Made the drive over to the St Paul side of town on this sunny and pleasant February Saturday afternoon over to venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University to take in this intriguing late regular season matchup between visiting Augsburg and host Hamline. The Auggies were coming into this contest desperately looking and hoping for a way to reverse the slide they've been in for the last month where they've lost eight of their last eleven games. For the Pipers though, it's been a completely different story as they were coming into this contest winning five of their last six games and have been able to slide up to the third spot in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs and naturally they were looking to firm up that grip on this day. But as we have seen over the last couple of seasons, wild and weird things seem to always happen when these two teams hook up and I had a feeling that this one could be another one of those types of games. Turns out I was right. Additionally, it was Senior Day at Hamline as seniors Tess Hauer, Alyssa Williamson, Chan' el Anderson-Manning and Iyanna Wieland were all honored before the game.
Hauer's season came to an abrupt halt early this season when she went down with an unfortunate ACL injury but Piper Head Coach Alex Focke had Hauer in his starting line-up and then quickly called a timeout after the opening tip to get her to the bench and insert junior sharp-shooting guard Larisa O'Neil. But it would be Augsburg coming out of the gates in this opening period on a hot streak thanks largely in part to senior guard Grace Eastman who hasn't had a lot of opportunities to shine during this trying season. But the former St. Francis standout shined brightly from the get-go as she unleashed back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the right top area at the 9:41 mark and another from the right wing area at the 9:12 mark - that quickly had the Auggies up 6-zip. Hamline's Wieland would answer the call at the 8:53 mark when she drained a "3" from the right top area but Augsburg was far from finished with their opening assault. Eastman would unleash more terror from behind the arc with yet another trey - this one from the left wing area at the 8:03 mark and speedy junior guard Kalena Myers would bang home a three-point bomb of her own from the same left wing area at the 7:16 mark that stretched the Auggie lead to 12-3. The Pipers, perhaps a bit alarmed by this development on their home floor, would make an effort to cut into this gap. Anderson-Manning would make one of her patented hard drives for a finish at the 7:01 mark and one free throw by electric junior forward Lydia Lecher after she was fouled at the 6:01 mark and two more by fellow junior reserve guard Michaela Stamer with 4:26 left seemed to have Hamline in a better position just 12-8. Augsburg, however, wasn't interested in letting its opponent look good on Senior Day as they went back to work. Senior reserve guard Samaiya Buchanan would connect with a lay-up with 4:10 left to make it a 14-8 ballgame and would also add a free throw after getting fouled with 3:41 left. Then standout junior reserve forward Anja Smith; who has missed a chunk of action this season with a variety of injuries, connected with a short, turnaround jumper off the glass with 1:54 left to give the Auggies a 17-10 advantage. The Pipers' Lecher would get her team right back in the thick of things when she drained one of her lefty three-point bombs - this one from the top of the key with 1:43 left - that got Hamline back into four-point range again down 17-13. But staying in that range was thus far proving to be a difficult proposition as Augsburg willowy senior forward Jaley Coplin would knock down one free throw after getting fouled with :30.6 left and with just :10.6 left in this first period, Samaiya Buchanan would strike again when she was fouled in a transition opportunity after she got a steal and got one free throw out of the deal that allowed the Auggies to carry a 19-13 advantage going into the second period.
Augsburg would increase its lead to 21-13 early on in the second period when slender freshman reserve forward Alli Born snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up at the 9:03 mark. The Pipers' Lecher would respond with another one of her trademark lefty three-point bombs - this one again from the top of the key at the 7:35 mark - that closed the gap to five but the Auggies' Born would come back on Augsburg's subsequent possession and connect with a lay-up at the 7:12 mark to get the lead to seven at 23-16. Hamline's Lecher would come right back at the 5:45 mark with a pretty lay-up that again cut the deficit to five but then Augsburg was able to increase its safety net when Eastman got another triple - this time the old-fashioned way as she would connect with a lay-up with 4:53 left that would draw a foul and Eastman's ensuing "and one" would have the Auggies in very good shape again up eight at 26-18. Still, the Pipers would embark on another bid to tighten the gap. Freshman reserve guard Sophie Stork would connect with a short, turnaround jumper in the lane with 3:40 left and then freshman reserve combo guard/forward Josie Wiebusch would bang home a "3" from the right top area with 1:41 left that finally had Hamline back to within a single possession down just 26-23. But before the Pipers could get a chance to get this contest leveled, they would be turned away again as Augsburg freshman reserve guard Wakinyala Bear would connect with a lay-up with just :24 seconds that had the Auggies up 28-23 going into the halftime break. A quick check of the first half box score shows that neither team shot particularly well although the Auggies certainly wouldn't have been where they were without Eastman's early heroics. Hamline was guilty of nine first half turnovers largely in part to the aggressive Augsburg defense but the Pipers did have a decided 22-16 edge on the boards at this point and you can be fairly certain that did not sit well well with Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso and his staff.
