WILLMAR -- The Ridgewater men's basketball team fell to 2-2 on the season with an 81-67 loss to North Dakota State College of Science Tuesday.
The Wildcats, an NJCAA Division I team, is 8-0 this season and have won 52 of their last 55 games.
Given that the Warriors are a Division III school, coach Bob Knutson applauded his team's effort.
"I was extremely pleased with the way our guys hustled," he said. "We really gave them a great game."
Ridgewater didn't have an answer for NDSCS' James Eayrs, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward. He scored 24 points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds.
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Though trailing 41-31 to start the second half, the Warriors got to within five points before the Wildcats scored five quick points to re-establish a 10-point lead.
Ben Moser paced the Warriors with 19 points. Tim Dreier and Cory Nietfeld followed with 12 each. Dreier dished out eight assists, and Moser and Nietfeld had six rebounds each.
NDSCS 81, Ridgewater 67
NDSCS (8-0) 41 40 -- 81
Ridgewater (2-2) 31 36 -- 67
NORTH DAKOTA STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE - 32-69 FG (7-20 3-pt); 10-16 FT; 48 rebounds; 12 fouls ... Scoring: Kendall Proell 4-8 0-0 12, Sammy Ricks 7-11 1-2 16, Jon Kramer 2-6 1-2 5, Toriano Madison 1-3 0-0 2, Josh Gatlin 1-3 1-2 3, Sylvester Walker 3-5 5-8 11, James Eayrs 11-20 0-0 24, Walter Haynes 3-7 2-2 8 ... 3-point shots: Proell 4-8, Ricks 1-3, Eayrs 2-6 ... Rebound leaders: Ricks 6, Madison 5, Walker 6, Eayrs 7, Haynes 8 ... Assist leaders: Ricks 6 ... Steal leaders: Ricks 2
RIDGEWATER - 28-69 FG (6-22 3-pt); 5-8 FT; 33 rebounds; 16 fouls ... Scoring: Tim Dreier 5-7 1-2 12, Ben Moser 8-15 2-4 19, Derek Eisenschenk 3-9 0-0 8, Cory Nietfeld 6-14 0-0 12, Rafael Viana 1-6 0-0 3, Travis Norling 1-5 0-0 2, Chad Mulder 1-5 0-0 3, Tom Boike 3-5 2-2 8 ... 3-point shots: Dreier 1-2, Moser 1-5, Eisenschenk 2-6, Viana 1-2, Mulder 1-3 ... Rebound leaders: Moser 6, Nietfeld 6 ... Assist leaders: Dreier 8 ... Steal leaders: Dreier 2, Moser 2
