ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team welcomed Bethany Lutheran to the Ericksen Center to kick off Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action Wednesday evening. The Eagles defeated the reigning UMAC Champion Vikings 86-72 in final scoring.
 
With the win, Northwestern leads the all-time series with Bethany Lutheran, 27-11. The Eagles move to 4-3 overall and start conference play with a 1-0 mark. The Vikings were picked to finish 1^st overall in the 2018-19 UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
After leading 40-39 at intermission, Northwestern extended the lead to 10 (64-54) midway through the second half. The Eagles shot an impressive 58% down the stretch and outrebounded the Vikings 45-32 to secure the win.
 
Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) put together another strong night for Northwestern as the junior forward finished with 20 points, eight boards and five assists. Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) added 17 points and shot six for eight from the field, while Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) tacked on 15 points for the Eagles and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) was the fourth and final UNW player to score in double-digits. Peterson added 11 points.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 8 when they welcome North Central University to the Ericksen Center. Tipoff is slated for 4:45 p.m. against the Rams who enter the contest 4-5 overall following a UMAC loss to Martin Luther.  
 
Follow UNW men's basketball online this season at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unwmbb.