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Stephen Hanson
Al Schuck

Men's Basketball

10: Eagles remain perfect in 2010 with 89-73 win over Bethany Lutheran

Box Score

ST. PAUL -- The Northwestern College men's basketball team is on a roll, having not lost a game since December 15, 2009. Friday proved to be another good day for the Eagles as NWC came from behind to win 89-73 in a matchup of the UMAC's two hottest teams. The victory was Northwestern's 10th straight.

Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) had a career-high 20 points in the game as the Eagles battled back from a nine-point deficit with five minutes to play in the first half. Down 36-27, Northwestern went on a 17-5 run to take the lead back and go into the locker room with a 49-44 advantage. NWC pushed its lead to double digits when Garst hit a three-pointer at the 14:40 mark, and the home team extended the scoring margin to as much as 18 before settling on an 89-73 final score. In addition to Garst's career night, the Eagles' 89 points was a team high for the 2009-10 season.

Northwestern made over half of its shots overall as evidenced by its 34 made baskets in 66 attempts. Despite playing from behind for a majority of the first period, the Eagles drained 60 percent of their shots in the first half while making seven shots from downtown in the same 20 minutes. On the other side of the court, Bethany Lutheran, who entered the Ericksen Center having won four of its last five games, countered with a 48 percent performance. The Vikings matched Northwestern's accuracy in the first half, but only made 37 percent of their shots in the second half before going back to Mankato with a loss.

Four different Eagles scored in double figures on the night including Garst's 20 points, Reid Berens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial)' (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) 18 and Stephen Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha)'s (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) 15. Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) made three straight three-pointers at one point before finishing the game with 11 points. In addition to the team's high-scoring affair, Northwestern also dished out a season-high 23 assists. Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) led the way in that category with five assists, while Eric Garst (Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain) tallied four. Hanson created a trio of made baskets with his passes while grabbing four steals on the night.

Stephone Frederick paced Bethany Lutheran's attack with 16 points on 7-8 shooting. The Vikings' big man also recorded 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Tommy Saffert became Bethany's all-time leading scorer on Friday night. The senior, who is on pace to shatter the 400-assist mark in his collegiate career, scored 15 points (he needed seven to break the record), bringing him to 1,170 over four years' time. All four of Saffert's made baskets were from behind the three-point line.

With the win, Northwestern improves to a conference-best 8-1 record and 14-6 overall, while Bethany slips to 5-14 overall and 5-4 in UMAC play. The Eagles currently maintain a two-game edge over the University of Minnesota-Morris and Presentation College with each team having five league contests left on their schedule. NWC could improve its UMAC record to 9-1 on Saturday, when the Eagles welcome Martin Luther College to the Ericksen Center. While the Knights are 2-7 in the conference, last year's UMAC co-champions are coming off a five-point victory at Crown and will hope to continue their momentum as the two teams tip off at 5 p.m.
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