First-year forward Tony Thrasher paced Hamline (3-6, 2-2 in the MIAC) with 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the floor - 14 of those points came in the Pipers' 58-point second half.
He was one of five Pipers in double figures. First-year Jon DeRock added 18 points - 13 in the second half - to go with six assists. Jon Viemeister came off the bench for 14 points. Kyle Foster chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds, and seven steals. Junior point guard Sam Wiener had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.
St. Olaf guard Jon Butala netted a game-high 24 points - 22 coming in the second half. Steve Banick had 17 points while Bobby Hunter scored 16 points. Center Jon Bain netted 10 points.
The Pipers held the Oles (4-6, 2-3) to 28 percent shooting in the first half (9-32) while building a 10-point halftime cushion. The Pipers went on a 13-5 spurt over the last seven minutes of the first half. Thrasher had two buckets during the run.
That bulge would grow to as many as 16 before the Oles mounted a comeback, but St. Olaf could get no closer than six points. The up-and-down second half results in each team scoring 58 points. Hamline was a scorching 18 of 27 shooting in the half (67 percent) while the Oles weren't bad either hitting 20 of 40 from the field (50 percent).