A 76-69 win over Bethel University gave the Hamline University women's basketball team their lucky seventh straight home win (all in 2011), as the team tallied 24 assists and shot 60% for the game.
The Pipers shot over 65% in the first half and then over 55% in the second half, and finishing off by shooting exactly 60% (30-for-50) in the game.
Additionally, the fast-paced Piper offense got within one assist of the single-game school record of 25. Je'Naya Brown (Fy., Lewisville, Texas) led the team in that category with nine assists, putting her just one shy of a double-double as she also tallied 19 points - in addition to a game-high four steals.
By the 16:30 mark, Hamline had an 8-4 lead as Kara Poirier (So., Eau Claire, Wis.) contributed half of the Piper points.
A steal just over a minute later in the Bethel offensive paint by Steph Rice (Jr., Staples, Minn.) led to a jumper in the Piper offensive paint by Poirier. Hamline then held a six-point lead, 10-4.
An 11-2 Royals run gave the visiting team a 15-12 lead by the midway point of the half. Brown ended the run and got the Pipers within one again as she took the ball coast-to-coast following a Bethel free throw.
The Brown drive ignited the Piper offense, as those points were the first two of a string of ten unanswered that gave Hamline a five-point lead, 20-15, with eight minutes to play in the half.
After that, the Pipers controlled the scoreboard until the break, leading by six, 36-30.
Hamline shot over 65% (15-for-23 shooting) in the opening 20 minutes, compared to Bethel's 35% (10-for-29) shooting. Mary Wilkowski (Sr., Savannah, Ga.) had 16 points in the first half while Poirier tallied 14.
The Pipers kept up the pace in the second half, taking a 14-point lead (52-38), at the 12-minute mark of the second half. At that point, the Pipers were shooting just over 75% through the opening eight minutes of the second half.
Hamline's shooting percentage cooled off a bit as the half progressed, but the Pipers lead by at least seven points for most of the remainder of the game. The exception came as Bethel cut their deficit to five, 74-69, with 23 seconds to play. The Pipers grabbed back the final seven-point margin of victory five seconds later on a Brown layup.
The Pipers shot over 55% in the second half, and finished off shooting exactly 60% (30-for-50) in the game.
Wilkowski led the Pipers with a double-double consisting of 24 points and 12 rebounds. She also added five assists and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the game.
Poirier chipped in 19 points and five assists while Steph Robinson (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa) had 10 points and a pair of assists.
The Royals were led by 26 points from Taylor Sheley (Jr., Backus, Minn.) and 14 points from Scotti Moats (So., Waconia, Minn.).
The Pipers are now 10-12, 9-10 MIAC while the Royals are 11-10, 9-9 MIAC. Hamline will hit the road on Saturday, November 12, to play at Macalester at 1:00 p.m.