya Brown, however, tied things up again at 15-all at the 11:38 mark which left things in doubt for the moment.
However, one thing that was becoming increasingly clearer as the first half progressed was that this contest was becoming an ugly foul fest and, whether or not you agreed with a majority of the fouls being called (or not called), it benefitted Hamline more so in this first half as they soon got into the bonus under the 13:00 mark and then incredibly got into the DOUBLE-BONUS at the 10:30 mark. To their credit, Macalester battled and was neck-and-neck with the Pipers over the next seven minutes. A "3" from senior reserve guard Carmen Whitehead from the left wing had the Scots up 25-23 with 4:49 left but this is where Hamline was able to make a decisive push. Sammons; using her great speed and athleticism, got a lay-up in traffic dominated by Scots and got fouled in the process and sunk the obligatory free throw to get the Pipers back out in front for good at 26-25. A free throw by junior Mackenzie Lee upped the lead to 27-25 and then Sammons snared a steal in the back court for an easy lay-up and a 29-25 Hamline lead that seemed to ruffle the feathers of Macalester. Freshman reserve post Brooke Degelau was able to get a lay-up in the paint with 3:24 left and another Sammons lay-up with 3:03 left gave the Pipers a 33-27 lead. Moreover, Hamline was beginning to apply some full- and half-court defensive pressure which resulted in consecutive ten-second violations by Macalester which seemed to discombobulate the Scots even more. Freshman reserve guard Chelsey Bonsante, who had such a great game against CSB on Wednesday night, connected with a lay-up to give the Pipers their largest lead of the first half at 36-27. A "3" by Maclaester senior reserve guard Erika Weimann from the left corner with 1:54 left temporarily stopped some of the bleeding but another Sammons charity stripe shot and a lay-up with :29 left by Lee gave Hamline a 39-32 to complete a first half that saw all sorts of weird dramatics from not only the players on the floor but by the game officials as well (more on that later).
The Pipers would keep their foot on the gas pedal once the second half got underway; not wanting to let-up on the advantage they were able to get late in the first half. Though Macalester senior post Veronika Jakubovie got things started with a score in the paint at the 19:25 mark, a jumper by freshman guard Chloe Graves at the 19:15 mark and a lay-up by Usgaard got the lead back to nine at 43-34. Scores by Sammons and Usgaard over the next three minutes would offset stabs and jabs by the Scots as Hamline maintained that nine-point cushion at 49-40 by the 16:15 mark. Macalester was able to finally make some inroads on the Piper lead when Whitehead knocked down another "3" from the left corner at the 15:56 mark that sliced some fat off of the deficit at 49-43. Jakubovie got the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation after getting fouled and, though she missed the back end, senior reserve forward Kathrun Medinger was able to snare the offensive rebound that allowed her to connect with a jumper in the paint at the 14:54 mark that cut the Hamline lead down to 51-46. Things seemed get more worrisome from a Piper perspective when Sammons uncharacteristically lost her cool and got hit with a technical foul at the 14:42 mark that put Murray at the charity stripe where she got one of two free throw attempts. Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell, sensing an impending crisis, called a timeout to try to not only cool off the Scots but to possibly cool her team down as well.
The break in the action called by Stockwell seemed to serve its purpose. Graves drained a "3" from the right wing at the 14:33 mark to up the Piper lead to 54-47. Scores by both Jakubovie and Medinger would draw Macalester closer again but a jumper by sophomore guard Emily Behrman at the 12:58 mark upped the Hamline lead to 56-51 and then it was "Flash" Sammons showing why she is one of the best athletes - and players - in the conference as she connected with a short jumper at the 12:02 mark for a 58-51 Hamline advantage and then showed her prowess from behind the arc as well; drilling a "3" from the right wing at the 11:30 mark that suddenly enlarged the lead to ten at 61-51. With 10:42 left, Sammons got the ball and promptly drove into the lane for a finish that upped the ante at 63-51 and Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson knew it was time to call a time out of her own before the dam completely broke.
To their credit, the Scots still refused to cave in completely to this latest Hamline onslaught. Leyden was able to knock down two free throws after getting fouled at the 10:27 mark and Jakubovie did the same with 9:30 left that got the deficit back into single digits at 63-55. Then junior reserve forward Annie Drabot made her presence felt as she uncorked a rare "3" from the top of the key with 8:58 left and then knocked down a jumper from the left corner inside the arc with 7:35 left. Pairs of free throws by the reliable Murray out of Sparta, Wisconsin with 7:35 and 6:27 left tightened things up once again; as Hamline's lead was narrowed to a precarious 68-64 count with a mountain of time left. Stockwell again used a timeout to calm her squad down and again it paid dividends down the stretch. Bonsante drained a "3" from the right wing with 5:19 left to make it a seven point game at 71-64. Graves was able to get two freebies with 4:13 left and although Whitehead was able to get another three-point attempt to go with 4:01 left, the Scots could never get it close enough again that might have had Hamline breaking out the panic button. Usgaard was able to muscle inside for a score that got her fouled with 3:49 left and she knocked down the obligatory freebie for a 76-67 lead and then Sammons connected with an insurance jumper off the glass with 1:35 left for an eleven-point 78-67 lead. Bonsante and Behrman padded the lead with late free throws and Hamline was able to pocket a prized 82-71 win going back to the north side of St. Paul.
I really don't like to make derogatory comments on the officiating unless it's absolutely necessary but, in this case, it's absolutely necessary. This was perhaps, one of the worst-officiated games I've ever witnessed and I've watched a LOT of hoops over the years at the professional, collegiate and high school ranks where the officiating was subpar. And let's be clear here. I fully understand that you're never going to get a "perfectly" officiated game; that some questionable calls here and there are almost always going to be a part of the game. I get that and I understand and accept that. BUT, in this particular instance, the officiating was an absolute abomination and they lost control of this thing early on. Forget for a second about all the bad calls and missed calls in this one. IMHO, an official has no business going over to the sidelines to reprimand a member of the Hamline's mens team UNLESS he did or said something that was totally out of line. That wasn't the case in this instance from my vantage point. Even if he did say something that may have been at the most casually incorrect, he wasn't the only one voicing his displeasure and there were many more who were much more vociferous than he (and deservedly so). In short, it was a black eye for the MIAC on this day and it was refreshing to catch both Thompson and Stockwell engaging in light-hearted conversation afterward as they both were quick to agree on how bad things were this day. I'm not advocating that these officials be reprimanded or punished in any way, shape or form but I am hoping that they learn from this experience going forward.
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