ST. PAUL, Minn- Northwestern men's basketball team hosted Crown College for the UMAC Tournament Championship game on Sunday afternoon in the Ericksen Center. The Eagles outstanding shooting powered them to an 85-69 victory over the Storm to win their 13th conference tournament title and their 10th in the last 12 years. With the victory, Northwestern will represent the UMAC in the NCAA DIII Tournament in March.
Both teams came to play in the UMAC Finals as they traded baskets back and forth throughout the first seven minutes of the game. It would be the Eagles to find a lead of more than one possession as
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) drained a three pointer. Northwestern would then go on a 16-6 run to jump out to a 35-21 lead with eight minutes left to go. Crown responded powerfully as they cut the lead down to six points with a little over three minutes to go. But then, the three ball reactivated for UNW as they knocked down three more three pointers along with three free throws in the final three minutes to take a 49-35 lead into halftime.
The Eagles have been shooting hot all throughout the UMAC Tournament and the first half of the championship game was no exception. They shot 66.7 percent overall, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and hit all eight free throw attempts. Rebounding was something that was stressed by the coaching staff, and rebound they did as Northwestern outrebounded Crown 18-13.
Crown got the second half rolling with a 7-2 run to cut their deficit down to nine points in the first three and a half minutes.
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) would stop their streak by hitting a three pointer to calm the Storm. The Eagles held onto a double digit point lead before they broke out on a 8-0 run to extend their lead to 20. The closest Crown would ever get would be 15 points as Northwestern shut the door on them, taking an 85-69 victory to win the UMAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA DIII Tournament.
Overall, the Eagles shot their best game of the tournament, shooting 61.1 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three, and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe. When it mattered most, Northwestern started crashing the boards and ultimately won the rebound battle 35-32.
Leading the team in points was no other than
Noah Alm (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) as the senior took over for a double-double, leading the team with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Hoilien continued to make an impact as he has done all tournament long finishing with 14 points.
Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) had an under the radar game as he scored 13 points while shooting 71.4 percent from the field. Finally, Fahnbulleh was all over the place as he scored 10 points, brought down six rebounds, and swatted away two shots.
Northwestern will be advancing to the NCAA DIII Tournament which is set to start on March 4. Details about the bracket and their first game are yet to be determined. For all things UNW Men's Basketball, fans can follow along at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unwmbb.
