Box Score

ST. PAUL -- The Northwestern College men's basketball team is one win away from earning its first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament after an 81-58 victory over Martin Luther College on Wednesday night. With the win, which was NWC's 13th straight, the top-seeded Eagles earned the right to host the University of Minnesota, Morris in the UMAC Tournament championship on Saturday.

NWC quickly established momentum as Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) drained a three-pointer 11 seconds into the game. The Eagles fed off of the energy and Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) followed with a three to give the Eagles an 8-2 lead before two minutes had ticked off the clock. Martin Luther briefly took a two-point lead before Chitwood answered with another shot from downtown, and the Purple and Gold was on its way to a double-digit advantage at 22-10. The three-ball was nice to the Eagles all night - NWC finished 10 of 19 from long range - and the home team continued to come back to it. Ellis Libby (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) made a three, then Josh Williams (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake). Despite Northwestern's hot hands, Martin Luther stayed within reach as the two teams went into the locker room with a seven-point difference at 41-34.

The Knights' Galen Hozhueter cut the Eagles' lead to five to kick off the second half before Northwestern went on a 9-2 run to lead 54-41 with 14:45 to play. Martin Luther answered right back with back-to-back baskets to come within five points before a Nate Thompson (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) trey put NWC up 65-53. From there, the lead ballooned to 16 and then to 20 and the Eagles were on their way to Saturday's championship game with an 81-58 victory.

For as much as Northwestern struggled to make shots in last Saturday's regular season finale at Martin Luther, the Eagles made up for it on Wednesday, going 31-55 (56.4 percent) from the field. At the same time that NWC was making its shots from downtown, the Eagles out-scored Martin Luther 34-14 in the paint. As a team, Northwestern posted 24 assists to 11 turnovers, a mark that Tim Grosz's team continues to excel in this season.

Chitwood barely missed all night, making 10 of his 15 attempts for a game-high 24 points to go with six assists. Thompson and Gisler combined to go 8-12, posting 13 and 12 points respectively. Gabe Jefferson (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast) (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) was the Eagles' leading rebounder, pulling down eight boards to go with seven points.

Greg Holzhueter scored 18 points in his final collegiate game to lead Martin Luther. Justin Danell added 13 points and six rebounds for the Knights, who finish their season at 8-17.

With the victory, Northwestern eclipsed the 20-win plateau at 20-6, a feat that the team has accomplished three times in the last four years. The Eagles won't spend much time celebrating though, as there is more work to be done. NWC will welcome Minnesota-Morris back to the Ericksen Center after last seeing them on February 12. The Cougars are the lone UMAC team to beat the Eagles this season, so Saturday's game will be even more meaningful. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the winner punching their ticket into the NCAA's big dance.