Hamline vs Augsburg 11-30-16

Made my way over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College on this dreary, rainy last day of November to take in the MIAC opener between visiting Hamline and host Augsburg.  The Pipers were coming off a resounding victory over Crown on Monday night and were no doubt looking to carry some momentum from that win over to this game tonight.  The Auggies meanwhile were coming into this contest without a blemish on their record while at the same time becoming the most talked-about team in the MIAC with their youth and athleticism.

Augsburg would get a 5-2 lead in the first minute of the game on the strength of a "3" from the left wing by freshman point guard Aiza Wilson at the 9:37 mark and a pretty coast-to-coast lay-up by fellow freshman (and DeLaSalle grad) Camryn Speese.  The Pipers would cut the deficit to one point at the 8:09 mark on a lay-up by sophomore (and former Auggie) guard Alaina Quaranta but the Auggies would then proceed to go on an 8-0 push.  Wilson would unleash her second trey of the evening - this one coming from the left corner at the 7:41 mark for an 8-4 Augsburg lead.  Then junior forward Hannah Steinhaus connected on a lay-up at the 6:56 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Waterville native to sink the obligatory free throw for an 11-4 Auggie advantage and, after a foiled Hamline possession, Steinhaus was able to connect on a lay-up in transition at the 6:35 mark that made it a 13-4 ballgame.  The Pipers could have been in some real trouble at that point but they managed to close the gap down the stretch of the first period.  Freshman forward Reilly Geistfeld got into the paint for one score at the 6:24 mark and also connected with a lay-up with 4:11 left that reduced Augsburg's lead down to 15-8.  A "3" from the left corner by senior guard Chloe Graves with 2:09 left kept the deficit at seven at 18-11 and, although the Auggies would get the lead up to double-digits at 22-11 less than a minute later, Hamline would continue to make inroads.  Freshman reserve forward Aly Sartain got into the paint for a score with 1:14 left and a short jumper off the glass by fellow freshman reserve guard Kaeli Stayer with :24 left left had the Pipers back within single-digit range trailing 24-15.  Graves was sent to the line with :05.6 left and while she was able to knock down the front end, the second free throw attempt rimmed out.  Fortunately for Hamline, Sartain was able to snare the offensive rebound for a putback with :03.1 left that not only had the Pipers back within striking distance trailing 24-18 but may have taken a bit of wind out the Auggies sail as well.

Hamline's prospects appeared to brighten when freshman guard Morgen Coleman's lay-up at the 8:51 mark of the second period cut the Auggies lead down to 24-20 and a Graves lay-up at the 8:07 mark had the Pipers back within a single possession trailing 25-22.  Quaranta; who did so much damage with her defensive prowess for Augsburg last year, now was doing it to her former team.  A short jumper at the 7:03 mark followed by a jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:01 mark had Hamline tantalizingly close trailing 27-26.  The Auggies were able to create a bit more breathing space thanks to a Steinhaus offensive rebound and putback at the 5:35 mark and a short shot off the glass by Steinhaus at the 5:17 mark for a 31-26 lead and one free throw by freshman guard Tamira McLemore with 3:13 left made it 32-26.  A Geistfeld lay-up with 3:06 left cut the Piper deficit down to 32-28 but a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Carlee Kobow with 2:48 left and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Ari Jones with 2:11 left stretched Augsburg's lead to 36-28 and one Wilson free throw with :36.5 left gave the Auggies a 37-28 advantage going into the locker room at the half.  A quick glance at the first half box score reveals that Augsburg had a big advantage on the boards by a 26-18 count and, although the Pipers shot better from FG range at 46.4% compared to the Auggies 33.3%, Hamline was a woeful 1-8 from the charity stripe for 12.5% so in many ways, they were incredibly fortunate to be where they were at the break.

