#1 NWU Runs Away From UD in Second Half
Jan 21, 2019
LINCOLN, Neb. – The University of Dubuque men’s basketball team led #1 Nebraska Wesleyan at halftime, but the Prairie Wolves got hot in the second half and handed the Spartans a 69-54 defeat.
For the second time in as many match-ups this season, the Spartans (11-7, 4-5) led the top-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan (18-0, 9-0) by four points at halftime but this game had a much different feel as both teams struggled to shoot in the first half. In the first half, the Spartans went 8-34 (23.5%), while Nebraska Wesleyan made just 7-32 field goals (21.9%). The key in the first half came from outside the arc as six of the Spartans eight made field goals were three pointers, while Nebraska Wesleyan was just 1-17 from deep.
Peter Ragen, who is usually a force inside the paint, took his game outside to connect on three, three pointers in the first half to give him a game-high 12 points at the break.
The Prairie Wolves drilled their first three pointer of the second half and it was a sign of things to come for the rest of the half. Ragen came right back down the court and sank his fourth trey of the game to keep the Spartan lead at four but the lead would not last for much longer as Nebraska Wesleyan began their onslaught. NWU went on a 10-0 in a two and a half minute span to go ahead by nine and then slowly pushed their lead over the Spartans to as many as 15 points.
The Spartan shooting improved in the second half but could not keep up with the Prairie Wolves. In the second half, UD shot 35.3% (12-34) and NWU made 18-38 (47.4%), with nine of their 18 makes being three pointers after making just one in the first half.
After his 12 first half points, Ragen finished with a team-high 17 points. Josh Evan came off the bench to supply 12 points on 5-7 shooting and a perfect 2-2 from three.
UD will look to snap a two game losing skid on Wednesday when they host Luther College at 8:00 p.m.
