WAVERLY, Iowa – College Basketball Feast Week is upon us, where teams across the country gather to participate in regular season tournaments during the holiday season. The University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team is joining in on the fun this weekend at the Buzz Levick Tournament, hosted by Wartburg College. On day one of the two-day multiple-team event, the Eagles outlasted Wartburg in an entertaining 89-76 ballgame.
Wartburg got on the board first, but
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) answered back with a three-pointer for UNW, something that would become a theme throughout the night. A
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) fast-break layup (assisted by
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright)) gave Northwestern a 5-2 lead and caused a quick timeout by Wartburg. The Eagles' bench was cooking early as well, as
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) fed
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) for a layup soon after to give UNW a 10-4 advantage nearly eight minutes into the game.
The Knights responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead, but
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) tied it back up with a driving layup through traffic. Fahnbulleh then set up Hoilien for a three-ball to put UNW ahead, 15-14. The teams continued to trade baskets, which included a stretch where
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright) hit a three and scored a put-back after corralling an offensive rebound.
The momentum officially shifted Northwestern's way toward the end of the first half, when Hoilien blocked a Wartburg shot, sprinted the floor to execute an old-fashioned three-point play, then block another shot just seconds later (his third of the half). Nyamari went on to hit a three to break a 28-28 tie and UNW found themselves leading 31-30 at the break. Hoilien had eight points, four boards and three blocks at the half to lead the way.
The second half opened up as tight as the first. Hoilien got UNW on the board first, and Pocernich went on a 5-0 run by himself to put the Eagles in front, 41-38. Fahnbulleh stayed active as well, assisting on a Nyamari three and then hitting a floater in the lane to go up five. Hoilien executed another and-one opportunity, which was followed up by tough makes from Lavelle and Burns to spark an 8-0 UNW run. After the Knights ended said run, Burns stayed hot, making a driving layup and stealing the ball from the Knights, leading to a layup to put Northwestern ahead by 11 with 8:15 left.
The Eagles continued to light it up in the second half, scoring on nine consecutive possessions two separate times in the final 20. They continued to build their lead as the clock ticked down, extending it to 13 on a Behne layup and again on a Lavelle three. Nyamari buried one from the parking lot to make the lead 14, and Hoilien and Nyamari went back-to-back from downtown to stretch the lead to 19, which was the largest of the night. A Fahnbulleh dunk in the final minute put the exclamation point on a thrilling night offensively for
Tim Grosz's unit.
Nyamari's hot shooting start showed no signs of slowing down in Waverly, as the sophomore made six of his eight three-point attempts and finished with 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hoilien added six points, four boards and three blocks, while Fahnbulleh fell just short of his third double-double of the young season at 14 points and nine rebounds. Behne finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Pocernich added a season-high 11 points, four boards and five assists. As a team, Northwestern shot 50.7% from the field and a blistering 48% from behind the arc, while out-rebounding Wartburg, 43-34. They also put up a staggering 58 points in the second half alone.
The second and final day of the Buzz Levick Tournament will pit the Eagles against the Cornell College Rams, who many UNW faithful will recognize from Friday night's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Volleyball match. The game is set to start at 2:00 PM from Levick Arena.
