ST. PAUL, Minn. - Tuesday night at Hamline Univerisity, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team played its first game since the spring of 2000 without Tim Grosz leading the program. The
Lance Westberg era began just down Snelling Avenue at historic Hutton Arena, in what has become a yearly season-opening matchup between the two programs. For the third-consecutive year, it was the Pipers who came out on top, winning 72-65 on their home floor. Despite nearly doubling their first-half point total in the second, Northwestern wasn't able to make a dent in its seven-point halftime deficit, and fell to 0-1 to begin the 2026-27 season.
UNW's offense was clicking early in the game, as an AJ Green three-point play and a pair of regular three-pointers from
Jonah Burnett (Orr, Minn./North Woods) gave the visitors an 11-5 advantage. Hamline responded with a 16-2 surge to go up eight before three
Blake Dalluge (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) points ended the run. The Pipers took a 29-16 lead with 4:26 to go before halftime, but Northwestern answered the 8-0 run with an 8-0 run of its own to pull within five. A jump shot with 21 seconds left gave the hosts a 31-24 lead at the break.
The seven-point lead became 11 after Hamline opened the second half with a 4-0 run, but the Eagles were able to get it back to single digits thanks to points from their trio of starting forwards--Burnett,
Ben Tschida (Andover, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) and
Isaac Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy). A 5-0 run from Aune and freshman
Sam Rupnow (Hugo, Minn./Liberty Classical Academy) brought UNW within five at 42-37, and a pair of
Brody Skates (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) free throws made it a one-possession game at 47-44 with 10:22 remaining. The Pipers were able to recover with a 14-3 spurt to extend their lead to 14, but a Rupnow three began a 7-0 run to bring Northwestern within seven with 3:19 left. That was the closest the Eagles would get, as the margin shifted anywhere between 7-10 for the remainder of the game. A last-second Greene layup made the final score 72-65 in favor of Hamline after the teams each scored 41 second-half points.
Aune recorded his first-career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds (six offensive), adding two steals and two assists. Greene led the team in scoring with 14 points, in addition to three assists, while Burnett contributed 12 points and eight boards, and was the only Eagle to make multiple three-pointers. Dalluge tallied 10 points and three steals, and Rupnow matched him with 10 points of his own, off the bench. Tschida finished the night with six rebounds. Northwestern won the turnover battle 12-9, but its shooting splits of 35.4/20/57.7 were all short of Hamline's marks.
UNW will return to action Friday, November 13th for its home opener against Lakeland. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 PM in the Ericksen Center.
