BOX SCORE

WAYNE, Neb. – Wayne State outscored Southwest Minnesota State 17-8 and hit 15 free throws in the game's second overtime period to top the Mustangs 83-74 Saturday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action in Wayne, Neb.

WSC improves to 9-9 (6-5 NSIC), while SMSU drops its fourth straight game and moves to 9-8 (4-7 NSIC).

The Wildcats got to the free throw line 21 times in the game's final two overtime periods; it proved to be the difference maker as WSC's 15 free throws in extra play allowed the Wildcats to pull away down the stretch.

Amry Shelby's 22 points led the Wildcats.

SMSU was led by Jordan Miller, Scott Roehl and Kevin Andrews, who finished with 20, 19 and 14 points respectively.

Miller and Andrews were responsible for taking the game to the overtime periods.  Miller scored the final five points in regulation to tie the contest, while Andrews hit a 3-pointer with one second left in the first overtime to tie it again.

The two teams battled neck and neck throughout the first half. Neither squad managed more than a five point lead, and the Wildcats held a 13-8 advantage eight minutes in.

SMSU rallied from the deficit and managed to take a 16-14 lead off an Andrew Peschong layup with eight minutes left before the break.

After four additional lead changes, SMSU found itself with a 26-22 advantage at the half.

Kevin Andrews led SMSU with nine first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Wildcats were 8-of-16 from the field in the opening half.

The Mustangs took as large as a seven-point lead to open the second half, but the Wildcats made a charge of their own around six minutes in, keeping the difference marginal.

WSC took its first lead of the second half after Brent Spiker hit a layup with 11:25 left in regulation to move the Wildcats ahead 34-33. The Mustangs aided the Wildcats by not scoring for five minutes during the lead-taking effort by the host team.

But SMSU lingered, getting to within one point twice before 3-pointers from WSC on both occasions silenced those attempts to retake the lead.

It was a big offensive rebound with just over a minute left that proved to almost be too much for SMSU. A loose ball rebound was corralled by the Wildcats and Starken connected on a deep 3-pointer to give his team a 57-52 lead with just over a minute left in the second half .

Down by five points, Miller cashed in a 3-point play with 49.3 seconds left to move the contest back to a one-possession game.

On the ensuing possession, SMSU forced a Wildcat turnover. Miller finally tied the contest by charging to the rim and banking a high layup off the glass to knot the game at 57 apiece.

SMSU had its chance to hit the go ahead bucket on the next possession, forcing a Wildcat turnover with six second to work with. However, DeAnthony Zanders threw the ball away looking for a cutting Peschong, giving WSC the ball and 2.6 seconds for one last play in regulation. Shelby's 3-pointer for WSC as the buzzer sounded was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.

Shelby came up big in the overtime period, canning a layup with 17 seconds left to put the Wildcats up 66-63. But it was Andrews who came up just as big on the next possession. After Miller missed a 3-pointer long, he managed to pull down his own rebound and get the ball to Andrews with one second left. Andrews set up just left of the top of the key and nailed the trey to tie the game at 66-66 and send it to a second overtime.

The Wildcats were too much in the second overtime period, taking their final lead of the contest with 2:32 left, nailing 13 free throws and pulling away from the Mustangs for the 83-74 victory.

WSC got to the charity stripe a total of 44 times in the marathon contest, connecting on 31 of its attempts. The Wildcats were accurate from the floor, too, as they shot 48.9 percent from the field.

SMSU countered with a 42.3 percent performance of its own. The Mustangs, however, got to the line just 15 times.

SMSU returns home for a pair of conference games next weekend against Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State.