March 4, 1999

Nebraska-Kearney edged Northern State 85-80 in the first round of the 1999 NCAA II North Central Regional in Wayne, Neb., Thursday.

The Wolves shot well enough to win, going 50 percent from the field for the game as a team, but were outrebounded 42-32 by the Lopers. Another key stat: NSU went just 14-of-25 from the free throw line (56%), which does not win many games. The Wolves also shot 50 percent from 3-point range, but in the end couldn't overcome the poor night at the line.

Sophomore guard Jared Miller (Mitchell, S.D.) led NSU with 22 points, followed by senior forward Mark Rich (Aberdeen, S.D.) who ended his collegiate career with 20 points to go with six reounds. Sophomore post Ben Dahl (Cottonwood, Minn.) led the boards effort with 10 rebounds to go with 11 points. Junior point guard Scott Hanson (Tolna, N.D.) chipped in 15 points to round out the Wolves' double-digit scorers. Kearney was led by All-American candidate Eric Strand's 20 points.

The Wolves end the season at 21-7, while Kearney advances to play host and No. 1 seed Wayne State (Neb.) Friday at 8 p.m.