BOX SCORE
WINONA, Minn. – The Wolves escaped a Coyote attack in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball North Central Region Tournament on Saturday afternoon, taking a 70-69 win over the University of South Dakota. NSU junior Kevin Ratzsch made the play of the game to preserve the season for the Wolves, getting to the charity stripe and hitting a set of free throws that regained the lead for Northern State with ten seconds left in the game. The #2 Wolves move on to the semifinal round, where they will face another in-state rival, #6 Augustana College.
The Coyotes out-scored the Wolves 30-12 in the final 12 minutes of the game, overcoming a 19 point deficit to take a late lead and make the Wolves sweat. Northern State went without a field goal for eight minutes as South Dakota mounted the comeback. Ratzsch was the only NSU player to score a field goal in the final 12 minutes. He kept the score close with eight points as the game drew to a close, including the free throws that saved the game. The Coyotes got off a final shot to beat the buzzer, but could not connect. They end their season 22-7 overall, while the #5 nationally-ranked Wolves improve to 28-3.
“When I went to the free throw line, I was just thinking that I've shot a million of these (free throws), just hit them and try to finish the game,” said Ratzsch of his game-winning shots in the final seconds.
Northern State dominated the first half, climbing ahead early with accurate shooting from all over the court. Robert Thomasslammed in two points and Ratzsch backed in and made a move on his defender to put NSU up 28-17 with 8:30 to play in the opening period of the tournament.
The Coyotes, who had a stalled shooting game for much of the first period, hit a three-pointer to get the score back to single digits. They slowed NSU's attack, but turnovers and missed shots never got the Coyotes closer than seven points from the Wolves. A Craig Nelson three-pointer put NSU up 40-25 with just under three minutes to play. Northern State took a 44-30 lead into the locker room.
The Wolves out-played the Coyotes in nearly every category in the first half. As one of the nation's best shooting teams, the Wolves shot 56.7% from the field to USD's 37.9% and hit 4-of-7 three-pointers for 57.1%. Rebounding was a huge component to Northern's first half success, as they out-boarded USD 23-11, receiving six each from Thomas and Ratzsch. Ratzsch tallied nine points in the half, while three teammates added eight points each.
Defensive pressure was elevated by both teams in the first four minutes of the second half and scoring was delayed. The Wolves broke the dam with a push led by senior guard Nelson, who rattled off seven points to help Northern go up 58-39 at the 12 minute mark.
South Dakota senior Eric Hall dropped in a set of free throws and a three-point shot in a 9-1 Coyote rally that got his team back to within seven points, 61-54, with 7:24 to play. Defensive rebounding slowed the momentum for the Wolves, whose second half shooting cooled to 33.3% before their final push. The Coyotes continued to roll and the game took on a playoff feel as Dylan Grimsley completed an old-fashioned three-point play to draw his team to within four, 62-58. The Coyotes took back the lead at the five minute mark with a Grimsley three-pointer.
Ratzsch laid in NSU's first field goal in eight minutes of play, taking a back door feed from Thomas. The teams traded buckets and fought to keep their seasons alive in the final minutes. USD led 69-68 at the one minute warning, but Wolves made a defensive stop and looked to run the clock down to the final ticks. Senior Dan DeWitt, who has been one of the team's assist leader for years, found Ratzsch cutting to the hoop in the inbounds play that changed the game for NSU. Ratzsch was nailed on his layup attempt and headed to the line, where he hit both free throws to give the Wolves a 70-69 lead with ten seconds remaining.
“We completely lost momentum in the second half and needed someone to step up and make a play for our team,” said Northern State head coach Don Meyer. “Kevin made some plays and we made a defensive stop or two. We made the last play of the game because we didn't make the play earlier against Winona State. We practiced that situation.”
The Wolves finished the game with a shooting mark of 51.0% (26-51), getting assists on 13 of their 26 field goals. They were out-rebounded 20-15 in the second half, but still led on the boards overall, 38-31. Ratzsch went 10-of-18 from the field to lead all players with 24 points. He completed a double double with 12 rebounds and also had two blocked shots. Nelson had 15 points, followed by Thomas with 11. Thomas had a strong defensive game, also posting nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
South Dakota shot 40.0% from the field and committed just five turnovers in the game. The Coyotes had four players finish in double figures for scoring, led by Cain with 16 points and six rebounds. Grimsley had 14 points, followed by Eric Hall with 13 and Steve Smith with 11. Hall matched Cain with a team high six boards.
