They came up just short. But what a comeback it was. 

The HU men's basketball team trailed St. Olaf 58-36 with 6:34 to play in the second half Wednesday at Hutton Arena. The Pipers then went on a tear to get within a basket and narrowly missed getting even, falling 58-55 to the Oles.

Michael Dillon drilled three three-pointers as part of the stirring rally that got Hamline within one basket with 2:08 to play in the game. Both defense, however, tightened from there and there was no more scoring the rest of the game. 

Dillon finished with 14 points, all in the second half. Jake Larson added 11 and Lucas Berg contributed eight. Isaac Brooks had a good night on the boards with eight rebounds and added four assists. Larson and Trey Prince had five rebounds apiece to help HU to a 35-34 edge in that department. 

The Pipers struggled from the field early, trailing 30-15 at halftime. They shot better in the second half (45.7 per cent) and had the Code Red crowd on their feet at the finish. Austin  Korba led St. Olaf (12-12, 11-8) with 19 points. 

Hamline fell to 11-13 overall, 8-11 in the MIAC. They maintained their sixth place standing -- the last playoff spot -- one game ahead of Gustavus Adolphus (7-12 MIAC). HU will look to clinch a postseason berth with a win against Bethel Saturday at Hutton Arena. 

It will be Senior day with HU honoring their five seniors -- Berg, Brooks, Connor Knutson, Ethan Scheuring and Will Hoiseth -- prior to the game. Tip off is set for 3:00 p.m.