NEW ULM, Minn. – As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Such was the case for the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team's historic 7-0 start to begin the 2023-24 season. It came to an end at the hands of Martin Luther College, as the Knights took down the Eagles, 77-70, on the opening night of UMAC play. Despite the loss, there was at least one highlight for UNW, as senior
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) scored his 1,000
th career point during the second half. He is the 30
th player in the history of the illustrious program to hit that milestone.
The entertaining, back-and-forth showdown was that way from the jump.
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) knifed through the MLC defense on the game's first possession for a quick and easy deuce. The Knights answered with a three-pointer, but Fahnbulleh hit them right back with a left-handed hook shot. Soon after, Nyamari continued his strong, early play with a three to tie the game at seven. Martin Luther stayed hot offensively and went ahead 17-11, but
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) went to work in the post to trim the lead to four. Fahnbulleh would soon go on a 4-0 run by himself to pull the Eagles within two, which was followed by a
Jeremiah Lavelle (Otsego, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) three to give Northwestern a 22-21 edge.
With the score tied at 25, Northwestern again put together a tiny spurt to move in front, 31-25, thanks to baskets from
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright), Hoilien and Nyamari. The highlight of the first half came with 1:41 left, when Nyamari flew past the Martin Luther defense and lobbed an alley-oop for Hoilien, who flushed it with two hands. Despite the momentum of the final few minutes, the Eagles only led by two at the half, 35-33.
Northwestern started out the second half in good form, as
Parker Behne (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) and Fahnbulleh scored on consecutive possessions to extend UNW's lead to six. After a Behne mid-range jumper, the Knights put together a 6-0 run to move ahead, 43-41. Fahnbulleh, who was the go-to guy whenever the Eagles needed a bucket, score four unanswered, again, to put Northwestern back on top. As was the case the entire night, MLC had an answer whenever the Eagles seemed to be gaining momentum, as they scored the next five points. Hoilien drilled a massive three-pointer to tie the game at 48, then repeated the feat the next possession to knot things up at 51.
Northwestern creeped back in front, 53-51, after
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) found
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) open for a layup, and again at 59-58 when Schneider knocked down a clutch three-pointer in rhythm with 7:22 left. Martin Luther stormed back with an 11-2 run to go ahead by eight, and the Eagles' chances appeared grim.
Tim Grosz's squad wasn't about to go down without a fight, however.
Nyamari started the comeback effort with an and-one that invigorated the UNW bench. Fahnbulleh's historic hook shot that gave him his 1,000
th point trimmed the home team's lead to three, and with 3:01 left, Nyamari made it a one-point game with another layup. Suddenly, all the momentum appeared to be swinging Northwestern's way. After the teams traded turnovers for a few possessions, the Knights were able to stop the bleeding with a 5-0 spurt to give themselves a slight cushion. Fahnbulleh knocked down a mid-range jumper to pull within four with 23 seconds left, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. Martin Luther hung on to win the conference opener by a score of 77-70 in an intense, high-energy game.
Fahnbulleh was outstanding offensively on his big night, which was quite fitting, as the senior went 8-10 from the field en route to a 21-point, four-rebound, three-steal effort. Nyamari added 15 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals. Hoilien was the only other double-digit scorer for UNW, finishing with 14 points to go along with six boards. Pocernich tied Nyamari for the team lead in rebounds with seven and Schneider dished out three assists in just 12 minutes.
Northwestern will have to put the loss in the rear-view mirror, as a date with the defending conference champs awaits on Saturday. The Eagles will travel to take on Bethany Lutheran at 4:45 PM. Stay tuned to unweagles.com for more coverage.
