ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team put itself in a position to get a clean slate and head to overtime Saturday afternoon, but a slew of Hamline hands had other ideas.
 
Down three with four seconds left, Maddie Schmitz got a steal on the Pipers' inbounds pass, and pulled up for a 3-pointer just beyond the arc, but several Pipers got a hand on the ball, and Hamline held on for the 42-39 win in Claire Lynch Hall.
 
Both teams struggled shooting the ball throughout the game, and neither could capitalize on chances to pull away in the fourth quarter. Hamline (13-5, 8-5) pushed its lead to six early in the fourth quarter, but Sidney Schiffler and Alex Johnson both scored to make it a two-point game, 34-32. A jumper and a three from Schiffler later got CSB within one, 38-37, with 5:59 to play, but the Pipers hit a pair of free throws with 4:37 left to make it 40-37, and that's where the score would stay for the next four minutes.
 
Hamline hit two more free throws to go up five, and Megan Thompson scored on a layup to make it a three-point game. Schmitz got the steal to give her team the chance for an extra period late, but came up just short.
 
The first quarter was quiet for both teams as Saint Benedict (9-10, 5-9) took an 8-0 lead early thanks in part to a layup and a three from Thompson. The two teams combined for five field goals, and the Bennies led 10-4 after one.
 
Schiffler scored to push the team's lead back to eight early in the second, but the Pipers went on an 8-2 run to get within two, 14-12, with 4:27 left in the half. Thompson scored to stop the run, but the Pipers stayed within three, 17-14, at the half.
 
The Pipers took their first lead of the game on a layup at the 7:09 mark of the third, and never trailed again. A three from Schmitz put the Bennies within one, 23-22, with 5:34 left in the third, but Hamline went on a 9-2 run to go up eight, 32-24, with 1:13 left in the quarter. Thompson scored and Schiffler hit two free throws to get CSB within four after three quarters, 32-28, but the Pipers were able to hold on in the fourth.
 
Schiffler and Thompson both scored 13 points to lead CSB, which shot just 30.8 percent from the field. Johnson added 11 rebounds and four blocked shots for CSB, which went 4-for-6 from the line and just 3-for-17 from long range. The Bennies had 37 rebounds and 19 turnovers.
 
Reilly Geistfeld scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead Hamline, which shot
31.9 percent from the field and went just 1-for-16 from three-point range. The Pipers took advantage of trips to the line, finishing 11-for-14 from the charity stripe, and had 33 rebounds and 16 turnovers.
 
CSB is back on the road for two more games before returning home again. The team is in Northfield Wednesday against St. Olaf, then travels to Minneapolis Saturday to take on Augsburg.