<ite a well-rounded nine-point, seven-assist, five-rebound, and three-steal performance from senior forward Taylor Hanson ‘14, the Carleton College men’s basketball team could not withstand a strong second-half run by the Hamline University Pipers. In addition to Hanson, Carleton received 10-point performances from first-years Tianen Chen ‘17 and Mitchell Biewen ‘17, but the double-digit contributions went for naught in the 62-58 defeat.
Hamline (8-10, 5-8 MIAC) never trailed—though the game was tied eight times—as the Pipers came out of the gates red-hot, knocking down five of their first six attempts and registering 60 percent from the field for the entire opening half.
Hamline built up a six-point cushion with 2:12 left in the opening twenty, but the Knights executed well down the stretch. Carleton (8-9, 5-7 MIAC) used one of Hanson’s four first-half assists to find Shane McSparron ‘15—who logged minutes for the first time since Jan. 8 due to injury—on a backdoor-cut that served as the final basket in a half that ended with a slim 34-32 Hamline lead.
A jumper by Hanson at the 13:27 mark of the second period brought the Knights within a single point at 44-43. That’s when an extended 16-5 run by the Pipers proved to be the difference. That spurt allowed the hosts to build a game-high 12-point advantage. The run, which began at the 12:53 mark of the second period with a jumper worth two of Dior Ford’s game-high 22 points, culminated with an Austin Johnson jump shot at the 2:55 mark that pushed the Hamline lead up to 60-48.
Although the situation at that stage in the game looked fairly grim for Carleton, there was no quit in the Knights who, despite being outshot 57 percent to 47 percent over the course of the afternoon, made it a tight contest in the final half-minute of play. A quick 8-0 burst for Carleton, capped by a Biewen three-pointer, pulled the Knights to within four points, 60-56, with 18 seconds to play.
The rally came too late though as Hamline knocked down a pair of free throws and held on for the win.
The loss sent Carleton into its bye-week, which means the Knights’ next contest comes on Feb. 1 when Carleton hosts nationally ranked University of St. Thomas in the second half of a women’s/men’s doubleheader.
The Knights’ last contest against the Tommies ended in an 82-52 defeat. That game took place on the campus of St. Thomas in their Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.
Carleton will hope for better luck against the now 15th ranked Tommies this time around at West Gym. The game is set for a 3:00pm tip-off.