Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Northern State University senior Kevin Ratzsch (Bloomington, Ill.) scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures Saturday night as the Wolves rebounded to claim an 82-75 win over St. Cloud State University, handing the host Huskies just their second home loss of the season in the process.

The Wolves, who suffered a tightly fought 78-74 setback last night at Concordia-St. Paul, started off a little shaky on Saturday before settling in and fending off the Huskies to improve to 14-4 overall and 7-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.  SCSU, which has now dropped four of its last six games, fell to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the league.

NSU finished the game shooting 56.6 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from 3-point range, but found its nemesis in an unlikely place in the first half – the free throw line.  The Wolves made just five of their first 12 attempts from the line, but recovered to drain 10 of 12 in the final two minutes of the game to help seal the win.

After a somewhat sluggish start to Saturday's game, the Wolves put together runs of 8-0 and 11-2 in the first half to take a 12-point lead at 31-19 with just under five minutes left in the half.  The Huskies, however, trimmed that lead to just five points by halftime, and regained the lead less than five minutes into the second stanza.

The two teams would trade baskets and the lead for the next seven minutes of play before the Wolves took the lead for good at the 8:33 mark on a Robert Thomas (Mankato, Minn.) basket.  From that point on, NSU made the most of every possession, missing just three attempts from the floor and playing turn-over free for the remainder of the game.

Ratzsch led all scorers with his 19-point effort, while junior Mitch Boeck (Arlington, Minn.) scored all 17 of his points in the second half.  Sophomore point guard Brett Newton (Tyler, Minn.) knocked down 3 of 5 attempts from 3-point range to finish with 16.

Thomas added another 13 points, while senior guard Kyle Schwan (Aberdeen, S.D.) turned in a solid all-around performance with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a trio of steals.

The Huskies also put five players in double figures, led by Andrew Bernstetter's 15-point effort, but gave up 24 points off turnovers while shooting just 22.2 percent (6 of 27) from long range on the night.  NSU also dominated the inside game, claiming a 40-26 edge in points in the paint.

The Wolves remain on the road next weekend when they travel to MSU Moorhead and Minnesota Crookston on Friday and Saturday, respectively.  Both games are slated to tip-off at 8 p.m. following the women's contests.