Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – Northern State, the preseason pick to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, used a strong second half to pull away and defeat Southwest Minnesota State, 81-68, in non-conference men's basketball on Wednesday night at the R/A Facility. SMSU was picked to finish second overall in the NSIC.
 
NSU (2-1) shot 64 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 55 percent (31 of 56) from the field. The Wolves also held a 37-29 rebound advantage.
 
Carter Kirk poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead SMSU. It was his second straight 20-point game. Ryan Bruggeman added 15 points, while Turner Moen added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs.
 
Logan Doyle (17) and Carter Evans (15) combined to score 32 points on 14 of 21 shooting and also combined to record 14 rebounds to pace the Wolves attack. Teammate Ian Smith chipped in with 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds with four assists.
 
SMSU closed the game shooting 44 percent (28 of 63) from the field, including just 2 of 12 from 3-point range.
 
The game was tied at 16 with 12 minutes left in the opening half before the Wolves used a 9-0 spurt to build its largest lead of the half at 25-16 with 9:23 remaining.
 
SMSU cut the lead to 27-26 following a layup by Turner Moen before the Wolves countered with a 7-2 run to build a 34-28 advantage at the 3:44 mark.
 
The Mustangs answered back with eight straight points to regain the lead at 36-34 with 1:10 remaining. The run was highlighted by steals from KJ Davis and Bruggeman.  
 
NSU closed the half with five straight points to take a 39-36 halftime lead.
 
NSU held a 21-12 rebound advantage in the opening half, but committed nine turnover compared to just three turnovers by SMSU.
 
NSU maintained a 43-40 lead in the first minute of the second half before using a 12-0 run to build a 55-40 advantage with 15 minutes remaining in the game.
 
SMSU rallied and trimmed the deficit to 56-48 following a field goal by Kirk, but NSU scored six straight points to take a 62-48 lead at the 12 minute mark. The lead would dip to 70-62 at the 5:37 mark following a Bruggeman jumper, but again the Wolves answered with four straight points to make the score 74-62 with 4:10 and were never threatened again.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns to action Friday night facing Michigan Tech in Moorhead, Minnesota, with tip-off slated for 5 p.m. SMSU will battle Northern Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Moorhead.