ST. PAUL, Minn. – For the second game in a row, the Hamline men's basketball team's game came down to the wire, this time with the Pipers coming out on top, defeating Northwestern 87-84 at Hutton Arena. With the win, Hamline improves to 1-1 on the season and the Eagles drop to 3-2.
The game was tight throughout, with 16 lead changes in the forty minutes, but the Pipers took over the lead with 4:38 to play and would not give it up for the remainder of the game.
The Pipers shot 50.0% from three in the contest (15-30), led by junior
Jake Larson who hit 5-7 from deep and senior
Lucas Berg who made 2-3. Six other Hamline players also chipped in with at least one three in the game.
Larson finished with a team-high 19 points, also adding four assists and two blocks on the night. Junior
Michael Dillon was close behind Larson, putting up his second double-double with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Berg and junior
Trey Prince contributed significantly to the scoring as well, both ending in double figures. Berg connected on 45.5% of his shots (5-11) to record 13 points, while also nabbing seven rebounds. Prince was even more efficient, shooting 55.6% (5-9) for 11 points.
The game got off to a fast start, with 22 points being scored in the first two and a half minutes. The Eagles eventually built up a lead, holding an 11-point edge with 9:51 left in the half. Back-to-back threes from Larson put the Pipers back within five. From there, the scoring went back-and-forth and the opponents would head into halftime tied at 46.
The second half was extremely close, with neither team being able to pull ahead by more than five points until the final seconds. With five minutes to go, HU trailed by three, but a layup and a three from Prince would allow the Pipers to take over the lead, this time for good.
The Pipers went 4-4 from the free-throw line in the final 14 seconds, allowing them to earn the 87-84 win.
Hamline will open its MIAC schedule this weekend, traveling to Bethel to face the Knights at 1:00 p.m. The HU women's basketball team will play following the men's contest, at approximately 3:00 p.m.
