Made my way over to the St Paul side of town on this cold early December day - first over to El Burrito Mercado to get myself stocked up with their fabulous chicken and rice - and then backtracked going up Snelling Avenue to venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University for the opening night of MIAC play between visiting GAC and host Hamline. The Gusties were coming into this contest with a 3-1 overall record - their only blemish coming in the season opener at Wisconsin Lutheran. The Pipers were 3-1 as well coming into this contest as they dropped a 69-56 decision to UW-Stout out of the WIAC at Hutton Arena just before Thanksgiving. Both teams have high hopes for this season so despite this being the conference opener for both teams, this one could loom large later on in the season.
Hamline had its high-octane offense in full gear coming out of the gate in the opening period as senior guard Camille Cummings took care of things early on for the Pipers. The former Centennial standout would first connect on a lay-up at the 9:21 mark and would follow that up with a pull-up jumper from near the free throw line area at the 8:16 mark that had Hamline up 4-0. Cummings would also add one free throw after getting fouled at the 7:35 mark to push the lead to 5-zip. The Gusties finally shook off their initial jitters with a 5-0 push of their own. Junior reserve guard Ava Westerman would bury a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:22 mark and a lay-up by slender junior guard Ella Peters at the 5:16 mark leveled the contest at five a piece. Peters would put GAC ahead at 7-6 when she knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:48 left and then both teams would trade jabs that saw them trading small leads. The Pipers took the lead back at 8-7 when junior reserve forward Evelyn Wiltrout snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:36 left but then the Gusties pushed ahead at 10-8 when junior reserve guard Kaitlyn Schaefer drained a "3" from the right wing area with 4:09 left. Hamline took the lead back at 11-10 when sophomore reserve guard Emma Lamppa buried a "3" of her own from the left wing area with 3:49 left and lost it twenty seconds later when Gustie sophomore reserve forward Bella DeHaan knocked down a short jumper from the right side with 3:29 left that had GAC back up again 12-11. The Gusties upped this lead to 14-11 when sophomore reserve forward Bella Sutch muscled into the paint for a tough score with 2:25 left but Hamline would get this contest leveled again at 14 when senior combo guard/forward Sophie Stork banged home a "3" from the left top area with 2:09 left. Sutch would come through for GAC with 1:02 left with another score in the paint to put the Gusties up 16-14 but they certainly weren't breathing easy when this first period finally came to a close.
The first sign of trouble for GAC came at the 9:36 mark of the second period when the Pipers' Wiltrout made a daring drive into traffic along the left baseline and connected on a pretty reverse lay-up that also drew a foul and Wiltrout's obligatory free throw that not only pushed Hamline back in front 17-16 but also sent one of the Gusties' primary weapons back to the pine - junior forward Whitley Ronn - for preservation purposes. Still, the initial flow of this second period seemed to mirror that of the first. GAC's DeHaan would slither into the paint for a score at the 9:10 mark that pushed the Gusties back out in front 18-17 but that didn't last long as Wiltrout would come through again for the Pipers with a score in the paint a short time later at the 8:51 mark to make it a 19-18 game. Then the Gusties' DeHaan would come right back with a lay-up on GAC's subsequent possession at the 8:40 mark to give the gang from St. Peter a 20-19 lead. Then at the 8:01 mark Hamline's Cummings would get fouled and she would knock both charity stripe shots down that pushed the Pipers back out in front by a 21-20 count. But instead of the Gusties finding a quick answer to this, this actually was the beginning of an 11-0 run by Hamline that had GAC on its heels. Junior forward Marina LaFreniere would extend the lead to 23-20 at the 7:15 mark on a lay-up and at the 5:14 mark, two more free throws by Cummings not only got the lead to 25-20 but now the Pipers were in the bonus as well. With 4:41 left, things became even more precarious for GAC as Hamline sophomore reserve guard Josie Schmidt got one free throw to go down after getting fouled and now the Gusties' Westerman had to trot back to the bench with her second foul of the evening. A short time later with 4:18 left, the Pipers Schmidt would scurry through traffic for a lay-up that got the lead to 28-20 and when junior reserve combo guard/forward Anna Rynkiewich snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:28 left, Hamline now had a ten-point cushion at 30-20 and Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly had seen enough to know that a thirty-second timeout was warranted. GAC's DeHaan finally broke the extended Gustie drought with a jumper from the left elbow area with 2:37 left but GAC's trouble were far from over as the Pipers continued to be aggressive on the offensive end. Cummings would use a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up with 2:19 left and two free throws by junior guard Lauren Cooper after she was fouled with 1:36 left had Hamline up 34-22. LaFreniere would connect on a lay-up of her own with 1:14 left and one free throw by Cummings after she was fouled with :47.6 left allowed the Pipers to carry a sizable 37-22 lead into the locker room at the half while GAC looked dazzled and frazzled as they retreated to their locker room.
