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Playoffs: Tomorrow (Feb. 19) the Saint Benedict Basketball team will return to the MIAC playoffs after missing out on them last year for the first time since the tournament's birth in 2001. After finishing fourth in the conference standings, the Blazers (19-6, 17-5 MIAC) will host the fifth-seeded Hamline Pipers (14-11, 14-8 MIAC) in a quarterfinal matchup. A loss would mean the Blazers season would be over. A win would advance the Blazers to play at either No. 1 Concordia, or No. 2 St. Thomas in the semifinals on Thursday.
Tickets: Admission to the game will be $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for any student. Children age five or younger receive free admission. There is no senior discount. MIAC Passes will be honored. No other passes are to be accepted.
About Hamline: After being picked ninth by the coaches in the preseason, the Pipers have been the surprise of the MIAC, finishing four spots higher than they were expected to. Hamline clinched the fifth seed with an overtime win against Carleton on Saturday. After starting the season with a 6-10 record, they have won eight of their past nine games, highlighted by a 66-56 victory at St. Thomas. They are led in scoring by senior Stephanie Pilgrim (16.2) and sophomore Jordan Sammons (15.1), who are also first and third respectively in the MIAC. Their defense is third-worst in the MIAC, giving up 63.1 points per game. Their offense however, is fourth-best scoring 63.7 points per game.
Last Meeting: The Blazers got their season off to a good start the first time they played the Pipers this year, defeating them 87-72 in their home opener. In mid-January the Blazers traveled to St. Paul and completed the series sweep, defeating the Pipers 64-55 on their home floor.
Whitney Canton led the Blazers in scoring over the two games, dropping 27 in the combined contests.
The Storyline: Can the Blazers bounce back from an off-year and make a deep run in the MIAC playoffs? The only team the Blazers haven't beaten in Saint Mary's, and they're on the other side of the bracket. CSB is the only team to beat Concordia since mid-January, and the handed St. Thomas their first conference loss of the year. The Tommies were ranked third overall in the country at the time of their loss to the Blazers. The Pipers on the other hand, will be looking to prove that they can compete with the conference's best. What better way for them to do that than to upset the Blazers, who are the winningest program in the history of MIAC women's basketball and boast the MIAC's all-time winningest coach in
Mike Durbin (593 career wins).
Who to Watch: In order for the Blazers to beat the Pipers for the third time this year they will have to get scoring contributions from more than just their usual stars.
Whitney Canton (11.2 ppg) and
Brianna Barrett (14.4) have led the way most of the year, however, these stats are also available to the Pipers, who will no doubt be designing a scheme to slow Canton and Barrett. In their two wins against the Pipers the Blazers got big games from
Morgan Dale (17 points in the first win),
Mattie Lueck (13 points in the second), and
Hannah Hylla (11 points in the first). Dale has also dominated the boards for the Blazers this season. She is currently fifth in the MIAC with 7.4 rebounds per MIAC game.
Last Time Out: After back-to-back losses against St. Thomas and St. Mary's, the Blazers rebounded with a nail biting 60-58 win over St. Olaf. The win was also the biggest come-from-behind victory the Blazers pulled off this year. At halftime they found themselves down 34-18 but came back to tie the game at 58-58 with one minute remaining. With 25 seconds to play,
Whitney Canton nailed two free-throws to seal the win.
Tish Alexander and
Brianna Barrett led the comeback charge, combining for 42 of the team's 60 points.
Up Next: The bracket reseeds for the second round, with No. 1 Concordia hosting the lowest remainind seed. If Saint Mary's holds their seed and beats Gustavus, the Blazers will be in Moorhead, but if the Gusties pull the upset, the Blazers will be back in St. Paul to play the Tommies on Thursday.
