It didn't have to be pretty, it didn't have to be anything fancy but it had to be a win.
And it was.
Jamie Rattunde (Rollingstone, Minn.) scored 20 points and Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) added 19 as the Cardinals extended their winning streak to four straight with a 75-62 win over the Pipers at the SMU Gym.
"You talk to any sports psychologist and they always say that when your team is forced to play at a high, high level for long periods of times, there's always a good chance there's going to be a letdown," said Messmann, whose team was coming off a pair of emotionally draining victories a 61-55 triumph over Gustavus last Saturday, and a 61-54 triumph over St. Benedict Monday that snapped a 35-game losing streak against the Blazers. "After those two games, this game (against Hamline) scared the heck out of me."
The Cardinals, on the other hand, weren't fazed in the least.
SMU shot 44 percent from the field (22-for-50) and knocked down 10 of 28 3-pointers in completing their season sweep of the Pipers. Along with Rattunde who missed her fifth straight double-double by one rebound and Luehmann, SMU also got double-figure scoring from Sarah Murphy (Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Angie Arrington (Spring Grove, Minn.), who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"We did what we had to do it wasn't our best performance, but the bottom line is, it was a win," said Messmann, whose team moved to 12-5 in the MIAC and 16-5 overall and closed in on that elusive home game in the first round of the conference playoffs. "I really didn't know what to expect I figured we'd come out a little flat after Monday's big win."
Fortunately for the Messmann, the team thought otherwise.
SAINT MARY'S 75, HAMLINE UNIVERSITY 62 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY (4-13 MIAC, 6-14) Laurisa Ewert 5-13 4-4 14; Carolyn Korchik 3-9 7-8 13; Kelly Lines 3-8 1-2 8; Erin Petrich 2-8 2-3 7; Ashley Busch 3-4 0-0 6; Ashlee Senser 2-2 0-0 5; Allison Bratsch 1-5 2-2 4; Megan Haugen 1-3 0-0 3; Andrea Eilertson 1-4 0-0 2; Errin Koehler 0-0 0-0 0; Steph Jurewicz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-56 16-19 62. SAINT MARY'S (12-5 MIAC, 16-5) Jamie Rattunde 4-6 12-15 20; Ashley Luehmann 7-12 0-0 19; Sarah Murphy 3-4 2-2 11; Angie Arrington 4-13 0-0 10; Jessica Weisbrod 2-3 4-7 8; Alissa Banttari 2-4 0-0 4; Megan Moran 0-4 2-2 2; Tessa Stranik 0-2 1-2 1; Amy Saufferer 0-0 0-0 0; Kelly Tanke 0-0 0-0 0; April Johnson 0-0 0-0 0; Jenni Wick 0-0 0-2 0; Lindsay Maus 0-1 0-0 0; Jacqui Ripoli 0-0 0-0 0; Ashley Fosmo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-50 21-30 75. Hamline University............ 27 35 - 62 Saint Mary's.................. 34 41 - 75 3-point goals-Hamline University 4-19 (Ashlee Senser 1-1; Kelly Lines 1-5; Megan Haugen 1-3; Erin Petrich 1-3; Allison Bratsch 0-2; Carolyn Korchik 0-4; Laurisa Ewert 0-1), Saint Mary's 10-28 (Ashley Luehmann 5-8; Sarah Murphy 3-3; Angie Arrington 2-9; Megan Moran 0-4; Tessa Stranik 0-2; Lindsay Maus 0-1; Ashley Fosmo 0-1). Fouled out--Hamline University-None, Saint Mary's-None. Rebounds-Hamline University 29 (Laurisa Ewert 7), Saint Mary's 39 (Jessica Weisbrod 9; Jamie Rattunde 9). Assists-Hamline University 6 (Laurisa Ewert 2), Saint Mary's 11 (Jamie Rattunde 5). Total fouls-Hamline University 23, Saint Mary's 16. A-103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------