SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men's basketball circuit has been an interesting one to watch this season as the top five teams boast similar records, setting up an interesting few weeks to wrap up the 2024-25 season.
 
With just six games remaining for the Yellowjackets, they hosted Northwestern inside Mertz Mortorelli Gym Wednesday. Just two weeks ago, the Eagles got the best of Superior as they won 82-72 inside the Ericksen Center.
 
Wednesday however, told a different narrative.
 
With the help of the Yellowjacket faithful the Mertz was packed for Swarm Night, and the 'Jackets fed off the crowd's energy to defeat UNW by an 87-78 decision.
 
Game Notes

• The 'Jackets began on the right foot, as Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield), Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) and Andrew Beers (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) boosted the 'Jackets up 10-2 early on.
• As UNW began to ramp up their offense, the Yellowjackets maintained control with Johnson and Beers' offense. The Eagles came within four, but the 'Jackets caught a second wind after Walker logged a jumper and later a trey to give Superior a 34-23 lead.
• After drawing a foul with under five minutes in the first, Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) nailed both shots from the charity stripe, and after a jumper from Rocco Paulson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East), UWS led by 11 once again at 38-27.
• Northwestern drew a pair of late fouls as time ticked off the scoreboard. After nailing all four attempts, they were able to finish the half with just a five-point deficit at 43-38.
• Barker got the 'Jackets going with their first possession, logging a slam dunk to start the charge. Walker and Johnson followed with points of their own, ultimately taking a 12-point advantage at 52-40.
• Past the midway point of the half, the Eagles began to make some headway. A jumper from Caden Stevens, a layup from Elijah Burns and two-made free throws from Japheth Nyamari brought UNW within two at 65-63.
• Teams exchanged blows until a Nyamari layup knotted the game at 69-69. UNW took the lead at 5:31 when he finished a three-point play, but a long ball from Beers brought the 'Jackets right back in the lead.
• Beers and Johnson helped steer the ship, and Walker aided with a pair of jumpers to lead 82-76. With under a minute left the Eagles were forced to foul, and the 'Jackets logged three-of-four from the line to secure the win at home.
• Walker and Johnson paced the charge, scoring 25 and 24 points, respectively. Walker shot 83 percent from the field in the contest.
• Beers and T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) tied for a team-best seven boards, while Walker garnered five.
• As a collective, UW-Superior shot 56.4 from the field, marking their second-best mark of the campaign. Their highest mark came in the Merrill Thompson Classic, defeating St. Olaf 82-54 while garnering a field goal percentage of 59.3.

 
The Yellowjackets (11-9, 6-3 UMAC) now enter a five-way tie of first place in UMAC standings. Their next test comes Saturday as they host Martin Luther on Alumni Day. Action begins at 3 p.m. inside the Mertz.
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