Box Score Box Score
Sather Post-Game Comments

ABERDEEN, S.D. - In their final tune-up before hitting the Northern Sun trail, the Northern State Wolves survived a scrappy Carleton College squad 66--59 Wednesday night, relying on a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double from senior Dustin Tetzlaff to do so.  NSU moved to 4-2 on the young season with its third straight win while handing the Knights, now 2-1 overall, their first loss of the season in the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The Wolves badgered the Knights into 18 turnovers and just a 41.5 percent shooting effort from the floor, but were hampered by struggles from the free throw line, particularly in the second half of the up-tempo affair.  NSU shot just 50 percent from the stripe (9 of 18) for the game, but was just 6 of 14 in the second half.

The Knights, in contrast, were 12-for-17 from the stripe, including 8-for-10 in the first half, but were just 3 of 15 from long range in the effort.

NSU, which took the lead for good with just over five minutes to go in the first half, led by as many as 13 during the second half, but could not shake a persistent Carleton squad that cut it to just a four-point NSU advantage after a 7-0 run capped by a Shane McSparron jumper with 2:34 left in the game.

Northern State seniors Geoffrey Firmin and Tetzlaff carried the scoring for the remainder of the game, scoring eight of the Wolves' final nine points of the night.  Firmin was 4-for-6 from the line in that stretch, while Tetzlaff scored back-to-back lay-ups to keep the Wolves on top.

CC senior Tom Sawatzke scored six of his team-best 20 points in that final stretch to keep things interesting, but was unable to bridge the gap.

In addition to Tetzlaff's double-double - NSU's first of the season - fellow senior Colling Pryor added 13 points, seven boards and four steals for the Wolves.  Michael Emge canned a trio of three-pointers and finished with 11 points, as did sophomore forward Seth Bachand off the bench.  Bachand also had six rebounds and four assists for the Wolves.

Sawatzke was joined in double figures by Scott Theisen and McSparron, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.  Taylor Hanson finished with eight points and nine rebounds, as the Knights edged NSU on the boards by a 38-35 margin.

NSU will now turn its attention to the NSIC slate, which begins on Saturday.  The Wolves host MSU Moorhead in a single-game weekend.  Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game.