ABERDEEN, S.D. - Winona State's Jonte Flowers was a thorn in Northern State's side on Saturday night as the Warriors topped the Wolves 87-60 in front of 4,672 fans at Wachs Arena.  Flowers hit 13-of-15 field goals for 34 points and had eight steals against the Wolves.  The loss ends Northern's six-game, season-opening winning streak and sets their NSIC record at 1-1.  The Warriors, ranked #7 in the nation, are 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the league.

The Wolves shot well from the field, hitting 23-of-46 shots throughout the game, but they were rattled by Winona's defense and turned the ball over 20 times.  The Warriors had an even better shooting performance, hitting 63.3 percent of shots (31-49) and 10-of-20 three-pointers.  Only one Winona player who took a shot in the game had a shooting percentage less than 50%.

The Warriors simply did not miss shots in the opening minutes of the game and they attacked Northern players defensively to force five turnovers before they went up 27-12 at the midpoint of the half.  The Wolves did their part to stay in the game by hitting the boards.  They led the Warriors 13-10 in rebounding after the first half.  The Warriors had the scoring edge, however, leading 40-29.

Winona's offensive spacing and defensive pressure continued to produce success in the second half.  They led by as many as 32 points in the game and seldom made a mistake with the ball.   Jonte Fowers added five more field goals to the eight that he notched in the first half and finished with 34 points.

Kevin Ratzsch was Northern's main aggressor on offense.  He connected on 10-of-13 field goals for 21 points in the game.  Luke Wicks hit a set of three-pointers and four free throws for ten points.  Robert Thomas secured nine rebounds and had three assists.  

Flowers' game was a highlight show for the Warriors.  Smith was the only other WSU player with double figures in scoring.  He had 16 points and a team high eight rebounds.

Northern State hits the road in continued NSIC play next weekend.  They will head to Marshall, Minn. to play Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, and Wayne, Neb. to take on Wayne State on Saturday.  The Wolves return home to host Briar Cliff University on December 11.