ST. PAUL – If one word could be used to describe the University of Northwestern men's basketball team this season, it would be balance, and the Eagles continued their season trend in Saturday's 91-79 victory over the University of Minnesota – Morris (3-5, 1-2), as five players reached double figures in UNW's ninth win of the year. The Eagles improve to 3-0 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Eagles went on an 11-3 run to close out the first frame and take a 46-35 lead into the locker room.
Kyle Ooms (Hollandale, MN/Albert Lea High School)' tip in at the buzzer capped off the late surge for UNW. The first half included an electric performance from junior
Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle), who poured in 17 points – including a monster slam that brought the fans inside Ericksen Center to their feet.
In the final 20 minutes of play, UMM got as close to seven (80-73) with 3:57 remaining, but back-to-back threes from
Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) and
Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) helped the Eagles pull away and secure their ninth win of the year.
Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian)'s 21 points led the way, as the senior hit 9-of-13 from the field, including a trio of triples.
Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) and Sprenger both finished with 17, while
Clay Elrod (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) tossed in 15.
Kyle Ooms (Hollandale, MN/Albert Lea High School) notched his second double-double of the year, scoring 10 points and grabbing a game-high 12 boards.
Northwestern shot 50 percent from the field (35-of-70) and 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from long range.
CD Douglas put up 24 points for the Cougars to lead all scorers.
The Eagles will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Tuesday night for their final game of 2015. Tip-off in Menomonie is slated for 7 p.m.
