LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Wesleyan men's basketball survived a tight first half, before pulling away in a 71-59 victory over Coe College, in an American Rivers Conference match up Saturday night at Snyder Arena. The Prairie Wolves improve to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play, while Coe falls to 9-7 and 3-4 in league action.

How It Happened

The Prairie Wolves rolled early, building a 22-12 lead as the game hit the eight minute mark. Jack Groeteke led the surge with six points, while Carter Glenn added five. However, the NWU offense suddenly went silent as Coe went on a 13-3 run to the tie game at 25 as the two teams went to the locker room for halftime. 

Looking to distance themselves, Nebraska Wesleyan came out of the locker room energized and open the second half on a 12-3 run. Coe responded with three free throws before a Jared Townsley three gave NWU a 40-31 lead. The three point shot kick started a 19-5 run that grew the Prairie Wolf lead to 16. However, Coe refused to quit and cut the Prairie Wolf lead to 60-53 with just under four minutes remaining. Nebraska Wesleyan would answer by outscoring Coe 12-6 over the remaining 3:30 to secure a 71-59 win. 

Inside the Box Score

• Jack Groeteke led NWU with 24 points, and added four rebounds, four blocks, and one steal.
• Carter Glenn finished second in scoring with 14 points, while bringing down six rebounds.
• Seth Newton finished the game with five points, and led NWU with eight rebounds.
• Nebraska Wesleyan finished the game with a shooting percentage of 42.6, with a 37.5% clip from beyond the arc. Coe made 33.3% of their shots, which includes a 30% clip from three point range.

Up Next
Nebraska Wesleyan will hit the road for an A-R-C clash at Buena Vista on Wednesday, January 22nd. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.

The 2024-25 Men's and Women's basketball seasons are presented by TeamMates Mentoring. For more information, visit TeamMates Mentoring.