ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team made the short trip down Snelling to take on Hamline University in Wednesday night non-conference action. In a battle that featured 16 lead changes, the Eagles suffered a three point loss to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent, after defeating the Pipers in an overtime thriller last season.
 
Northwestern falls to 3-2 on the year, while Hamline improves to 1-1 overall.
 
The Eagles got off to a strong start, orchestrating an 11-0 run to lead by as much as 11 points (30-19) in first half action. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) scored 12 of UNW's first 30 points to lead the charge. The Pipers fought back with a run of their own – eventually tying it up at 46 points apiece heading into intermission.
 
Northwestern secured a four point lead early in the second half on a three-pointer by Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake). UNW held the lead until the 15:41 mark when the Pipers regained it for the first time in the half. The Eagles would soon take it back to go up by as much as five (69-64) following a Jaron Zwagerman (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) three-pointer.
 
Unfortunately, it was Hamline who would pull ahead with just under five minutes remaining – never to trail again. The Pipers would knock down four of four free throw attempts in the final 14 seconds to hold onto the lead.
 
Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) led UNW offensively with 23 points after draining five shots from beyond the arc and pulling down six boards. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) added 16 points – all coming in the first half. Youngberg's minutes were limited in second half action due to foul trouble.
 
Jaron Zwagerman (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) came off the bench to add 12 points, shooting four of seven from the three. Caleb Waldeck (Santa Clarita, Calif./Hart) also added some efficient minutes for the Eagles – shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field to finish with 8 points and three assists in 17 minutes.
 
The Pipers shot 50% from the three – connecting on 15 of 30 attempts. They were led in scoring by Jake Larson with 19.
 
UNW will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 when they travel to Storm Lake, Iowa to take on Buena Vista University. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. against the Beavers. Follow Northwestern men's basketball all season long on www.unweagles.com