MORRIS, Minn.- On Saturday afternoon, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team made the trip to Morris to face off with the Cougars in the second conference matchup of the weekend for the squads. The Eagles improved to 6-3 on the season and 2-0 in conference play with a hard fought, 83-75 victory.

Offense was the story in the first half in this Upper Midwest Athletic Conference matchup. Each team shot exactly 50% from the floor in the first half, although the Eagles had the upper hand shooting from three point range, shooting 66% to Minnesota-Morris' 22% from behind the arc in the first half.

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead on their home floor as they led throughout the early stages of the game. Maverick Conn scored a layup for Minnesota-Morris that gave them a 27-23 lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half. This would be the last time the Cougars would have the lead throughout the contest. The Eagles finished the first half with a flourish as they took a 46-40 lead into the locker room.

Both defenses tightened things up in the second half. The Eagles shot 39% from the field, 33% from three, and 50% from the free throw line in the second half. The Cougars shot 48% from the field, 60% from three, and 50% from the free throw line in the final half.

The Eagles held the lead for the entirety of the second half, and extended their lead to as much as seven points in the second half. However, the Cougars refused to stop fighting. With three and a half minutes remaining in the game, a timeout was called on the floor and the scoreboard showed the Eagles clinging to a slim 70-69 lead. Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) and Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) scored layups out of the timeout, but the Cougars answered with buckets of their own each time. A Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) jump shot made it a 76-73 game.

With 1:15 on the game clock, it was Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) who buried a three pointer to put the Eagles back up by two possessions. An old fashioned three point play by Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) with 33 seconds remaining was the final nail in the coffin. The Eagles won 83-75.

Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) and Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) each had career games on Saturday afternoon. Boerema scored a career high 19 points and pulled in 9 rebounds. Hoilien's 18 points were also a career high, and the sophomore pulled in 7 rebounds.

The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday night inside the Ericksen Center against a familiar foe, St. Scholastica. For more information on UNW Men's Basketball, follow the team on social media at @unwmbb.