BOX SCORE

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State rallied from a nine-point deficit with 10 minutes left in the game to earn a 78-70 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday night in Aberdeen, S.D.

SMSU (6-9, 3-8 NSIC) led 54-45 at the 10-minute mark before NSU answered with a 12-0 run over the next four and a half minutes to take a 57-54 lead. SMSU regained the lead at 59-57 with 4:52 remaining, but NSU took the lead for good at 61-59 with 3:54 left in the game.

The loss was SMSU's fourth straight and its eighth in the last nine games. SMSU is now 1-8 on the road this season. The victory for NSU (7-9, 3-9 NSIC) was just its second in its last 11 games.

Jordan Miller paced the Mustangs with 20 points, his fourth 20-point scoring game of the season. Miller made 7 of 14 shots, including four 3-pointers. Scott Roehl added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Vinard Birch chipped in with 10 points.

Collin Pryor and Tom Parks each scored 15 points to pace the Wolves. NSU shot 62 percent from the field in the second half to rally from a four-point halftime deficit.

SMSU jumped out to an early lead in the game as Miller capped a 10-0 run to give SMSU a 10-3 lead at the 15:30 mark. The Mustangs then used another run, this time a 10-3 spurt, to take a 20-13 lead with six minutes remaining in the half, as Nick Smith capped the run with a field goal.

Following a basket by Northern State, SMSU rallied with four straight points to take its largest lead of the night at 24-15 following a lay-up from Birch.

The Wolves closed the half on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 26-22 at halftime.

Both teams shot well to start the second half with NSU trimming the lead to 38-37 with 15 minutes left, but SMSU answered and built the lead to 54-45 margin at the 10-minute mark following a field goal by Lavione West.

Northern State wouldn't go away and rallied with a 12-0 run to take a 57-54 lead with 5:43 left in the game. SMSU had an answer of its own as Roehl drilled a jumper and Matt Zager completed a three-point play to give SMSU a 59-57 lead with 4:52 remaining in the game.

The Wolves came right back and regained the lead at 61-59 with 3:54 remaining and never looked back in earning its second victory in the last 11 games.

SMSU struggled shooting down the stretch, connecting on just three field goals from the 10-minute mark until there was less than a minute left in the game.

The Mustangs ended the game shooting 50 percent (28 of 56) from the field, including 5 of 15 from 3-point range. SMSU was outrebounded 32-29, marking just the second time the Mustangs have been outrebounded by an opponent.

Southwest Minnesota State will return home to begin a four-game homestand next Friday, Jan. 21, taking on Minnesota Duluth (7-8, 5-6 NSIC) starting at 8 p.m.