ST. PAUL, Minn. – University of Northwestern Men's Basketball hosted University of Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday afternoon for a critical conference showdown. After the Yellowjackets took the lead late, the Eagles went up by one point on a shot with just six seconds on the clock, but a foul call on the ensuing UWS drive gave the Yellowjackets two free-throws to take the lead with not enough time remaining for UNW to set up a shot, leading to a 72-71 win for UW-Superior.
As a result of the game, UW-Superior tied Northwestern for the second-best record in the conference, though the Yellowjackets hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles with two head-to-head victories, pushing the Eagles down to the #3 seed in the playoff picture.
The Eagles started the game strong, hitting three consecutive threes to go up 9-2 in the opening minutes. UNW held the lead until a Yellowjacket three-pointer tied it up at 19-19. Superior would go on to take the lead, and though UNW tied it up twice the Eagles were unable to gain the lead back before halftime, trailing 32-30.
In the second half,
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) retook the lead for UNW with a jumper that put Northwestern up 38-37 with 15 minutes to play. The Eagles would build their lead up to as many as 12 points, leading 54-42 after
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) hit a three-point shot with 9:40 to go in the game.
From then on, the Yellowjackets started to chip away at the Eagles' lead. Superior caught up to Northwestern within the final four minutes, retaking the lead 64-63 with a layup. The two teams traded shots down the stretch until
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright) hit a tough jumper to give UNW a 71-70 lead with just 6.6 seconds remaining.
The Yellowjackets then drove down the court and fired off a wayward shot through contact, but the Eagles were called for a defensive foul. Superior made both free-throws, taking a 72-21 lead with just 1.3 seconds remaining. Northwestern attempted a long pass to set up a quick shot, but the Yellowjackets deflected the pass to prevent UNW from getting a last-moment shot off in time.
The Eagles shot 47.4 percent (27-for-57) in the game, making 40.0 percent (8-for-20) from three-point range. The Yellowjackets shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) from the field and 36.3 percent (8-for-20) from beyond the arc. UNW outscored UWS in second-chance points 11-6. Superior had the advantage in points off of turnovers by a 14-8 margin.
Kyle Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) led the Eagles with 20 points while hauling in seven boards. Hoilien had 16 points, going 3-for-6 from three-point range. Fahnbulleh finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Up next, Northwestern will travel to take on the UMAC-leading Bethany Lutheran College Vikings at 5:30 P.M. on Friday, February 17. UNW will then play their regular-season finale the next day at Martin Luther College.
