Box Score
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No one knows for sure whether junior
Mitch Boeck (Arlington, S.D.) called bank as he let fly his fourth 3-point attempt of the day. But called or not, the bank counted and Boeck's last-second heroics lifted the Northern State University Wolves to a 73-70 over Bemidji State University Sunday afternoon as part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Holiday HoopsFest.
The win keeps NSU in the win column, as the Wolves moved to 6-0 on the year after a pair of non-conference wins over the weekend. Bemidji State slipped to 0-4 overall despite battling the Wolves to the bitter end in Sunday's thriller.
Led by a career-high 28 points from junior center
Robert Thomas (Mankato, Minn.), the Wolves battled through nine ties and ten lead changes with the scrappy Beaver squad. Down by eight with less than five minutes left to play in the game, NSU forced the ninth and final tie after senior
Kyle Schwan (Aberdeen, S.D.) capped an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws with 43 second left on the clock.
Senior
Kevin Ratzsch (Bloomington, Ill.) had two baskets in that run, while Thomas laid in his 11th bucket of the game in the series.
After the Schwan free throws that tied the game up at 70-all and the ensuing Wolves time-out, Bemidji State failed to convert on two straight possessions. Northern State regained control of the ball with 1.5 seconds left on the clock after a missed Zach Eastman 3-point attempt went out of bounds.
Sophomore
Brett Newton (Tyler, Minn.) sent the ensuing throw-in nearly the length of the floor to Thomas, who found a wide-open Boeck on the right wing for the final shot, which banked in as the buzzer sounded, sending the 1,014 fans in attendance into a frenzy.
The win also gives NSU head coach
Don Meyer career win number 897. Meyer and the Wolves will be looking to add to their respective totals next weekend when they host Wayne State College and Augustana College on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Tip-off for both NSIC contests is set for 8 p.m. in Wachs Arena.
