NORTHFIELD, Minn. – A layup by fifth-year senior Nathan Hendler with 0.8 seconds remaining gave the St. Olaf College men's basketball team a 72-70 victory over Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent Hamline University on Saturday afternoon at Skoglund Center.

St. Olaf (11-6, 7-5 MIAC) led by 11 with 2:47 before Hamline (10-7, 6-6 MIAC) mounted a frantic late rally, eventually tying the score on a basket by Bradley Cimperman with 18 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, junior Connor Martin found Hendler open under the basket on a baseline out-of-bounds play for the eventual game-winning bucket.

After Hendler's layup, St. Olaf was assessed a Class B technical foul for leaving the bench, giving the Pipers one free throw and the ball. Cimperman missed the free throw to keep it a two-point game and the Pipers turned the ball over on a full-court pass on the resulting inbounds play. With still half a second on the clock, the Oles inbounded the ball allowing the clock to finally expire.

Martin produced his fifth 20-point game of the season, leading St. Olaf with 23 points on 11-for-18 shooting while adding four rebounds and three assists. Senior Brendan Kauls recorded 11 points and six rebounds, while Hendler got into double figures with the late layup, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Six Oles scored at least seven points in the win.

After scoring 51 points in a win over Gustavus Adolphus College on Monday night, Cimperman led all scorers with 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field for the Pipers. Austin Holt added a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Mick Wherley chipped in with 13 points for the visitors.

Cimperman scored seven of Hamline's nine points in a 9-0 start over the first 3:26 of the game before Martin scored seven-straight points for St. Olaf to help the Oles end the early drought. After trailing the entire half, St. Olaf took a 39-35 lead into the locker room after closing the half on a 9-0 run over the final 1:50.

Kauls had five points – including a three-pointer – in the run that ended with Hendler finding Martin for a layup at the buzzer. Martin and Kauls combined for 26 of the Oles' 39 first-half points, as Martin had 15 and Kauls had 11.

In the second half, St. Olaf maintained its lead until four-straight points by Brendan Ebel brought Hamline even at 48-48 with 11:57 to go. Junior Caleb Greer scored the final four points of an 8-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes before a Metcalf three-pointer gave the Oles their largest lead of the game at 61-50 with 7:46 remaining.

After trailing by 11 on five occasions, Hamline fought back over the final two-plus minutes with a 12-1 run over the span of 2:29, as St. Olaf turned the ball over five times in the final two minutes. Cimperman's game-tying layup with 18 seconds on the clock capped a 17-point second half for Cimperman, who led the late rally by Hamline.

St. Olaf is next in action against Concordia-Moorhead at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Skoglund Center, where the Oles are 6-1 this season.