DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team matched-up with St. Scholastica in a Saturday afternoon tilt at Reif Gymnasium. In the final regular season conference contest, the no. 1 seeded Eagles secured the outright UMAC Regular Season title (their second straight) with an 81-68 win. The Eagles will host a conference playoff semifinal game on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
 
Northwestern concludes regular season action by putting together a 13-game win streak. They improve to 19-6 overall and 15-1 in the UMAC. St. Scholastica moves to 13-12 this season, 10-6 in league play.
 
Northwestern got off to a hot start in Saturday action, jumping out to a 19-9 lead following eight quick points from Solomon Bach (Watertown, S.D./Watertown) and six from Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy). The Eagles continued to dominate offensively as they pushed the lead to 20 (32-12) on a Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) three-pointer, with 7:33 still remaining in the half.
 
The Saints didn't back down, outscoring UNW 15-6 in the final five minutes of the half to enter the break down by just 10 (42-32).
 
Despite a second half battle, UNW maintained control of the game by shooting 55% from the field in the final 20 minutes. They scored a dominant 46 points in the paint to the Saints' 18 to cruise to an 81-68 win.
 
Efficient offense from five Eagles scoring in double-figures led the Northwestern efforts. Tanner Youngberg (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area) led the way with 16 points, 10 rebounds (his 14th double-double of the year). Youngberg shot seven of 10 from the field and added four assists.
 
Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) finished with 15 points, six boards and Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) added 14 points. Solomon Bach (Watertown, S.D./Watertown) added 13 on the night, while Brady Peterson (Princeton, Minn./Homeschool) tacked on 11 points and six rebounds.
 
The win marks Northwestern's second straight regular season UMAC title and 29th in program history. The Eagles will enter conference playoffs on Wednesday with a 13-game winning streak. They will host the winner of the No. 4 College of St. Scholastica vs. No. 5 Crown College game in a semifinal contest at 7 p.m.
 
Fans can find tournament information online at the UMAC Men's Basketball Championship site here: https://umacathletics.com/tournaments/?id=142
 
Follow UNW men's basketball online all season long at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unweagles.