ST. PAUL, Minn. (Jan. 11, 2008) – Beaten and bruised, the Northwestern College men's basketball team looked a physical St. Scholastica team in the eye and went to town on Friday night, defeating the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC)-rival Saints 74-56. The Eagles' win snaps St. Scholastica's three-game winning streak on Northwestern's home court.

Playing without last year's leading scorer in Steve Discher (Andover, Minn./Andover) (Andover, Minn./Andover) and a game-time decision in Mike Anderstrom (Woodbury, MN/New Life Academy) (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy), head coach Tim Grosz's crew out-lasted the Saints.

St. Scholastica jumped out to an early lead until Northwestern tied the game for the last time at 20-20 with 9:25 to play in the first half. The next nine minutes showcased an Eagles team that went on a 20-9 run, giving NWC a 42-31 lead at halftime.

Northwestern continued to pour their defense on the Saints while the points kept on coming, as the Eagles built a 19-point lead mid-way through the game's second 20 minutes. Shortly thereafter, both benches began to clear, giving the starters time to rest before Saturday's games. When the final horn blew, the UMAC preseason favorites in Northwestern claimed a 69-55 win over the Saints.

Fans in attendance saw seven lead changes and five ties before Northwestern widened the gap.

A 65.4 percent first half propelled Northwestern to a 53.6 percent shooting night, compared to 41.4 percent for St. Scholastica. 10 of Northwestern's points came on fast breaks – two of which were courtesy of Josh Stelecki (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park) on steal and lay-up combinations.

With the team's absences in Discher, Chris Gonsior and the less-than-100 percent Anderstrom, much of Northwestern's fate rested in the hands of the Hanson brothers – Daniel and Stephen (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy). Hanson & Co. turned in an impressive performance, with Daniel leading the way with 19 points. Stephen took care of the rebounding, grabbing 11 to go with his 10 points for a double-double.

Three Eagles finished with five assists in Strelecki, James Lecheler (Abbotsford, WI/Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) and Dave Zuleger (Wausau, WI/Wausau West) (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West).

After suffering a broken nose and undergoing surgery on Thursday, Anderstrom was a warrior, scoring nine points while grabbing five rebounds from his usual starting position.

Brady Zubke was St. Scholastica's only player in double figures, scoring 19 points.

Northwestern (7-6, 2-0 UMAC) will get less than 24 hours to rest their legs, as Northland College will come to the Ericksen Center for a 5 p.m. bout on Saturday, Jan. 12.