Bethany Lutheran wins first-ever UMAC men's basketball postseason title
MANKATO, Minn.---For the first time in the history of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) during its NCAA Division III era, a new program will represent the league in the national tournament for men's basketball as Bethany Lutheran College used a 96-90 win Saturday to win its first-ever program postseason title.
The top-seeded Vikings held off a late-game spur from the University of Northwestern to capture victory and end the Eagles' conference tournament title wins at seven-in-a-row. With the win, the Vikings improve to 19-8 on the season heading into their first NCAA tournament.
|
Tournament Site |
Box Score |
After blowing out No. 5 University of Minnesota Morris by 43 points Wednesday, No. 1 Bethany Lutheran knew it would have its work cut out against defending tournament champion No. 3 Northwestern. The two teams split during the regular season with the Eagles taking the most recent match up on Jan. 31.
Saturday's title game opened up with good back-and-forth action until Bethany Lutheran built up its momentum and took a double-digit lead just over the midway mark of the first half. The Vikings led by as many as 17 points in the opening 20 minutes before taking a 44-29 lead into halftime.
The Rose twins hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the opening 1:30 before the Vikings pushed their lead to 22 points with 16:27 left to go in the game. The Eagles couldn't get enough going as the clock continued to wind down and the Vikings pushed even closer to victory going up 24 points with just over 11 minutes to play.
With 6:15 left to go, the Vikings led by 20 points but quickly saw their lead dwindle as Caleb Hageman sparked a furious attempt at a comeback for the Eagles. They went on a 23-0 run and pulled within three points with 2:04 to play. Bradley Rose then hit a 3-pointer for the Vikings to slow the Eagles push in.
However, as fouls ensued over the next minute-plus, the Vikings still couldn't find a way to put the Eagles away for good, and Tanner Youngberg drilled a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to make it a two-point game. The Rose twins each made a pair of free throws, though, to help the Vikings end the comeback and finish victorious.
Brady Rose and Neil Eichten each recorded 21 points in the win for the Vikings with Eichten going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Brady Rose went 5-of-9 from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe to cap off an impressive tournament earning him Tournament MVP honors. In two playoff games, the senior finished with 48 points and shot 65 percent from the field.
For the Eagles, Hageman finished with a game-high 26 points with 18 coming in the second half. Youngberg and Isaiah Rahier also added 21 points each with Rahier scoring 18 in the second half as well. Youngberg led all players in the game with seven rebounds.
With the win, the Vikings will advance to the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament. They will learn their fate Monday at 11:30 a.m. during the NCAA selection show available at
ncaa.com.
Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Feb. 19
No. 5 Minnesota Morris def. No. 4 Crown, 108-96 |
Box Score |
CC Recap |
UMM Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Feb. 21
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 5 Minnesota Morris, 112-69 |
Box Score |
BLC Recap |
UMM Recap |
No. 3 Northwestern def. No. 2 St. Scholastica, 69-65 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UNW Recap |
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 3 Northwestern, 96-90 |
Box Score |
BLC Recap |
UNW Recap |