ST. PAUL, Minn. – The UW-Superior men's basketball team dug itself a 14-0 hole to begin the game at Northwestern only to take the lead less than three minutes into the second half on Friday.
 
Unfortunately for Yellowjackets, the Eagles' Noah Alm caught fire – scoring 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half – to lead UNW to a 62-52 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference win at the Ericksen Center.
 
Alm shot 7-for-12 after halftime, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, to help negate Superior's comeback. UWS (5-9, 2-2 UMAC) was held scoreless for the game's first 6:23 before finding its footing. After junior J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) hit a jumper in the paint to get the 'Jackets on the scoreboard, they closed the half outscoring Northwestern, 19-13, to head into the halftime locker room down just four points at 27-23.
 
Superior scored the first two baskets of the second half – layups by Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) and Eli Vogel (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West), respectively – to knot the game at 27 with 1:21 off the clock. Fahrenholtz knotted the game on the next possession prior to junior Xavier Patterson's (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) layup that gave UWS its first lead, 31-29, with 17:12 to play. Patterson canned a 3-pointer 30 seconds later, extending the lead to the 'Jackets' largest at 34-29. 
 
Alm then put the Northwestern (12-4, 6-0 UMAC) on his back, tallying 14 of the Eagles' next 17 to open a 46-39 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining. The deficit grew to as many as 12 when Kyle Kaemingk hit a jumper with 2:59 left, and Superior got not closer than nine the rest of the way.
 
Vogel paced UWS with 13 points on 5-for-12 from the floor. Walker added 12 and three assists. Kaemingk was the only other Northwestern player in double figures with 14 points. He and Alm chipped in with six rebounds apiece as UNW outrebounded Superior, 51-34, on the night. Caleb Hoilien led all players with 11 boards.
 
UWS is back in action Saturday at North Central. Game time in Minneapolis is slated for 4:45 p.m.