St. Kate's vs Hamline 1-31-26

Hattie Fox of St. Kate's was her usual steady self from the charity stripe against Hamline when her team needed it the most.

 Made an easy run over to the St Paul side of town on this sunny and not-quite-so cold Saturday afternoon to venerable Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University to take in a very important contest between visiting St. Kate's and host Hamline.  The Wildcats came into this contest with back-to-back wins under their belt for the first time since early in the season; the latest win coming down in Northfield on Wednesday night against St. Olaf.  The Pipers meanwhile had their ten-game win streak come to a crashing halt on Wednesday night down in St. Peter against GAC and they were anxious to get things back in gear going into the home stretch of the regular season.  This was also Senior Day at Hamline as well as the following players were recognized for their time with the Piper program:  Junior forward Marina LaFreniere (who is graduating early), senior combo guard/forward Sophie Stork, senior guard Camille Cummings, senior forward Aliyah Robran, senior guard Josie Wiebusch, junior forward Evelyn Wiltrout (who is graduating early) and senior guard Isabella Jensen.  

St. Kate's would get off to a solid start in this game as they would get out to a 4-0 lead thanks to some early heroics by sophomore guard Jordyn Peed.  The Eau Claire, WI native would manage to grab the opening tip and race in for a lay-up at the 9:53 mark of the opening period and three minutes later at the 6:53 mark, Peed would strike again by knocking down a short jumper from the right side to give the 'Cats the aforementioned advantage.  Hamline meanwhile struggled out of the gate with their shooting touch and it wasn't until the 6:36 mark that the Pipers were able to clear off the cobwebs forming on their basket as junior reserve guard Lauren Cooper drained a "3" from the left wing area.  Hamline would push ahead at 5-4 when sophomore reserve guard Josie Schmidt made a hard drive with a pretty spin move for a finish at the 5:40 mark and that lead would grow to 7-4 when Wiltrout was able to knock in an offensive rebound at the 5:02 mark.  The Pipers would maintain this three-point edge when Cooper connected on a lay-up with 4:31 left but St. Kate's would claw back into the lead.  Lanky sophomore forward Elle Covey would get a tough score in the paint with 4:18 left and with 3:02 left the Wildcats got the lead back at 10-9 when Peed snared an offensive rebound and got a short jumper in the lane to go down.  With 2:20 left, St. Kate's restored the early four-point cushion at 13-9 when sophomore reserve guard Raya Cassidy used a burst of speed to make a hard drive for a finish and the former Spring Lake Park standout cashed in on the "and one.  The Wildcats were able to maintain this four-point lead on a pair of free throws by sophomore reserve guard Kate Flicek after she was fouled with 1:10 left to make it a 15-11 game.  Hamline got back to within a single possession on one free throw by Schmidt after she was fouled with :49.1 left but the 'Cats stretched their lead to six at 18-12 when sophomore reserve guard Olivia Gannon buried a "3" from the left corner with :22 left so not only was Hamline unable to jump start its normally-potent offense but now they were dealing with an underdog opponent that suddenly had new life breathed into it.  

The Pipers offensive woes continued once the second period got underway as missed shots and turnovers continued to plague Hamline.  And their problems only became more magnified when St. Kate's increased its lead to nine at 21-12 when junior guard Hattie Fox banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:24 mark.  The Pipers finally got something to go down when Cummings was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback in transition at the 5:05 mark but Hamline's troubles continued to mount as the Wildcats got things going again on consecutive lay-ups by Covey - one with 4:44 left and another with 3:36 left - that now had St. Kate's up double-digits at 25-14 and Pipers Head Coach Joshua Hersch had little choice but to take a match to a timeout to try and get some things sorted out.  That stoppage in play did seem to help Hamline get refocused on the task at hand and they were able to close out an otherwise lackluster second period with a 6-0 push.  Cooper would start this push by connecting on a lay-up in transition with 2:38 left and would follow that up with 1:29 left left with a jumper in the lane that had the deficit down to seven at 25-18.  Stork would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with :31.4 left and junior reserve combo guard/forward Anna Rynkiewich would get one free throw to go down as well after getting fouled in a transition opportunity with :17.4 left that had the deficit down to fiver at 25-20 as both teams retreated to their respective locker room for the halftime break.  

