Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's basketball team built a 22-point second half lead, but Wayne State rallied over the final seven minutes to stun the Dragons, 73-70, in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday night in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM fell to 16-8 overall and 10-8 in the NSIC with the loss, while Wayne State improved to 15-9 overall and 9-9 in the league.

Senior Alex Novak led MSUM with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Anthony Tucker had 14 points, while senior Eric Olson had 10 points, a block and a steal. Freshmen Brady Wohler and Tyler Vaughan each had nine points for the Dragons. Sophomore Jordan Riewer had a game-high seven assists.

MSUM shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field for the game, while Wayne State shot 53.7 percent (29-of-54), including 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the second half. The Dragons had a commanding edge in rebounds (39-19) and second-chance points (18-5), but Wayne State had the edge in points off of turnovers (17-9).

The Dragons led 40-26 at halftime and continued the momentum during the first minutes of the second half. MSUM outscored the Wildcats 14-6 over the first 5:42 to stretch the lead to 54-32.  Novak led the way with six points during the run while Vaughan and Tucker each hit threes.

The MSUM lead stood at 66-46 with 7:40 left before the Wildcats began to cut into the lead. They closed the gap to 68-58 with 2:42 left and then scored the next eight points to climb within 68-66 with 1:50 left.  

Riewer converted a layup to give the Dragons a 70-66 lead, but Wayne State scored the next seven points over the final 1:09 to secure the win.

Early on, MSUM trailed 10-9 but answered with a 16-4 run to take a 26-13 lead with 10:18 left in the half.  Tucker and Novak each scored six points during that run.

MSUM led by as many as 16 in the first half, a mark the Dragons reached when Olson converted a layup at the 4:17 mark. The Dragons took a 40-26 lead into halftime, thanks to 51.6 percent shooting.

Redshirt freshman Ben Figini added seven points and four rebounds for MSUM.

The Dragons are at St. Cloud State on Friday for another road weekend.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game:  Wayne State has now beaten the Dragons nine consecutive times in Moorhead. The last time the Dragons defeated the Wildcats in Moorhead was Jan. 24, 2003, by the score of 80-65.