ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Macalester cut a 14-point Hamline lead down to five but the Pipers hit eight of 10 free throws in the final two minutes and pulled away for a 69-55 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win in the first game of 2015 for both teams.

After falling behind by seven points early in the game, the Scots found their game and kept pace with the Pipers, eventually tying the game, for the first time, at 21-21 when Dylan Kilgour hit a three-point shot with four minutes, 10 seconds to play in the first half.

The teams traded points to tie the game at 23-23 before a pair of Zach Gullerud free throws gave Macalester its only lead of the game, at 25-23. An Austin Johnson three-point baskey gave Hamline a 26-25 lead heading into the intermission and the Pipers would not relinquish that lead.

A 15-5 run to open the second half gave Hamline some breathing room bug, after going up by 14 with 6:16 to play, the Scots began another charge from behind, scoring the game's next nine points to get to within five points with 2:25 to play in the game.

Macalester was outscored, 36-16, in the paint, which led to Hamline shooting 50.0 percent for the game while the Scots hit on just 36.0 percent of shots as both teams put up 50 field-goal attempts. The Pipers also held a 36-25 advantage in rebounding.

Macalester got the bulk of its scoring from three players, as Kilgour, with 16, Kyle Bernhard, 15, and Kareem Ismail, 14, combined for 45 of the team's 55 points. Bernhard, who made his first start of the season, also tied for a game high in rebounds with seven.

Next up for the Scots is a return to the Leonard Center, Monday, for a 7:45 p.m. MIAC contest with Concordia.