MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team knew it would be a battle when they hit the road to take on Bethany Lutheran in Wednesday night UMAC action. The Vikings, who were tabbed the top team by league coaches this preseason, fell to the Eagles in both meetings last year. Tonight's contest featured a battle to the very buzzer as the Eagles lost a late lead in regulation before falling one basket shy in overtime. Bethany Lutheran pulled off the 100-98 win in 45 minutes of action.
 
Northwestern falls to 5-5 on the year and 2-1 in the UMAC. The Vikings improve to 5-3 (3-0) this season. UNW still owns the all-time series, 28-11.
 
Things were looking good for the Eagles, who led by as much as 18 in the first half following a three-pointer from Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) (2:06). In fact, the Eagles entered the break up by 16 (54-38) after shooting 50% from the field and knocking down eight three-pointers.
 
The Vikings quickly chipped away at the deficit in second half action, pulling within one (69-68) just 10 minutes into play. Bethany continued to groove, going up by as much as five with 4:55 remaining. The Eagles battled back, aided by 10 straight points from Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) to take a four point lead with 47 seconds remaining. The Vikings would manage to score twice, sending the battle to overtime. They shot an impressive 64% from the field in the half. 
 
The back-and-forth battle ensued in extra minutes as every basket counted and neither team missed a free throw. A layup by Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) and three-pointer by Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) tied it up at 96 apiece before the Vikings drew a foul and drained both shots from the line. The Eagles tied it up again on a layup from Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), but the Vikings got a shot to go with six seconds on the clock to win it.
 
Six UNW players finished in double-digit scoring led by Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) with 27. Alm drained five shots from beyond the arc and 10 of 10 free throw attempts. Youngberg finished with 17 points and nine boards, while Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) tacked on 14, Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) added 11 and Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) finished with 10 on the night. The Eagles were nearly perfect at the line, making 20 of 21 attempts.
 
Northwestern will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 when they welcome St. Scholastica to the Ericksen Center. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. against the Saints.
 
Follow UNW men's basketball online this season at www.unweagles.com or on Instagram and Twitter at @unwmbb.