MOORHEAD, MINN.—The Hamline University women's basketball team's 2022-23 regular season finale pitted them at Concordia (Minn.) on Saturday afternoon. The Pipers led for most of the first half, but it was the Cobbers who closed the opening 20:00 with a 10-3 run and wouldn't trail throughout the second half en route to an 86-76 decision.
The Pipers, who end their regular season with a 17-9, 14-8 MIAC record, will be the No. 3 seed in the MIAC Tournament and will host No. 6 seed St. Olaf in a first-round game at Hutton Arena on Tuesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. The Cobbers finished their regular season with a 22-4, 19-4 MIAC record, which secured them the No. 2 seed.
Concordia (Minn.) 86, Hamline 76
Three lead changes occurred throughout the opening quarter. The final lead change put Hamline in the driver's seat as Lydia Lecher's three-pointer tied the game 10-10 with 4:36 on the clock, and sparked a 13-4 run that gave her team a 20-14 cushion at the quarter break.
Alyssa Williamson and Larisa O'Neil each nailed back-to-back three's to open the second quarter, which gave the Pipers their largest edge of the contest at 26-18 with 7:53 left. This ignited Concordia, as they responded with a 22-10 run that gave them the lead at 40-36 through 20:00 of play.
The Pipers mustered a .571 (8-of-14) shooting mark against the Cobbers' .474 (9-of-19) figure in the third quarter. It wasn't enough to notch a lead for Hamline, as Concordia responded with a .625 (10-of-16) percentage in the fourth quarter that bolstered their lead and secured them an 86-76 win.
Lydia Lecher finished with a team-high 20 points for Hamline, which included her 1,000th career point. Lecher became the 14th player in program history to accomplish the feat. Camille Cummings and Kate Trachsel came off the bench with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Four Cobbers finished in double figures, led by Jordyn Kahler's 18.
