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Nate Thompson
Al Schuck

Men's Basketball

Men's Hoops can't contain hot-shooting Saints

Box Score

ST. PAUL (Feb. 14, 2009) – The Northwestern College men's basketball team couldn't find the buckets when they seemed to need them the most on Saturday night, as the College of St. Scholastica handed the Eagles a 71-62 loss in the Ericksen Center. The Saints, who have now won seven straight games and nine of their last ten, shot 52 percent from the floor overall and 61 percent from downtown.

Both teams started out hot offensively, as the fast-paced game was knotted up at 20-20 with 8:41 to play in the first half. Neither team was able to gain a real edge on the other, and two of the UMAC's current top three teams were tied 36-36 at halftime. Three pointers were the theme of the first half, as Northwestern went 6-of-8 from long range, while CSS went 7-for-9.

The ties continued in the second half until St. Scholastica went on a 13-0 run that resulted in a 60-47 lead with 8:42 to play in the game. Northwestern was able to cut the Saints' lead to eight, but St. Scholastica's free throw shooting stayed as hot as the rest of its game, and the visitors left St. Paul with a season sweep over Northwestern.

Northwestern countered St. Scholastica's shooting with a 40 percent performance of their own. After making over 63 percent of their shots in the first half, the Eagles couldn't keep pace with their opponents and only made nine of 35 attempts in the final 20 minutes.

Despite NWC's 20-7 advantage in second chance points, the Eagles were outrebounded 30-28.

Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) scored 16 points to lead Northwestern, while Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) and Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Berens was NWC's rebounding leader with seven. Combined with Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford), Northwestern's top three scorers (Hanson, Berens, Lecheler) made 12 of their 38 combined attempts on the night.

Four St. Scholastica players hit double figures, including Danny Schmitz and Chris Hamers, who each had 13 points.

The game's result had big implications on the UMAC standings, as Northwestern (17-6, 9-3 UMAC) falls into a tie for second with St. Scholastica (13-10, 9-3). The Saints hold the crucial tiebreaker between the two squads, having won both meetings this season. In reference to the UMAC postseason tournament, the league's Nos. 1 and 2 teams earn automatic byes, while Seeds 3 through 6 will play an opening round.

Northwestern will look for redemption next Friday, Feb. 20, when the University of Minnesota, Morris comes to town. The Cougars and Eagles will battle it out on the Ericksen Center court beginning at 7:30 p.m.
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