Against Macalester, Northwestern jumped out to a 16-8 lead with 13:14 remaining in the first half. The Scots battled back and tied the game at 16-16 with just under 7 minutes remaining in the first half. Finishing the first twenty minutes of play, the Eagles closed with a modest 16-10 run to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room at the halftime break.
In the second half, Northwestern never relinquished their advantage, leading by as much as 16 points in the winding seconds of the non-conference affair. Solid free throw shooting down the stretch for the Eagles sealed the 75-61 triumph.
The Eagles committed just 7 turnovers, representing the fewest miscues since a 6-turnover performance two seasons ago versus Presentation College. Northwestern continued to shoot the ball well, connecting on 26-of-57 (45.6%) from the floor and 17-of-23 (73.9%) from the free throw line. The Eagles are shooting a sizzling 49.1% (81-of-165) from the field for the season. Macalester College struggled to find their shooting touch, in particular at the three-point range, making just 3-of-17 (17.6%) attempts.
Northwestern senior stand-out Joseph Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood HS) owned a game-high 22 points, making 7-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Mike Anderstrom (Mendota Heights, Minn./New Life Academy) added 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, also contributing 4 rebounds and 5 blocks. Andrew Cramer (Alma, Wis./Lincoln HS) came off the bench to provide 10 points and 5 boards for the Eagles. For Macalester College, Brendan Bosman (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) paced the Scots with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Tom Conboy (Chanhassen, Minn./Minnetonka HS) added a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Northwestern College will continue their Snelling Avenue tour on Saturday, facing Hamline University on the road at 3 p.m. The Eagles will aim to tie the best start in program history.