Sophomore guard Anders Nelson scored a collegiate-best 42 points -- 26 alone in the second half -- and No. 5-ranked St. Thomas survived an impressive Hamline shooting display to pull out a 92-83 overtime road victory Monday night on the Pipers' court.

St. Thomas (10-1 overall, 6-0 MIAC) won its ninth in a row and stayed one-half game behind MIAC leader St. John's (7-0). Coach John Tauer's team has seven off-campus wins at road or neutral sites.

Nelson's 3-point basket with 3:11 to play in overtime started a game-ending 9-0 run for the Tommies.

With the game tied 79-79 and the shot clock off, the Tommies stole the ball with 17 seconds left in regulation under the Pipers' basket. The Purple held for the last shot, but Nelson missed a trey, and Thomas Madison missed a 12-foot putback as the contest went to overtime.

The Pipers (2-9, 0-6) made 7-of-8 shots behind the arc in the second half to stay in or near the lead. They converted 78 percent from the floor in the second half (18-of-23).

Nelson added eight rebounds to go with three assists, three steals and three turnovers in 35 minutes of play. He made 7-of-12 from behind the arc and 11-of-15 at the foul line,

Tommy Anderson had 12 points, and Elijah Hannah scored nine.

Hamline broke to early leads of 9-1 and 13-4, but Anderson's trey with 20 seconds left in the first half game the Toms a 33-30 advantage. Neither team lead by more than six points until late in overtime.

Michael Dillon had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Hamline.