ST. PAUL -- Saturday evening's men's basketball game didn't turn out to be all it was billed for, as Northwestern College easily handled the University of Minnesota, Morris in a battle of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's (UMAC) two best teams by a 78-62 final score.  With the win over the Cougars, the Eagles won their 23rd league championship and the team's fourth in the last five years.

Northwestern led by as much as 25 in the first half before going into the locker room with a 47-25 halftime lead. The Eagles had their first double-digit lead of the game at 17-7 with five minutes barely having ticked off the clock before owning a 20-point edge after Ethan Benton (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Mar)'s (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Lin Mar) layup with 5:20 left in the first period.  Minnesota-Morris cut the margin down to 16 and 17 a few times in the second half, but the Cougars weren't able to get any closer on the scoreboard.

NWC shot an even 50 percent for the game, making 33 of its 66 attempts. Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) accounted for six of the Eagles' seven three-pointers on the night as the home team boasted four players in double figures.  Chitwood and Gisler each had 15 points, while Brian Lecheler (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) and Nate Thompson (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) added 10 apiece.  As a team, the Eagles posted 21 assists to nine turnovers, while the Cougars tallied seven assists and 12 mistakes.

Brendan Foss led Minnesota-Morris with 17 points off the bench.

Now 17-6 overall (11-1 UMAC), NWC has won 10 consecutive games dating back to January 15. The Eagles only loss since Christmas break came against the Cougars in Morris.

While the Eagles have secured the No. 1 seed in the UMAC Tournament, the Purple and Gold still has two regular season league games left to play. Northwestern will hit the road next Friday to face Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn. before wrapping up the conference schedule against Martin Luther College on Saturday in New Ulm, Minn.  The conference tournament kicks off on February 23.