MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team dropped its regular season finale Saturday at Bethany Lutheran College (17-8, 12-4), 92-82. The Eagles – who clinched their fourth Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title in the last five years Friday – secured the No. 1 seed heading into next week's conference tournament. UNW finishes the regular season 18-7 overall and 13-3 in loop play.

Trailing 45-41 at the break, the Eagles stormed back in the second half and took a four-point lead with 13:41 remaining, but the Vikings went on a run to build a double-digit lead and never looked back.

The Eagles' balanced attack saw five players reach double figures, with senior Peter Maring (Harris, Minn./Cambridge Christian) leading the charge with an impressive 21 points and 10 rebounds. Cody Sprenger (Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) and Will Gisler (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) poured in 16 apiece, while Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) contributed 14 points and Porter Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Home School) 10.

UNW shot 44.4 percent from the field and 20 percent from long range. BLC shot lights out, finishing the night hitting nearly 60 percent from the floor.

UNW will host the winner of Northland and Minnesota Morris next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Ericksen Center. Fans can find more information at www.unweagles.com.