Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team built a 20-point halftime lead and rolled to an 80-53 rout of the University of Sioux Falls in action Friday night at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, Minn.

The Dragons improved to 14-3 overall and 8-3 in the NSIC with the win, while the Cougars fell to 7-8 overall and 3-8 in the league.

A balanced attack, coupled with 55.8 percent (29-of-52) shooting, sparked the Dragons to their eighth home win of 2012-13.  Senior Alex Novak had 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals for the Dragons, while sophomore Jordan Riewer had 13 points, a career-high eight assists and four steals. Freshman Tyler Vaughan had 11 points and four rebounds, while senior Anthony Tucker had nine points and seven assists.

Eleven Dragon players reached the scoring column for MSUM, which held the Cougars to 34.6 percent shooting (18-of-52).

MSUM set the tone from the opening moments. The Dragons led 10-7 at the 16:05 mark but broke the game opened with a 22-5 run over the next 7:12 to build a 32-12 lead. Six different players scored during the run for MSUM, led by Novak with six points, five from Riewer and four from senior Eric Olson.

The Cougars cut the gap to 44-26 with 3:38 left, but the Dragons pushed the lead to 49-26 with five straight points -- three coming from Vaughan and two from Olson. MSUM led 49-29 at halftime, thanks to 60.7 percent shooting (17-of-28), including 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from three-point range.

MSUM maintained control throughout the second half. USF was within 65-47 with 7:43 left, but the Dragons outscored the Cougars 15-6 the rest of the way to pull away to the 27-point win.

Olson had seven blocks and four blocks for MSUM, while freshman Brady Wohler collected seven points. Novak and Vaughan shared the team lead with four rebounds.

MSUM hosts Southwest Minnesota State for a 6 p.m. game on Saturday at Alex Nemzek Hall. The Mustangs (9-9, 6-5 NSIC) edged Northern State 62-61 Friday night in Aberdeen, S.D.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons are now 12-0 at home and 23-1 overall when scoring at least 80 points with Chad Walthall at the helm. The only game they lost was an 86-80 decision at Northern State on Feb. 4, 2011.