Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Jan. 4, 2008) – Friday's game put the wrong icing on the cake for the Northwestern College men's basketball team, as the Eagles dropped their third straight contest in the game's final seconds. This time, Finlandia University was the successor, defeating Northwestern 79-77 in the Ericksen Center.

Finlandia came out of the gate hot, riding a 60 percent rate from behind the 3-point arc in the first half. Much of the Lions offense came from Tyler Gordon, who was 4-of-5 from downtown on his own to post 16 points after 20 minutes when Finlandia held a 42-41 lead.

The Lions offense continued to stay hot in the second half, increasing their lead to nine points with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Northwestern clawed back though, using an 11-2 run to tie the game at 77-77 with the clock reading :42. Finlandia's Ryan Artley scored on a lay-up with nine seconds left to put the Lions up 79-77, and after a host of fouls and timeouts, Finlandia clung to their two-point lead through the final seconds.

Northwestern finished the game at an even 50 percent shooting for the evening. The Eagles' 3-point attempts were the exact opposite though, as NWC managed a 28.6 rate for the game (16.7 percent in the second half). Turning to Finlandia (6-8), the Lions equaled Northwestern at 50 percent both from the field and behind the Golden Arch.

Friday's contest featured 15 lead changes and nine ties.

One difference maker in the game's final 30 seconds was the absence of Northwestern's Mike Anderstrom (Woodbury, MN/New Life Academy) (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy). Anderstrom, who was the Eagles' steady man all night, went out with an injury and NWC never seemed to regain the steam that brought them even with the Lions. The senior finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds to record a double-double – his third of the season.

Adding to Anderstrom's 24 was Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy), who scored 14 points in the loss. Josh Strelecki (Crystal Falls, MI/Forest Park) (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park), who played his first year of collegiate basketball at Finlandia, contributed 10 points, respectively. Daniel Hanson (Plymouth, MN/Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy), the Eagles' leading point-scorer, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Feeding Anderstrom, amongst others, was Dave Zuleger (Wausau, WI/Wausau West) (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West), who tallied seven assists.

Finlandia's Gorden finished 9-for-15 from the field (6-of-7 from 3-point range) to lead the Lions with 24 points and seven assists. Artley Also added 13 points in FU's third win in four games.

Following the loss, Northwestern (6-6) will close the door on their non-conference schedule and hope to start anew next Friday, Jan. 11, when they host UMAC-rival St. Scholastica in the Ericksen Center. Friday's tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.