Box Score A hard charging Knight is a tough thing to handle. Just ask the HU men's basketball team, who grabbed an early lead but couldn't hold on against a red hot Carleton team that used a 14-rebound edge to its advantage in an 81-66 decision Saturday at Hutton Arena. Zach Smith scored a game high 21 points and Isaac Brooks added a season high for 18 for Hamline, who now stands in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIAC with a 7-6 record (10-8 overall). 

The afternoon started well. Brooks had a dozen first half points. The Pipers crept to several leads in the first 12 minutes of play and held a 21-18 advantage with 7:53 left. The Knights, however, came on strong, going on a 19-8 run in a six-minute span and went to the locker room with a 43-29 lead. 

The Pipers tried to peck away at Carleton but the combination of the Knights' 39-25 rebounding edge and solid shooting (53.3 per cent from the floor) was tough to overcome. Carleton has been ona tear lately and has now won six games in a row. 

In addition to his scoring prowess, Smith, who now has 893 career points, had a team high five rebounds and has 200 for his career. He was one of three Pipers to play 30+ minutes. Kalu Abosi was in for 34 minutes and Brooks, whose scoring output was two short of his career high, saw 31. 

The Pipers will be road warriors next week with three games in 5 1/2 days. The road swing starts in Northfield on Monday at St. Olaf (7 p.m. On Wednesday, they visit St. Mary's in Winona (7 p.m.) and then head across the state to St. Peter next Saturday for a game at Gustavus Adolphus (3 p.m.).