It was the type of game that the Hamline men's basketball team is likely to see often during the MIAC season. So it had to be heartening to head coach Jim Hayes to see the Pipers clamp down on defense when they had to in a 72-64 victory over UW-River Falls at Hutton Arena Wednesday night.

There was some notable offense, too. Dior Ford moved into 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 22 points. The senior picked up where he left off last year, hitting on all six of his free throw attempts. He also nailed a pair of three pointers -- including a dagger with 18 seconds remaining that, in essence, put the game out of reach. The Pipers also got notable  offensive efforts from Austin Johnson (pictured, 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists), Travis Johnson (10 points) and Dylan See-Rockers, who had seven rebounds. 

But there was also a solid defensive effort that limited the Falcons to just 35.4 per cent from the field for the night. 

HU led, 28-22, with 4:26 left in the first half when WRF went on a spurt that took them into the lockerroom with a 34-33 advantage. The Pipwers crept ahead by five early in the second half but WRF kept nipping away and the game was eventually tied at 60 with just 2:51 left. 

Travis Johnson hit a three-pointer to put Hamline ahead, 63-60. The Falcons reponded in kind only to see Zach Smith corral a jumper to make it 65-62. WRF scored again but that would be their last points for the night. A blanketed defensive effort led to four missed WRF shots. Meanwhile, Ford hit a pair of free throws and with the shot clock running out, connected on that three-pointer that basically clinched matters at 70-64. 

Thus, Ford passed Brian Buggs and now has 1,055 points in his HU career. He also moved into eighth on the field goals list with 396. 

Hamline iproved to 2-0 overall with the win while UW-River Falls dropped to 0-2. The Pipers return to action Nov. 25 at Crown. Game time is 7:00 p.m.