MANKATO, Minn. – Despite a great first half of shooting, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team dropped its second conference game of the weekend. The Eagles made four of their first five three-pointers at Bethany Lutheran Saturday and kept the game tight well into the second half, but the reigning UMAC champions pulled away for a 99-71 win.
The Eagles didn't waste much time before heating up. After two scoreless minutes to open the game,
Parker Behne (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) answered a BLC basket with a three-pointer, which was immediately followed by
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) burying one from the parking lot. A
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright) jumper made it 8-4, Eagles, and it seemed like a classic battle between the two UMAC heavyweights was in store. Bethany seemed to grab ahold of the momentum as a crowd-pleasing dunk put them ahead, 11-8, but Nyamari quickly quieted them down with an explosive drive and layup.
Nyamari kept at it, kissing one high off the glass and over top of BLC's 6'8" center, and
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) went to work inside on the next possession to tie things up at 14. Shortly after, Fahnbulleh and
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) converted back-to-back buckets to put UNW back in front, 18-16. The Vikings pulled even, but
Jeremiah LaVelle (Otsego, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) drilled a three to put the Eagles on top. A few possessions later, a
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) three made it 24-22, Northwestern. As the teams continued to go back and forth, Fahnbulleh hit a jumper and LaVelle scored off an offensive rebound to go ahead by three.
Northwestern's best stretch of the game would follow suit.
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) checked in and hit a fadeaway jumper to break a 29-29 tie, then Fahnbulleh hit a mid-range shot to extend the lead to four. A coast-to-coast, and-one layup by Nyamari pushed UNW's lead to seven after a 7-0 run. The Vikings answered back, but Fahnbulleh stayed hot, making a layup to give the Eagles a 41-37 advantage. Bethany Lutheran closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 42-41 lead into the locker room. At the break, the Eagles were shooting 57.1% from downtown and had received 12 points from Fahnbulleh and 10 from Nyamari.
The Vikings opened the second half with five consecutive points, but Hoilien knocked down a three to trim the lead to three. On the very next possession, Nyamari drilled a three of his own to knot things up at 47. LaVelle later converted a tough, driving layup to pull UNW within three at 54-51, but that was the closest the Eagles would get for the rest of the night as BLC took control. Bethany went on an 11-0 run before LaVelle was able to knock down a short floater, but the Vikings answered with a run of 10 straight points, which was also ended by a LaVelle basket.
Schneider and Burns scored four straight points to make the score 77-59 in favor of Bethany, but the home team continued to score at a high level. Fahnbulleh and Burns scored four each in the games closing minutes, and Nyamari contributed five, but the Vikings came away with a 99-71 win when all was said and done. The loss dropped the Eagles to 7-2 on the season and 0-2 in the UMAC.
Fahnbulleh, who scored his 1,000
th point Friday night, tacked on 18 more to his total in Saturday's action, to go along with a team-high eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Nyamari also put up 18 points while shooting an efficient 54.5% (50% from three) and grabbing seven boards. LaVelle contributed 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. Behne and Pocernich each dished out three assists.
The Eagles will be back in action Wednesday, December 13
th at Carleton College. Tip-off with the Knights is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
