ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – After a five-game homestand, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team took to the road Friday night. The task was a tall one, as UNW's opponent, Crown College, entered the game in second place in the UMAC, just one game behind Bethany Lutheran. The Eagles had it within single digits in the second half, but Polars scored over 40 points in both halves and pulled away for a 91-67 win.
Despite the lopsided final score, the first half was tight for quite some time.
Parker Behne (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) got the Eagles on the board with a jumper to tie the game at two and
Jeremiah LaVelle (Otsego, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) hit a three-pointer to make it 7-5, Crown.
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy) got in the mix, scoring six straight to cut the lead to 12-11 and hit another jumper shortly thereafter to trim Crown's lead to 15-13.
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka), making his return to the lineup after missing two games due to injury, checked into the game and knocked down a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 15.
The Eagles' bench unit continued its strong play from the past week, as Nyamari found
Kelton Vincent (Volga, S.D./Sioux Valley) for a three-pointer to give UNW its first lead at 18-17, then
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) hit
Andrew Koehler (Scandia, Minn./Chisago Lakes) for another triple to extend the lead to 21-17. The Polars went on a 6-0 run, but Vincent answered with a tough scoop shot to tie it up at 23. Later, the junior made a step-through move and kissed it off the glass to cut Crown's lead to 27-25.
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) scored his first points of the game after backing down his defender down low to make it 33-27 Crown, but the Polars went on a 14-3 run before Burns drove in for a layup to end the half. At the break, Crown led by a 47-32 score.
The deficit was steep with just 20 minutes remaining, but the Eagles came out aggressive in the second half. Fahnbulleh attached the block and scored on the opening possession. LaVelle tracked down an offensive board and made the put-back, which was followed by a Fahnbulleh pull-up jumper to trum the lead to 49-38. Hoilien began to cook again, scoring six straight UNW points, but the Polars seemed to always have an answer as they held an 11-point lead at 55-44. A Koehler floater brought the lead back to single digits at 55-46, but that would be the last time the Eagles would be within 10. Crown responded with six straight before Vincent ended the run with a jump shot. Hoilien and Fahnbulleh each added four more points before checking out.
Colt Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) knocked down a pair of free throws and
Kollin Kaemingk (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) hit a three with less than a minute left as Crown closed out an impressive, 91-67 win.
Hoilien led the Eagles with 18 points on 9-15 shooting. Vincent followed with 11 off the bench (5-7 from the field), while Fahnbulleh added 10 and seven rebounds. LaVelle chipped in nine points and five boards. The loss dropped UNW to 8-8 on the season and 1-5 in the UMAC.
Next up for Northwestern will be a trip to Minnesota Morris on Saturday. The Cougars are currently tied for fourth in the conference, two games ahead of Northwestern, so it will be an important one as the Eagles try and make a playoff push in the final month of the season. Saturday's game is scheduled for 4:45 PM in Morris, following the conclusion of the women's game.
