MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball matched-up with North Central for a Saturday night UMAC contest. The Eagles produced 41 bench points led by Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) with a career-high, 21 to secure an 80-70 win over the Rams. The win marks Northwestern's sixth straight.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a strong start, taking their largest lead (13) with five minutes remaining in the first half. North Central fought back in the second, going up by as much as eight points before Northwestern regained control.
 
Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) scored sixteen of his 21 points in the second half to propel UNW's scoring efforts. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) and Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) each contributed 12 points on the night, while Youngberg also pulled down a team best 10 rebounds (his tenth double-double this season). He currently leads the UMAC in rebounds, averaging 10.4 per game.
 
Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) added nine points, eight boards and two blocks on the night. The Eagles won the battle of the boards, 48-37.
 
Northwestern moves to 12-6 overall, 8-1 in conference play (tied with Bethany Lutheran at the top of the UMAC standings). The Rams fall to 4-13 on the year, 0-9 in the UMAC. The Eagles lead the all-time series against North Central, 76-14 and have won seven straight.
 
The purple-and-gold will return to action on Wednesday, January 23 when they host Crown College in mid-week UMAC action. Tipoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. at the Ericksen Center.