Box Score
ABERDEEN, S.D. – It's not often that the Northerns State University Wolves let an opposing team out-shoot them. Especially at home. But that's exactly what the visiting Wayne State College Wildcats did on Friday, testing the Wolves to the bitter end before NSU prevailed, earning a 63-60 victory in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference thriller in NSU's Wachs Arena.
With the win, the Wolves remained a perfect 7-0 on the year and 1-0 in the early going of conference play. The win also improved their home winning streak to 16 games, dating back to the 2007-08 season. WSC, meanwhile, dropped to 3-4 on the year and 0-1 in the conference loop.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the early going before NSU's
Mitch Boeck (Arlington, S.D.) scored the game's first points at the 17:25 mark, followed by a
Robert Thomas (Mankato, Minn.) bucket at 16:30. The Wildcats would rally and take their first and only lead of the game at the night at the 9:50 mark on a Jonathan Thomas layup that put WSC up 14-13.
The Wolves responded immediately in the form of a
Kyle Schwan (Aberdeen, S.D.) layup just ten seconds later, giving NSU a lead it would not relinquish. Led by senior
Kevin Ratzsch (Bloomington, Ind.), who scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, the Wolves led by as many as 10 late in the first period before heading into the break with an 8-point edge at 37-29.
The Wildcats, however, would make that lead look mighty precarious in the second half, as they steadily chipped away at NSU's lead throughout the period. A Brian Metz jumper with 1:48 left on the clock made it a 63-62 game with time winding down.
NSU misfired on the ensuing possession, but sophomore guard
Brett Newton's (Tyler, Minn.) fourth steal of the night gave the Wolves the ball back.
NSU, however, nearly turned the ball right back over on a shot-clock violation, but Ratzsch managed to knock down a jumper in traffic to both avoid the turnover and give the Wolves the 3-point cushion.
The Wildcats missed a 3-pointer on their next possession, but got the ball back on a missed NSU free throw. WSC got off another game-tying try with four seconds left on the clock, but missed long. However, Schwan was called for a holding foul on the scramble for the loose-ball rebound, sending reserve Marcus Messersmith to the free throw line with just two tenths of a second remaining on the clock.
Messersmith knocked down the first of two free throws, but failed to hit the rim on an intentional miss of the second, giving the ball back to the Wolves and clinching the win.
NSU got a career-high 19 points from Boeck, who was 5-for-10 from 3-point range on the night. Sophomore Derek Hoelline (Eureka, S.D.) added nine points off the bench. Thomas, NSU's 6-foot-10 center, had just six points in the game as he was held largely in check by WSC's Jonathon Thomas and Brian Metz.
Metz had 14 points to lead three players in double figures for the Wildcats. Thomas added 11, while Elijah Miller chipped in 12 off the bench. The Wildcats knocked down shots at a 48.0 percent clip to NSU's 44.6 percent, but WSC managed just 52.9 percent from the free throw line.
The Wolves will be back in action on Saturday as they play host to Augustana College in another key NSIC match-up. The Vikings suffered a 68-56 loss at the University of Mary on Friday. Game time is set for 8 p.m. in Wachs Arena.
