DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team traveled to St. Scholastica for Saturday evening UMAC action. The Eagles, who sit in first place in the conference standings and have already secured a playoff berth, had to earn every basket from the resilient Saints. After overcoming a three point deficit with under four minutes remaining, the Eagles clinched a 71-68 final win and at least a share of the conference title. The Eagles will be the No. 1 seed in the UMAC Conference Tournament set for the week of Feb. 18.
 
Despite trailing in the first five minutes of action, the Eagles secured a first half lead and increased it to as much as 12 points (2:30 mark). Northwestern entered the half up 32-25 after shooting 42% from the field and just 23% from beyond the arc.
 
A battle ensued in second half play as the Saints recorded its first lead in over 20 minutes of action at the 15:50 mark. After four more lead changes and back-and-forth scoring, Scholastica managed to hold on to a one point lead with 3:01 on the clock.
 
A pair of free throws by Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) and a jumper from Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) cut the deficit for good. The Saints knocked down a three to tie it up at 66 even with 1:37 on the clock, but Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) answered back – knocking down his second three-pointer of the half to give UNW a three-point edge.
 
The Eagles held on to the late lead, supplemented by two big free throws from Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) and a block by Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) to secure the win.
 
Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) led Northwestern with 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) added 13 on the night after draining three shots from long range. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area), the UMAC's rebounding leader, added 11 points and finished with nine rebounds. Johnny Erickson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) dished out five assists for the Eagles.
 
With the win, Northwestern improves to 17-6 overall, 13-1 in the UMAC and have now won 11 straight. The Saints fall to 13-10, 9-5 in conference play this season.
 
Northwestern will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 13 when they host Minnesota Morris at the Ericksen Center. The Cougars enter the match-up with a 9-14 record and a 6-8 mark in the UMAC. Wednesday night will serve as senior night for the Eagles. Follow the game live via live stats and live video at www.unweagles.com