ST. PAUL, Minn. – Senior Connor Martin found fifth-year senior Brendan Kauls for the game-winning layup with 14 seconds to go to give the St. Olaf College men's basketball team a 73-71 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory at Hamline University on Wednesday night at Hutton Arena.

St. Olaf (3-5, 2-3 MIAC) and Hamline (3-3, 2-2 MIAC) were tied for the 14th time on the night before a driving Martin found Kauls open under the basket for the game-winning layup. After the basket, the Pipers had the ball with a chance to tie or win and got an open look at the rim for Austin Holt but it rimmed out.

The two-point win as the second in a row for the Oles in the series with the Pipers and was the third meeting in the last five that was decided by two points or fewer. Three of St. Olaf's five MIAC contests this season have been decided by four points or fewer.

Sophomore Kobe Kirk recorded his fourth-straight 20-point game by scoring a game-high 20 points on an 5-for-9 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 shooting at the free-throw line. Senior Connor Martin had 14 points and a game-high four assists, while Kauls and junior Addison Metcalf added 12 points apiece. Metcalf's 12-point night off the bench matched his career-high point total, as the junior was 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc.

Bradley Cimperman led Hamline with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting before fouling out with 1:25 remaining. Holt added 17 points and six rebounds, Mick Wherley had 11 points, and Sam Hoffman contributed 10 points and seven rebounds for the hosts, who shot 50.9 percent (27-for-53) from the field in the loss. St. Olaf also shot better than 50.0 percent, finishing the night at 51.9 percent (28-for-54) after hitting 60.9 percent (14-for-23) of its shots in the second half.

Hamline jumped out to 7-2 lead over the first 4:21 of the game and that advantage stood as the Pipers' largest advantage of the night. Kirk scored seven-straight St. Olaf points to help the Oles pull even at 12-12 seven minutes in, only the Pipers to reclaim their five-point lead twice more midway through the half. The Oles took just their second lead of the half at 25-23 with 6:48 to go on a transition layup by fifth-year senior Josh Albers but went into the locker room down 38-36 after Wherley scored the final four points of the half.

Early in the second half, Hamline matched its largest lead of the game at 47-42 on a jumper by Wherley three minutes in. Midway through the half, Metcalf scored five points in a 9-0 run that gave St. Olaf its largest lead of the game at 59-54 with 9:05 to go. Cimperman scored 13 points in the second half before fouling out, including giving the Pipers a 71-69 lead with 2:14 left.

On the next possession, Martin created the game's 14th tie with a layup before the teams traded turnovers, including an offensive foul for Cimperman's fifth foul of the night. St. Olaf got a stop and a defensive rebound and, out of a timeout, Martin dropped the ball off for Kauls to lay it in for the game-winning bucket. Kauls and Kirk had 10 points apiece in the second half for the Oles.

St. Olaf visits Augsburg University on Saturday, Dec. 9 for a 3 p.m. tip-off to conclude a doubleheader.