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Men's Basketball

UMAC Champs! Eagles beat St. Scholastica 76-68

Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The Northwestern College men's basketball team won its 22nd Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship on Saturday night after defeating the College of St. Scholastica 76-68. The league title is the Eagles' third in the past four years.

NWC overcame an emotional performance by the host Saints on Senior Night, never allowing St. Scholastica to take the lead after an initial 6-0 run. The Eagles extended their lead to 10 after Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha) (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) nailed a three-pointer with 12:16 to play in the first half. CSS finished the period with a 7-2 run, cutting Northwestern's lead to 35-30 as the teams headed into the locker room.

St. Scholastica's Chris Hamers knocked down a three-pointer five minutes into the second half to bring his team within two, but NWC recovered, as Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford)'s (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) layup with 7:08 to play gave the Eagles a 10-point advantage. Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial), Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) and Hanson all made their free throws as the Saints tried to foul in the final minute, allowing Northwestern to win its 13th straight game of the 2009-10 campaign by a 76-68 score.

While NWC had difficulty hitting its long-range shots, the Eagles certainly did their due duty inside the three-point arch. Overall, Northwestern made 53 percent of its shots. Berens, Lecheler and Hanson contributed to the Eagles' overall success in the game, as all three made over half of their attempts from the field. Berens was 10-14 for 24 points and 11 rebounds to produce a double-double. The senior eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the game, and now stands at 1,005 points.  Berens is the 22nd Northwestern player to join the 1,000 Point Club.

Lecheler finished 6-10 and Hanson 5-8 for 13 and 15 points, respectively. When NWC was hot from downtown, it was Hanson who fueled the fire as the senior made three of his four attempts.

In addition to the final points tally, Northwestern controlled the glass as well, maintaining a 39-24 advantage on the boards. Despite committing more turnovers than their opponents, the Eagles posted 13 assists to St. Scholastica's seven.

With the win, NWC assures itself of the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the UMAC postseason tournament. The Eagles will host the winner of the Nos. 3 and 6 seeds on Thursday, Feb. 25. While Northwestern is just one victory away from tying the school record of 14 straight wins, which is held by the 1994-95 squad, the Eagles' schedule certainly does not get any easier from here. Next weekend, NWC will travel west to face Minnesota-Morris and Presentation, who currently stand in second and third places in the conference standings. A battle with the Cougars in Morris, Minn. will commence at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19 before Presentation hosts the Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m.
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