ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team used double-digit scoring efforts from five players to advance to its sixth-straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament championship Wednesday evening. UNW defeated visiting North Central University (13-13) 88-66 in the semifinal round of the conference tournament inside the Ericksen Center. The Eagles, who move their record to 21-5, advance to Saturday's championship game.

The Eagles used a strong night shooting the basketball to snap a two-game skid. Northwestern finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 47.06 percent from long range.

In a fast-paced first half, the Eagles got back-to-back threes from Michael Carney (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) to open a 38-24 lead. NCU battled back, trimming the lead to as little as seven, but a triple from freshman Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) gave the Eagles a 45-33 lead at the break.

After the Rams cut UNW's lead to six in the first two minutes of the second half, Northwestern went on an 11-0 run to extend its lead to 56-39. The Eagles never looked back and secured their sixth-consecutive trip to the tournament final.

Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) led a balanced scoring attack, netting 13 points, while Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) and Bazile Jr. finished with 12 apiece. Carney (11) and Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) (10) also reached double figures. Sprenger also distributed a game-high six dimes.

UNW's bench was dominant, outscoring NCU's 33-13.  

The Eagles will travel to Duluth on Saturday for a showdown with St. Scholastica in the UMAC Tournament Championship. The third meeting betweent the two foes will tip-off at 7 p.m. Fans can visit www.unweagles.com for more information.