SUPERIOR, Wis. – Eighth-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan shot nearly 55 percent from the field and placed three players in double figures to run away with the 2019 Merrill Thompson Classic title in a 87-51 win over the UW-Superior men's basketball team at Mertz Mortorelli Gym Saturday.
 
The Yellowjackets hung with the Prairie Wolves – who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament last season – through much of the first half. UWS (1-1) grabbed a 17-15 lead with 9:33 remaining in the opening period on a Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade (Serbia))h jumper in the paint, an edge Superior held for two minutes.
 
Seniors Mac Reykdal (Washburn, Wis./Washburn) and Milenkovich led the 'Jackets with 15 points apiece while Milenkovic completed a double-double with 12 rebounds.
 
Nate Schimonitz scored 32 points in 32 minutes on 14-for-18 shooting to pace the Nebraska Wesleyan up-tempo offense. He also had seven boards, six assists and two steals. 
 
NWU (2-0) began to pull away with five minutes to play in the first half when Schimonitz finished off a fast break on a pass from Jack Hiller, giving his team a 27-19 advantage and forcing a UWS timeout. 
 
The 'Jackets trailed, 39-25, at the half despite shooting 11-for-22 from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Milenkovic notched a three-point play to cut the visitors' lead to 46-33 on a Clay Reimers foul with 17:29 to play. That was as close as they got, though. Hiller knocked down a 3-pointer from Dylan Dirks on the next possession to jumpstart a 14-2 run that gave NWU a 60-35 lead with just less than 13 minutes left.
 
Nineteen UWS players saw action with nine scoring points Senior transfer Allen Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo) scored seven points and collected two rebounds. Reykdal pulled down four boards and had an assist to go with his 5-for-12 shooting effort.
 
Reimers and Nate Bahe chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Prairie Wolves. Reimers also corralled a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan won the rebounding battle, 35-29, and had 18 assists on 34 made shots, while also turning the 'Jackets over 20 times in the game.
 
UWS returns to action Tuesday, host Concordia (Minn.) at 7 p.m.