No. 2 Northwestern claims sixth-straight UMAC playoff title
DULUTH, Minn.---After a season finale matchup that put the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title on the line, it was fitting that the tournament championship pitted the same two teams against each other for a third time this season in 2016 with No. 1 seed College of St. Scholastica hosting No. 2 University of Northwestern-St. Paul Saturday.
The Saints may have taken the two regular season games from the Eagles, but this time Northwestern took control early en route to a 93-70 victory for their sixth-straight UMAC playoff title and earned the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Eagles opened up the game with a 5-0 run, but the Saints managed to tie it up quickly at 5-5 – the last time the score was tied in a game that St. Scholastica never led. Immediately after, the Eagles went on a 17-6 run to take an 11-point lead with 10:56 left in the half.
The Saints didn't give up easily, though, when they went on an 11-3 run to make it 25-23 just over two minutes later. The Eagles came back again with another run to take a 47-36 lead at the half.
In the second half, the Saints came out and made a few free throws early and eventually pulled within nine, but the Eagles' balanced attack was too much for the Saints who end their season at 19-8 after claiming the regular season UMAC title.
As a team, Northwestern shot 50.7 percent from the field and controlled the glass with a 43-32 advantage. They collected 14 offensive boards to score 23 second-chance points. The Eagles played a near-flawless game with just six turnovers all night.
The Eagles were led in scoring by Will Gisler who earned the Tournament Most Valuable Player Award with an 18-point performance. The junior went 8-of-13 from the floor Saturday – including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc – and added eight rebounds. Gisler finished his two tournament games with 31 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Four other Eagles' players scored in double figures including Anderson Bazile, Jr., who came off the bench for 17 points with three-made 3-pointers. Michael Carney posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Cody Sprenger went 6-of-12 from the floor for 15 points. Kyle Ooms also added 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Kory Deadrick came off the bench to lead the Saints with 13 points off three-made buckets from beyond the arc. Joe Stark also scored in double-digits with 12 points.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
UMAC Men's Basketball Tournament page.
Playoff Schedule and Results
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Feb. 22
No. 4 Minnesota Morris defeats No. 5 Wisconsin-Superior, 83-80 |
Box Score |
UMM Recap |
UWS Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Feb. 24
No. 1 St. Scholastica defeats No. 4 Minnesota Morris 81-66; |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UMM Recap |
No. 2 Northwestern defeats No. 3 North Central, 88-66 |
Box Score |
UNW Recap |
NCU Recap |
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 27
No. 2 Northwestern defeats No. 1 St. Scholastica, 93-70 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UNW Recap |
2015-2016 Tournament Page