MANKATO, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team dropped its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference [UMAC] opening contest against Bethany Lutheran College [3-5, 1-0 UMAC], 97-72, Wednesday evening on the road. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 1-5 on the year and 0-1 in league play.

BLC put together a strong first period, holding the lead the entire frame to boast a 55-37 advantage at the intermission break.

On the half, the Eagle managed to hit 46.9 percent of their shots, while the Vikings shot 62.8 percent from the field.

Throughout the second half, Bethany Lutheran continued to dominate the offensive front, outscoring Northwestern 42-35 to run away with a 97-72 victory on the evening battle.

Concluding the contest, the Eagles shot 48.3 percent from the hardwood, while the Vikings finished with a 57.1 shooting percentage. As a team, UNW also tallied a noteworthy 26 points off the bench, totaled a season-high 19 assists, and grabbed 27 rebounds [7 OFF, 20 DEF].

Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) saw his best game, as he cashed in a career-high 16 points. The sophomore guard went 6-for-9 from the field, 4-for-5 from the free throw line, all while finishing off the night with four boards, three assists, and one steal. Junior Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) was the only other Eagle to record double figures on the evening contest, pouring in 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) also had a good game, tallying nine points, while teammate Jacob Gervais (Cottage Grove, Minn./Homeschool) collected eight and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Northwestern will face North Central University on Saturday, December 9, in Minneapolis. Tip-off between the two teams is slated for 3 p.m. Fans can find live links for the mid-day action at www.unweagles.com.