ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team picked up a key Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) victory Wednesday night on its home floor, as the Eagles topped Minnesota Morris (7-9, 6-2) , 80-70, to move into second place in the league standings. Northwestern – which made it five wins in a row – betters its season record to 7-9 overall and 6-2 in conference games.

The Eagles continued to shoot the ball well, as they built a 44-39 halftime lead thanks in part to shooting nearly 58 percent from the floor. UNW kept its foot on the gas in the second half, stretching its lead to 15 at the 14:42 mark. The Eagles would then withhold a UMM comeback attempt to secure the victory.

Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) had another strong outing, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Isiah Rahier netted 14 points and dished out for assists. Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) contributed 12 points and Mitchell Weege (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) had a career-high 10 points off the bench. Weege knocked down a pair of big triples in the first half. Colton Simmer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) grabbed a game-high nine boards.

The Eagles shot 54 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from deep and 75 percent at the line. UMM's CD Douglas led all scorers with 28 points.

UNW will remain at home Saturday when they welcome North Central for the annual Hoops Hysteria event. The action gets underway at 3 p.m. inside the Ericksen Center. More information can be found at unweagles.com and by following @unwmbb on Twitter.