ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team couldn't overcome a second-half scoring drought, as the Eagles fell to visiting Central College 76-61 Saturday evening inside the Ericksen Center. UNW drops to 0-2 on the season, while the Dutch – an NCAA Tournament team in 2016 – improve to 2-0.

After an evenly played first 20 minutes of basketball, Central went on an 18-0 run over a span of five minutes to take a 63-45 advantage – a lead they wouldn't surrender. The Eagles continued to battle – pulling within 10 at the 3:19 mark, but couldn't get any closer, dropping the non-conference tilt.

Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) led a trio of players in double figures, as the senior poured in 14 points. Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) contributed 13 points and pulled down eight boards, while Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) chipped in 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Peter Maring (Harris, Minn./Cambridge Christian) also snatched eight rebounds for the Eagles and Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) dished out a game-high five assists.

Northwestern shot 34.4 percent (23-of-65) from the floor and just 24 percent (6-of-25) from long range. Central finished the contest shooting 45 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from downtown. UNW committed 11 turnovers in the game.

The Eagles will look to right the ship when they host Macalester College at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Fans can find more information at www.unweagles.com.