The beginning stages of the first half featured a back-and-forth clash, with the score tied at 12-to-12 with 13:27 left in the half. From there, Northwestern slowly built a 6-point advantage, leading 21-15 with just over 8 minutes remaining in the frame. The final portion of the half witnessed both teams struggle offensively as Augsburg College was unable to find the scoreboard in the final 5 minutes, while Northwestern tallied just 4 points in that stretch as the scoreboard read 28-20 in favor of the Eagles at the midway point.
Northwestern was successful on 11-of-26 (42.3%) field goal attempts in the first half, including 5-of-10 (50.0%) from three-point range. The visiting Auggies found the Ericksen Center rims not as inviting, sinking just 8-of-27 (29.6%) from the floor and 1-of-7 (14.3%) from behind the arc.
In the second half, Augsburg College whittled their deficit to 4 points at 34-30 with 11:01 remaining in the affair. Northwestern responded with a 10-3 run over the next 5 minutes, capped off by 2 three-point field goals credited to senior guard Joseph Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood HS), as the Eagles owned a 44-33 advantage with 6:17 left on the clock. From that point on, the closest the Auggies were able to reach was 5 points on 3 occasions in the winding minutes. Junior guard Caleb Baker (Princeton, Ill.) netted 2 crucial three-point field goals in the final stretch as Northwestern prevailed for the 60-47 non-conference win.
The Eagles continued their impressive shooting in the second half, making 12-of-21 (57.1%) field goal attempts to finish the game connecting on 23-of-47 (48.9%) from the floor and 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three-point range. The Auggies shot 32.1%, finding success on 18-of-56 field goal attempts.
On the night he was recognized for becoming just the 17th player in Northwestern men’s basketball program history to reach 1,000 career points, Joseph Sir poured in 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. Mike Anderstrom (Mendota Heights, Minn./New Life Academy) also owned 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding 8 rebounds to help Northwestern’s offensive efforts.
For Augsburg College, junior guard Charlie Scott (Ely, Minn.) came off the bench to lead the Auggies with 15 points. Junior guard Dan Graf (Lino Lakes, Minn.) recorded 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in a near double-double performance.
Northwestern College will begin Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action on Friday, January 6th, traveling to New Ulm, Minnesota, to face Martin Luther College. The Eagles have claimed 4 of the past 5 UMAC regular season conference championships. Augsburg College will continue MIAC play on Monday, January 2nd, when they face the University of St. Thomas at 8:00 p.m.