ST. PAUL, Minn.  – The Luther College men's basketball team faced a very different style of play in its second game of the 2022-23 season. After playing a run-n-gun style offense on Tuesday, the Norse found themselves in a defensive battle on Saturday as they took on Hamline University in their second game of the season. Despite a ferocious second half rally, Luther was unable to come away with a victory, as the team fell in St. Paul, Minnesota by a final score of 61-58. With the loss, the Norse record now stands at 1-1. 

DEFENSIVE BATTLE
If Tuesday's season opener was a shootout, Saturday's contest was a defensive brawl. Basically, it was the exact opposite, as neither Hamline nor Luther could truly generate any offensive opportunities. In fact, the two teams committed a combined 18 turnovers in 40 minutes of play and neither shot particularly well beyond the arc. Because of the defensive efforts, the Norse and Pipers drew to a 29-29 tie at the end of the first half despite Luther's early dominance. Thanks to a 9-0 scoring run, the Norse raced out to an early 17-8 lead, using baskets from Aiden Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs), Mitchell Schmieder (Wellman, Iowa / Iowa Mennonite) and Mikkel Schutte (Pine Island, Minn. / Houston) to fuel their efforts. Even when Hamline seemingly cut into the Norse lead, Luther answered with more layups, jumping ahead 25-16 with three minutes remaining in the half. That's when the Pipers stepped on the gas. The home team outscored the Norse 11-4 in the closing minutes of the first half, resulting in the 29-29 first half draw. 

The momentum was solely on Hamline's side to open the second half. After the first half comeback, the Pipers held a 49-38 advantage over Luther and extended their lead to 58-44 with 4:43 remaining in regulation. The Norse flipped the script, though, in the final four minutes, slowly but surely erasing the second half deficit. The comeback started with back-to-back baskets layups from Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) and Mat Rohden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic), cutting the lead to a manageable nine points at 60-51. Still, Luther faced a daunting task, as the Norse needed to score at least nine points and hold the Pipers scoreless in the final two minutes of play. 

They nearly pulled it off. After a missed jumper by Hamline's Mick Wherley at 1:51, Gill made an easy layup under the basket, cutting the lead to 60-53 and giving Luther the chance to foul. The Pipers proceeded to miss both free throw attempts on their very next offensive possession, allowing Bailey to draw a foul on the other end of the court. The sophomore drained both free throws, whittling the lead to 60-53 with 58 seconds remaining in the game. Ten seconds later, Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) made a huge three from way downtown, pulling the Norse within two at 60-58. 

Again, Luther fouled on the defensive end, ensuring at least the potential for a final possession in the closing seconds. Wherley went 1-2 on the line, but the Pipers ended up with possession after a turnover by Bailey. The Norse fouled again, and, just like before, Hamline's shooter missed both free throws, giving Luther possession with 28 seconds on the clock. Rhoden went for a quick rebound and one but didn't get the call or the basket. Bailey, though, came up with the rebound, setting up a play for a last second shot at the perimeter. He fed the ball to Shed with 12 seconds on the clock, but the senior's shot rimmed out. He had another shot to tie at the buzzer, but the ball refused to go through the hoop, resulting in the 61-58 loss for Luther. 

TOP NORSE

• Sophomore Aiden Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) led the Norse in scoring with 13 points, while Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) added 10. 
• Mat Rhoden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) led Luther with seven rebounds, all on the defensive side of the court. 

UP NEXT
Luther will return to action on Saturday, November 19, as the team travels to take on the Milwaukee School of Engineering in its second road test of the 2022-23 season. Tip off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.