Box Score The new look Hamline women's basketball team had to like what it saw in its 2016-17 season opener Friday night at North Central. Alaina Quaranta (pictured) scored 22 points and Reilly Geistfeld, playing her first collegiate game, added 20 as HU grabbed an early lead and never let go en route to a 77-60 victory in Minneapolis.

Chloe Graves got her senior season off and running with a double-double, scoring 11 points and kicking in 10 assists. She and Quaranta, a sophomore transfer, led a ballhawking brigade with three steals. In all, Hamline pilfered 13 balls away from the Rams. The Pipers also took good care of the ball, committing just six turnovers. 

The Pipers bolted to a 22-17 first quarter advantage that was cut slightly to 41-38 by halftime. In the second half, however, Hamline's depth showed as they outscored NCU  by a 36-22 margin.  

However, it wasn't as easy as it might have looked. Hamline led by a slim 50-49 margin with 3:19 left in the third quarter when they scored the final seven points of the frame for an eight point edge at 57-49. NCU worked the margin back to six at 62-56 with 6:21 left in the game. That's when Geistfeld contributed five points as part of a 10-2 run that stretched the lead to 14 and HU never looked back again. 

The Pipers  have little time to rest on their laurels. They play at Northwestern in Roseville, Minn. Saturday. Game time is 3:00 p.m.