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John Duren
Al Schuck

Men's Basketball

Bethany Lutheran snaps Eagles' nine-game winning streak

Box Score

MANKATO, Minn. (Feb. 6, 2009) – Bethany Lutheran College snapped Northwestern College's nine-game winning streak on Friday night in an overtime thriller that resulted in a 83-78 final. Despite NWC owning a 15-board advantage in the rebounding column, Bethany's 49 percent shooting effort from the field and 43 percent performance from beyond the three-point arc trumped the Eagles.

BLC led by as much as 12 with 1:13 to play in the first half. Northwestern's Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) made back-to-back shots, before Nate Thompson (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) stole the Vikings' ensuing inbounds pass and made a 30-footer as time expired to cap a 10-0 run and cut Bethany's lead to 42-38.

Five minutes in to the second half, a lay-up by Lecheler tied the game at 47 points apiece. After a brief one-point lead by Northwestern, Bethany raced out to a seven point lead with under five minutes to play, keeping all in attendance on the edge of their seat. Coming off a timeout, Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) sent the game to overtime with a lay-up, setting up another nail-biting five minutes of play.

Bethany scored the first basket and never looked back in the overtime period, making all four of its free throw attempts in the final minute to lead by five. Northwestern wasn't able to recover, and the Vikings (9-11, 3-6 UMAC) beat the Eagles for the first time since March 2, 2006.

Northwestern countered with a 44.4 percent shooting effort, but struggled from both long distance (27 percent) and behind the free throw line (61.5 percent). Turnovers haunted the Eagles, especially on the offensive end. Of the team's 18 mistakes, six whistles were blown for offensive fouls.

Berens finished 10 of 18 for 25 points in the game, adding 10 points for a double-double. Lecheler added 16 points, while John Duren (Austin, Minn./Austin) (Austin, Minn./Austin) grabbed 12 rebounds to go with nine points. Hanson contributed 14 points in 28 minutes after committing two fouls in the first half.

Andy Wills and Tommy Saffert led Bethany Lutheran with 25 and 22 points, respectively. Wills and Saffert were the only Vikings to see the free throw line, where both finished 5 of 6. Saffert killed NWC from behind the three-point line, making five of his eight shots.

Following the loss, Northwestern falls to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in the conference with now-conference leader Martin Luther College waiting for the Eagles on Saturday. NWC handed the Knights a loss earlier this year, and could regain a share of the conference lead with a win over Martin Luther. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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