HOW IT HAPPENED 

• On Saturday afternoon, the #18 Prairie Wolves defeated Buena Vista University, 65-57, on the Beavers' home court, marking the end of the regular season and securing a share of the A-R-C regular season championship. 
• The Beavers took an early 0-3 lead, but NWU eventually found their rhythm and surged ahead to a 13-5 lead after a slam dunk from Jack Groeteke. 
• The Black and Gold held onto their lead throughout the first half, only allowing Buena Vista to narrow the gap to 24-22 with 2:23 remaining. Nevertheless, free throws from Peter Lash helped NWU enter the break with a 26-24 lead. 
• Carter Glenn kicked off the Prairie Wolves' second-half scoring with the first four points, extending NWU's lead to 30-24. 
• Despite Nebraska Wesleyan's efforts, the Beavers closed the gap, eventually tying the game at 33-all with 15:47 left in the game. From then on, a back-and-forth scoring match ensued, with each team trading the lead. 
• The Prairie Wolves continued to make crucial shots down the stretch, as back-to-back jumpers from Carter Glenn and Elijah Thatch gave Dale Wellman's squad the 58-51 lead. 
• In the closing moments, free throws played a pivotal role for NWU. A free throw from Jack Groeteke secured the victory for Nebraska Wesleyan, closing the game at 65-57.
• Nebraska Wesleyan highlighted remarkable accuracy from the charity stripe in the final minute, going 7-8 from the line. 
• As the final seconds ticked away, the Black and Gold bench erupted in celebration. The Prairie Wolves are the 2023–24 A-R-C regular season co-champions. They wrapped up the regular season with a 22-3 overall record and a 13-3 conference record. 
• NWU will ride a five-game winning streak into the conference tournament.
• For the fifth time in program history and for the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Nebraska Wesleyan men's basketball team is taking the A-R-C regular season title back to Lincoln, Nebraska. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE      

• Carter Glenn: 23 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals 
• Conner Brown: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal 
• Elijah Thatch: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals 
• Nebraska Wesleyan:     
  • FG: 39.2%     
  • 3PT: 25%     
  • FT: 85.7%     
• Buena Vista University:     
  • FG: 43.4%    
  • 3PT: 11.1%     
  • FT: 78.3%    

2024 AMERICAN RIVERS CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

• Tuesday, February 20th
  • No. 6 Buena Vista at No. 3 Loras – 7:00 p.m.
  • No. 5 Central at No. 4 Dubuque – 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, February 22nd
  • No. 6/3 at No. 2 Coe – TBA
  • No. 4/5 at No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan – TBA
• Saturday, February 24th
  • Championship Game – TBA