ST. PAUL— With a program-best finish in regular conference season, the University of Northwestern triumphed over Crown College Saturday night with a final score of 76-42. With 44 points off the bench, each Eagle uniform contributed to the undefeated 14-0 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference finish.

Blake Van Maanen (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian) started the game off strong with a shot from downtown in the first 10 seconds of play. Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) went in for a layup leading 9-5 four minutes into the game. Daniel Petkau (Rib Lake, Wis./Rib Lake) assisted the next three baskets, as Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) added five points to the table. The Storm called a timeout at the 14:19 mark as the home team took a 17-6 advantage. With a fouled shot in the paint, Matt Watnemo (Moorhead, Minnesota/Moorhead High School) added three points to the board, taking the Eagles to a 37-13 lead. Thomas With three consecutive Eagle layups, Crown called a timeout as they trailed 43-15 with 1:33 on the board. As time ran out, the Purple and Gold had a giant 44-17 lead at halftime.

Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) added two threes in the first three minutes of play, taking a 33 point lead over Crown. Morrell came in the mix with two layups, bringing the score to 54-19 at 15:32. Janson racked two layups in the seventh minute of the period, providing an extra four point cushion. Eagle bench players saw the court with five minutes remaining, continuing to put pressure on the Storm. Matt Lindgren (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) rose to the occasion with eight points on the board. As time ran out, Northwestern finished the night with a 76-42 score over the visitors.

44 of UNW's 76 points came from the bench. Top shooters of the night included Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) (18) and Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) (11). Carney shot 4 for 5 of three pointers, with 7 of 9 field goals made. Daniel Petkau (Rib Lake, Wis./Rib Lake) had a great night on the court with eight rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Caleb Janson (Pierz, Minnesota/Pierz Healy) was the other players in a UNW uniform to post eight rebounds. Collectively the Eagles shot 51.7 in the field with 41.7 percent behind the arc. Crown's Austin VanDerHeyden scored a solid 13 points, with Trey Peace closely following with 10 points.

Northwestern's victory over the Storm puts the Eagles at a 14-0 finish in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play, the best record in program history. UNW's last undefeated year was in the 1994-1995 season. As the number one seed, the Purple and Gold will host the fourth seed on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in next week's UMAC Tournament.