ST. PAUL – The College of St. Scholastica ended Northwestern College's 15-game winning streak and more importantly, the Eagles' life in the UMAC Conference Tournament in a 75-71 final on Thursday evening.  NWC nearly overcame a 21-point deficit, but the team that always seems to get in the Eagles' way come tournament time held to advance to Saturday's tournament championship.

St. Scholastica's defense gave Northwestern problems from the get-go, forcing the Eagles to shoot a lot of jump shots.  A majority of those shots didn't fall through, and NWC found itself losing ground as the Saints gained steam.  Northwestern ended the first half down 39-24 with a dismal 29.4 percent shooting percentage while St. Scholastica drained 67 percent of its shots, including four of its five three-point attempts.

After losing 56-35 with 11:59 to play in the game, the Eagles mounted a comeback.  NWC finally started to find its driving lanes while having a little more success from outside and progressively cut St. Scholastica's lead to 15, eight and eventually two.after Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) drained a three-pointer with 1:06 left.  The Saints made five of their six free throw attempts, and time ran out on the Eagles as the scoreboard read 75-71.

The Eagles ended the game with a 39 percent performance from the field while St. Scholastica finished with a 63 percent mark.  Northwestern out-rebounded its opponent and committed four less turnovers, but the mid-game margin was too great for the Eagles to overcome.

Berens led the Eagles with 18 points and 13 rebounds to notch a double-double.  Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) followed with 17 points, while Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) added 13 points.  Berens and Robbie Anderstrom (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) were the only Northwestern players to make more than half of their attempts in the game.

St. Scholastica's Danny Schmitz tore the Eagles in half, making eight of his 15 shots for 26 points, including a huge three-pointer in the final minute of the game.  Big man Brett Tester added 19 points as the Saints made 38 points in the paint.

Northwestern, now 19-7 overall in 2009-10, will shift their attention to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) after Thursday's loss.  The Eagles have tentatively slated a region championship game with Judson University for Saturday, March 6 in the Ericksen Center.  nwceagles.com will have details about that game as they become available.