NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Four Oles scored in double figures as the St. Olaf College men's basketball team picked up a 76-55 victory over Hamline University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Wednesday night at Skoglund Center.
Senior Nate Albers led the way for St. Olaf (5-3, 2-2 MIAC) with a game-high 15 points to go with 12 rebounds, while senior Troy Diggins Jr., junior Dominic Bledsoe and senior Noah Beck also reached double figures. After Hamline (1-6, 0-5 MIAC) led by as many as seven early on, the Oles used a 13-0 run over a seven-minute stretch later in the half to take the lead for good.
In addition to Albers' second double-double of the season, Diggins Jr. added 12 points, Bledsoe had 11 and Beck chipped in with 10 for St. Olaf, which shot 48.4 percent (31-for-64) from the field in the win. The Oles' bench outscored the Pipers', 22-8, led by seven from first year Jake Weber.
Hamline made six of its first seven shots from the floor, including its first three three-pointers, to open up a 17-10 lead 5:30 into the game. Michael Dillon had 10 of the Pipers' 17 points in the early stages, making his first four shots, including a pair of makes from behind the arc.
After a Luke Siwek layup gave Hamline a 21-15 advantage with 11:52 remaining in the half, the Oles held the Pipers scoreless for 6:46 while going on a 13-0 run to take the lead for good. St. Olaf scored eight points in 1:24 during the run, getting three-pointers from Beck and first year Charlie Haff on either side of a layup from Carter Uphus that gave the Oles their first lead of the night.
Consecutive layups from Bledsoe and Beck pushed St. Olaf's lead to double figures, 35-24, with 2:08 to go in the half, but Hamline scored the final four points of the half to go into the locker room down seven, 35-28.
An Albers three-pointer just 47 seconds into the second half quickly pushed the Oles' lead back to double figures, 38-28, but the Pipers hung around, as back-to-back baskets from Siwek and Dillon cut the St. Olaf lead to 42-36 with 12:35 to play.
Leading by nine midway through the half, St. Olaf went on an 8-0 run to open up a 59-42 cushion with 7:29 remaining and led by at least 13 the rest of the way, with Albers scoring the first six points of the run. The Oles led by as many as the final margin of 21 late on after three-pointers by first year Mac Hubbard and sophomore Joe Thursby.
St. Olaf returns to action on Monday, Dec. 30 with a 7 p.m. non-conference contest against UW-Eau Claire at Skoglund Center.