Box Score At this time of the year, it's not very often you see a college basketball player score more points in one game than he had totaled for an entire season. 

But that is what Hamline's men's basketball freshman Connor Knutson did Saturday at St. Thomas. The Forest Lake, Minn. native fired in 18 points (in just 18 minutes of playing time) -- four more than he had recorded in six previous games in the Pipers' much closer than the final score indicated 89-70 loss at Anderson Center. In one stretch in the second half, Knutson scored 12 of the Pipers' 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Travis VanElsberg added a career high 12 points and Herbert Tarpeh tied a career best with a like total and added a team high four rebounds. 

It was the first game for the Pipers in three weeks. But they showed no rust as they jumped to a pair of early leads out of the chute. The Tommies (8-1 overall) came back to take a 10-point advantage but, helped by Tarpeh's seven points and Knutson's three-point play in the final minute, HU whittled it down to three at halftime at 38-35. 

Another three-point by Knutson had HU within range at 57-54 with 12:30 left in the game. But the Tommies, ranked fifth in the country inthe D3hoops.com poll, went on a 20-4 run and the Pipers could not catch up from there. 

Hamline shot well, finishing with 49 per cent from the field (26-53) and a solid .389 from long distance (7-18). UST, however, was hot all day, finishing with a 55.7 per cent field mark (34-61). 

The Pipers now stand 3-6 overall, 1-3 in MIAC play. They will look to right matters on Wednesday, January 6 when they travel to Augsburg (6-3 overall, 1-3 MIAC) for a 7:00 p.m. start. HU returns to Hutton Arena on January 9 to take on Gustavus Adolphus in a 1:00 p.m. game.