The Pipers gained a 12-4 lead to start the game, but the Scots got back to within two, 12-10, as Jerry Kraus (Sr., Bucharest, Romania) made a pair of free throws at the 13-minute mark.

A Victor Easter (Fy., Minneapolis, Minn.) free throw, followed by a steal and a lay-up from Andy Voigt (Fy, Cottage Grove, Minn.), gave back Hamline a five-point advantage, 15-10, less than a minute later.

Down 17-14, Macalester went on a 17-2 run, taking their first lead (19-17) at the midway point of the half on a three-pointer from Colin Jarvis (Fy., Madison, Wis.). The Scots were up by 12, 31-19, with four and a half minutes to play before halftime.

The Pipers responded with 11 unanswered points coming from four different players to get to within one at 31-30 with 65 seconds remaining before halftime. A Scots basket as the period ended gave them a 33-30 lead heading into the locker room.

Carl Hill (Jr., Little Canada, Minn.) led Hamline in the first half with eight points and five boards, while Brandon Rieg (So., Riverside, Calif.) also pulled in five rebounds. Colin Keeley (Jr., Kildeer, Ill.) had 11 points for Macalester in the first half.

Hamline exploded out of the locker room, as Nick Carroll (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn.) snagged a steal and tossed it up to Rieg for an assist on a basket that the Pipers to within one, 33-32. Ray Brown (Sr., Saint Paul, Minn.) then swiped a steal of his own, finishing with a dunk and the 34-33 Piper lead. A lay-up from Hipp put them up by three, 36-33, two minutes into the half.

Kraus hit a three for the Scots to tie it again, 36-36. That tied served to ignite a 10-1 run by Hamline. The run included a pair of three-pointers from the top of the arc by Brown for a 46-37 lead seven minutes into the half.

Hamline held a 55-45 lead with 7:30 to play, but a trio of Macalester baskets dropped in to cut the Pipers’ advantage to four, 55-51. A trey and a pair for free throws from Brown cut off the Scots’ run and set the Pipers on an 11-2 run as Hamline went ahead by 13, 66-53, with less than three minutes on the clock.

The Pipers held on for the 72-61 win from there.

Brown led Hamline with 20 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. 17 of Brown’s points came in the second half. Hipp added 19 points and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Aguirre chipped in 10 points.

Macalester was led by 15 points from Kraus, 14 from Keeley, and 13 from Pierce Peters (Fy., Glenwood, Minn.).

The Pipers are now at 3-2, 1-1 MIAC with the conference win while the Scots are 1-3, 0-2 MIAC. Hamline hits the road for the first time this season on Monday, December 7, traveling to Northfield to take on St. Olaf at 7:30 p.m.