ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team welcomed Bethany Lutheran College to the Ericksen Center for Wednesday night UMAC action. After falling to the Vikings earlier this season in a 100-98 overtime final, the Eagles came out firing in tonight's rematch. With five Eagles scoring double-figures and a team field goal percentage of 57%, Northwestern cruised to a 103-87 win, their 11th straight.
With the win, Northwestern takes sole possession of first place in the UMAC standings, holding a 17-6 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the league. Bethany Lutheran moves to 16-6 this season, 11-2 in the UMAC.
In an offensive-heavy opening five minutes, the Eagles jumped out to a 15-10 lead – forcing a Bethany Lutheran timeout. Northwestern extended the lead to 10 (20-10) on
Tanner Youngberg's (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) second three-pointer of the night.
The Eagles continued to execute on offense led by
Michael Moore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) – who went 9-of-11 from the field in the opening 20 minutes to lead UNW with 24 points. Northwestern's defensive efforts were just as effective – holding BLC to 42 points to lead 57-42 at the half.
The Vikings looked to change the momentum to open second half play, knocking down a quick three on the first possession. BLC pulled within nine (66-57) to force a Northwestern timeout.
Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) helped to propel an Eagle response by draining two shots from beyond the arc, putting UNW back up 78-65. Northwestern continued to groove, establishing a 20 point lead (95-75) with 3:32 remaining.
Moore led Northwestern with 28 points and added six boards and three assists.
Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) finished with 18 points after draining four shots from long range. He pulled down seven boards on the night.
Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) finished with 17 points, shooting seven of eight from the field.
Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) tacked on 16 points and a team-best six assists.
Solomon Bach (Watertown, S.D./Watertown) rounded out the top five scorers with 13.
The Eagles knocked down 11 three-pointers and scored 56 points in the paint. They committed just four turnovers in the win.
Northwestern will have a bye this Saturday before returning to action next Wednesday, February 19 when they travel to Superior, Wis. to take on the Yellowjackets. Action will get underway at 5:30 p.m.
Follow Northwestern men's basketball online this season at
www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unweagles. Photos from tonight's match-up are available at:
http://d3pho.to/g/8055.
