ST. PETER, Minn. - Despite a solid second half, the Hamline women's basketball team (15-11, 10-10 MIAC) could not overcome a slow first half, falling to Gustavus (18-8, 13-7 MIAC) 84-76 in the first round of the MIAC playoff tournament.
 
Sophomore Chan'el Anderson-Manning led the Pipers offensively in the game, being aggressive and finding a way to get to the free throw line, hitting 11 of her 13 attempts. The St. Paul native ended with 19 points while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists.
 
Three other players ended in double figures for HU, as senior Kaeli Stayer had 13 points, senior Reilly Geistfeld had 12, and sophomore Gabby Robinson had 11. Robinson also compiled team-highs in rebounds (5) and assists (3) on the night.
 
The Pipers got off to a sluggish start, with Gustavus taking a 12-5 lead after the first four minutes. A 7-2 run capped by a three-pointer from senior Morgen Coleman put HU within two at 14-12, but the Gusties scored the final four points of the quarter to take an 18-12 lead into the second.
 
A Gustie three halfway through the second quarter put them up by 10 and they would take a nine-point edge into the intermission, leading 37-28.
 
Hamline had a cold first half of shooting, connecting on only 32.0% of their field goals, while the Gustavus shot an impressive 53.6%. First year Lydia Lecher led the Pipers in the half with seven points.
 
HU turned their shooting around in the second half, hitting 51.9% of their shots, including 50.0% (3-6) from deep. They also drained 14 of 17 (82.3%) from the charity stripe.
 
In the third quarter, the Pipers went on a 9-1 run midway through to cut the Gustavus lead to one at 42-41. The Gusties did not break, though, hitting a three their next possession to keep the advantage. A three from Geistfeld with 2:10 left gave Hamline some momentum, but once again Gustavus answered, hitting a three of their own. A jumper from Anderson-Manning in the last 10 seconds put the Pipers within four with one quarter to go.
 
Hamline continued to put pressure on the Gusties throughout the fourth, but GAC seemed to have an answer for every HU comeback attempt. Halfway through the final quarter, Gustavus led by seven, but Robinson knocked down a three to cut that to four. The Gusties would then stretch their lead to 10 with 1:40 to go. Stayer hit a three with 53 seconds left to get HU within six, but GAC would knock down their free-throws at the end of the game to seal the win.
 
The Pipers finished the year with 15 wins, the most of any season since 2008-09. Hamline will lose Geistfeld (who finished her career with 1,314 points - seventh on the HU all-time scoring list), Stayer, Coleman, Heather Moore, and Rachel Kissinger to graduation, but are expected to return 13 players for next season.