ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team welcomed Buena Vista to the Ericksen Center for Saturday afternoon action. The Eagles, who last faced the Beavers during the 2013-14 season, put together a valiant second half comeback, but came up short in an 87-78 final score.
 
Northwestern moves to 5-5 overall as Buena Vista improves to 4-5 on the year. The Beavers lead the all-time series against Northwestern, 5-1 and have posted wins over Bethany Lutheran and Gustavus Adolphus this season.
 
Down by 12 at the half, the Eagles put together a strong start to second half play – cutting the lead to four following a three-pointer from Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) just three minutes into action.
 
BVU went on another run at the midway point, pulling away to lead by 10 (65-55) after forcing the Eagles into multiple turnovers.
 
With seven minutes remaining, the Eagles started a run of their own. A layup from Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) followed by 13 straight points from Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) cut the deficit to one (76-75).
 
Unfortunately, the Beavers played tough down the stretch, connecting on nine of 10 free throw attempts to seal the win.
 
Freshman Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) put together another dynamic night for the Eagles – leading the team offensively with 23 points and six assists. Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) finished with 12 points after draining four shots from beyond the arc.
 
Northwestern will return from Christmas break on Dec. 28 and 29 when they travel to Oregon to compete against Willamette University and Pacific University. Be sure to check www.unweagles.com for live stats and video links.