Box Score

ST. PAUL – A one-point halftime lead couldn't hold for the Northwestern men's basketball team as Hamline University used a 48-33 scoring edge in the second period to win the nonconference affair by a 80-66 score in the Hutton Arena. The Pipers made 70 percent of their second half attempts while the Eagles went from a 50-percent first half shooting rate to just 38.5 in the final 20 minutes of Tuesday night's contest.

While UNW led for a majority of the first half, the Eagles' lead never surpassed three points in the tight period. Hamline overturned a three-point Northwestern margin to a 28-25 lead for the home team over the course of three minutes down the stretch, but consecutive baskets from Thomas Shephard (Crystal, N.D./Valley-Edinburg) and Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) gave the Purple and Gold a 33-32 edge at the break.

The same theme stayed true throughout the initial 12 minutes of the second period as fans in attendance witnessed the game's eighth tie with each team having 46 points at the 12:09 mark. Northwestern came out of a timeout with back-to-back threes by Shephard and Steven Willey (Fort Calhoun, Neb./Fort Calhoun) to push the Eagles' lead to six, but two and a half minutes later, it was back to an even playing field after the Pipers' Zach Moll hit a jumper to knot the score at 59-59 with 7:45 to go. Moll's points turned out to be the start of a run for Hamline, who went on a 13-0 run to take a double-digit lead that stuck for the remainder of the game.

Many of Hamline's late-night points came from 10 feet and in, where Austin Johnson and Jake Krueser scored layups and got themselves to the free throw line, helping the Pipers finish 17-19 from the charity stripe. Northwestern was only able to muster two points amidst a 19-point flood from the home squad before Hamline wrapped up the evening with an 80-66 victory.

Northwestern finished with a 44 percent shooting clip overall, going just 5-19 from downtown including an 0-for-6 experience from long range in the first half. While the Eagles owned a 14-10 advantage in points off turnovers, the Pipers dominated in the paint where they outscored UNW 38-20.

Carney led all players with 23 points, but Hamline had four players score in double figures, including Moll and Dior Ford who both had 16 points.

The Eagles will have a few days to remember Tuesday's  loss before getting another crack at a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) team on Saturday, when Northwestern hosts St. Olaf College in the Ericksen Center at 7 p.m.