ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State men's team improved to 9-1 on the season with an 82-62 defeat of NAIA-affiliate Briar Cliff University (8-4).  The Wolves continue non-conference play this weekend, traveling to Sioux Falls for an 8:00 p.m. meeting with Augustana College. 

 

The Wolves opened the game with a 15-4 run, forcing four early Briar Cliff turnovers.  Northern's lead opened up even more with three three-pointers.  NSU's largest lead of the second half was 16 points.  The Chargers continued to struggle with turnovers for the remainder of the period, but they clinched a number of layups and three-point shots to narrow the margin to eight.

 

The Wolves shot 54.3% (19-35) from the field and connected on six long range shots to take a 47-35 halftime lead.  NSU committed just four turnovers in the fast-paced half.  The Chargers also shot well in the half, hitting 13-of-26 field goals.  Their biggest downfall was turning the ball over 13 times.

 

With the Chargers shooting poorly in the opening minutes of the second half, the Wolves stretched their lead to as many as 17 points.  BCU had only one field goal in the first five minutes of the second period.  

 

The Wolves continued to push the pace for the remainder of the game, forcing 23 total BCU turnovers, which led to 20 NSU points.  The Wolves led by as many as 22 points and finished the game with a shooting percentage of 50.0 (33-66).

 

Kyle Schwan scored a career high 17 points from 8-of-15 shooting and also dished out four assists.  Kevin Ratzsch had 15 points and six rebounds, also grabbing four steals.  Dan DeWitt and Jordan King each added 11 points, with DeWitt leading the team with five assists.

 

Adi Cizmic led the Chargers with 17 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.  Briar Cliff shot 42.3% from the field and had 33 rebounds to NSU's 37.