BOX SCORE

MOORHEAD, Minn: The Northern State University Wolves improved to a solid 21-2 on the season and a 12-2 record in the NSIC with a 76-51 rout over the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons.  The Dragons fall to 13-9 on the season and 6-7 in the NSIC. Poor shooting by the Dragons and great shooting by the Wolves allowed Northern State to pick up such a big victory. The Wolves went 12-22 from the three point line to help lead them to the win. They also outscored the Dragons by 12 in the first half and 13 in the second half.

 

The Wolves got started early, opening up a 24-9 lead with 16:47 left in the the first half off. This quick start was thanks in part to three point contributions by Craig Nelson and Mitch Boeck. Nelson sunk three three point shots within the first three minutes of the game. The Wolves got up by as many as 16 as they took a 43-31 lead into the break. Nelson lead the Wolves in the first half, going 5-7 from the three point line and finishing the first half with 15 points. Senior Levi Hamilton added eight points off of 3-4 shooting from the field. The Wolves shot 53.6% from the field and 50.0% from the three point line as the Dragons struggled, shooting only 26.1% in the first half.

 

The Wolves attack continued as they opened the second half with a 13-1 run and expanded  their lead to 22 points. The Wolves continued to dominate the game and opened their lead up by as many as 26 points with nine minutes left in the contest. For the rest of the game, the Wolves and Dragons traded off baskets back and forth as Moorhead could not mound a comeback attempt. The Wolves had a 27 point lead with just 32 seconds to go, but then the Dragons' Kyle Price made a layup to end the game in a 76-51 in the Wolves' favor. In the second half, the Wolves shot 42.3% from the field but did shoot 62.5% from beyond the three point line. The Dragons continued to struggle, going 9-31 from the field and shooting a dismal 7.1% from beyond the three point line.

 

Leading the offensive charge for the Wolves was Nelson. He finished the game with 18 points off of  6-9 shooting and also went 6-8 from beyond the arc. Hamilton finished with 12 points, going 5-8 from the field. Luke Wicks was the third Northern player in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Robert Thomas led the Wolves in rebounding with seven to go along with his six points.

 

Brian Rozell lead the Dragons in scoring with 11 points off of 4-10 shooting. Jamal O'Neal added 11 points of his own off of 2-5 shooting. Dwayne Hardy Jr. added eight points and six rebounds. The Dragons struggled from the field, shooting only 27.8% and 19.0% from the beyond the three point stripe. The Dragons were able to outrebound the Wolves 34-33.

 

Up next the Wolves will head to St. Paul, Minn. to take on the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears tomorrow night at 8 p.m.