Box Score
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The last time these two teams met, Northern State missed ten free throws and lost by one. This time around, the Wolves made seven of ten attempts from the line in the final minute to seal off an 86-80 victory over the visiting Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons Friday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball action.
The win, NSU's third straight, lifts the Wolves back to the .500 mark at 10-10 overall and 6-10 in conference play. MSUM slipped to 11-8 overall and 8-7 in the loop.
The Wolves have now won four of their last five and are 3-0 in re-match games, having avenged losses to Minnesota-Duluth and Bemidji State last weekend and the Dragons tonight.
NSU led by as many as 12 with just over two minutes left to play in the game and looked poised to put the game away. The Dragons would not go away quietly, however, draining three treys in a matter of 1:10 to cut it to a two-possession game. Junior Charlie Chapman had two of the three buckets, but neither he nor fellow shooter Andrew VanHavermaet could connect on their long-range attempts inside the final 30 seconds.
The Wolves, meanwhile, who tied an NSIC record for most made free throws in a single game last Saturday, stepped to the line and drained what they needed to to keep the Dragons at bay. Junior
Brett Newton was 6-of-8 from the line in that final minute and scored all nine of his points on the night from the stripe.
NSU sophomore
Collin Pryor turned in another strong outing, putting up a steady 24 points and eight rebounds, including a stretch of six straight points for the Wolves early in the second half. Pryor, the reigning NSIC Player of the Week, was 9 of 14 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the line.
Senior
Tom Parks added 13 points for the Wolves, while freshman
Jared Hannigan put up an even dozen, including a pair of key second-half treys.
The Dragons had four players in double figures, led by junior Jake Driscoll, who finished with 16 points. Chapman and sophomore Alex Novak each added 15, while Dennis Williamson gave the Dragons 14 points before fouling out of the contest. Novak also had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, but MSUM managed just 16 points from their bench.
The Dragons also turned the ball over 19 times in the contest, which the Wolves turned into 27 points. NSU, despite losing the overall rebounding battle, did snag 13 offensive boards, which led to 15 second-chance points.
The Wolves, who moved into a tie for ninth in the conference standings with Friday night's win, are back in action tomorrow night, going for their fourth straight victory when they play host to Minnesota, Crookston. The Golden Eagles dropped a tight 62-60 decision at U-Mary on Friday. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. in Wachs Arena.
