ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team matched up against St. Scholastica in Saturday evening action at the Ericksen Center. The Eagles, who trailed the Saints by 15 at the half, orchestrated a thrilling second-half comeback to record an 81-75 final win.
 
The Saints shot 51% and drained eight three-pointers in the first 20 minutes to take a 46-31 lead through 20 minutes of action. The Eagles began inching their way back in the second half – cutting the lead to as little as seven just five minutes into the half. The momentum continued when Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) scored six straight points followed by a jumper from Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) to pull Northwestern within four (57-53).
 
UNW's outside shooters came alive sparked by a three-pointer from Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) followed by two straight three-balls from Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), handing Northwestern a four point lead with just under five minutes to play.
 
Smart and steady play by the Eagles coupled with a strong defensive effort that held Scholastica scoreless for four straight minutes down the stretch resulted in the UNW win.
 
Northwestern improves to 8-6 overall, 4-1 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Scholastica falls to 5-8 on the year, 3-3 in the UMAC. The Eagles sit near the top of the conference standings now as Bethany Lutheran holds a 5-1 mark and UNW is tied up with Crown at 4-1 on the year. Northwestern leads the all-time series against the Saints, 57-31
 
It was a well-rounded effort for the purple and gold tonight as five players finished with double-digit scoring totals. Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) led the way, scoring 17 points after making four of eight shots from beyond the arc. Junior Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) put together another double-double (his eighth this season) by pulling down 14 rebounds and tacking on 15 points.
 
Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) and Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) scored 14 apiece as the pair went a collective six of 12 from three-point range. Moore dished out a team-best six assists, while Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) added 12 points for the Eagles.
 
Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) pulled down 10 rebounds, and the Eagles won the battle of the boards, 43-40.
 
Northwestern will return to action on Wednesday, January 9 when they travel to Superior, Wis. to take on the Yellowjackets. UW-Superior holds a 2-12 mark this season and are 1-5 in conference action. Follow the game online via live stats or live video.