(Nsuwolves.com) Northern State notched its first win of the 2026-27 campaign in its first game, beating the Eagles of Chadron State 79-76 inside Wachs Arena. Through 40 minutes of action, the Wolves accumulated 79 points, 41 rebounds, 19 assists, five blocks, four steals and 16 turnovers while shooting 54% from the field, 42.1% from beyond the arc and 70.8% at the charity stripe.
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 79, CSC 76
Records: NSU 1-0 (0-0 NSIC), CSC 0-1 (0-0 RMAC)
Attendance: 1,394
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Northern State started the night off with back-to-back buckets from Nic Book and Tobi Obiora
- In his first game with the Wolves, Nic Book had himself a night, tallying 16 points, eight boards, one steal and a block while shooting 45.5% from the floor, 50% from deep and knocking down four of his six free throws in just 20 minutes
- But every time the Wolves seemed to score, the Eagles followed up with a bucket of their own
- Both Zyon Little and Vincent Tedeschi rounded out with 19 points apiece, with Tedeschi bringing in a team-high three steals on the night
- With six lead changes throughout the game, Ronyo Obou grabbed the Eagles’ first lead of the game off a three-pointer after pickpocketing Dane Danielson the possession prior
- After coming out of the half at 43-41 in favor of the Wolves, Nic Book picked up his fourth foul inside the first couple of minutes of the second half and wouldn’t see the floor again until the final five minutes
- But that wasn’t an issue as Avery Christensen, Joshua Book and Tobi Obiora continued to record makes
- Christensen followed Nic Book, dropping 15 points and tallying assists on five made buckets, while Obiora dropped his first double-double of the season, recording 12 points and 13 rebounds
- Joshua Book shot a perfect 7-for-7 at the line tonight, totaling 13 points while also leading the Wolves with three steals
- After a Christensen-made deep ball, the Wolves found themselves up by ten with more than six minutes to go when the Eagles started to claw their way back into the game
- After a fast-break three from Tedeschi to bring the game within three, Marshawn Smith threw the ball to a tightly covered Nic Book, who sank a turnaround jumper in clutch fashion to extend the Wolves’ lead to 77-72
- Tedeschi would answer quickly with a layup, but a late foul and two Mason Witt free throws later, the Wolves found themselves victorious for the first time this season
- Chadron’s bench helped keep them in the game, scoring 25 on the night, courtesy of Kelton Williams and his ten points
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Nic Book: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Avery Christensen: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists
Joshua Book: 13 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Tobi Obiora: 12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks
UP NEXT
The Wolves will head to Oklahoma this weekend to take on Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma (3 p.m.) before traveling to Bethany, Oklahoma, for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Southern Nazarene.
