Opening tournament action on Friday afternoon, Northwestern topped Hannibal-LaGrange in an 81-69 final score. Hannibal-LaGrange is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I program, offering their full allotment of scholarships. Leading 39-to-34 at the midway point, the Eagles took care of business in the second half to seal the triumph. Junior shooting guard Josh Strelecki (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park High School) owned a game-high 23 points, hitting 7-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Junior Daniel Hanson (Plymouth, Minn./Maranatha Academy) and junior Mike Anderstrom (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) joined him in double-figures with 21 points and 12 points respectively. Hanson hit 8-of-13 from the field and added 8 rebounds, while Anderstrom connected on 5-of-9 field goal attempts and tallied a season-high 5 blocks, which also tied his previous career high for blocks in a game.
The Eagles found their shooting touch early, finishing the game hitting an impressive 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor and 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from three-point range. Northwestern also swished 20-of-27 (74.1%) attempts from the free throw line in the win over Hannibal-LaGrange. The Eagles held Hannibal-LaGrange to just 69 points, marking the lowest points scored for a Northwestern opponent in 2006-2007.
Northwestern College vs Hannibal-La Grange 12/01/06 4:00 PM at Deerfield, Ill. At Deerfield, Ill. NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE 81, HANNIBAL-LA GRANGE 69 NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE (4-1) Strelecki, Josh 7-12 6-6 23; Hanson, Daniel 8-13 4-5 21; Anderstrom, Mike 5-9 2-4 12; Zuleger, Dave 2-3 3-4 8; Berens, Reid 2-3 2-4 7; Lecheler, James 2-2 0-0 5; Krehbiel, Josh 1-5 1-2 3; Hanson, Stephen 0-5 2-2 2; Secord, Levi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-52 20-27 81. HANNIBAL-LA GRANGE McPike, Wayne 6-9 5-6 19; Pickett, Josh 6-14 2-2 17; Michalas, Nick 6-9 0-3 12; Skuggedal, Haakon 4-7 1-2 11; Reading, Chad 2-5 2-4 6; Smith, Matt 1-3 0-0 3; Vegar, Mikey 0-2 1-2 1; Ouf, Ameer 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 11-19 69. Northwestern College.......... 39 42 - 81 Hannibal-La Grange............ 34 35 - 69 3-point goals-Northwestern College 7-14 (Strelecki, Josh 3-7; Lecheler, James 1-1; Zuleger, Dave 1-1; Berens, Reid 1-1; Hanson, Daniel 1-3; Krehbiel, Josh 0-1), Hannibal-La Grange 8-18 (Pickett, Josh 3-8; Skuggedal, Haakon 2-4; McPike, Wayne 2-4; Smith, Matt 1-2). Fouled out--Northwestern College-None, Hannibal-La Grange-None. Rebounds-Northwestern College 26 (Hanson, Daniel 8), Hannibal-La Grange 25 (McPike, Wayne 5; Skuggedal, Haakon 5; Vegar, Mikey 5). Assists-Northwestern College 6 (Strelecki, Josh 2; Lecheler, James 2), Hannibal-La Grange 8 (Vegar, Mikey 3; Pickett, Josh 3). Total fouls-Northwestern College 14, Hannibal-La Grange 21. A-235 This is in the Trinity International University Tournament