SUPERIOR, Wis. – The University of Northwestern St. Paul traveled to take on UW-Superior on Monday night for the final game of the regular season. The Eagles emerged victorious in a 69-62 victory over the Yellowjackets and solidified their rank as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming UMAC Tournament.
In a relatively low-scoring contest, the first of the season for UNW in which neither team broke 70 points, the defense of the Eagles shone bright. UNW grabbed 46 rebounds as a team, with five players having at least six in the game. The effort was vital for the Eagles, as UNW had 10 more second-chance points (12-2) than UWS in the seven-point win.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle that saw the lead change 16 times in 20 minutes. The Eagles got the first basket of the night on an
Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) jumper and held the lead for nearly five minutes. The Yellowjackets took a 7-6 lead 4:59 into the game.
UNW reclaimed the lead two and a half minutes later to go up 10-9. In the next two minutes and 22 seconds the score would change hands 10 times as the Eagles and Yellowjackets exchanged blows.
Northwestern ultimately ended the first half with a slight 33-31 lead. UNW extended their lead to eight points early in the second half before UWS fought back to retake the lead with 13:06 remaining. Less than two minutes later,
Caleb Waldeck (Newhall, Calif./Hart High) hit a three to put Northwestern in the driver's seat with a 45-44 lead and the Eagles never looked back.
The efficiency of Waldeck was key for the Eagles down the stretch. The junior shot 5-for-8 from the floor and made 2-of-3 three pointers for 14 points. Waldeck put in the work on defense as well, grabbing a career-high six rebounds in the backcourt.
Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) led Northwestern with 18 points on the night to go with six rebounds.
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led the Eagles with eight rebounds and added 11 points to the board.
Next up for the Eagles is the start of the UMAC Tournament on Thursday as they host No. 7 seeded Martin Luther College at home to open the conference playoffs.
