MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – With eight minutes remaining in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium, things looked bleak for the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team. The Eagles, who led by as much as 11 in the first half, now found themselves trailing by 10 on the road in a hostile environment at North Central. But
Tim Grosz's squad never panicked and stuck to the game plan, pounding the Rams down low, and were able to storm back for a 93-89, instant classic win to improve its winning streak to three games.
After falling to North Central by 16 at home three weeks ago, the Eagles looked determined for revenge, or at least redemption, on Saturday.
Henry Fahnbulleh (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) scored four of UNW's first six points as they fell behind, 8-6. After another NCU bucket, the Eagles ripped off a 10-0 run to pull in front. The run included threes from
Micah Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright) and
Kelton Vincent (Volga, S.D./Sioux Valley), and layups from Fahnbulleh and
Andrew Koehler (Scandia, Minn./Chisago Lakes), which put Northwestern in front, 16-10. Fahnbulleh again was able to score on the undersized Rams to go up, 18-11, then
Elijah Burns (Grand Prairie, Texas/Roseville Area) joined the fun with a drive through the lane for two. Pocernich hit his second three of the half with 9:04 left to put UNW back in front by seven, then Burns drove baseline and finished through contact to give the Eagles their largest lead at 27-18. After a Rams basket, Burns scored on back-to-back possessions, one courtesy of his own offensive rebound, and Northwestern had all the momentum and an 11-point lead.
Needing some sort of answer to the stout offense from UNW, the Rams took to the free throw line, clawing back within six thanks to a 5-0 spurt consisting only of foul shots. Another free throw once again trimmed the UNW lead to five at 35-30, but
Jeremiah LaVelle (Otsego, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) made a layup courtesy of Pocernich's fourth assist of the half. The Rams scored the next six points to make it a one-point game before LaVelle again was able to finish at the rim; however, the Rams made a three on the next possession to draw even at 39-apiece. Thanks to a three-pointer and one more trip to the charity stripe, North Central led 44-42 at half, ending the half on a 24-11 run. Much of the Eagles' rotation found themselves in foul trouble by the end of the half as well due to the Rams' concerted effort to get to the line.
Fahnbulleh stayed hot out of the break, scoring off a spin move just a minute into the half and flushing a one-handed dunk shortly after to keep UNW within five. But every time Northwestern would score, the Rams had an answer. Two layups by Koehler and one by
Ryan Schneider (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) kept the Eagles afloat, trailing 60-54. North Central, however, extended its lead to 11 before Fahnbulleh went on a 7-2 run himself, which included an emphatic and-one. But just like before, NCU had a response, scoring five straight to make the lead 11 once more.
With 7:42 seconds left, the Eagles dug deep and made one final push. A 9-1 run was spearheaded by five points from
Caleb Hoilien (Minneapolis, Minn./Hope Academy), a baseline drive from LaValle and two Vincent free throws. The Rams were able to push the lead to seven at 79-72, but unfortunately for them, the Juice got loose. Coach Grosz brilliantly made the call to have Koehler dive to the rim whenever Fahnbulleh was double-teamed (so, a lot), and the big man ate. Three layups in a 1:30 span got the Eagles within four, and Pocernich made it two after swishing a pair of technical free throws. North Central once again made the lead four, but LaVelle stepped up and drilled a gigantic three off a reversal from
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) to pull within one.
After getting a stop, UNW once again went back to Koehler, who finished inside off a feed from Pocernich to give Northwestern its first lead since 41-39. The Rams were able to go back up with 1:35 left, but Hoilien buried two free ones to shift the see-saw back toward the purple and gold. An NCU free throw tied the game at 87 with 56 seconds left, but Nyamari bolted up the floor and finished an and-one despite a whack to the face to give Northwestern a three-point edge. Two more free throws by Nyamari and the clincher by Fahnbulleh with four seconds left gave Northwestern the exhilarating, 93-89, comeback win it had set out for. The Eagles put up a whopping 51 points in the second half to seal the deal.
The Eagles had six players finish in double figures, led by the big boys in the middle. Fahnbulleh tied for the game-high with 22 points on 10-12 shooting while also pulling down five rebounds and dishing out five assists. Koehler, in just 11 minutes, was able to drop 14 points on 7-9 shooting in addition to four boards. Pocernich finished with 11 points and six dimes, while LaVelle tallied 11 points and four rebounds. Nyamari and Hoilien each contributed 10 points and Burns finished with eight off the bench. Despite North Central going 31-40 from the free throw line, the Eagles were able to win the game around the rim, out-scoring NCU 58-30 in the paint and shooting 53.7% from the field. The win bumps UNW's record to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in the UMAC, and keeps the Eagles in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Next up for the Eagles will be a road tilt with Northland College on Friday, February 2
nd. The Eagles were able to pull away from the LumberJacks for an 84-66 win two weeks ago at the Ericksen Center. Tip-off in Ashland is slated for 7:15 PM, following the conclusion of the women's game.
