Dec. 1, 2006
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WAYNE, Neb. (Rice Auditorium) -- Juniors
Marcus Ramos (G/F, Henderson, Nev.) and Alex
Smith (F, Chicago, Ill.) each netted career-high
point totals, but it wasn't enough to stop Wayne State College
on their home court Friday as the Wildcats posted an 81-68
win over the Beavers in the 2006-07 Northern Sun Intercollegiate
Conference opener in Wayne, Neb.
The Beavers held an advantage for a large
portion of the first half, but a 10-0 run midway through the
stanza would put the Wildcats up for good.
Ramos came off the bench for the Beavers
to score a career-high 19 points on 8-of-15 from the floor
in 28 minutes of action. He added four rebounds, two assists
and a steal. Smith also posted his best offensive night in
the green and white adding 18 points and grabbing a team-best
six rebounds. Arron Evans (Jr., PG, Minneapolis,
Minn.) rounded out BSU players with double-figure scoring
totals with 13 hitting a career-best 4-of-5 from beyond the
three-point arc.
Jamar Diggs led four Wayne State players
in double-figures with 20. Dallas Hodges collected 18 points
and recorded a game-high five assists and Matt Rothje posted
the games only double-double as he dropped in 14 points and
hauled in 10 rebounds.
BSU got things started quickly as Smith scored
the games' first five points put BSU up 5-0 until WSC got
a lay-up from Jonathan Thomas at the 16-minute mark sparking
an 8-2 run by the Wildcats that would put them in the lead,
8-7, just 4:38 in.
The teams traded baskets and the lead during
the next 3:28 but a Rothje lay-up would kick start a WSC run
that would last over three minutes and would result in the
Wildcats taking a 22-13 advantage midway through the half.
Bemidji State would go on a 6-2 run to cut
the WSC led to five points (26-21) with 5:20 on the clock
but the Wildcats scored the next five to extend its lead to
31-21 and would head into the break grasping a 39-30 lead
over the visiting Beavers.
Wayne State came out of the locker room to
net the first 11 points of the second half to go up 50-30
and although BSU would trim its deficit to 13 (52-39), the
Beavers would never recover.
Despite the loss the Beavers shot a season-high
40.3 percent (25-62) and were 5-of-9 from three-point land
(.556).
"We really improved tonight," stated
head coach Matt Bowen. "We went form
a team that has been offensively inept at times this season
to a team that put up 68 points and shot the ball well."
"Our biggest problem tonight was that
they out rebounded us."
Wayne State grabbed a 46-30 edge on the glass
in the game including 17 offensive rebounds which resulted
in 22 second-chance points for the Wildcats.
The win extends the WSC's lead in the all-time
series to 20-10 as the Wildcats are 11-5 versus the Beavers
on their home court.
Bemidji State (0-7; 0-1 NSIC) looks to even its conference
record as it travels to Marshall, Minn. tomorrow for a 6 p.m.
tilt with Southwest Minnesota State University. Tip off is
slated for 8 p.m. at the R/A Facility.
--bsu--
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