An offensive rebound and subsequent lay-up by Graves at the 9:46 mark of the third period was a hopeful mark for the Pipers to begin the second half but this is exactly where the wheels started to come off for Hamline.  Leading 37-30, the Auggies proceeded to go on a game-changing 8-0 burst. Freshman guard K'Aezha Wubben connected with a lay-up at the 9:27 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by McLemore at the 9:11 mark got Augsburg's lead back up to double-digits at 41-30. Two Wubben freebies at the 8:00 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Speese at the 7:41 mark made it a 45-30 ballgame and Piper Head Coach Kerri Stockwell had seen enough and called a full timeout to assess the damage done.  A "3" by Geistfeld from the right wing at the 7:25 mark stopped some of the bleeding that Hamline was experiencing but the Auggies went right back to work with a 6-0 spurt.  An offensive rebound and putback by Speese at the 7:12 mark and a Speese score in the paint at the 6:31 mark got the lead up to 49-33 and then it was McLemore playing the thief in the night again with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 6:10 mark for a 51-33 lead.  The Pipers would trim the deficit on a score in the paint by Sartain at the 5:35 mark and a "3" from the left corner by Coleman with 4:16 left but a "3" by freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan with 4:00 left and one Speese free throw with 3:36 left now had Augsburg up by twenty at 58-38.  A Quaranta "3" from the left top area with 2:43 left trimmed the Auggie lead down to 58-41 and an offensive rebound and putback by junior reserve forward Ivannie Robertson that drew a foul and sent the Keenesburg, Colorado to the line for the obligatory free throw cut further into the deficit.  Graves made good on a drive and lay-up with :09 left in the period that trimmed Augsburg's lead down to 61-46 going into the fourth and final period but the Pipers still had a lot of ground to make up for.

Hamline would manage to throw a bit of a scare into the host Auggies at the beginning of the fourth period as a Robertson score in the paint at the 8:34 mark and two Graves free throws at the 8:13 mark trimmed Augsburg's lead down to 63-50.  Senior guard Tia Diggins' offensive rebound and putback at the 7:40 mark made it a 63-52 ballgame and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso quickly called a thirty-second timeout to get his squad refocused.  That short stoppage in play was exactly what the doctor ordered for Augsburg as they went on a 10-0 run that effectively closed the door on this last Piper threat.  Two Speese freebies at the 7:01 mark and a Jones drive and finish at the 6:39 mark made it a 67-52 game and a McLemore drive and finish at the 5:59 mark and one McLemore free throw at the 5:18 mark made it 70-52 and then the dagger was applied by Jordan as she uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with 4:52 left for a 73-52 Auggie lead.  Hamline would manage to get the deficit back to sixteen points as one Quaranta free throw with 4:38 left and a Geistfeld offensive rebound and putback of Quaranta's back-end attempt with 4:31 left made it 73-56 and one more Quaranta free throw with 4:04 left made it 73-57 but the Pipers could get no closer.  Wubben was able to get a score in the paint with 3:53 left that drew a foul and sent the former Hopkins player to the line for the ensuing freebie for a 76-57 lead and pairs of Steinhaus free throws with 3:27 left and 2:12 left made it 80-57 and although late Hamline scores - a Coleman "3" from the right wing in transition with 1:31 left and a Graves lay-up off of an inbounds pass with :45.4 left - brought the Pipers a bit closer, a Jones lay-up with :18.6 left provided the finishing touches on the Auggies comfortable 82-62 win.

I managed to catch up with Hamline Assistant Coach Dean Stambaugh afterward and all he could offer was that "our youth really caught up with us tonight" but also offered that "we've got to go right back to work."  Augsburg's Riverso was obviously pleased with the win that brings the Auggies record to 6-0 which is their best start in history.  He talked about the defensive adjustments that he and his staff made at the half that enabled them get stops and get on that game-changing run at the beginning of the third period.  I asked him specifically about his young core group of players that have meshed so well with the experienced veterans such as Steinhaus and fellow juniors Bridget Bednar and Savanna Roth.  "There's some nights where I really don't know what to expect" he said with a smile given the group's inexperience and youthful exuberance.  I think the one thing I like about this squad is that they seem to play with no fear or nerves.  It's almost as if they collectively say "(Expletive deleted) you.  We're coming after you no matter what."  And you have to respect that.  Realistically, I do think that there is a ceiling for this group and they'll likely hit that ceiling come Saturday when they host UST but in a year or two, who knows?  Steinhaus had a solid evening on this night; leading the way with her 17 points and eight rebounds and Speese had a "double-double" with her 12 points and ten rebounds while McLemore and Jones both contributed 11 points each. Hamline had a balanced scoring attack in the losing effort as Graves had 14 points, Geistfeld; a "double-double" with her 13 points and ten rebounds and Quaranta; the former Auggie with her 12 points.  Augsburg owned the glass on this night by a 51-39 count although turnovers were probably a bit higher than Riverso and his staff would have liked with 12 total.  The Auggies also had a decided advantage in second-chance points at 23-16 and bench points at 24-13 (thanks to Jones and Jordan).