ST. PAUL. Minn. – Josh Creed scored a game-high 20 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, but hot-shooting Northwestern (Minn.) topped Marian 87-66 Friday evening in non-conference action at the Ericksen Center.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team gaining a significant advantage. At 1:18 Reggie Roemer grabbed the defensive rebound and finished on the offensive side of the court and Marian looked up at a 40-37 halftime deficit.

The Eagles opened the second half with a 7-0 run to put the Sabres in a precarious spot. At the 14-minute mark Alex Stecker converted a layup to bring the Blue and White to within 51-44. Just when MU looked poised to make a run, UNW made a run of its own.

What ensued was a 16-4 run that lasted nearly five minutes and the Sabres were left with too big of a hole to climb out of.

UNW (3-0, 0-0 UMAC) shot nearly 60 percent (16-of-27) from the field in the second half, while Marian hit 29 percent (10-of-25) of its shots.

Montrell Hobbs helped out with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor.

UNW had four players score in double figures.

Marian (2-1, 0-0 NACC) return to the hardwood Saturday and will take on North Central (Minn.).

--FightBlueFIght--