Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University forced the visiting Presentation College Saints into 27 turnovers and turned them into 24 points while getting to the free throw line 32 times on the night as the Wolves outlasted the Saints 71-53 Friday evening in non-conference men's basketball action.

The Wolves claimed the win, their third of the season despite shooting just 34.0 percent (18 of 53) from the floor and 24.0 percent (6 for 25) from 3-point range and committing 19 turnovers.  PC, meanwhile, shot the ball at a 40.0 percent clip, but the Saints were unable to utilize their possessions efficiently.

The Saints, now 0-1 on the young season, kept things close early, thanks in part to a stingy zone defense that kept the Wolves out of the paint.  NSU missed its first six shots from the field, five of which were 3-point attempts, allowing PC to build as much as a six point lead at 15-9 with 11:38 left in the half.  Junior Chris Grey capped the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play.

The Wolves then forced their way back into the game with back-to-back baskets by junior guard Jordan King, followed by a Marty Gregor free throw that tied things up at 15-all.

The two teams then traded baskets and free throws for the next five and a half minutes until PC's Adam Holt sank one of two free throw attempts to give the Saints a brief 22-21 lead.  However, King erased the deficit with another trey to put the Wolves up by a duce.  NSU closed the first half on a 5-0 run to go into the break leading 33-27.

After a pair of Collin Pryor free throws to open the second half, the Saints again threatened to overrun the Wolves, rattling off a 9-0 run to go up by one at 36-35.  Newcomer Momcilo Latinovic squelched that run with a timely 3-pointer followed by a running jumper in the lane to spark a 22-1 NSU tear that put the Wolves up for good.  Latinovic scored 9 of his 11 points during that run, while Pryor, a redshirt freshman, had six of his team-high 14 points in that stretch.

The Saints would get no closer than 14 the rest of the way, as NSU cruised to the 18-point victory.

Grey, an Aberdeen native, scored a game-best 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the floor.  Fellow Aberdeen Central High School product Richie Ward added 13, while Eric May chipped in 10 points for the Saints.

King and Latinovic each ended with 11 points off the bench to give the Wolves a spark.  Sophomore Alex Thomas also added nine points.  Junior guard Derek Hoellein also gave the Wolves a strong defensive presence, snagging six steals.

The Wolves are off until after Thanksgiving when they will participate in the annual Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Holiday HoopsFest in Sioux Falls.  NSU will take on Minnesota State University, Mankato on Saturday and the University of Minnesota Crookston on Sunday.  Both games will count as non-conference contests.

Tip-off for Saturday's game is set for 3 p.m. in the Sioux Falls Arena, while Sunday's game will start at 2 p.m. at the Augustana College Elman Center.