The Auggies opened up some more space for themselves in the early moments of the third period when Coplin; the former Shakopee standout who had a quiet first half for the most part, finally started strutting her stuff and unleashed one of her trademark dagger three-point bombs from the right corner at the 9:26 mark that pushed the Augsburg lead to 31-23. But right back came the Pipers on their ensuing possession as Lecher would make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass at the 9:09 mark and two free throws by Anderson-Manning at the 8:48 mark had Hamline right back in the thick of things down just 31-27. The Auggies would re-establish that earlier eight-point advantage when Myers knocked down a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc at the 8:11 mark and two free throws by senior forward Nikole Gullerud after she was fouled at the 7:38 mark gave Augsburg a 35-27 advantage. But the Pipers would once again threaten as a short, pull-up jumper from the left elbow area by freshman reserve guard and former Centennial standout Camille Cummings at the 7:30 mark narrowed the gap to six at 35-29 and then slender sophomore reserve forward Faith Johnson would show the Hutton Arena crowd how much her game has grown as she used a burst of speed to connect with a lay-up at the 6:20 mark that also drew a foul and the obligatory "and one" by the former St. Louis Park standout now had Hamline back to within a tantalizing single possession down just 35-32. But once again, the Auggies would turn them back and build up the safety net. Myers would make a nifty drive for a finish off the glass at the 6:06 mark and then Coplin would unleash her second trey of this third period with a bomb from the left wing area that had Augsburg up by six at 40-34. With 3:31 left, Samaiya Buchanan would connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass right before the shot clock expired that allowed the Auggies to enjoy an eight-point lead again at 42-34. Undeterred, Hamline would give this comeback try yet another shot. Lecher would maneuver into the paint for one score with 3:15 left and then Lecher would perform some thievery on the Auggies ensuing possession as she snared a steal and got the ball the sophomore reserve guard Kate Trachsel who would connect with a lay-up with 2:58 left that cut the deficit to four at 42-38. Anderson-Manning would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled with 2:09 left and then a tough offensive rebound and reverse lay-up by Stamer with 1:20 left suddenly had things looking good again for the Pipers down just 44-42. But just when Hamline appeared to be on the brink of getting this contest leveled, the Auggies effectively put some pepper on those sweet dreams. Coplin would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with :47.2 left and then Gullerud came through twice for Augsburg in the waning seconds. The former Simley standout got one score in the paint with :17.8 left to make it 47-42 and after a foiled Piper possession, Gullerud got the ball and raced downcourt in hopes of perhaps launching a desperation three. But before that could even happen, Gullerud would get fouled with just :00.8 left on the clock and went to the charity stripe for three free throws - all of which found their mark so not only had the Auggies re-established that eight-point advantage at 50-42, it almost seemed to take a pin to the balloon of momentum that Hamline seemed to have just a short minute before.
Arguably, things could have easily gone downhill for Hamline at the start of the fourth period but this Piper team refused to be denied and they finally started finding the spark that was so desperately needed. O'Neil; the former Rosemount standout who had been quiet up to this point, finally found her touch from behind the arc like she had a couple weeks ago against St. Kate's as she buried a cold-blooded "3" from the right corner at the 9:34 mark and then Wiebusch would unleash her second trey of this ballgame from the top of the key at the 8:35 mark and just like that, the nice little cushion that Augsburg had had been sliced down to two points at 50-48 and the Auggies' Riverso had seen enough to know that a timeout was warranted. But even this stoppage in play did not have the desired result that Augsburg was hoping for as the Pipers continued on the comeback trail. A Lecher jumper from the left wing area at the 8:06 mark reduced the deficit to a scant point at 51-50 and finally, after what seemed to take like forever, Hamline assumed its first lead of this contest when Anderson-Manning snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up that had the Pipers out in front at 52-51. To their credit, Augsburg would come right back and take the lead away from the home team. Coplin would bury another one of her cold-blooded treys - this one from the top of the key at the 7:00 mark - that put the Auggies back out in front at 54-52 and at the 5:43 mark Coplin would strike again with a very tough short jumper from the left side that now had Augsburg up by four at 57-53 and there were likely those amongst this partisan Piper crowd that feared that their beloved home team would not be able to rekindle the magic and fire that it had shown just a few short minutes ago. But those fears would soon subside as Hamline's Stamer would uncork a "3" from the left top area at the 5:26 mark that cut the deficit to one at 57-56 and then Williamson; who had been quiet all game long from a scoring standpoint, finally got into the books with 4:27 left that more importantly kept her team in that one-point range down 59-58. Still, the Auggies would embark on another bid to try and burst the Pipers balloon as one free throw by Eastman after she was fouled with 3:55 left and two more by Coplin with 3:10 left not only had Augsburg up by four again at 62-58 but now one of the main cogs in