The Pipers opened with a 9-2 lead as Brown (Sr., Saint Paul, Minn.) snagged a steal and slammed a dunk home at the 17-minute mark. Hipp (Jr., Little Canada, Minn.) added a dunk of his own just over a minute later to put the Pipers up 13-6, and a Brown layup put them up 15-9.

The Johnnies started to close the gap, as Sam Blank (Jr., Rollingstone, Minn.) hit a shot nine minutes after the tip to cut their deficit to two points, 17-15. Hipp responded on the opposite end of the court with a layup to put the Pipers up by four again just seconds later, 19-15.

Saint John’s scored the next six points to take a 21-19 lead with just over nine minutes to play in the half, but the advantage was momentary. The Pipers tied the game almost immediately with a Hipp layup. Jordan Schmidt (Fy., Northbrook, Ill.) then drained a trey from near the Johnnies’ bench to put Hamline up 24-21 at 7:59. 

A short shot by Saint John’s player Aaron Burtzel (Jr., Cold Spring, Minn.) at 7:24 cut the score to 24-23 for the hosts, but once again a Piper responded. Brown hit a trey for the four point lead, 27-23, at 7:12, and the Pipers remained in control until the break. They led by four, 44-40, at halftime.

Hipp had 11 first-half points and six boards while Brown had nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the first half for Hamline. Schmidt added eight points in the first 20 minutes.

Saint John’s was led by 15 points from Burtzel in the first half.

Aguirre opened the second half with a three-pointer for the Pipers. The Pipers later took at 10-point lead, 59-49, at 13:37 on a pair of free throws.

After that, the Pipers stayed ahead by seven or more points. Brown extended the lead to 14 as he tossed up a three from the corner near the Piper water cooler at 8:34, putting the hosts up by 14, 70-56. The Pipers never backed down from there.

Brown had 26 points and 13 rebounds – 12 of them defensive. Hipp rang up 21 points and pulled down 14 boards, 10 on defense. He also blocked five shots in the game. Schmidt and Nick Carroll (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn.) added 10 apiece. Carroll also dished out seven assists in the game.

Burtzel finished with 25 points and 11 boards while Andy Burns (So., Shorewood, Minn.) had 13 points for the Johnnies.

Hamline improves to 9-5, 5-4 MIAC with the conference win while the Johnnies are now 9-4, 4-2 MIAC. The Pipers have a bye this Saturday and will return to conference play on Monday, January 19, against St. Thomas on the road. The game will be held as the second game in a women’s-men’s double-header with a schedule tip at 7:45 p.m. Both games will be played at Macalester due to construction on the St. Thomas campus.