Given how the latter stages of the second period went, it was difficult to envision the Gusties getting this turned around anytime soon. Yet, once the third period got underway, they started showing signs of doing exactly just that. Junior guard Peyton Stevermer; who struggled in the first half, finally got into the books on the scoring front after knocking down a pair of freebies after getting fouled at the 8:07 mark. At the 7:31 mark, the first crack in Hamline's armor showed when GAC junior forward Kendyl Queensland got fouled and got she got one free throw to go down that not only narrowed the deficit to twelve at 37-25 but now the Pipers' Stork had to retreat to the bench with her third foul of the evening. Then at the 6:41 mark, the Gusties' Stevermer struck again - this time from behind the arc with a three-point bomb from the right wing area that pulled GAC back to within single-digit range down 37-28. Hamline did some quick patch-up work as Wiltrout got into the paint for a score at the 6:09 mark to up the lead to 39-28 but Piper Head Coach Joshua Hersch sensed trouble and called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of getting his troops reorganized. GAC however, had found new life as Kelly had her squad employ a 1-2-2 zone defense that effectively plugged up the holes that the Pipers had found too often in the first half and now the Gusties were applying some full- and half-court pressure defense as well that had Hamline backpedaling and allowed GAC to claw away at this deficit. At the 5:52 mark, Ronn used her 5'11" frame to slither into the paint for a score to get the Gusties back into single-digit range again down 39-30. Although Ronn would collect her third foul of the night a short time later at the 5:00 mark, she had plenty of teammates ready and willing to come to the rescue. Peters would connect on an easy lay-up with 4:36 left after the Gusties forced a turnover near midcourt and then sophomore sparkplug point guard Anna Goodman finally found her shooting touch with a tough jumper near the free throw line area with 4:10 left that suddenly had the deficit down to five at 39-34. With 3:07 left, Peters would knock down a pair of free throws that not only brough GAC back to within a single possession down 39-36 but now the Gusties turned the table on its opponent by getting into the bonus as well. Hamline finally found a bit of relief on the offensive end when Rynkiewich got into the paint for a score but GAC was far from finished with this third period onslaught. Schaefer got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 2:40 left and with 2:01 left, DeHaan would connect on a lay-up in transition that pulled the Gusties back to within a single possession down 41-39. Hamline's Hersch would take a match to a thirty-second timeout shortly thereafter but the Pipers were no longer finding the easy opportunities they had found in the first half because of a rejuvenated Gustie defensive effort and that cushy advantage that Hamline enjoyed at the half had now been reduced to a perilous two points.
GAC's Kelly and her staff had to have been frustrated after the fourth period got underway as the Gusties missed out on several scoring opportunities in the early minutes that kept them at bay. The good news, however, was that the Pipers had been unable to claim any advantage on GAC miscues on the offensive end. But given how the momentum in this game had clearly shifted toward the Gusties as the third period ensued, Hamline's Hersch and his staff certainly had to have had premonitions that things were not going as planned. Finally, at the 6:22 mark, the Gusties grabbed their first lead since the early part of the second period when Schaefer; the former Eastview standout, drained a cold-blooded "3" from the left corner that had the black and gold out in front 42-41. Alarmed, the Pipers would take the lead back when senior combo guard/forward Josie Wiebusch made a hard drive for a finish at the 5:50 mark but this small advantage for Hamline would be short-lived as GAC's Ronn got into the paint for a score that put the Gusties back out in front 44-43. At the 5:00 mark, the Gusties' Schaefer came through with more heroics as she perfectly kissed a one-handed floater off the glass that extended GAC's lead to 46-43 and Hamline's Hersch - in grave concern if not full-fledged panic - had to take a match to a full timeout. The Pipers were able to cut the deficit to one when Wiebusch got a pair of free throws to go down after getting fouled with 2:44 left but on the Gusties' subsequent possession, Peters connected on a jumper from the free throw line area with 2:29 left that restored the three-point edge at 48-45. However, any hopes of order being restored anytime soon took a hit as the Piper contingent inside Hutton Arena exploded when Cummings unleashed her trademark terror from behind the arc with a bomb from the right wing area with 2:21 left that leveled this contest at 48 a piece. GAC would retake the lead at 50-48 when Goodman got a pair of free throws to go down with 2:09 left but Hamline would again get this contest on even terms when Wiebusch was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with :48.3 left and the former St. Peter standout got both free throw attempts to go down. GAC's Kelly would then take a timeout of her own to set up strategy and whatever the play it was that she and her staff decided