Northwestern College 80
Minnesota, Morris 65

Box Score

By Taylor Lunemann (Sports Editor, University Register)

After being picked as preseason favorites to win the UMAC, both the Cougars and the Northwestern Eagles felt their game in the final weekend of the regular season would have significance.

But the Eagles locked up the number one seed last week, and tonight the Cougars needed the win to secure second place and the right to host at least one postseason game.

One might have expected the Eagles to relax a bit down the stretch, but tonight in Morris, they blistered the nets with their shooting and despite an overall solid effort from the Cougars, Northwestern won handily, 80-65.

For the game, the Eagles shot 52% and 50% on three-pointers, though that must've seemed a low percentage to the Cougars who had nearly every surge snuffed out by a trey.

The outside shooting would be the difference for the Eagles who were evenly matched in the paint by the UMM big men, who gave away inches at every matchup. The Cougar posts would account for 43 of the team's 65 points as Phil Allen led with a game-high 19.

In the first half, Northwestern took advantage of second chance opportunities to keep a six-to-eight point lead. They used patient ball movement and reversals to thwart the Cougar's 2-3 zone defense.

Meanwhile, the Cougars handled the ball well in the first half with only two turnovers. Allen and sophomore Mitch Primus would keep the Cougars within striking distance at halftime, trailing 44-35.

In the second half, the Eagles poured it on, frustrating every Cougar run with a series of threes. Guard Eric Garst would shoot 4-6 from beyond the arc, while teammate Reid Berens went 3-4.

The Cougars now face Crown tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the PE Center, hoping to try again at locking up the two seed.

Should Northwestern defeat Presentation tomorrow afternoon, UMM would secure the semifinal game this Thursday.

Game Notes: Before the game, junior Eric Dalbey was honored by his team for having scored his 1,000th career point last weekend at Bethany Lutheran.