TACOMA, Wash. — Nebraska Wesleyan opened its Washington swing with a composed, defensive-minded 63–59 win at Puget Sound on Friday night, pushing the Prairie Wolves back to .500 at 2–2. In a game that never swung more than single digits either direction, NWU's poise late and a timely shooting surge in the second half made the difference.
How It Happened
First Half
NWU landed the opening punch behind early stops and ball movement. Seth Newton got the Prairie Wolves on the board with a layup, and back-to-back threes from Amun-Ra Collins and Nick Howard pushed the lead to 9–2. Puget Sound briefly settled in and closed the gap, but a Neal Mosser three off the bench steadied momentum and re-established control at 12–8.
The Loggers eventually grabbed their first lead at 22–20 with 5:34 left, but NWU responded again. Devin Holmon rattled in a three, Gillespie scored at the rim, and the Prairie Wolves took a 31–29 edge into halftime.
Second Half
Puget Sound tied it on the first possession of the half, but NWU countered with the run of the night. Newton scored twice, then Collins drilled a three to cap a 10–0 burst, stretching the lead to 41–32.
The Loggers answered, but the Prairie Wolves' defensive core, Christian Winn, Jared Townsley, and Mosser, came up with a string of steals to keep the margin intact.
At 7:59, Collins muscled in a driving layup, and Payson Gillespie delivered a pair of daggers in the form of threes moments later. That pushed the lead to 58–52.
Puget Sound made one final charge, trimming it to a one-possession game, but Howard calmly converted from the line in the final two minutes to secure the win.
Inside the Box Score
- Nick Howard — 13 pts, 8 rebs, 4 ast, 2–7 3FG
- Seth Newton — 9 pts, 2 stl, 2 ast
- Jared Townsley — 9 pts, 4 stl, 2 ast
- Amun-Ra Collins — 9 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb, 2–2 3FG
- Payson Gillespie — 8 pts on 3–3 shooting
- Christian Winn — 5 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl
- Bench Production — 18 points
Game Notes
- NWU forced 26 turnovers, a season high.
- The Prairie Wolves are 2-0 when making 10+ threes in a game.
- Howard's eight rebounds is a Prairie Wolf career high.
- Townsley's four steals tied a career high for him.
Up Next
Nebraska Wesleyan closes the Pacific Northwest trip on Saturday, November 22, with a 9:00 p.m. CT tip at Pacific Lutheran.
