ABERDEEN, S.D. - The Northern State men's basketball team outscored Jamestown College 52-34 in the second half to force an overtime period and gain a 82-77 win Monday night.  1,954 fans cheered on as the Wolves overcame a 25-point deficit with incredible shooting.  Northern improves to 5-0 on the season and will open NSIC play this weekend against Upper Iowa and #1 Winona State.

Things looked grim in Wachs Arena following a poor shooting and rebounding performance that left the Wolves down 20-38 at halftime.  Northern shot just 28 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 25-8 in the first period.  The picture got even worse in the opening minutes of the second half, as the Jimmies continue to hit shot after shot.  They led 53-28 with just under 16 minutes left in the game when the Wolves began to mount their unbelievable comeback.

The Wolves started their rally off with a set of jumpers in the paint and kept JC off the board by contesting shots and grabbing rebounds.  Luke Wicks nailed a three-pointer to get Northern back to within 16 points.  The teams then answered bucket-for-bucket, but many of Northern's shots came from beyond the arc.  Jamestown began to turn the ball over and the crowd could sense a change in the game.

The Wolves connected on nine three-pointers in their second half comeback and out-rebounded the Jimmies 18-6.  Wachs Arena erupted as another Wicks trey tied the game at 72 and went into an overtime period.

With all of the momentum on their side, the Wolves hit 4-of-8 field goals and both free throw attempts in the extra five minutes of play.  They defended the Jimmies well and allowed just one field goal on their way to the 82-77 win.

The Wolves shot an outstanding 71.4 percent in the second period, hitting 20-of-28 field goals and 9-of-12 threes.  They finished the game with a shooting mark of 50.8% (31-61) and narrowed the rebounding margin to 36-33 in favor of Jamestown.

Northern's rally was driven by Wicks, who hit five threes and had 17 points in the second half.  Wicks had 19 total points in the game.  Kevin Ratzsch led all players with 24 points and also had five rebounds and three blocked shots.  Craig Nelson had 13 points and six rebounds, while Kyle Schwan added 11 points.  Levi Hamilton had a team high seven rebounds and Dan DeWitt dished out five assists.

Jake Holen did the most damage to the Wolves, drilling five threes on his way to 24 points.  He also had six rebounds and five assists on the night.  Jordan Olson contributed with 15 points and a team high nine rebounds.  Jamestown shot 53.8% from the field in the first half, but cooled to 46.8% in the game (29-62).