Third time's not the charm against Gustavus

Gustavus got off to a quick start in the game, jumping out to a 12-1 lead at the beginning of the game, capitalizing on Piper turnovers and missed shots.

Hamline quickly started to chip away at the Gustie lead with a series of three-pointers from three first-year players. Nikki Klinck (Hibbing, Minn.) drained the first one at with 3:17 remaining, followed by a shot from outside the arc from Kristen Sczublewski (Fy., Pierz, Minn.) that got the Pipers to within one point (27-26) at 2:54, exciting a busload of energetic Piper fans who made the trip to St. Peter.

Jackie Kelly (Fy., Blaine, Minn.) then gave Hamline their first lead of the game at 29-27 as she contributed the third three-pointer in a row from Hamline with 2:29 on the clock. Mary Wilkowski (Fy., Savannah, Ga.) immediately widened the lead to 31-27 with the next made basket.

Following the scoring surge late in the first half, the Pipers held a two-point lead on the scoreboard, 31-29,  as they headed into the locker room.

At the beginning of the second half, Gustavus tied the game 12 seconds after the teams returned to the court. Hamline responded immediately, as Rochelle Sather (So., Andover, Minn.) threw up the fourth accurate Piper three-pointer in four minutes of playing time to regain the lead just seconds later.

But despite trailing for much of the second half, Gustavus fought back as they found their own rhythm from outside the arc, and a Jess Vadnais layup gave Gustavus the lead at 4:43 resulted in the final lead change of the game.

The Gusties were then sent to the free throw line four times in the next minute, draining each shot they took. They built up a 13-point margin of victory during three pairs of free throws on fouls by Hamline as the Pipers attempted to regain possession in the final 35 seconds.

Hamline was led by Sather's 22 points. She also contributed six rebounds to the Piper effort. Wilkowski finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 13 rebounds (3 on offense, 10 on defense) while playing 35 minutes. Her classmate Klinck added 10 points.

The Pipers finish the 2007-08 season with a final overall record (including the playoff game) of 13-13. They finished the regular season with a 10-12 MIAC record.