Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – No. 21 Southwest Minnesota State University held the visiting Northern State University Wolves to just three field goals and 16 second half points, overcoming an 8-point halftime deficit to take a 63-54 victory in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball action.

The loss was the fifth straight for the Wolves, who have lost all five of their games since starting the season 3-0 at home.  NSU slipped to 3-5 overall and 0-3 in NSIC action, while the Mustangs picked up their first conference victory and moved to 5-2 on the year and an even 1-1 in league action.

The Wolves sprinted to a 15-4 lead behind a pair of 3-pointers by junior Derek Hoellein to open the game, but fell victim to a scrappy SMSU defense for the next few minutes, committing eight turnovers by the time the Wolves took their first full timeout.

The Mustangs took advantage, roaring back to tie the game at 20-all.  Senior Mitch Boeck answered the call for the Wolves, converting on a 3-point play to spark a 10-2 run capped by a Collin Pryor lay-up, followed by a steal and second lay-up by the 6-foot-6 forward.

From there, the two teams played even-up ball for the remainder of the half, heading to the locker room with the Wolves up 38-30.

SMSU, however, came out of the break showing full-court pressure on every possession.  The Mustangs scored the first ten points of the period to take a 40-38 lead at the 16:14 mark and used a 14-1 run to go up 44-39.  NSU did not score a field goal in the half until the 13:06 point, marking a stretch of 11 minutes and 20 seconds without a field goal.

Sophomore Alex Thomas finally ended the drought with a 15-footer at the 13:06 mark to pull the Wolves back to within three at 44-41, but that would be as close as the Wolves would get the rest of the way as SMSU pulled away late in the contest.

Nothing came easy for the Wolves in the second half, as they ran into a Mustang front line that produced six of their ten blocked shots on the night in the second half and a back court that hounded the Wolves with full-court pressure for much of the second period.

The Mustangs used that pressure to their advantage, forcing the Wolves into a season-high 25 turnovers on the night.  SMSU scored 28 points off turnovers, 16 of which came in the second half as the Mustangs built a comfortable 60-49 lead by the 3-minute mark of the game.

Neither team was able to find a groove shooting the ball, as NSU was just 17 of 54 (31.5 percent) from the field.  SMSU got off a whopping 70 shots, but converted on just 25 of those, good for 35.7 percent.  The Mustangs got 22 points in second chance opportunities, however, while holding NSU to just 16.

Pryor scored team-best 15 points and snagged 10 rebounds to record the Wolves' first double-double of the season.  Boeck and Hoellein added nine points apiece.

SMSU was led by Scott Roehl, who had 16 points, three blocks and nine boards, five of which came off the offensive glass.  Redshirt freshman Jordan Miller added 13 points and six rebounds, while reserve center Nick Dale had four blocked shots, all in the second half.

The Wolves remain on the road tomorrow night, completing a 6-game road stretch at No. 14 Minnesota State University, Mankato.  That game is a re-match of a Nov. 29 meeting between the two teams at the NSIC HoopsFest in Sioux Falls.  MSU claimed a 78-58 victory in that meeting.  Tip-off on Saturday is set for 8 p.m. in MSU's Taylor Center.