the Hamline attack - Anderson-Manning - had collected her fourth foul of the day as well. Once again, however, any worries from the home crowd over this latest development were again wiped away by the Pipers. Stamer would unleash her second trey of this fourth period - this one from the left wing area with 2:50 left - that cut the deficit to one at 62-61 and then O'Neil would put Hamline up when she unleashed one of her trademark dagger three-pointers - this one from the left top area with a hand in her face with 2:19 left to make it 64-62 Pipers. Augsburg's Coplin gave the Auggie faithful one last ray of hope when she got a three-pointer the old-fashioned way on an offensive rebound and putback that drew a foul along with the ensuing "and one" with 1:52 left that had Augsburg up 65-64. But this last-gap lead would go out the window for good when Hamline's Williamson buried a "3" from the right wing area with :43.4 left to push the Pipers out in front 67-65. Augsburg still had one decent chance left to take the lead back but with the shot clock winding down, junior guard Katie Mannecke's jumper attempt from the right elbow area with :26 left refused to go down and now the Auggies had to foul and hope for the best. Augsburg still had one foul left to give and they were forced to give up this blanket of security when they fouled the Pipers' Williamson with :19.6 left. With :18 left, Hamline's Williamson would get fouled again and she would go to the line and got one free throw to cooperate that made it a 68-65 game. But even though Williamson couldn't get the back-end attempt to go down, she alertly followed the shot in and fended off what should have been an easy Auggie rebound to snare the ball and got the ball to Lecher. Hamline's Focke would quickly call a timeout to set up strategy and after seeing what the Pipers appeared to have planned, Augsburg's Riverso would follow suit and call a thirty-second timeout to make some quick adjustments. With :13.4 left, Hamline's Lecher would be fouled and she would at least get the back-end attempt to go down that now had the Pipers up a couple of possessions at 69-65. To their credit, Augsburg got one wisp of hope left when Coplin would casually bury yet another one of her three-point bombs - this one from the top of the key with :09 left - that cut the deficit to one at 69-68. But obviously the Auggies had to foul again as well and Hamline made sure to get the ball to one of their best players - Anderson-Manning - who was promptly fouled with :07.7 left and the former Cretin-Derham Hall standout got both free throw attempts to go down to make it 71-68. Still one last chance for Augsburg but the Pipers made sure to cut off the three-point pipeline and even though Coplin would knock down a jumper along the right baseline with just :00.5 left, it would not be enough to alter the outcome as Hamline got a thrilling 71-70 victory on Senior Day.
It took a bit but I was finally able to catch up with Hamline Assistant Coach Joshua Hersch who was still in the process of trying to catch his breath after this big comeback win. He reiterated what he told me before this game when he said that "We're not looking ahead. We're not looking behind. We're just taking it one game at a time." I think this approach is a prudent one for the Pipers who have now won seven of their last nine games. But for me, I think the biggest thing for Hamline has been how some of these younger players have stepped up - I think out of pure necessity too after Hauer went down early on in the season. Now you're seeing players such as Trachsel, Johnson, Stork and Cummings all contribute on both ends of the floor. And without their contributions, it's unlikely that Hamline would be doing what they're doing right now. You look at it from an Augsburg angle, however, and this game kind of showcases what's been happening to this squad over the last month as they've now lost nine out of their last twelve games that has effectively dashed their playoff hopes. And, to be sure, the Auggies have had more than their share of bad luck this season - particularly when it comes to the variety of injuries that their best player, Smith, has had to endure in the last month. She saw limited minutes today and had her right wrist taped heavily and it was obvious she may have tweaked something on that wrist early on in the third period and without her being 100%, Augsburg simply is not the same team. However, I will say that Coplin has done more than step up in Smith's absence as she's not only shouldered the burden of having the bulk of scoring fall on her but she's obviously the emotional leader on this team as well. And in the final analysis, you HAVE to at least have her in the conversation when it comes to MIAC POY honors. In the end, Augsburg's Riverso still had to look at the final box score of this one that saw his team out-rebounded (again) by a 39-32 count and was out-scored in points in the paint by a 22-18 count. Though turnovers were relatively even, Hamline did more with those turnovers they got as they held a 17-11 advantage in points after turnovers. Perhaps the biggest point of all that I was referring to earlier with Hamline's young bunch, the Pipers had a decided edge in bench points by a whopping 36-15 advantage.
Hamline had a fairly balanced attack on this day as Lecher's 16 points paced the Piper attack but both Anderson-Manning and Stamer tallied 10 points a piece. And, of course, yet another stellar day for Augsburg's Coplin as her 23 points not only easily led all scorers but as I stated, one can make a strong argument for her when it comes to MIAC POY conversations. It was nice to see Eastman have a real impact from a scoring standpoint and her strong first period performance helped her tally 13 points on this day while Myers finished with 10 points.
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