Box Score

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Minnesota State University Moorhead put four players – including three freshmen and one player off the bench – in double figures while shooting the ball at a sizzling 58.5 percent clip to stun the visiting 23rd ranked Northern State University Wolves Saturday night, taking an 87-63 upset victory at home in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men’s basketball action.

MSUM improved to 6-11 overall and 3-9 in conference play with the win, just their fourth at home this season.  The Wolves dropped to 14-5 overall and 7-5 in the league.

The Dragons, who entered the game with just one player averaging in double figures and shooting just 43.8 percent as a team on the season, scored early and often in the first half, stretching a 9-point lead at the 11:02 mark into a 20-point advantage by halftime.

After giving up another scoring flurry to start the second half, the Wolves managed to trim the deficit to 15 with 12:39 left to play, but MSUM quickly pushed the lead back out to 20 less than a minute later.  NSU would get no closer than 19 the rest of the way.

The Dragons gained the early confidence on the offensive end of the floor thanks in part to a 7 of 12 effort from 3-point range in the first stanza.  MSUM cooled slightly in the second half, but made up the difference in close range shots and free throws.

Justyn Burgess led the Dragons on the scoreboard with 19 points, followed by freshmen Andrew Van Havermaet and Jake Driscoll, who put up 18 and 17 points, respectively.  Van Havermaet and Driscoll had entered the game averaging a combined 14.0 points per game.

NSU, in contrast, could not get a sustained offensive threat going throughout the night.  The Wolves finished the game shooting just 40.3 percent on the night, including an icy 2-for-20 (10.0 percent) effort from long range.

Senior was led offensively by senior Kevin Ratzsch (Bloomington, Ill.), who was held to a season-low 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting.  Fellow senior Kyle Schwan (Aberdeen, S.D.) was the only other player in double figures, going 6-for-10 from the floor for 12.

The Wolves will not have time to dwell on the loss as they are back in action on Saturday, taking on Minnesota Crookston in another NSIC matchup.  The Golden Eagles took a 64-59 overtime win over the University of Mary on Friday, breaking a 4-game losing skid.  UMC is now 4-15 overall and 2-10 in conference play.