ST. PAUL, Minn. - In their first game back from a two-week hiatus, the Hamline women's basketball team (1-3, 1-1 MIAC) earned their first win of the shortened season, defeating Augsburg (0-2, 0-2 MIAC) 64-41 at Hutton Arena.
 
The Pipers put up a solid defensive effort on their home court, holding the visiting Auggies to a 22.2 percentage (14-63) from the field. Augsburg was also cold from three, hitting only 13.0% (3-23) of their shots from deep. Hamline on the other hand made 36.4% (24-66) of their attempts from the field, which included draining 12 of 29 from beyond the arc (41.4%), which is their best percentage from three so far this season.
 
First year Larisa O'Neil had a breakout game for HU, hitting six of her 10 three-point attempts to end with a career-high 18 points off the bench. Fellow first year Jaiden Kline joined O'Neil in double figures, putting up 14 points on six of 12 shooting. Nine other players chipped in with the rest of the scoring.
 
Junior Gabby Robinson and sophomore Tess Hauer led the efforts on the boards, picking up eight rebounds each, and junior Sophie Findell was not far behind with seven of her own.
 
As a team, Hamline held a 20-10 point advantage in second chance points and also capitalized on 14 points off of Augsburg's 15 turnovers.
 
The first quarter was slow-going for both teams, with the Pipers holding a 7-5 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. Augsburg was on the board first, but a three from O'Neil put HU up 3-2, and they would keep a lead for the remainder of the game.
 
Halfway through the second quarter, Hamline pushed their lead to nine (17-8), but Augsburg scored eight of the last 11 points of the half to make the score 20-16 at halftime.
 
The Pipers had a dominant third quarter, outscoring their opponents 20-7. In the middle of the quarter, HU used a 14-point run to put themselves up by 16. They would head into the final quarter up 40-23.
 
The Augsburg offense had their best quarter in the fourth, putting up 18 points, but the HU offense also hit its stride, putting up 24 points to cruise to a 64-41 win.
 
The Pipers will continue their busy week with a road game on Thursday, as they head up to Concordia Moorhead for a 7:00 p.m. game. They will be back at home on the weekend, hosting Saint Mary's for a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday, February 27.