Box Score
ST. PAUL – Saturday's nonconference men's basketball game between Northwestern College and Hamline University featured each team showcasing its strength as the Eagles escaped the Pipers 91-85 in overtime to remain undefeated at 4-0 on the young season. NWC led by 17 points early before the visitors used a full court press and a fast paced offense to come back and eventually own a 13-point advantage. The Eagles managed to rally back for a tie on their home court before outscoring Hamline 16-10 in extra time to earn the victory.
Everything was working well for Northwestern early in the game. On offense, the Eagles were getting their shots, putting up 21 points in the first seven minutes. NWC was finding success on defense too, holding the Pipers to just four points in the same amount of time to lead by 17. Hamline started finding the basket as time churned on, pulling within eight points, 23-15, on Wesley Pinera's made free throw. The Pipers cut the Eagles' margin to five before
Ellis Libby (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) hit a jumper shortly before the first half buzzer sounded to give Northwestern a 39-32 halftime lead. Despite owning a seven point buffer, NWC had already committed more turnovers in the first period (nine) than the Eagles had averaged per game before Saturday's battle.
A change in the game's theme was looming as Hamline started to play better defense to start the second half, thanks much in part to a full court press that Northwestern had a difficult time managing. Within the span of four minutes' time, the Pipers turned their seven-point deficit into a 10-point lead. NWC found a way to stop the bleeding as
Wade Chitwood (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and
Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) hit jump shots to pull the Eagles within four. Baskets by Hamline's Austin Johnson and Dior Ford bumped the Pipers' advantage right back to 10 before a Ford three-pointer gave HU a 68-55 lead with 7:41 to play in regulation. Cue the Northwestern comeback, starting with layups by
Matt Watnemo (Moorhead, Minnesota/Moorhead High School) and
Tom Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) to slice the Hamline buffer to single digits. Chitwood nailed a trey at 4:24, giving the Eagles hope at 72-66 as NWC was in the midst of a 13-4 run. As time ticked under the two minute mark of the second half, Libby hit back-to-back shots, the second of which was from downtown, to tie the score at 75 points apiece. Neither team made a basket the rest of the way, with Northwestern forcing three missed baskets on Hamline's end to leave the game's end result up to another five minutes of play in overtime.
Chitwood hit the first bucket of the extra period, setting the tone for Northwestern in its first overtime session of the 2012-2013 season. The senior then hit a three-pointer a minute later, giving the Eagles an 80-75 edge with 3:39 to go. The lead lasted for almost two minutes until three straight baskets by the Pipers gave Hamline a one-point lead with just under two minutes left. Gisler responded with a successful deep ball, and another Chitwood jumper bumped the NWC advantage to four as the game entered what would be its final minute. Libby made two free throws in that minute and the Eagles watched time expire with a grueling 91-85 win in their pocket.
Northwestern finished 36 of 73 from the field for a 49.3 field goal percentage, going 16-29 in the second half and 6-10 in overtime to inch that mark up. The Eagles made just 10 of their 30 three-point attempts on the night, but scored 16 second chance points after out-rebounding the Pipers 48-38. NWC's 20 turnovers were easily a season high, as were the team's 10 blocks, four of which were from Libby's hands.
Gisler was Northwestern's top scorer, making seven of 15 attempts for 20 points to go with eight rebounds. Chitwood followed with 18 and nine boards, while
Lance Westberg (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) also grabbed nine rebounds. To round out the senior performance, Libby's line read 12 points on 4-7 shooting, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals in 33 minutes.
Hamline's Ford led all players with 23 points, playing down the stretch of the second half and almost all the way through the overtime session with four fouls. Noah Aguirre added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Pipers (2-1), who received nine points and six steals from Wesley Pinera. Hamline scored 50 of its 85 points in the paint while netting 23 points off of turnovers.
Northwestern, now 4-0 after the first day of its 2012-2013 campaign, will take a one-day breather before returning to the gym to prepare for a midweek game against the University of Wisconsin-Superior next Wednesday. The Eagles have yet to find their shooting stride, but have made up for it on the glass, averaging six more rebounds per game compared to their opponents. Wednesday's tipoff against the Yellowjackets is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following a 5:30 p.m. women's game between the same two schools.
