If the Hamline men's basketball opener against Northwestern Wednesday at Hutton Arena had been a Broadway play, there would be only three words to describe the Pipers' performance:

A smash hit.

Hamline came gunning out of the gate, shooting 75 percent from the field en route to building to a 28-point halftime lead and rolled to a 106-72 decision over the Eagles. It was the most the Pipers have scored in a game since ringing up 109 against Macalester on February 12, 2011. 

Six different Pipers --including four nonstarters -- finished in double digits as HU cracked the century mark for the first time 2013. Connor Knutson led the way with 15 points with Zach Smith (14), Isaac Brooks (13), Bret Lukes (12), Ethan Scheuring (11) and Jay Betts (10) close behind. Nick Powell came off the bench for a game high six rebounds while Smith was his usual all-around self with a game high seven assists and three steals. 

The game turned quickly. UNW had crept out to a 9-7 lead when the Pipers exploded for a 14-2 run in a five-minute span to grab a 12-point lead and never look back. A pair of second half three-pointers by Knutson sent Hamline over the 100-point mark and resulted in their largest margin of the night -- 39 points.  

For the game, Hamline was 40-for-60 from the field for 66.7 per cent. They connected on 14 of 24 three-point tries for a 58.3 shooting percentage. Head coach Jim Hayes was able to use his bench and get all 20 players on it into the game. 

Hamline now heads on the road next week for two games. They will play at North Central in Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 21. On Saturday, November 25, HU will visit Wis-River Falls.