ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team hosted Northland College in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference [UMAC] contest Wednesday evening inside the Ericksen Center. The Eagles went to work, as they defeated the visiting Lumberjacks by a final score of 65-54. With the win, the squad improves to 3-9 on the season and 2-2 in league play.

UNW tallied some quick points early on in the first half, leading 14-4 at the 10:00 minute mark. As the game carried on, the home team added 17 more points to the scoreboard to take a 31-11 advantage into the locker room.

On the half, Northwestern shot just over 38 percent from the floor, while Northland shot a cold 16 percent from the field. The purple and gold also shot an impressive 50 percent from long range, and shot perfectly from the charity stripe.

Throughout the second half action, the visiting Lumberjacks inched their way back into the game, coming within four to the Eagles [53-49] with 2:00 left to play. With efforts that did not quit, the Eagles held on to secure the evening victory, 65-54.

Northwestern ended the game with a 35.6 shooting percentage from the hardwood, while Northland concluded with a 35.7 shooting percentage from the field. As a team, UNW also grabbed 34 rebounds [11 OFF, 23 DEF], tallied 14 assists, collected six steals, and recorded 37 bench points.  

Juniors Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) [17 points], Jacob Gervais (Cottage Grove, Minn./Homeschool) [15 points], and Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) [10 points] all had strong showings, as they each tallied double digits for the Eagles. Gervais also recorded six rebounds, one assist and one steal, while Hageman noted one assist and snatched three boards.

Northwestern will battle St. Scholastica on Saturday, January 6, in another UMAC contest. Game time is set for 3 p.m. in Duluth. Fans can find live links for the gameday coverage at www.unweagles.com.