Box Score Alaina Quaranta continues to impress for the Hamline women's basketball team. The junior forward scored 24, had four rebounds and a pair of steals in the Pipers' 71-58 loss at St. Benedict Wednesday. Reilly Geistfeld added eight points and three players -- Morgen Coleman, Molly Wampler and Violet Kennedy -- chipped in six apiece for HU, now 4-14 overall (3-8 MIAC). 

The Pipers stayed fairly even with the Blazers, who have lost just one MIAC game, in the shooting department. Hamline hit on 25 of 54 shots (44.4 percent) while CSB was 27-for-70 (45 percent). HU had the edge in steals, 11-9 and assists (17-12). But the Blazers grabbed an 11-point lead in the first quarter, forcing the Pipers to put on their rally sneakers early.

HU did just that, chopping the margin to a workable five at 22-17 by the end of the first quarter. CSB doubled that to 40-30 at halftime. Hamline got within nine at 50-41 late in the third quarter but that was close as they could get. 

Quaranta's two steals gave her 46 for the season, second in the conference. Wampler converted both her free throw tries and is now 45-for-49 for the season, a .918 percentage that easily leads the league and ranks fourth among D-III women charity line shooters. 

Hamline returns to action Saturday at St. Thomas (16-2, 11-0 MIAC). Game time is 3:00 p.m.