Box Score The Piper men's basketball team picked a good time to improve their free throw shooting percentage. Hamline opened the scoring on a free throw and kept on making them, finishing with a season high 25 in all -- including 12 in the last five minutes of play  -- to secure a 69-60 victory over Augsburg at Si Melby Hall Wednesday. Zach Smith (pictured) continued to impress in his freshman season with a game high 17 points and six rebounds as Hamline improved to 6-9 on the season overall, 3-7 in the MIAC. 

HU went into the game with a .646 free throw shooting percentage. They promptly went 25-34 (.735) and kept the Auggies at bay all night. HU never trailed in the game. But they also never led by a lot. Their nine-point margin at the end was the largest lead they had all night. 

Smith hit a pair of three-pointers in the first half as HU jumped to an early edge and stayed there, going to the locker room with a 33-27 advantage. In the second half, the Auggies were able to tie the game on three occasions. The last of these came with 3:26 left and the score at 55. The Pipers responded with an eight-point run and kept the Auggies from scoring until there were 39 seconds left in the game. 

TC Robinson then hit five free throws and Dior Ford added one and Hamline had its first conference road win of the season. In addition to Smith, Dylan See-Rockers  and Robinson chipped in with 12 points.  Ford had 11 and Austin Johnson registered 10. Bennett Cooper recorded eight rebounds to lead the board patrol. 

Hamline stays on the road Saturday with a game at Concordia (3:00 p.m.). The Pipers defeated the Cobbers, 66-49, at Hutton in December.