Box Score

MOORHEAD, Minn. - A career-high 26 points from Collin Pryor and four total players in double figures helped propel the Northern State Wolves to a key midweek 79-64 road win over Minnesota State Moorhead Tuesday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball action.  

The win, NSU's fourth road win of the season, allowed the Wolves to stay atop the NSIC North Division standings.  The Wolves are now 13-4 overall and 8-2 in league play and are tied with St. Cloud State for the divisional lead.  MSU Moorhead, which was receiving votes in the latest NABC Top 25 poll, drops a game back and is now 13-3 overall and 7-3 in the loop.  Two of the Dragons' three wins have come at the hands of Northern State.

Pryor saw his streak of 34 straight free throws made come to an end, but traded the streak for a solid second half.  The senior scored 18 of the Wolves' 44 points in the period en-route to a career-high 26 points.  He also pulled down nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end of the floor.

The second half proved to be the decisive factor, as the Wolves pulled away from a four-point halftime lead with a dominant second half performance.  NSU committed just two turnovers in the half while shooting the ball at a 55.2 percent clip from the field.  The Wolves out-dueled the Dragons in nearly every statistic in the half to stretch the lead to as many as 20 before settling for the 15-point victory.

Senior forward Dustin Tetzlaff added 12 points and four rebounds to the winning effort, while Michael Emge and Geoffrey Firmin chipped in ten points apiece.  Firmin also added six assists.

Dragon senior Anthony Tucker put up 21 to lead the way for MSUM, but the Wolves were able to limit senior forward Alex Novak to just nine points.  Novak had seven rebounds to lead the Dragons, but the Wolves out-boarded the Dragons 34-26 on the night, holding MSUM to just five second-chance points.

NSU returns to Wachs Arena and South Division play this weekend, hosting Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls for another key weekend of conference action.  Tipoff with the Mustangs is set for 8 p.m. on Friday night and 7 p.m. on Saturday against the NSIC newcomer Cougars.