Box Score Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – After watching an early 10-0 lead dissolve into a 16-10 deficit, the Northern State men's basketball team clamped down in the second half, holding the visiting Wayne State Wildcats to just 13 second-period points and feeding off the veteran leadership of senior Alex Thomas to take home a 57-41 victory over the Wildcats Friday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action.
 
The victory puts the Wolves back in the win column after St. Cloud State ended what had been a perfect season for the Wolves.  NSU now stands at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the league, despite being held to less than 80 points for the first time this season.  Wayne State falls to 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in NSIC action.
 
The Wolves sprinted out to the quick lead thanks to three layups and a free throw by Dustin Tetzlaff sandwiched around a Jared Hannigan trey, but the NSU offense fell silent for the next 7 minutes, 15 seconds, by which time the Wildcats had scrambled back into the lead.
 
NSU clawed its way back and made it a one-possession game after Michael Emge drilled a trey from the corner to make it 20-17, but a persistent Wildcats team again put some distance on the scoreboard, when Vontrell Seroyer made it 28-20.  Another Tetzlaff layup with a minute left cut it to six, which stood through the final buzzer of the half.
 
The second period, however, belonged almost entirely to the Wolves, as they scored the first ten points of the half – again – to regain the lead at 32-28.  It was an advantage they would not relinquish, as the Wildcats went just 4-for-20 in the second stanza after going 11 of 23 in the first.
 
The Wolves, meanwhile, converted on 10 of 19 attempts in the second half and finished 17 for 34.  They also went 19-for-22 from the line and held their largest lead of the night at the final buzzer.
 
Thomas, in particular, came up big for the Wolves in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the definitive period.  NSU's lone senior on the squad, Thomas finished the night with 13 points, two assists and four steals in 29 minutes of action, throwing down a monstrous dunk following one breakaway steal.
 
Tetzlaff led all Wolves with 18 points.  Junior Collin Pryor, hampered by a nagging injury, came off the bench for five points – all from the free throw line – and a game-best eight rebounds.  Emge also added six points off the bench on 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
WSC's Vontrell Seroyer led all players with 22 points off the bench for the Wildcats, hitting five treys in eight attempts.  No other player, however, had more than six points for the Wildcats, whose starting five went a combined 4-for17 from the field, including 1-for-8 from long range.
 
The Wildcats also committed 16 turnovers on the night, which led to 20 points on the NSU side of the scoreboard.
 
NSU returns to the court against 16^th-ranked Augustana College on Saturday.  The Vikings claimed a 58-45 victory over U-Mary on Friday night and enter Saturday's match-up with the Wolves sporting 6-1 overall and 3-0 NSIC records.  Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. in Wachs Arena.