SUPERIOR, Wis. – Wednesday night, the Yellowjacket men's basketball team had an opportunity presented to them that hasn't happened in decades. Many decades.

With a win over Northwestern, the Yellowjackets would have clinched at least a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference regular season championship. Not only would it have been their first UMAC title, it would have been the first time since 1941 the Yellowjackets would have raised a banner.
 
A large, partisan crowd was on hand to witness the matchup of the conference's top two teams, and the Yellowjackets were in good shape, holding a seven-point lead at the break. In the end, however, it was Northwestern who would end up celebrating. The Eagles came out hot to start the second half and held off the Yellowjackets to earn the 70-64 win at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
 
With the victory, Northwestern clinched a share of the UMAC regular season championship, and can win the conference outright with a victory Saturday. The Yellowjackets (16-8, 13-2 UMAC), meanwhile, need a win at Bethany Lutheran and a Northwestern loss to share the championship with the Eagles.
 
The Yellowjackets came out strong in the first half and built up an 11-point lead in the first seven minutes. Mason Ackley (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) led the charge, scoring the first five points for the Yellowjackets. Eli Vogel (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West) chipped in a three as the Yellowjackets moved in front 15-4.
 
Allen Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo) hit a jumper with 4:34 to go, giving the Yellowjackets their biggest lead of the first half, 28-16. Northwestern would answer down the stretch, outscoring the Yellowjackets 11-6 the rest of the way, but the 'Jackets held a 34-27 lead at the break.
 
Of greater concern to the Yellowjackets was the foul count. In particular that of Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade (Serbia)), who went into halftime with four on the stat sheet. Milenkovic would stay at four the rest of the game, but other Yellowjackets also had foul problems as the second half wore on.
 
Northwestern came out hitting on all cylinders in the second half, tying the game at 38-38 just 3:50 in. Noah Alm broke a 40-40 tie, and the Eagles would lead by as many as seven, but the Yellowjackets wouldn't go away. Down five with under four minutes to play, Anderson hit a pair of free throws then knocked down a three pointer to  pull the 'Jackets even at 59-59.
 
But as quickly as the 'Jackets tied it, Northwestern broke the tie. Northwestern went on another run and built up a seven point lead, holding off the Yellowjackets late to get the six-point win.
 
Ackley and Vogel paced the Yellowjacket offense. The dynamic freshman duo each scored a team-high 15 points. Ackley also had five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in a well-rounded effort. Despite playing most of the game on the cusp of fouling out, Milenkovic scored 13 and had a team-best six assists.

Anderson led the Yellowjackets with eight rebounds.

The Yellowjackets close out the regular season with a road game at Bethany Lutheran Saturday. The Yellowajckets and Vikings both enter the game with UMAC records of 13-2, meaning the winner will be the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.