ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Bethany Vikings (13-8, 9-3) dropped a tough road game to the Northwestern Eagles (10-10, 8-3) on Wednesday evening. The Eagles came out strong and controlled the game for 40 minutes, winning by a final score of 78-65.
 
Trenton Krueger scored the first two points of the game, but Northwestern scored 23 straight points before Bethany could get another bucket. The Eagles defense forced the Vikings into 10 first half turnovers and 28.0% shooting. The Eagles shot 48.6% from the field in the first half and 5-10 from deep on their way to a 42-20 halftime lead.
 
The Vikings were unable to cut into the Eagle's lead early in the second half, but they continued to battle each possession. The Vikings were able to chip away at the lead and cut their deficit to 14 points with under five minutes to play, but they weren't able to close the gap. In the end, Northwestern handed Bethany their third loss of the conference season.
 
Bradley Rose scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Bethany. Brady Rose added 14 points and seven rebounds. On the game, the Vikings shot 35.2% from the field and 12-33 from deep. The Vikings were also 15-16 from the free throw line.
 
Up Next: The Vikings travel to Morris, Minn. on Saturday, February 3rd to take on the Cougars in a battle for first place in the UMAC standings. The Vikings are currently in a tie for first place and Morris is one game back after dropping their Wednesday contest to Crown. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 3 PM.
 
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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Dan DeWitt at 507-344-7856 or email ddewitt@blc.edu