The Knights advance to the MIAC Playoff semifinals to face top-seeded St. Benedict on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Minn.
Kelly Lines led Hamline (13-13) with 14 points and eight rebounds. Allison Bratsch added 13 points and Ashlee Senser had 10 for the Pipers, who were making their first post-season appearance.
Anna Biewen tallied 10 points for Carleton (17-9), which moved to 8-1 at home in the MIAC Playoffs.
With the Knights clinging to a 64-62 lead and less than a minute remaining, Vig received the ball inside, shook off the double team and scored. Her offensive rebound on a missed free throw with 26 seconds left all but sealed the win for Carleton, who won for the 11th time in 12 MIAC Playoff games.
The Pipers, who won three of their final five MIAC games to get into the conference tournament, rallied from a 37-31 halftime deficit, getting consecutive three-pointers from Carolyn Korchik and Jessica Heinen to take its only lead of the second half, 52-50, with less than 10 minutes left. Carleton’s Sarah Kunelius answered with a three-pointer and Oken-Berg scored on a beautifully executed pick-and roll with Kari Christianson on the other end as the Knights extended to a five-point margin.
The Pipers were ice-cold down the stretch, going the final eight minutes with only one field goal, although it was Bratsch’s triple with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left that brought the Pipers within 62-60. Vig would score twice in a two-minute span, while the Pipers could only manage two Bratsch free throws over the final three minutes.
Carleton shot only 40.3 percent from the floor but held the Pipers to 39.7 percent. Carleton outscored Hamline 16-6 in point off turnovers, as the Knights had but 14 miscues to 18 for Hamline.
The Knights now advance to play at top-seeded St. Benedict on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Claire Lynch Hall. The two teams split the season series, with Carleton winning on Dec. 5, 58-57, while the Blazers defended their home floor with an 80-65 win on Jan. 28. It marks the fourth time in six years the Knights and Blazers have faced off in the MIAC Playoffs, with Carleton winning two of the three previous match-ups. The Blazers beat the Knights in the conference championship game a year ago, Carleton’s only MIAC Playoff loss in the event’s six-year history.
Hamline University vs Carleton College 02/20/06 7:30 pm at Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) At Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) CARLETON COLLEGE 69, HAMLINE UNIVERSITY 62 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY (13-13) Kelly Lines 5-10 3-7 14; Allison Bratsch 3-8 4-4 13; Ashlee Senser 5-6 0-1 10; Carolyn Korchik 3-9 0-0 8; Laurisa Ewert 2-9 2-3 6; Jessica Heinen 2-4 0-0 5; Shelby Hyllengren 2-3 0-0 4; Britta Schwartzhoff 1-6 0-0 2; Ashley Vorwerk 0-1 0-0 0; Megan Haugen 0-1 0-0 0; Krystal Tschumperlin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 9-15 62. CARLETON COLLEGE (17-9) Hannah Oken-Berg 9-13 3-5 21; Megan Vig 6-15 3-4 16; Anna Biewen 5-8 0-2 10; Sarah Kunelius 2-8 0-0 6; Andrea Korb 2-5 0-1 4; Annie Isler 0-4 4-5 4; Sarah Lincoln 0-0 4-6 4; Kari Christianson 1-9 2-3 4. Totals 25-62 16-26 69. Hamline University............ 31 31 - 62 Carleton College.............. 37 32 - 69 3-point goals-Hamline University 7-24 (Allison Bratsch 3-7; Carolyn Korchik 2-7; Jessica Heinen 1-3; Kelly Lines 1-4; Britta Schwartzhoff 0-1; Megan Haugen 0-1; Krystal Tschumperlin 0-1), Carleton College 3-14 (Sarah Kunelius 2-6; Megan Vig 1-5; Andrea Korb 0-2; Annie Isler 0-1). Fouled out--Hamline University-Kelly Lines, Carleton College-None. Rebounds-Hamline University 38 (Laurisa Ewert 13), Carleton College 43 (Megan Vig 10). Assists-Hamline University 12 (Kelly Lines 4; Carolyn Korchik 4), Carleton College 10 (Kari Christianson 4). Total fouls-Hamline University 22, Carleton College 17. A-850 MIAC Playoffs-Quarterfinals