ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team hosted Hamline University in the MIAC opener for both teams Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The Pipers came away with a 61-46 victory to improve to 4-2 overall, while the Scots drop to 5-3 on the season.

Things started well for Macalester, which scored the first eight points of the game in a 12-4 run. Sophomore guard Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va./Patriot) led the way with six points in the run. Hamline responded by scoring the final four points of the first quarter and the first 13 points of the second quarter to take a 21-12 lead at the 6:37 mark of the second quarter. A three-pointer and layup from senior guard Peyton Starks (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) ended the run and brought the Scots to within four, 21-17. But Macalester went cold over the final five minutes of the second quarter, as the Pipers tallied five points before the break to take a 26-17 halftime lead.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Starks converted a conventional three-point play to cut the deficit to six, 26-20. But Hamline outscored the Scots, 18-6 over the remainder of the quarter to take a commanding 44-26 lead heading into the fourth. The Pipers held Macalester to 2-of-8 shooting from the field in the run while forcing six Scots' turnovers in the quarter. In the final quarter, Macalester got as close as 14 following a pair of Starks free throws that made the score 51-37 with seven minutes left. But Hamline finished strong to wrap up the win, 61-46.

Starks finished with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field to lead all scorers. She also had a career-high seven steals to go with a team-best five rebounds. Smith contributed eight points, with sophomore guard Mary Daley (Cumberland, R.I./Bishop Feehan) adding six points and two assists. Camille Cummings paced the Pipers with 20 points and seven boards.

Next up for the Scots is a conference game at Augsburg University on Saturday, Dec. 7. The MIAC game begins at 3:00 p.m. in Minneapolis, Minn.