ST. PAUL, Minn. – After celebrating its first win of the season and the first win of the
Lance Westberg era on Friday night, it was back to work, Saturday afternoon, for the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team. The Eagles welcomed Lawrence University to the Ericksen Center, who defeated UNW 72-67 last season in Wisconsin. This year's edition wasn't quite as tight, as Lawrence outscored Northwestern by 20 in the second half and held UNW to 9.5% from three-point range to roll to a 75-43 win.
It was all LU in the opening minutes, as the visitors jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first seven minutes. A 5-0 Eagle run, punctuated by a three-point play from freshman
Brody Skates (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger), got UNW within three, but an 8-0 Vikings spurt made the lead double digits at 20-19. The lead grew to 16 until a
Blake Dalluge (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) three-pointer ignited a 6-0 run, and Lawrence would take a 35-23 lead into the half.
Northwestern was able to shrink the deficit to single digits after an
AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) three, but the size and speed of the Vikings proved too much to overcome, as a 16-0 surge ballooned the margin from 14 to 30 at 70-40.
Paul Hoffman (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis Christian) knocked down a last-minute jumper with under a minute left to record his first collegiate points and make the final score 75-43.
After having four players in double figures Friday night, Greene was the only Eagle to eclipse 10 points on Saturday, finishing with 14 and three assists. Dalluge contributed seven points, while
Isaac Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) pulled down a team-high six rebounds. As a team, UNW made just two three-pointers in 21 attempts for a percentage of 9.5. Conversely, Lawrence shot 58.2% from the field and 42.9% from deep. Northwestern did win the turnover battle, 8-10.
The Eagles will continue their seven-game home-stand by hosting Bethel on Wednesday, November 18
th at 7:00 PM.
