Box Score

ST. PAUL – Northwestern avenged a one-point loss to Northland College from three weeks ago with a monster 90-39 victory over the LumberJacks to clinch at least a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship. The Eagles, who never trailed, scored 48 points in the paint while shooting 58 percent overall and 55 percent from behind the three-point line.

Northwestern needed little time to jump out to a big lead. After an early 3-2 advantage, the Eagles scored five straight points and used three-pointers from Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) and Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) to lead by 20-9 before eight minutes had ticked off the clock. Northland's lack of baskets helped the Eagles go deep with a run as UNW used a 19-6 spree to go up 32-11 on Blake Van Maanen (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian)'s make from the outside. By the end of the first half, the ballooning-by-the-minute buffer was at 32 in Northwestern's favor, capping off a period that saw the Eagles make 21 of 33 baskets while going a very successful 9-11 from downtown.

The lead continued to grow in the second half as UNW started going into the paint more. Caleb Janson (Pierz, Minnesota/Pierz Healy) and Thomas Shephard (Crystal, N.D./Valley-Edinburg) both made layups to push the lead to 40 at 68-28, shortly before Eagles head coach Tim Grosz went to the deepest part of his bench with eight minutes left to play. Northwestern's lead maxed out at 51 points when Kyle Filzen (Northfield, Minn./Faribault Bethlehem Academy)'s up-and-under layup went through the net in the final minute.

Carney, Gisler and Steven Willey (Fort Calhoun, Neb./Fort Calhoun) all scored in double figures with Carney's 16 leading all players. Willey, the team's lone senior who was playing in his second-to-last regular season game, dished out nine assists while Gisler grabbed a Northwestern-best eight rebounds. As a team, UNW out-rebounded Northland 42-17. 23 of the Eagles' 38 made baskets were assisted.

Tyler Peterson led Northland (4-20, 1-12 UMAC) with 13 points.

The UMAC championship is Northwestern's 25th in program history. The Eagles have won 11 conference titles in the 21st century alone, all of which have been under Grosz's leadership. A Northwestern win on Saturday over St. Scholastica would make the league championship outright. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. in the Ericksen Center.