ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team made a late push, but came up just short against the College of St. Scholastica (10-5, 6-1), dropping a 81-74 decision to the visiting Saints. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 12-3 overall on the year and 5-2 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action.

In a battle of two of the top teams in the league, UNW and CSS traded blows throughout the first 20 minutes of play. The Eagles held a 34-30 advantage heading into the break, as Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) scorched the nets with four first-half 3-pointers.

UNW saw its lead slip away in the second half, as the Eagles went cold from the floor, surrendering a 17-0 run to the Saints. Trailing 69-60 with 3:32 remaining, UNW used three Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) free-throws to trim the Saints' lead to six. That is the closest the Eagles would get, dropping the league contest, 81-74.

Morrell led three Northwestern players in double figures, as the junior finished with 23 points, followed by Carney's 17. Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) notched 10 points and dished out three assists.

UNW shots 47.5 percent from the field, while CSS finished the night with a 46.7 shooting percentage.

The Eagles will look to bounce back tomorrow when they host UW-Superior inside the Ericksen Center at 3 p.m. Fans unable to make it to the game can follow the game via live links at www.unweagles.com.