Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – A hot-shooting Hastings College Bronco squad rolled through a chilly Upper Midwest landscape and lit up the second half of Monday's non-conference men's basketball squad to hand the host Northern State University Wolves their first home loss of the season with a 96-74 decision. 

The Broncos, now 11-4 on the season, drained 10 of 19 three-point attempts in the effort, including 5 of 7 in the second half and raced away from a 4-point halftime lead en-route to the victory.  Six different players reached the double-figure threshold, led by Waid Vontz's game-best 24-point effort.

The Wolves, meanwhile, fell to 4-7 overall and suffered their first home loss of the season.  The Wolves had opened the year with a 3-0 run at home, but were 0-6 in games played away from Wachs Arena.  Monday's loss was NSU's final tune-up before the team resumes Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action next weekend against Winona State and Upper Iowa on Jan. 2-3, respectively.

NSU kept things close through the first stanza of play, using the inside game to combat the outside shooting from the Broncos.  The Wolves scored 22 points in the paint in the first half to just ten for the Broncos.  Hastings, however, threatened to break away toward the end of the period, building a 7-point edge with just 18 seconds to play. 

Undaunted, NSU's Derek Hoellein drained a 3-pointer as time ran out to bring the Wolves back within striking distance at 44-40 heading into the break.  Hoellein finished the night with five 3-point buckets and a team-best 20 points.

The hot streak wasn't over for the Broncos, however, as they fed the ball to junior Derek Fletcher for a flurry of 3-pointers to open the second period.  Fletcher drained four of his six treys on the night in the second period, including three from the left flank in the early going.  As a team, the Broncos missed just two attempts from the floor in the first 11 minutes of the second half as they stretched their lead to as many as 25 by the 8:27 mark of the period.

The Wolves rallied late to cut the lead in half with just under four minutes to go, but it was too little too late.

Sophomore Alex Thomas went 5-for-6 from the floor and was 3-for-4 from the free throw line on the night as he notched 13 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Wolves.  Freshman Marko Filipovic added ten points in a reserve role, as well.