ST. PAUL, Minn.— The University of Northwestern-St. Paul men's basketball team claimed the victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stout Saturday night at the Ericksen Center. In a tight match-up, the Eagles held on to the lead and execute when they needed it most.

Northwestern took an early 9-0 lead over the Blue-Devils, forcing a timeout with 17:36 on the clock. Stout put their first four points on the board four minutes into the game as the Eagles held the lead at 11-4. As the Blue-Devils picked up speed, they improved to a 19-12 deficit behind the Eagles with 12 minutes left in the half. Caleb Jansen took his third fouled shot of the night, adding a point from behind the charity stripe increasing UNW's lead to 23-15. The Blue-Devils didn't relent, narrowing their deficit to only two points with nine minutes to go. Northwestern refused to let up, as they gained a whopping 16 point lead with just over two minutes in the first period. Letting the clock run out, the Eagles held possession in the final minute of play, until Stout's Jarvis Raglands made a buzzer-beater layup. UNW led UW-Stout 40-30 at halftime.

Sam Ortmann made his third three pointer of the night two minutes into the second period as the Blue-Devils were down 35-42. Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) came in with a layup, putting the Eagles at a five point advantage. As Stout continued to stay within reach of the lead, John Lahti tipped a shot in from an offensive rebound bringing the score to 45-48, just three points behind the Eagles with 13 minutes on the board. With UNW missing shots left and right, Stout took the lead for the first time of the game with eight minutes left in the period. D'Marcco Patrick made a jumper, putting the Blue-Devils at a 58-52 lead. Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) added a trey with six minutes remaining, putting the Eagles just one point behind Stout, until Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) executed a lay-up, forcing a Stout timeout as UNW took back the lead. Janson's fifth shot fouled tonight gained him the extra credit point. A pair of charity points from Morrell added cushion to the Eagles' four point lead. Head coach Tim Grosz called a timeout with 1:01 on the board as UNW had possession with a three point advantage. Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) nailed a jumper in the paint with 40 seconds remaining, with Stout's Jarvis Ragand responding a few seconds later with a shot from downtown to make it a two point game with 30 seconds remaining. Kyle Ooms (Hollandale, MN/Albert Lea High School) stepped up to the charity stripe with 22 seconds left bringing the lead to 67-64. With an additional foul on the court, Janson added two free throws to the board bringing Northwestern to a 69-64 victory.

UNW's Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) led the pack with 19 points with Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) (17) and Caleb Janson (Pierz, Minnesota/Pierz Healy) (16) close behind. Shooting 35.5 percent of field goals and 27.3 percent of three-pointers, the Eagles still managed to claim the victory. In comparison, the Blue Devils' top shooter was Jarvis Ragland with a giant 26 points, stealing the show. Stout shot a 39.7 percent of field goals and 37.5 percent of threes.

Northwestern (2-8) will play again on Monday night at 7 p.m. as travel to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. The Eagles will start conference play after Christmas break as they host North Central on January 10th at 5 p.m.