DUBUQUE, Iowa – No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan overcame an 11-point first half deficit and shot 62.9 percent from the field in the second half as they earned a hard fought 92-78 road victory at University of Dubuque on Saturday afternoon in American Rivers Conference action.
 
NWU wins their 21^st straight game and improves to 8-0 on the season while Dubuque drops to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
 
The Prairie Wolves struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 38.7 percent as the Spartans held a 41-37 advantage at the break.  Dubuque led by ten points with just over four minutes remaining prior to halftime, but they were held scoreless the rest of the half as NWU cut the lead to four points.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan took their first lead of the second half at the 16:01 mark on a 3-point play from Ryan Garver.  The Spartans answered with a basket, but a Clay Reimers hoop put the Prairie Wolves ahead and they wouldn't trail the rest of the half.
 
An 18-5 run over a four minute stretch gave the Prairie Wolves a 14 point advantage and they led by double digits the rest of the game. 
 
It was Marcus McDaniel that was the story of the first half for Dubuque.  McDaniel hit seven 3-pointers and scored 24 points in the first 20 minutes.  He cooled off in the second half scoring just eight points to finish with 32, making 9-15 from 3-point land.
 
For the second straight game, the Prairie Wolves had five players score in double figures.  They shot 51.5 percent from the floor, making 10-28 on 3-point attempts.  After being outrebounded against Central on Wednesday, the Prairie Wolves held a 43-30 advantage on the glass Saturday afternoon.
 
Ryan Garver posted his fifth double-double of the year, this time with points and rebounds.  Garver scored 18 points with a game-high 13 rebounds.  He was 6-8 from the floor and 6-6 at the free throw line to go along with five assists.
 
Nate Schimonitz led the Prairie Wolves with 22 points, pulling down seven rebounds with three assists and two steals.
 
Cooper Cook scored 16 points, making 4-7 from 3-point range to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks.  Clay Reimers scored 11 points and Dylan Dirks came off the bench to score 14.
 
The Prairie Wolves have a week off until they return home to host Colorado College at Snyder Arena.