ST. PAUL, Minn. – After each of last year's games went down to the final seconds, it shouldn't come as much surprise that Friday night's rematch between the University of Northwestern and the University of Wisconsin-Superior had similar drama and intensity. The Eagles were picked to finish second in the conference in 2023-24 by the UMAC coaches and the Yellowjackets third, but both teams came into Friday's tilt under-performing relative to expectations thus far in conference play. That made this match up even more important for both clubs. In a back-and-forth affair that required an extra five minutes of action, UW-Superior was able to come away with a 71-69 overtime win.
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) returned to his elite scoring self, cooking early and often by scoring Northwestern's first six points of the game. Trailing 15-6,
Andrew Koehler (Scandia, Minn./Chisago Lakes) checked in and made all in attendance aware that it was going to be a "Juice" game, scoring down low almost immediately. The next possession,
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) hit a three-pointer off a feed from Hoilien, and
Jeremiah LaVelle (Otsego, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) continued the streak with a pull-up jumper, assisted by Koehler, to pull UNW within two at 15-13. After a 6-0 Superior run, Koehler scored on consecutive possessions, the second courtesy of his own offensive rebound, to make it 23-17 in favor of the Yellowjackets.
Parker Behne (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) got involved shortly thereafter, knocking down an in-rhythm three to trim the lead to five, and again pulled the Eagles within five at 30-25 after a layup. Hoilien and
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) made consecutive layups to bring UNW within one with 2:51 left in the first half. Burns made key contributions on both ends of the floor as Northwestern's bench unit kept the Eagles afloat. In addition to the layup, the junior grabbed four rebounds and dished out an assist in the first half to provide a much-needed spark. At the break, UW-Superior held a 33-29 advantage.
Hoilien picked up where he left off as the second half opened, scoring inside off a perfect bounce pass from
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright). Five minutes later, Hoilien again came through, this time drilling a three after Koehler grabbed his fourth offensive rebound of the night and found the senior open. Northwestern continued to go back to the hot hand of Hoilien as he buried a tough, fade-away jumper a couple of possessions later to make it a four-point game. The next possession, Burns drove and scored, which was followed by a
Kelton Vincent (Volga, S.D./Sioux Valley) three to pull UNW within a point. Burns would cap off the 11-2 run with a free throw to tie the game at 44.
Northwestern's first lead of the game came with 8:19 left thanks to a Burns free throw. LaVelle added two free throws of his own to stretch the lead to 49-46 with 7:44 left. Leading by one with just over six minutes left,
Tim Grosz drew up a beauty of a play during a timeout, which resulted in an easy layup for a back-cutting
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) to again put UNW up by three at 51-48.
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) would make it a five-point lead with an offensive rebound and put-back on the next possession.
The teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch in what was clearly going to be a nail-biter of a conclusion. UWS took the lead back with 2:20 left, but Hoilien once again hit the big shot when needed, this one a contested three-pointer, to give UNW a 60-58 edge. The Jackets tied it up with 1:10 left and had a shot to win at the buzzer, but the Eagles' defense held firm and the game headed to overtime tied at 60.
Schneider hit two free throws to even the score at 62 in the period's opening minute, and Hoilien hit another tough jumper on the next possession to put Northwestern in front. Superior converted a three-point play to gain a one-point edge, but Pocernich stepped up to the plate and drilled a three to make it 67-65, Northwestern. The Yellowjackets, however, answered the potentially momentum-swinging shot with a 6-0 run, and the Eagles were not able to recover. UW-Superior left the Ericksen Center with a 71-69 win to improve to 9-5 overall and 2-2 in the UMAC. The loss marks seven in a row for the Eagles as they fall to 7-7 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
Hoilien was the star of the show, even in a losing effort, scoring a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds. LaVelle added nine points and six boards, while Fahnbulleh chipped in with eight and seven, respectively. Burns and Koehler each scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds, with five of Koehler's boards coming on the offensive end. Schneider scored a season-high seven points, while Pocernich and Behne both rebounded well from their guard positions with six and five, respectively. You may be noticing a trend, as Northwestern dominated the glass, 44-25. Both Pocernich and Behne also dished out three assists.
The Eagles will be back in action Saturday in the Ericksen Center. The Northland College Lumberjacks will be in town for a 4:45 PM showdown as both teams look for their first conference win. Tune in to the Eagle Sports Network for all the action.