ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women's basketball team played its final game of the season today against Hamline University. While the Scots kept it close in the first half, the Pipers' hot shooting allowed them to pull away to the 78-53. Macalester finishes its season 3-21 overall and 2-16 in the MIAC. Hamline ends 19-6 overall and 13-5 in-conference.

The Pipers popped out to an early 11-1 lead before first-year guard Faith Accardo (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Oaks Christian) knocked down the Scots' first field goal of the game. Sophomore forward Cady Davis (Minneapolis, Minn./Roosevelt) followed that with a pair of free throws, and sophomore forward Samantha Smith ()))) sank Mac's first three-pointer. Despite increased signs of life, the Scots' slow start hampered them, and they finished the quarter down 15. Mac had eight turnovers in the period, leading to eight Piper points.

In the second, junior guard Kendall Bernbaum (Dallas, Texas/Shelton School) gave the Scots a pulse when she drilled a three-pointer then knocked away a Hamline pass. She missed the subsequent jumper, but junior guard Mary Daley (Cumberland, R.I./Bishop Feehan) streaked down the court after a Piper bucket to sink a layup off a feed from senior forward Brooke Boroughs ()))). The Hamline lead continued to hover in the teens until Accardo got fouled on a three-point jump shot and sank all three free throws to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the midpoint of the first quarter.

Hamline's offense continued to hum, though, and it went into the half up 44-27. Hamline shot 7-of-12 from distance in the first half, compared to 2-of-13 for the Scots. The Pipers also shot 16-of-29 overall, compared to 9-of-28 for Mac.

Macalester got off to another hot start in the third quarter, rattling off a 7-0 run spearheaded by first-year guard Megan Matthews (Boulder, Co./Boulder) and Daley. After a Hamline timeout, though, the Pipers got back on course. Despite a three from senior forward Ellie Corbett (Austin, Texas/James Bowie) and continued scoring from Matthews and Daley, the Piper lead expanded to 18 headed into the final frame.

Both teams went scoreless through the first two minutes of the fourth quarter until junior guard Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va./Patriot) dropped in a paint jumper. Rather than spurring the Scots' offense into action, though, Smith's jumper made the Pipers come alive. The Hamline lead ballooned to 28 points before settling at 25 to end the game.

Daley led Mac with 10 points, four boards and five assists. Matthews dropped nine points and four rebounds, and Sydnee Smith tallied eight points and five rebounds. The Scots finished 5-of-23 from three, while the Pipers finished 12-of-23. The Pipers scored 28 points off turnovers and 10 fast break points.

This contest marked the final for Corbett, Boroughs and senior guard Adi Megiddo (Bellevue, Wash./Eastside Preparatory School). Following Macalester coach AD Donovan's inaugural season, the Scots will return 10 players to their roster next season.