It was a game that probably would have delighted Joe Hutton. Hamline's men's basketball team put some serious clips on Carleton's offense, holding the Knights to just 32 per cent shooting from the field. The Pipers did a little better at nearly 40 per cent and hit free throws when they needed to for a 51-47 victory at Hutton Arena. The Pipers moved back to .500 at 7-7 overall and now stand 3-6 in the MIAC.
Zach Smith topped the Piper offense with 12 points. Bret Lukes scored seven of his 11 markers in the first half and Isaac Brooks converted three free throws in the last 18 seconds to also finish with 11. The Pipers also fared well on the boards, grabbing 32 rebounds -- all of them defensive. Dylan See-Rockers led the way with eight with Smith grabbing seven while Brooks and Kalu Abosi added four each. Thanks in great part to Lukes, Hamline's bench outscored the Knights, 18-2.
Ethan Scheuring hit a layup in the final minute of the first half to send Hamline to intermission with a 26-25 lead. The tightly played session saw 10 lead changes and four tie scores.
As it developed, the Pipers never lost the lead again. The Knights tied the game a couple of times. The last came at 32-all seven minutes into the second session. HU then reeled off 11 unanswered points (See-Rockers hit two three pointers and Nick Powell added one) in less than two minutes for a 43-32 edge. Carleton slowly rallied, coming within one when Kevin Grow hit the first of two free throw attempts with 19 seconds remaining. Grow, who led all players with 22 points and 16 rebounds, missed the second shot and Brooks snared the rebound. The junior was promptly fouled and, after a Carleton timeout, calmly made both shots to make it 50-47. The Knights missed a pair of three-point tries with Brooks again grabbing the rebound on the second try. He was fouled again and made one more shot to close out the scoring.
After playing four games in eight days, Hamline is now off for a week. The Pipers resume action at St. Olaf on Wednesday, January 17. Game time is 7:00 p.m