Box Score   Box Score
Game Reaction: Head Coach Tim Grosz

ST. PAUL – For the third straight year, Northwestern's season-opening game against Hamline University came down to the wire, but it was the Pipers who emerged victorious in a 64-61 final at a steamy Hutton Arena. Down by 10 midway through the second half, NWC went on an 11-1 run to lead 61-59 before Hamline scored the final five points of the game.

The first half featured a classic back-and-forth battle with the Pipers coming out of the gate with the lead before Northwestern took over for a few minutes. Neither team was able to gain much of an edge until Hamline went on a 12-1 tear to take a 33-24 lead with 2:31 to go in the period. Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) drained a three-pointer to bring the Eagles back within six before the first half buzzer sounded.

Hamline built its lead back up to seven points, then ten, before the NWC started to chip away. Gabe Jefferson (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast) and Brent Kettenacker (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) hit consecutive lay-ups and Lance Westberg (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) hit one of his four three-pointers to cut the Pipers' advantage to five. Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) continued the run with a pair of free throws before another trey from Westberg tied the game at 59-59 with 1:48 to play.

After Jefferson made a lay-up to give the Eagles a 61-59 edge, Hamline's Brandon Reig answered with a three-point shot of his own to take back the lead at 62-61. With NWC having to foul after a turnover near mid-court, Reig then put the game away at the charity stripe, and the Pipers started their season with a win.

Northwestern, who typically comes out in a half-court motion offense, struggled to find its rhythm throughout much of the night.  Hamline's speedy run-and-gun offense kept the Eagles on their toes while turnovers made their mark on NWC's side of the box score.

The Purple and Gold finished 23-54 overall (42.6 percent) while firing 47.1 from behind the three-point line.  Northwestern edged its opponent by a thin 29-27 margin in rebounding, while the Pipers committed just eight turnovers, six less than the Eagles.

Behind his four threes, Westberg and Chitwood each had 14 points on the night, while Gisler and Jefferson each contributed nine. Jefferson shared the game-high with seven rebounds while Aaron Reep (Springfield, Ohio/Emmanuel Christian) kicked out four assists.

Northwestern will return to the practice court for a couple days before hosting its annual ACR Homes Tip-Off Tournament in the Ericksen Center.  The Eagles will face North Central University at 8 p.m. on Friday, with the winner taking on either the Milwaukee School of Engineering or Nebraska Wesleyan University on Saturday at 7 p.m. The non-winning teams will square off at 3 p.m. on Saturday.