Box Score A untimely cold spell at the start of the second half was too much for Hamline's women's basketball team to overcome. Despite a late run, the Pipers' first trip to the postseason ended in a 86-79 loss to St. Benedict in a MIAC first round game.

Hamline, which had a school-record six-game road winning streak snapped, finished the season 14-12 -- its first winning season since 2008-09.
 
Led by Je'Naya Brown's 21 points and six steals, HU rallied from a 15-point second half to get within six late before finally giving way.  

In addition to Brown's big night, seniors Steph Pilgrim and Kara Poirier went out blazing with 18 and 17 points respectively. Jordan Sammons added 11 and led the Pipers with seven rebounds. 

For a team that hadn’t been in a playoff game in four years, Hamline did not come out jittery. HU scored the first four points of the game, eventually working to a six-point lead at 13-7. The Blazers began to utilize their rebounding advantage and eventually grabbed a six-point lead of their own. Pilgrim and Brown (pictured), however, helped the Pipers maintain their cool with big baskets and the half ended with CSB holding a 34-31 edge.

The Blazers came out gunning at the start of the second half, starting with a 17-7 run that opened up a 13-point lead at 51-38 14:40 left.

It was still a 11-point edge with 45 seconds left when Pilgrim and Poirier sandwiched three-pointers around a lone free throw to make it interesting at 85-79.

But that was as close as HU could get. Poirier ends her brilliant four-year career with 255 assists (second all-time) and 938 points (ninth). Pilgrim ends the season as the MIAC's leading scorer at over 16 points per game. It was also the final game for center Cassidy Vogt. 

Hamline, which entered the game ranked 12th in the country in three-pointers made, went 7-for-17 from long distance. 

As tough as the end was, it was still a memorable ride for a team that was picked ninth in the preseason and started this year 0-5. 

Coach Kerri Stockwell will start the rebuilding the process with two returning starters --  Brown, who ranks third all-time in steals with 198 and Sammons, a sophomore who finished the season second in the league in rebounds and third in points.