PLYMOUTH, Wis. – After nearly pulling off a road win at Lawrence University Friday night behind a Herculean effort from
Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) (career-high 35 points) and just 32 points from the rest of the team combined, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team looked a lot more balanced Saturday at Lakeland University, and it paid off. Five Eagles scored in double figures as they led for the final 34:59 of the game and fought off a comeback attempt by the Muskies to earn a 90-82 win, their first of the young season.
Nyamari had a quiet first half shooting, but that didn't stop Northwestern from exerting its Will. Point guard
Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) had a homecoming game of sorts, returning to the Milwaukee area where he spent the past four years as a member of the Marquette University Men's Lacrosse team. Dozens of friends and former teammates from Marquette descended upon Moose and Dona Woltzen Gymnasium to create a great "home away from home" environment for Foster and the Eagles, and he did not disappoint, scoring eight points in the opening half.
Jonah Burnett (Orr, Minn./North Woods) also had a stellar opening 20 minutes, scoring six of UNW's first eight points to put his team in front.
Jacob Hoefs (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) provided a spark off the bench, sparking an 8-0 run with back-to-back buckets to extend the lead to 21-8. The pair each scored one more time before Nyamari finally got on the board with a three-pointer with 5:46 left in the half, then the senior and Foster teamed up for another 8-0 run to push the Northwestern lead to 38-23 with just over two minutes left. At the break, the Eagles held a 40-29 advantage.
Ben Tschida (Andover, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) kicked off UNW's second-half scoring with an and-one, and UNW was able to get the lead back to 14 after jumpers by Burnett and
AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy). Northwestern appeared in complete control, but Lakeland slowly began chipping away, trimming the deficit to single digits with 11:30 remaining in the game. The score was 61-56 and it appeared we would be in for a dogfight the rest of the way, when Greene nailed a fadeaway jump shot to stop the bleeding.
The junior continued to find his rhythm, scoring eight more points to keep the Muskies at an arm's length. A 9-0 run by the Eagles pushed the lead back to 14, giving the visitors some breathing room, but the home team had one last run in the tank, cutting the lead to five at 82-77 with 2:11 left in the game. But the difference in the game was the free throw line, where Northwestern went 26-30 in the game. Nyamari went 6-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch and Hoefs 2-2 to close out the 90-82 win, UNW's first of the season.
While he was finally held under 30 points for the first time this season, Nyamari led the way with 23 points and snagged 10 rebounds to achieve his first-career double-double. Foster finished with 17 points, while Burnett chipped in 15 and seven boards. Greene also pulled down seven boards and had 14 points, and Hoefs put together a terrific, all-around day with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, all career-highs.
The Eagles will be back in the Ericksen Center on Tuesday, November 18
th for a 7:00 PM tilt with Macalester.
