ST. PAUL, Minn. – After playing Hamline just two weeks ago, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team was hoping to use that knowledge of the Pipers to play the spoiler Wednesday night in a MIAC Quarterfinal game in St. Paul.
 
The Bennies certainly played the part in the first half as they led early and stayed within four of the fourth-seeded Pipers at halftime, but in the third quarter Hamline turned things around. Hamline had a big third quarter to pull away as CSB ended its season with a 78-61 loss to the Pipers in its second game of the MIAC Tournament.
 
The Bennies end the year 15-11 overall and 11-10 in the MIAC and earned the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament.
 
Saint Benedict started the game strong as Carla Meyer scored the team's first five points and Lydia Hay added a three to put CSB up five, 8-3. Another jumper from Meyer later pushed the team's lead back to four, 11-7, midway through the first, but the Pipers (19-6) took a 17-13 lead into the second.
 
Gabby Martin scored twice early in the second and a jumper from Madison Doran tied the game at 19-19, but the Pipers responded with a 13-3 run to go up 32-22. Baskets from Martin and Meyer and a three from Hay were part of an 8-1 Bennie run that got the team within two, 36-34, with 38 seconds left, but the Pipers' lead was four once again at halftime.
 
A free throw and later a basket from Nancy Soro kept the Bennies within five of Hamline early in the third, but the Pipers outscored CSB 24-14 in the quarter to take a 62-48 lead heading into the fourth. Martin scored six of the team's first eight points in the fourth to make it a six-point game, 62-56 with 7:40 left, but after two scoreless minutes, the Pipers responded with a 12-0 run to go up 73-56 and they hung for the win from there.
 
Meyer and Martin both scored 15 points for CSB, which shot 44 percent from the field, and Doran finished with seven points in her final game in a Bennie uniform. Soro had a team-high 10 rebounds and Martin also had three steals. The Bennies went 7-for-16 from the line and had 33 rebounds and 19 turnovers.
 
Lydia Lecher led Hamline with 22 points and Tess Hauer had seven rebounds. The Pipers shot 47 percent from the field, went 16-for-21 from the line and had 32 rebounds and 11 turnovers.