ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team won 82-56 over Crown College with a strong defensive performance Saturday afternoon. With five players in double digits, the Eagles rose to the occasion, improving their conference record to 9-2.

Northwestern wasted no time in putting shots on the board, going into halftime with a score of 40-27. Kyle Ooms (Hollandale, MN/Albert Lea High School) had seven rebounds in the first half alone.

UNW reached a 20 point lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game, as the score sat at 56-36. Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) drained a three-pointer just under the nine minute countdown, bringing the Eagles to a 68-45 lead. As time expired, the home team fell 82-56 as the Eagles improved to a UMAC record of 9-2.

Shooting 4-for-5 from behind the arc, Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) led the pack with 14 points, as Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) (13), Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) (12), Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) (12), and Peter Maring (Harris, Minn./Cambridge Christian) (11) all joined him in double digits. Ooms came away with 12 rebounds for the night.

Northwestern's defense held the Storm's offense down, only allowing two players to enter double-digits.
Northwestern will face North Central University in Minneapolis Friday night. UNW, tied with the College of St. Scholastica, are in first place with an overall record of 16-3.