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Men's Basketball

Big first half helps Eagles overcome North Central

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Northwestern College used a strong first half to establish a foundation and fend off North Central University 84-73 in the Rams' gymnasium on Tuesday night. Three Eagles had double-digit points in the first 20 minutes while the Eagles were an even 50 percent from behind the three-point line for the game.

It didn't take long for NWC to develop a presence, as the Purple and Gold turned a 2-0 North Central lead into a 10-point Eagles advantage in a matter of three minutes. Ethan Benton (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Mar) had eight points in the stretch, which included two treys for the 6-5 center. Northwestern continued to push the score, leading 27-14 after Brent Kettenacker (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) drained a three of his own before the lead topped out at 16 on a Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) jumper. The Eagles went into the locker room with a comfortable 48-34 edge at halftime having scored 12 second chance points in the period.

Behind their fiery crowd, North Central started a comeback early on in the second, cutting NWC's advantage to 10 and then seven on made baskets from Jordan Harrell and Andrew Berndt. The Rams got as close as five points with 3:32 left on the clock, but Chitwood hit a timely trey and forced the home team into a fouling scenario before the Eagles led 84-73 at the buzzer.

The Eagles' 15 offensive rebounds and just eight turnovers helped Northwestern maximize its time with the ball. NWC shot 42 percent for the game while going 9 of 18 from long distance. Chitwood, who recorded a career-high 31 points against Luther on Saturday, finished with 23 points, while Benton and Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) added 18 and 17 respectively. Benton was one rebound shy of a double-double at nine boards.

Berndt had 21 points as North Central (4-5) shot 47 percent for the game. While much of the Rams' offensive production came in the paint, NCU made just one of eight three-point attempts on the night.

Northwestern improved to 5-4 overall following the win, having won three straight. The Eagles will turn their attention to this weekend, when NWC will fly to Washington to face Whitworth College and Whitman University on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, two powerful teams. Whitworth is currently ranked eighth in the nation according to the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
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