Box Score
ST. PAUL -- The Northwestern men's basketball team stands alone at the top of the UMAC standings after defeating Presentation College 67-57 on Friday night in the Ericksen Center. Everyone in an Eagles uniform saw time on the court as NWC won its sixth game in a row this season, beating the team that it shared first place with. Northwestern, 10-6 overall and 5-1 in UMAC play, has yet to lose a game in 2010.
The game's story was much deeper than the ten-point margin that the scoreboard showed, as the Eagles held a 22-point lead at one time before resting their starters for Saturday's matinee affair with the University of Minnesota, Morris.
The Eagles' lead went back and forth between two and four points for a good chunk of the first half until three-pointers by Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) and Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) put Northwestern up 35-23 with 1:34 to go in the period before the home team held a 37-25 lead at the break.
NWC's advantage blew up down the stretch, as more successful attempts from downtown - this time from Garst, Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) and Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) - boosted the Eagles' lead to 15, 19 and eventually 22. Presentation cut Northwestern's lead to 10 with a 10-0 run in the final two minutes, but time expired before the Eagles' advantage could slip to single digits.
Both teams hovered around the 47 percent mark for overall shooting. Northwestern drained 43 percent of its three-point attempts, while Presentation made just three of its 15 attempts from long range. NWC posted a 10-board advantage in total rebounding while each team committed 10 turnovers in the game.
Berens was the Eagles' go-to guy in the time that he played. The senior went 9-15 from the field while making both of his three-point attempts. Berens added 13 rebounds to his game resume, giving him a double-double. Garst added 12 points on a 5-7 performance, and Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
For Presentation, Casey Ericksen led the Saints with 11 points. Richie Cunningham, who killed the Eagles with 39 points on a 16-16 night last season, was held to just four points in the game.
As previously noted, the Eagles will host Minnesota-Morris on Saturday afternoon for what is expected to be a great turnout as the Northwestern Athletic and Admissions Departments host Hoops Hysteria, where one prospective or current Northwestern student could win free tuition for a year. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.