The Wildcats would start out the third period on a good note as Peed would knock down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 9:39 mark that upped the lead to seven at 27-20 but Hamline was determined to get the tempo of this game turned in their favor and they went all-out with their full-court pressure defense that definitely had St. Kate's on its heels and allowed the Pipers to not only catch up but grab a small lead.  Schmidt would connect on a lay-up at the 7:20 mark and a tough score in the paint by Rynkiewich at the 6:51 mark suddenly had Hamline back to within a single possession down 27-24 and with the 'Cats now in a bit of a dry spell because of the pressure defense, St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern sensed danger and called a thirty-second timeout to make some quick adjustments.  But the Wildcats were getting turned over much more frequently by this point and Hamline took full advantage during this stretch.  Cooper would grab an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:08 mark and after another Wildcat turnover a bit later, LaFreniere would connect on a lay-up at the 5:41 mark that suddenly pushed Hamline out in front 28-27 and St. Kate's Mulhern instinctively took a full timeout at this point knowing his team had entered the proverbial danger zone.  Still, the Pipers were able to grow their lead to three at 30-27 when Cooper connected on a lay-up with 4:48 left and with the Wildcats still struggling with the full-court pressure defense, Mulhern felt compelled to use his third timeout with 3:35 left in hopes of turning the tide.  Finally with 1:05 left, St. Kate's got a bit of a reprieve when Fox was fouled and the Osceola, Wisconsin native got both free throw attempts to go down.  So in a period where seemingly so much had gone Hamline's way with their pressure defense that had turned the Wildcats over numerous times, they only had a measly one point lead at 30-29 to show for it.

And that one-point lead vaporized in the early going of the fourth period when Wildcat senior guard Kristen Oberle buried a cold-hearted "3" from the left wing area at the 9:14 mark that put St. Kate's back out in front at 32-30.  The Pipers would get the game leveled at 32 when LaFreniere knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 8:57 mark but then St. Kate's would launch another push.  Junior reserve post Julia Harmon would muscle into the paint for one score at the 8:03 mark and then Fox would unleash her second trey of this contest with a bomb from the left corner area at the 7:30 mark that now had the Wildcats up 37-32.  But the frenetic and unpredictable flow of this game would continue as Hamline would answer.  Stork would bang home a "3" from the top of the key at the 7:17 mark and then the Pipers would snare a steal with that full-court pressure defense and Schmidt would get a lay-up out of it right at the 7:00 mark that had this contest deadlocked again at 37 a piece and St. Kate's Mulhern; a little leery of his team falling victim to Hamline's pressure defense, called a timeout to get his squad settled down.  That stoppage in play was exactly what the 'Cats needed as they not only caught their collective breaths but were now clearly focused on the stretch run where they would have the upper hand.  St. Kate's would regain the lead at 39-37 when Peed snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:43 mark and two free throws by Fox after she was fouled with 4:38 left not only upped the lead to four a 41-37 but now the Wildcats were in the bonus as well.  One more free throw by Flicek after she was fouled with 4:27 left grew the lead to five at 42-37 and now the Piper's Hersch had to resort to taking a thirty-second timeout a short time later with 4:07 left to set up a comeback strategy.  Hamline would get back to within a single possession when Schmidt was able to get a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt with 3:59 left but then St. Kate's widened the gap again.  Peed would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled with 3:35 left and then Flicek would bang home a three-point bomb from the left top area with 2:56 left that suddenly made it an eight-point game at 47-39 that effectively put the Pipers behind the proverbial 8-ball.  Still, Hamline was able to find a response that at least got them in position to save themselves.  Schmidt would knock down a pair of free throws after getting foueld with 2:48 left that now had the Pipers in the bonus as well and then Cummings would come through with two quick scores - a lay-up with 2:22 left and then a three-point play the old-fashioned way as she snared a steal and raced the other way for a lay-up that drew a foul that allowed the former Centennial standout to cash in on the obligatory "and one" that suddenly had the deficit down to a scant point at 47-46.  But just when the door appeared open for Hamline to poke its nose out in front, the Pipers missed out on not one but TWO scoring opportunities in the next minute - a missed three-point bomb by Stork and a missed lay-up by Schmidt - that effectively killed their chances.  With :42.4 left, the Wildcats' Peed would be fouled and she calmly knocked down both charity stripe attempts that at least provided a bit more breathing room with a 49-46 advantage.  Hamline's subsequent possession would ultimately be foiled when St. Kate's Flicek came up with a big steal and Mulhern would use his last timeout with :24 left to set up strategy.  Knowing that the Pipers would now have to foul, the 'Cats got the ball to Fox and she would be fouled with :20.4 left and she was able to get both free throw attempts to go down that now stretched the lead to five at 51-46.  With the sands of time running out on Hamline, Hersch would take another timeout to see if a miracle could be dialed up.  And the Pipers would make one last desperate bid to stave away certain doom.  With :06.1, Cummings would bang home a "3" from the right top area that cut the deficit down to one but Hamline now had to foul immediately and, sure enough, it was St. Kate's Fox drawing it with just :04.4 left and she calmly got both attempts to go down to make it a 53-49 ballgame.  With all hopes all but extinguished, the Pipers' Cummings would launch a three-point attempt that missed its mark with :01.9 left.  Strangely enough, the officials would call a foul on the Wildcats' Flicek with :00.5 left.  Stork would get one free throw attempt to go down but all St. Kate's had to do now was just inbound the ball which they did to preserve a cherished 53-50 road victory.  

