NEW ULM, Minn. -- The Northwestern College men's basketball team started 2010 off on the right foot, defeating conference foe Martin Luther College 73-65 on Friday night. Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) scored 26 points to lead the Eagles.

Down by five points early in the game, Northwestern stormed back with a 17-5 run over seven minutes to take a 36-27 halftime lead. The Knights hung with the Eagles throughout the second half, but Tim Grosz's crew persevered to hang on to a 73-65 victory.

Northwestern made 47 percent of its shot attempts overall in the game, besting Martin Luther's mark of 39 percent. The Eagles' eight-rebound made a difference in the game, especially since the Knights were able to get 16 more shots off in the game. NWC's bench contributed 25 points in the win, much in part to Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville), who combined for 20 points.

Hanson made 8-11 attempts as well as 10 of his 12 tries from the charity stripe to account for 26 points. The senior added 10 rebounds to produce a double-double. Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) scored 12 points

Four players scored in double figures for Martin Luther, including point guard Greg Holzhueter, who paced the team with 16 points on 4-10 shooting.

With the win, Northwestern improves to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in UMAC play. Martin Luther slips to 2-8 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.

The Eagles will battle Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday in a 5 p.m. affair in Mankato, Minn.