MANKATO, Minn. – Following a very competitive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) season, the Bethany Lutheran men's basketball team welcomed the University of Northwestern to the Sports and Fitness Center on Saturday afternoon. With all the hype surrounding the matchup between the top two teams in the UMAC, it was the Vikings upsetting the Eagles 92-82 to conclude the regular season.
 
On Friday night, UNW was able to hold on to the top spot in the conference standings and sealed up the 2016-17 men's basketball title in outright fashion following a 81-56 win over Martin Luther College.
 
In front of a packed gymnasium, five different Vikings reached double-digits in the scoring column. The Vikings put together a complete 40 minute effort to take down the UNW Eagles. Following suit of his brothers performance last night, Bradley Rose (Le Sueur, Minn.) had the hot hand for BLC, finishing with a career high 22 points and six rebounds. Senior Brandyn Frelix (Minneapolis, Minn.) also scored 22 points to go along with nine rebounds. Sophomore Jarred Merchant (Kimball, Minn.) had a solid post night for the Vikings, contributing with 14 points and nine defensive rebounds. Brady Rose (Le Sueur, Minn.) and Neil Eichten (Wabasso, Minn.) added 12 and 10 points apiece.
 
BLC nearly shot 60 percent (34-for-57) from the field while Northwestern concluded the contest at 44.4 percent (32-for-72).  The largest lead for the Vikings was extended to 11 points with eight minutes remaining. The Vikings out-scored the Eagles in both halves of the contest.
 
UP NEXT:
After one of the more exciting Bethany Lutheran men's basketball seasons in recent years, the Vikings will begin preparation for the 2016-17 UMAC Postseason tournament. On Wednesday, February 22^nd the Vikings will play host to St. Scholastica in the Semifinals. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
To find out more about the 2016-17 UMAC Men's Basketball Tournament, click here.

To stay current with Vikings athletics this season, continue to visit www.blcvikings.com and follow @BLCvikings on Twitter.  
MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.