COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team hit the court at Sexton Arena for the Eagles second round NCAA tournament game against no. 4 UW-Oshkosh. The reigning division III runner-up Titans hold national ranks in scoring margin, rebounding margin and turnovers per game. It was the opponent's first-half shooting, however, that proved unstoppable. Oshkosh knocked down 17 three-pointers on 51% shooting in the contest to secure a 108-86 victory.
 
The Titans jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) connected on a jumper in the paint to get the Eagles on the board. Despite falling down 9-2, the Eagles came soaring back after three-pointers from Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) and Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) drew Northwestern within one (9-8).
 
Speaking of three-pointers, UW-Oshkosh couldn't seem to miss one. The Titans drained 11 in the first half alone – connecting on over 52% of attempts to hold a 57-38 lead at the half.
 
The 19-point deficit wasn't for lack of effort from sharp-shooter, Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake). The sophomore poured in 19 points on eight of nine shooting to lead the Eagles with 19 points in the first 20 minutes.
 
The second half looked promising as Bellefeuille knocked down a quick three-pointer to get things going. Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) followed suit before Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) did the same – forcing an Oshkosh time out as the deficit quickly diminished to just 12 points.
 
Northwestern continued to make it rain – this time it was Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) from deep to pull within 10. On the next possession, Moore got to the hole to cut the lead to eight (60-52).
 
In a series of back-and-forth scoring, the Eagles hung with but suffered a major setback when leading-scorer Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) went down with a game ending injury.
 
The Titans size and inside game took over – propelling them to a game-best 27 point lead. The Eagles committed 10 turnovers, while Oshkosh finished with just six as the no. 4 Titans cruised to a 108-86 final win.
 
Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) led Northwestern with 29 points. Seniors Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan) and Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee) went out in style, dropping in 15 and 12 points respectively. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) added 14 points and 11 rebounds – his 14th double-double to close out the season.
 
UW-Oshkosh will advance to the Sweet Sixteen, set for March 8 and 9.

The Eagles finish the year with a 22-7 overall mark as the Titans put an end to UNW's 16-game winning streak (the second best in UNW history).

Five seniors wrapped up impressive careers for the Eagles. Brady Bellefeuille (Frazee, Minn./Frazee), Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City), Anderson Bazile Jr. (Houston, Tex./San Antonio Reagan), Colton Simmer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and Noah Hill (Denton, Tex.) end the year on a memorable note – leading Northwestern to the program's eighth NCAA tournament in the past nine years and a first round win over No. 8 Saint John's.