MINNEAPOLIS – Four Yellowjackets scored in double figures as the UW-Superior men's basketball team pulled away late in the second half for a 68-53 victory over North Central at Clark-Danielson Gym Saturday.
 
With the win, UWS (4-4) moves to 2-0 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and starts its league slate with a pair of victories for the first time since beating UW-La Crosse Dec. 6 and UW-Oshkosh Jan. 3 in WIAC play in the 1997-98 season.
 
Senior Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade (Serbia)) led the way for a game-high 15 points and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Freshman Mason Ackley (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and senior Allen Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo) scored 12 points apiece and grabbed six and seven boards, respectively. Colton Williams (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) tallied 11 points and seven boards.
 
The 'Jackets overcame an early 9-2 deficit and took the lead for good when freshman Xavier Patterson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) crashed the offensive glass on a Milenkovic miss. He converted the putback for a 16-14 UWS advantage with 11 minutes remaining in the half. Following a North Central timeout, Williams collected another offensive board and basket, pushing the lead to 18-14. 
 
Superior ran off another six unanswered points to open a 24-14 edge with less than seven minutes to play before halftime. Milenkovic had three free throws and Joe Kramer (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) knocked down a 3-pointer to finish the run.
 
Anderson put the 'Jackets up, 29-17, with 3:24 left on another trey, assisted by Joan Giner (Tenerife, Spain/IES Mayor Bernabé Rodríguez), for the largest lead of the half. UWS led, 33-24, at the break.
 
Anderson hit a layup with 12:28 left, giving UWS a 44-30 edge, but North Central (2-8, 0-2) whittled the deficit to nine with a Riley Loukinen triple at the 8:18 mark at 48-39. Mac Reykdal (Washburn, Wis./Washburn) and Loukinen traded treys on the next two possessions. NCU's Germaine Caldwell then hit one of his own to move the Rams within 51-45 with six minutes left.
 
But that was as close as the hosts got. Milekovic dropped six consecutive points in 1:08 to restore a double-digit bulge at 57-45. 
 
The Rams' Jalen Dunlap converted a three-point play with 1:45 left to cut the lead to 59-51, but 'Jackets hit 6-of-7 from the line to ensure the win.
 
UWS shot just 34 percent from the field and was outrebounded, 39-36, but forced 17 North Central turnovers. The 'Jackets though, turned 11 offensive boards into 13 second-chance points.
 
UWS next returns home to host St. Scholastica Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.