Hamline’s Men’s Basketball team humbled Saint John’s University at Sexton Arena on Feb. 22 with a final score of 83 to 80. This unbelievably high tension game of back and forth scoring kept everyone in the stadium biting their nails and falling off their seats.
Hamline started with McCarrell, Wherly, Ebel, Cimperman and Holt to begin the rigorous give-and-take competition that both rosters maintained for the whole game. Neither team trailed more than five points behind the other for the entire first half.
A dismal tone started to settle in about two minutes before halftime as Johnnies took a four point lead. This feeling quickly turned around as Pipers matched them again and fought hard until the end of the first half with a score of 41–41.
The Johnnies regained a threatening lead at the start of the second half, but Pipers swiftly caught up yet again with an incredibly strong offense. Austin Holt, Bradley Cimperman and Brendan Ebel rocked the court as Hamline’s biggest scorers for the night. With nine minutes left, Hamline commanded the scoreboard showing the totals 65–58.
Time dwindled down and Hamline’s lead only grew bigger until the opponents crawled their way back up with a late game run. With around six seconds left, St. John’s made a game tying shot leaving the board at 80–80. With absolutely no hesitation, Bradley Cimperman ran the court and shot a clean three-pointer as the clock ran out. The buzzer blared and the passionate Piper fans rushed the court to celebrate the team with astonishingly high energy.
Pipers fought through utter torment issued by the Johnnies’ fans as some attacked the players’ personal lives and pasts. Hamline was ultimately victorious regarding both their skills as basketball players and their ability to maintain their composure.
The MIAC championship game will take place on Saturday as HU travels to St. Peter, MN, to take on Gustavus Adolphus College at 7pm.