I congratulated the Wildcats' Mulhern afterward and I told him that I thought the key moment in this game for his team was weathering the storm in that third period when Hamline was coming with everything but the kitchen sink at them - and they were still able to get out of that mess and stay within a single possession.  He was quick to agree with that assessment but he added that they were able to do this without a real point guard on the team.  "We need a point guard" he said.  Through it all though, I think this St. Kate's team has had to adapt and I think they've done a pretty good job of making do with what they have.  Here's the other thing that I think needs to be pointed out.  Typically, coaches will do their darndest - under most circumstances anyway - to save the bulk of their timeouts for the home stretch when they'll most likely need them.  But in this particular case, Mulhern knew he needed to take those two third period timeouts when he did because he knew full and well his team could've collapsed under the weight of the full-court pressure defense that Hamline was utilizing at the time.  And the third timeout right before the midway point of the fourth period was key as well because it gave his team a chance to catch their breath and refocus and that went a long way in allowing them to get this big road win.  I have seen this guy coach for some time now and he's one of the best in the business and he showed it once again today.  

If you're Hamline, you probably have to be kicking yourself after this one because this was more than a winnable game for you.  I think - just strategy-wise anyway - you did what you set out to do which was create turnovers with your pressure defense.  And you did as the Wildcats turned the ball over 29 times in this one and the Pipers got 21 points off of those turnovers.  And Hamline had a whopping 32-18 advantage in points in the paint along with a decided edge in bench points at 33-14.  All good you say.  Well, here's the bad news:  Hamline shot 19-58 from FG range for 32.8% (not that St. Kate's was shooting at a torrid pace either going 16-44 for 46.4% but I digress) and then went for an ice-cold 3-24 from downtown for 12.5%.  Um, OUCH.  To add to their misery, the Pipers were not very good at all from the charity stripe going 9-16 for 56.3% and you don't have to be a basketball purist to know that that simply won't get the job done.  We know that the Pipers can be a very good three-point shooting team and we've seen it from them before but in this case, it was a case of launching up reckless three-point bombs after another when you really didn't need them and not having a back-up plan for when they weren't falling.  The bottom line here in this one is that Hamline simply wasn't very efficient on offense on this day and this latest setback effectively throws a monkey wrench into any long-term plans they may have had considering how the MIAC race is shaping up and I think it goes without saying that their NPI ranking is on a respirator at best.  

And all of you who read my blog know that I rarely - if ever - comment on the officiating.  But sadly on this day, the crew for this game was just uncommonly awful.  Look, I don't ever expect officiating to be "perfect"; we know that that's simply not going to happen.  But some of the calls that were made on this day and - even worse - some of the missed ones that should have been made, only exacerbated things.  Let's be better, okay? 

St. Kate's needed production from their two best scorers on this day and they got it.  Peed continues to shine as a sophomore and her 16 points not only paced the Wildcats on this day but led all scorers as well.  Fox was her usual steady outstanding self and recorded a "double-double" on this day with her 14 points and 10 rebounds - and, perhaps just as important - a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.  Hamline did have a reasonably balanced attack in the setback today as Schmidt's 13 points led the way while Cooper tallied 11 points and Cummings finished with 10.