ST. PAUL – Backed by a 23-2 start and four players in double figures, the University of Northwestern men's basketball team avenged its early-season loss to conference-leading Bethany Lutheran (13-8, 9-3 UMAC) Wednesday night inside the Ericksen Center with a 78-65 victory over the Vikings. UNW evens its overall season record at 10-10 and improves to 8-3 in UMAC play.
 
Northwestern couldn't have asked for a better start as they held BLC to just two points in the game's first 10 minutes, while scoring 23 points on their end. The Eagles led 42-20 at the half before taking the contest, 78-65.
 
Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) led the way for the Eagles, as the sophomore used his athleticism around the rim to finish with a game-high 17 points. Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) went a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe en route to finishin with 15 points, while Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) and Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) chipped in 13 points apiece.
 
UNW shot 50 percent from the floor and took care of the basketball, committing a season-low four turnovers.
 
The Eagles will continue conference play Saturday when they travel to Ashland, Wis., for a date with the Northland College Lumberjacks. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. Fans can find more information at unweagles.com and by following @unwmbb on Twitter.