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Stephen Hanson
Al Schuck

Men's Basketball

Four hit double digits in Eagles' 74-63 win over Morris

Box Score

ST. PAUL (Feb. 20, 2009) – The Northwestern College men's basketball team gave the home crowd an exciting performance on Friday night, as the Eagles defeated the University of Minnesota, Morris 74-63. With the win, NWC still has a chance to claim a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship, as Martin Luther and Northwestern remain one game apart with the current league leader facing St. Scholastica on Saturday. An Eagles victory over Presentation on Saturday afternoon would guarantee a bye in the first round of the UMAC tournament, which begins on Tuesday.

After back-and-forth scoring in the game's opening minutes, a three-pointer by Mike Schramm (Roseville, Minn./Mounds View) (Roseville, Minn./Mounds View) capped off a 7-0 run for Northwestern, giving the home team an 18-8 lead. A few minutes later, the Eagles extended their advantage to 16 points after back-to-back baskets by Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) and Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy).  The Cougars from Minnesota, Morris roared back with five straight points of their own, cutting NWC's lead to 34-23 at halftime.

Morris came out hot to start the second half, turning Northwestern's once-16 point lead into a three-point margin with 14:34 left in the game. The Cougars' Mitch Primus later shrunk the Eagles' advantage to two, but head coach Tim Grosz's squad would have nothing more of it, as NWC rallied to end the game with a 74-63 win.

Northwestern's 16-for-29 performance in the second half put the Eagles over 50 percent for the game, as the team finished 30 of 58 for 52 percent. The long shots were falling for NWC too, as the team made eight of its 15 attempts from behind the three-point arc. The Eagles were able to hold Morris at bay as the Cougars made 41 percent of their field goal attempts on the night.

Four players finished in double figures for Northwestern, including Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial), who recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Berens was one of four Eagles who turned in impressive shooting performances. The junior made 8 of his 10 attempts, while Garst finished 6-for-7, scoring 13 points to go with five assists. Hanson and Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) rounded out the team's top scorers, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Both Hanson and Lecheler had crowd-pleasing moments in the game, as Hanson threw down a few dunks while Lecheler, a 6-1 guard, had his hand in four blocks.

Zach Meyer had 19 points to lead Minnesota-Morris (12-12, 8-5 UMAC), who will go into the UMAC tournament as the No. 4 seed.

The Eagles, who improve to 18-6 overall (10-3 UMAC), will resume play in a 5 p.m. Saturday showdown with Presentation. Northwestern, who will celebrate its seniors, parents and alumni on the same day, can secure the league's No. 2 seed and the first-round bye with a win.
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