Storm Lake, Iowa. – Nebraska Wesleyan men's basketball earned its first win of the 2025-26 season on Friday afternoon, climbing out of an early double-digit hole to defeat Minnesota-Morris, 78-67, in the opening game of the Buena Vista Central Bank Classic. The victory moves the Prairie Wolves to 1-1 and sets up a Saturday matchup with St. Scholastica.
NWU showed genuine resilience in Storm Lake. After falling behind 11–2 in the opening minutes, the Prairie Wolves found their footing behind a wave of perimeter shooting and a bench group that supplied 38 points. Freshman guard
Neal Mosser delivered a career-best 18 points, sparking a second-half surge that flipped the game. Forward
Seth Newton controlled the glass with 18 rebounds, the high mark by a Prairie Wolf this season. In total, ten NWU players scored and eight hit from beyond the arc as Nebraska Wesleyan shot its way back into the win column.
How It Happened
First Half
Minnesota-Morris dictated the early rhythm, drilling shots on three straight trips to build an 11-2 lead that put NWU on its heels. Jared Townsley answered first, getting to the line and knocking down a pair of free throws to settle the group. Nick Howard followed with a three of his own, and junior guard Payson Gillespie trimmed the deficit to 22-19 with a catch-and-shoot triple.
Each time NWU found a push, Morris countered with timely offense, stringing together two threes and a late-half layup to enter the break up 43-36. The Prairie Wolves had momentum, but still needed a spark.
Second Half
That spark came immediately. Howard opened the half with a three, and Newton followed with another to slice the margin to four. Christian Winn scored in the paint, and Devin Holmon delivered a layup and a three-pointer during a 12-5 NWU run that finally turned the game on its head.
Mosser kept charging, turning a steal into a layup before burying a deep three to give NWU its first lead of the second half. Winn knocked down another triple, Howard hit at the line, and Gillespie and Newton added back-to-back threes to stretch the advantage to eight as the Prairie Wolves took control.
With Morris scrambling late, guard Jared Townsley delivered two consecutive scores to create a double-digit gap with just over a minute left. Amun-Ra Collins iced the game at the stripe with 33 seconds remaining as NWU closed out its first win of the season.
Inside the Box Score
• Neal Mosser: Career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, four threes, two steals
• Seth Newton: 18 rebounds
• Nick Howard: 10 points
• Christian Winn: 10 points, five rebounds, two threes
• Payson Gillespie: 10 points, two threes
• 38 bench points, 15 made threes.
Up Next
Nebraska Wesleyan returns to action on Saturday, November 15, facing St. Scholastica at 2 p.m. in the final game of the Central Bank Classic in Storm Lake, Iowa.
