Northwestern slowly created some space, moving in front 11-to-5 just 3 minutes into the affair. The Eagles continued to stay in front, leading by as many at 7 points before Bethany Lutheran clawed back to tie the game at 18-to-18 with 11:52 remaining in the opening half. Northwestern lead by as many as 7 points on two occasions late in the period, before settling for a 41-36 advantage at the midway point. The Eagles shot a sizzling 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the floor in the first twenty minutes of play, while Bethany Lutheran made just 16-of-42 (38.1%) from the field.
The Eagles jumped out further in the second half, producing a 12-to-6 run to start the half as Northwestern lead 53-to-42 just five minutes into the period. Continuing to battle, the Vikings chopped away at their deficit and closed to within 4 points at 63-59 with just over 9 minutes left in the match-up. That would prove to be the closest Bethany Lutheran would reach as Northwestern rattled off a 10-to-2 run and never looked back. The Eagle’s 20 point lead in the final score of 92-72 represented the biggest disparity of the night.
Shooting 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the floor in the second half and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three-point range, the Eagles finished the league showdown shooting a scorching 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the floor and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from downtown. On the other end of the court, Bethany Lutheran finished the night netting 30-of-79 (38.0%) field goal attempts and 7-of-27 (25.9%) three-point field goal attempts.
In a very balanced attack with four players reaching double-figures, Northwestern was lead by Josh Strelecki (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park), who contributed a game-high 23 points, swishing 5-of-8 from behind the three-point arc. Mike Anderstrom (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) bounced back with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and a season-high 4 steals as he made 8-of-11 from the floor. Steve Discher (Andover, Minn.) chipped in 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Daniel Hanson owned 12 points and 8 boards. Dave Zuleger (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) produced a great game for the Eagles on both ends of the court, tallying 9 points and 4 rebounds, while also shutting down Bethany Lutheran standout and former UMAC Player of the Year Alfonso Mayfield (Milwaukee, Wis./Brookfield Central).
Travis Priem (Janesville, Minn.) paced the Vikings with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Alfonso Mayfield was the only other Bethany Lutheran player to reach double-figures, adding 10 points on a 3-of-12 shooting performance. He was held to 10 points under his season average.
Northwestern College will put their perfect UMAC record on the line next Friday, January 26, hosting Presentation College (S.D.) at 7:30 p.m. in the Ericksen Center.
Bethany Lutheran College vs Northwestern College 01/20/07 5:00 PM at St. Paul, Minn. (Ericksen Center) At St. Paul, Minn. (Ericksen Center) NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE 92, BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE 72 BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE (7-9 (4-2 UMAC)) Travis Priem 6-10 0-2 12; Alfonso Mayfield 3-12 4-4 10; Jeff Zimmerman 3-12 0-1 8; Dewan Grant 3-8 1-2 8; Jon Monson 3-10 0-0 7; Amun Bordain 3-6 0-1 6; Stephone Frederick 3-5 0-0 6; Tommy Saffert 2-3 0-0 5; Jimmy Tarcon 1-2 0-0 3; Mike Rosin 1-5 0-0 3; Ross Libby 1-1 0-0 2; Joe McFarland 1-4 0-0 2; Peter Leighton 0-0 0-0 0; Brady Balzum 0-0 0-0 0; David Ramsey 0-0 0-0 0; Jerome Harper 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-79 5-10 72. NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE (13-3 (5-0 UMAC)) Strelecki, Josh 7-15 4-4 23; Anderstrom, Mike 8-11 4-4 20; Discher, Steve 4-7 10-12 19; Hanson, Daniel 4-8 3-4 12; Zuleger, Dave 4-8 0-0 9; Berens, Reid 2-4 1-2 5; Gonsior, Chris 2-2 0-0 4; Krehbiel, Josh 0-2 0-2 0; Lecheler, James 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-58 22-28 92. Bethany Lutheran College...... 36 36 - 72 Northwestern College.......... 41 51 - 92 3-point goals-Bethany Lutheran College 7-27 (Jeff Zimmerman 2-8; Jon Monson 1-3; Mike Rosin 1-3; Tommy Saffert 1-2; Dewan Grant 1-3; Jimmy Tarcon 1-2; Jerome Harper 0-1; Amun Bordain 0-1; Alfonso Mayfield 0-3; Travis Priem 0-1), Northwestern College 8-14 (Strelecki, Josh 5-8; Hanson, Daniel 1-2; Discher, Steve 1-1; Zuleger, Dave 1-2; Lecheler, James 0-1). Fouled out--Bethany Lutheran College-None, Northwestern College-None. Rebounds-Bethany Lutheran College 47 (Travis Priem 9), Northwestern College 40 (Anderstrom, Mike 9; Discher, Steve 9). Assists-Bethany Lutheran College 9 (Dewan Grant 3; Alfonso Mayfield 3), Northwestern College 16 (Zuleger, Dave 4). Total fouls-Bethany Lutheran College 22, Northwestern College 11. A-672 Northwestern College is 5-3 all-time against Bethany Lutheran College and 3-2 all-time at home against Bethany Lutheran.