ASHLAND, Wis. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team hit the road to resume Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play against Northland College Wednesday evening. The Eagles shot 60% from the field and put together two, 48-point halves to defeat the Lumberjacks in a 96-75 final.
 
With the win, Northwestern improves to 7-6 overall and 3-1 in UMAC action. Northland falls to 3-10 on the year and hold a 1-3 start in conference play. The Eagles lead the all-time series against the Lumberjacks, 48-19.
 
Senior guard Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) scored the first bucket of the night and continued to provide steady offense for the Eagles throughout the conference match-up. Northwestern lost the lead just once (down one) before steadily increasing the scoring gap to lead by as much as 21 points in the second half.
 
The Eagles shot an impressive 61% from the field in first half play, and wavered just slightly (shooting 57%) in the second. They connected on 50% of shots from beyond the arc – led by Hageman who connected on three of four attempts.
 
Four Northwestern players finished with double-digit point totals as Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) garnered 25, making 10 of 14 from the field. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) added 19 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
 
Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) finished with 10 points and five assists, while Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) added 15 points in just 14 minutes of action. Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) also dished out five assists on the night.
 
Northwestern will return to action on Saturday, January 5 when they welcome St. Scholastica to the Ericksen Center. Tipoff is slated for 4:45 p.m. against the Saints, following the women's game. Scholastica enters the match-up with a 5-7 mark this season (3-2 in the UMAC).