Box Score If this was Broadway, you might describe the Hamline men's basketball team's opening performance for the 2016-17 season as "BOFFO." The Pipers lit up Ericksen Center with 67 per cent shooting from the floor in the first half and kept host Northwestern at bay the rest of the way for an 88-78 victory Tuesday. Zach Smith fired in 27 points with TC Robinson (pictured) adding 13 and the pair of Dylan See-Rockers and Isaac Brooks kicking in 10 points each. 

See-Rockers, playing his first game in nearly a year, also added a team high nine rebounds and four assists.
 
A Brooks layup with 15:42 left in the first half gave Hamline a 10-9 lead. Five minutes later, the margin was up to eight points at 25-17. In another five minutes, HU's lead had ballooned to 13 points. By halftime, Hamline had a 49-34 advantage. They hit on 20 of 30 field goals and seven of 11 tries from three-point territory in the first 20 minutes of the new season.

The scoring slowed up a bit in the second half and the Eagles whittled the Piper lead to 10 points at 62-52 with 9:18 left. See-Rockers responded with the next basket and the Pipers kept the Eagles at a distance the rest of the night. 

All 10 players who saw action scored with Connor Knutson adding nine points and Jay Betts delivering eight. The Pipers also take care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers.

All things considered, it was a smashing way to start the new year. 

Hamline will stay on the road for two more games. They play Friday night at Wis-Superior and head to Northland on Saturday.