upon, it wound up paying huge dividends. The Gusties worked the ball around in the half court and got the rock to Peters and with :37.3 left in regulation, she found an opening and unleashed a dagger "3" from the left corner that pushed GAC ahead 53-50. Still, the Gusties were by no means out of the woods just yet as Hamline would soon get their opportunity and with :26.5 left in regulation, the Pipers' Hersch would take a thirty-second timeout in hopes of setting up something. Hamline would in-bounds the pass to Schmidt who dribbled over to the far right wing area which allowed Cummings to work her way to the left top area. Schmidt would get the ball to Cummings and with the shot clock under ten seconds, Cummings fired up a three-point bomb attempt with :12.1 left on the clock. But the shot hit banged off the rim and a struggle ensued for the rebound. With the possession arrow favoring the Pipers, it certainly appeared they would get one more chance with :09.9 left on the clock. But that last sliver of a chance went up in smoke on the ensuing inbounds pass as Hamline's LaFreniere was whistled for a moving screen. The Gusties were able to finish out the last few seconds of play and came away with a wild, unpredictable and thrilling win.
When I was able to finally catch up with GAC's Kelly after the game, I half-jokingly suggested that the GAC Athletic Department should probably have a disclaimer on the game video with a "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME" slogan at the beginning; referring to getting into a big hole and then miraculously finding a way to come back. She got a good chuckle out of that and then kind of went back to the line she used with me when I saw her (along with Associate Head Coach Kelsey Letourneau) upon my arrival at Hutton Arena about an hour before gametime. "It's like a box of chocolates" when I asked her about how things were going with her and the team - and again now after witnessing her team claw their way back from a fifteen-point deficit to to claim a thrilling win. I have to admit that it's indeed very interesting to watch this young Gustie team grow and ever so slowly carve an identity for themselves. And, make no mistake, it's a process. When you lose all the great seniors you had from a year ago that helped take you to the Elite Eight last season and you're essentially starting over with a new group, there's going to be some growing pains and you'll probably see some more up-and-down play from them as this season progresses. Even Kelly admitted that there's a lot of little things that they need to get better at with the ball on the offensive end and I have no doubt they will as the season goes on. I asked Kelly what specifically changed at the halftime break when they were in a fifteen-point hole. Per Kelly, there wasn't any big pep talk or anything like that. Rather, it was a switch-up in strategy - especially on the defensive end - that helped turn the tide for them. Going to a 1-2-2 zone defense and the full- and half-court pressure defense that really took Hamline out of their comfort zone were the keys - and holding the Pipers to just FOUR points in that third period alone was nothing short of outstanding. It's funny how a game like this can sometimes catapult a young team that's been struggling some with consistency and give them a huge shot of confidence going forward. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this team looks back at this game as possibly being the defining moment for them. Here's another item to consider: The fact that Peters, Goodman and Ronn were all riding with four fouls in the home stretch and the fact that Kelly had to dig deeper into her bench - and much earlier than what she would've liked - shows you how resilient this team is.
For Hamline meanwhile, it's not the end of the world by any stretch but it's definitely a setback of sorts especially when you look at how this game transpired for them. Getting a sizable lead by the halftime break and then watching it all disappear in the second half. These things happen, of course, but the Pipers never seemed to be able to come up with a solution on either end of the floor when GAC made their run at them. When you look at the final box score for this one, it's weird because it's tough to find one area where Hamline really faltered. Rebounding was essentially even and although Hamline had a few more turnovers than GAC did 21-18, the Pipers actually did a much better job converting the turnovers into points (18-10). Hamline had more points in the paint (24-20) and both teams were solid enough from the charity stripe (Gusties were a bit better percentage-wise going 10-12 for 83.3%). No, what did in Hamline on this night is that they were stymied on the offensive end when the Gusties started applying the full- and half-court pressure and time and time again they missed key shots or, worse yet, had shots swatted away that may have turned the tide for them. And the Pipers did struggle mightily behind the arc in this one going 3-19 for 15.8%. Ouch.
The Gusties leaned heavily on both Peters and DeHaan on this night as they finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. To me, the real surprise on this night was Schaefer tallying nine points and her ability to score certainly adds depth and stability to Kelly's backcourt. For Hamline, it was Cummings who led all scorers with her 15 points
