The University of Wisconsin Superior trailed by as much as 12 in the second half and came from behind to knock off Hamline University 86-82 in the opening match-up of Merrill Thompson Tip-Off Weekend on Friday night at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium

With winter arriving in the northland on Friday, adverse weather conditions pushed back the arrival of Hamline in Superior and the start of the game as the two teams finally hit the floor at 7:15 after a planned 7:00 p.m. start time. The delay did not seem to affect Hamline (1-1) too much as the Pipers shot 46.2 percent in the first half, opening up at 39-34 lead. They extended that lead out to 12 with 14:25 remaining in the game at 55-43, but UW-Superior (1-1) used a balanced offense throughout the night, shooting 52.6 percent for the game with four players hitting double digits scoring on the night.

Sophomore guard Montroy Scott (Fridley, Minn./Columbia Heights H.S.) led the way with 22 points on the night, hitting four free throws down the stretch to push the Yellowjackets to victory in the closing 25 seconds of the night. Junior guard Shaq Coleman (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East H.S.) laid-in the go-ahead score for UWS earlier in the night, finishing with 19 points on the night. Freshman Rafael Monteiro (São Paulo, Brazil/Santa Marcelina College) topped 20 points for the second-straight night to start his career to go with a game-high eight rebounds on the night. Freshman Christian Sellers (Ontario, Calif./Colony H.S.) added 13 points off the bench. Hamline's Zach Smith had 32 points to lead all scorers, hitting 14-of-15 from the free throw line as the Pipers finished 28-of-33 at the charity stripe.

Each team spent a lot of time at the free throw line as both UWS and Hamline had 28 fouls called against them on the night. Despite the big lead for the Pipers in the second half, the lead changed 14 times on the night along with six ties.

UP NEXT
UW-Superior continues the Merrill Thompson Tip-Off tomorrow afternoon as the Yellowjackets host the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Opening tip is set for 4:00 p.m.