Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – For Northern State University head coach Don Meyer, career win number 900 couldn't have been any sweeter – a convincing 79-69 win over sixth-ranked Minnesota State University, the team picked to finish ahead of the Wolves in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason coaches poll.

The Wolves, who were picked second in that poll, moved to 9-1 on the year and 3-1 in conference play, while handing the visiting Mavericks their second loss of the season and halting their 9-game win streak.  MSU heads into the Christmas break at 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the league.

NSU senior Kevin Ratzsch (Bloomington, Ill.) got the better of the battle of preseason All-Americans, putting up a season-high 30 points, while MSU stand-out Jake Morrow had just eight points on the night on 2 of 9 shooting from the floor before fouling out in the game's final minutes.

Ratzsch, who had been averaging 21.3 points per game heading into Saturday's highly anticipated showdown, was just two points shy of his career best of 32 points.  The 6-foot-7 forward has routinely had strong second halves throughout the season, and Saturday proved to be no different as he poured in 18 of his 30 points in the second half, while grabbing 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.

NSU also got a strong 19-point effort from junior Robert Thomas (Mankato, Minn.), while eight different players got in on the scoring in a much more balanced attack than the Wolves have shown recently.

Both teams battled through a back-and-forth contest throughout the game.  Northern State took the lead for good with 4:12 left in the first half, but could not shake a persistent Maverick squad that hit big shots down the stretch to keep it close.  NSU held to a slim 32-31 lead at the break, but did not stretch the lead to double digits until the 2:08 mark of the second half.

Again, however, the Mavericks scrapped back into contention, cutting the NSU advantage to six points with just under a minute left to play on a bucket by Jadee Jones, but four Ratzsch free throws put the game safely out of reach in the closing seconds.

The Wolves, behind a strong inside presence from Thomas and sophomore Bojan Todorovic, who made his second career start on Saturday, dominated the inside game, putting up 38 points in the paint to MSU's 18.  NSU's Jordan King (Arlington, S.D.) also contributed to the cause, getting some key runners in the lane to fall in the second half.

Although shooting just 28.6 percent from 3-point range on the night, the Wolves were a solid 27-for-52 from the floor overall, good for 51.9 percent effort.  The Mavericks, in contrast, shot just 36.7 percent from the floor in what proved to be a physical battle for the win.

Both teams will now break for Christmas before NSIC play resumes in January.  The Wolves, however, will be back in action at home on Dec. 28, taking on Midland Lutheran College in a non-conference tune-up.  Tip-off for that contest is slated for 2 p.m. in Wachs Arena.