The starting lineup may be the same as the last time Hamline's women's BB team faced St. Thomas.
But that is about all that looks similar.
When these teams met December 1 at Hutton Arena, the Pipers were still searching for some offensive spark. they played tenacious that afternoon, holding the normally highflying Tommies to just 59 points and a mere 41 per cent field goal shooting.
But the Tommies matched the defensive intensity and held Hamline, winless at the time, under 50 points for the only time this season. The result was a deceptive 59-41 final.
A lot has changed since then. The Pipers, engulfed in a battle for a conference playoff spot, have crossed the 70 point barrier five times in their last seven games. They take a 7-7 league mark (tied for sixth place with St. Olaf) into a 1:00 p.m. game at Anderson Center this Saturday, January 26 against a UST team that has lost three of their last five games to fall to 11-3 in the conference and is part of a four-way tie for second place, a game out of first place.
Hamline comes into the game with the top scorers in the league in
Steph Pilgrim (16.0 ppg) and
Jordan Sammons (15.8). Pilgrim's 2.6 three pointers a game leads the conference (and ranks 38th in the country) while Sammons is third in the league in rebounds (8.3). Although she doesn't have the minimum required to be on the official stat leaderboard,
Kara Poirier is tops in the MIAC at the foul line with a .893 mark (25-28).
HU will likely need all of that firepower against a UST team that may be in a foul mood, having lost road games this week at Concordia and St. Mary's. The Tommies, who started the week ranked No. 12 nationally, are sharp defensively, allowing just 53 points a game. They are balanced offensively with four players averaging 10 points or more.
It's been a 50-50 week so far for the Pipers. A late rally came up just short in a 62-59 home court loss to St. Mary's Monday. On Wednesday, the Pipers grabbed the lead in the first half, held off an Auggie charge and made six free throws in the final minute for a 73-68 win.
