Was back over at venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University on this nice January afternoon to take in the contest between visiting St. Kate's and host Hamline. It always seems as if unpredictable is the watchword whenever these two teams meet as wild and crazy things always seem to happen and today was no exception. Today was also "Family Day" at Hamline as parents and family were recognized before tip-off.
It would be the Pipers who came out of the gate fast; much like they did when they hosted GAC earlier in the month. Two scores by senior guard Emily Behrman and a "3" by always-dangerous junior sharp-shooting guard Chelsey Bonsante from the left wing in transition had the Pipers up 7-2 by the 5:47 mark and Hamline increased the lead to as many as nine points at 13-4 with 3:25 left on scores by sophomore forward Alex Peterson, fellow sophomore guard Allison Bartak and a steal and putback by freshman forward Haley Greene. The 'Cats; who looked sluggish in the opening minutes and unable to get much going offensively, gradually worked their way back into the contest. Flashy junior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt got one score in the paint with 3:08 left and dropped two free throws with 2:45 left that sliced the Hamline lead down to 13-8 which is how the first period ended. Considering how poorly St. Kate's shot the ball in the opening period, they were probably pretty fortunate to be in the position they were in.
The Pipers still looked to be in good shape in the opening moments of the second period as a Bonsante score in the paint at the 9:37 mark and a short jumper by Behrman from the left side had Hamline up 17-11 by the 8:52 mark. But St. Kate's would quickly close the gap as free throws by junior forward Kennedy Jennings and two more by fellow junior forward Mari Lee cut the Pipers lead down to 17-15 and a steal and lay-up the other way by Jennings at the 6:50 mark knotted the issue at 17-all. Senior guard/forward Shauna Horsch's freebie at the 6:13 mark gave the 'Cats their first lead of the afternoon at 18-17 although that didn't last long. Behrman's lay-up in transition after a steal at the 5:47 mark gave Hamline the lead back at 19-18 and the two teams traded small leads with each other down the stretch before halftime. A lay-up off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Chloe Graves with 2:41 left and a pretty reverse lay-up by Bonsante with 2:16 left plus one Graves charity stripe shot seemed to momentarily give the Pipers some momentum up 29-25 with 1:50 left but a resourceful St. Kate's squad dug in late. Horsch uncorked her first three-point bomb of the day from the top of the key with 1:33 left and a free throw by Jennings with just :12 left tied the game at 29-all which how things stood with both teams going into the locker room with a bunch of unanswered questions. The Wildcats shot an abysmal 25% from FG range and were frigid from three-point land with 1-10 for 10%. What likely saved St. Kate's from being in a big hole was that they got into the bonus at the 8:12 mark and were able to cash in from the charity stripe.
Hamline again appeared to grab some early momentum in the opening minutes of the third period as two scores by Peterson gave the Pipers a 33-29 advantage. But some of that momentum was again lost when Greene picked up her fourth foul of the afternoon at the 6:46 mark and consecutive scores by Wildcat sophomore guard Meg Clark had the issue tied up again at 33-all. But right back came Hamline and two three-point bombs - one by Graves from the right top area off of an inbounds pass at the 5:23 mark and another one by Behrman from the left corner with 4:12 left - seemed to light that spark that Piper Head Coach Kerri Stockwell was looking for as it gave Hamline a 39-33 advantage. St. Kate's tried to make inroads on free throws by both Holt and Jennings and a "3" from the right wing area by junior reserve guard/forward Alexis Garcia had the 'Cats back in the four-point range trailing 42-38 with :48 left but Hamline closed out the third period strong. Two free throws by Graves with :37 left and a "3" from the left wing area with just :03 left on the clock before the end of the period gave the Pipers a nice little cushion at 47-40 and it looked as if St. Kate's might have hit another proverbial wall going into the fourth and final period.
But the Wildcats; who have struggled in the second half in several contests this season thus far, finally found a way to turn up the heat as they embarked on a key 9-0 run. Consecutive scores by sophomore guard Audra Clark trimmed Hamline's lead down to 47-44 by the 8:59 mark and then consecutive scores by Holt - a steal and lay-up the other way at the 8:27 mark and a "3" from the left wing area now had St. Kate's up 49-47 by the 7:46 mark. A score in the paint by Greene at the 7:35 mark and a lay-up by Graves at the 7:12 mark gave the Pipers the lead one more time at 51-49 but this is where fatigue may have started becoming a factor for Hamline and their short bench. A decisive 13-4 run by the Wildcats over the next four and a half minutes changed the tone of this one for good. One Horsch freebie along with a Holt lay-up and an Audra Clark rebound and putback of her own miss at the 4:50 mark now had St. Kate's up 54-51 with 4:50 left but the purple-clad 'Cats were far from finished. Greene's offensive rebound and putback allowed Hamline to inch closer trailing 54-53 with 4:29 left but that was negated when Green fouled out less than a minute later. Two Holt free throws and a Meg Clark lay-up in transition after a steal gave St. Kate's a 60-55 lead with 3:22 left and a Horsch lay-up in transition after a steal with 2:55 left expanded the cushion to seven points at 62-55 and Stockwell quickly realized this one was slipping away and called a timeout to try and prevent the inevitable. But now the Pipers were forced to foul and with St. Kate's in the bonus by this time there was little that Hamline could do. Audra Clark got a three-point play out of her lay-up in transition that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory freebie for a ten-point 65-55 lead and insurance free throws by both Horsch and Audra Clark gave St. Kate's not only a 71-57 win but a big shot of confidence as this snapped a six-game losing skid.
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