NAMPA, Idaho - After a slow start, Northwest Nazarene men's basketball turned on the jets in the second half to pull away from Western New Mexico, 69-54.

It was the second win over the Mustangs in as many nights for the Nighthawks, who scored one more point than in yesterday's contest, a 68-59 victory.

After tallying just 26 points in the opening half, NNU put 43 on the board in the second period with help from an 8-16 mark from beyond the arc. NNU's field goal percentage also improved by 10 percentage points after halftime, going from 33.3% up to 43.8%. 

The Nighthawks also forced 17 Mustang turnovers, leading to 18 points off turnovers on the other end. WNMU shot just 27.3% from deep in the contest.

NNU had three players in double figures, led by Ezekiel Alley with 15. James Nelson followed with 12 points and five rebounds, while Sam Roth finished with 11 points and five boards. 

It was a very slow start for both sides, as neither team reached double digits until the 10-minute mark, when Nelson drained a triple to put the Nighthawks up 11-9. A couple of minutes later, Christian Rose dropped in a pair of free throws to give NNU their largest lead of the half, 18-11, with 5:46 to go. 

WNMU battled back before the break, though, cutting the deficit to four, 26-22. 

NNU took charge right away in the second half, going on a 13-6 run over the first four and a half minutes that culminated with a triple from Alley. The second-half opening run ballooned to 35-14, as back-to-back threes from Alley and Roth put the Nighthawks up by 23, 61-38, with 8:21 to play.

The Nighthawks would lead by as many as 25 before a late run by the Mustangs brought the final margin to 15, 69-54.

NNU will look to go for the three-game sweep of WNMU tomorrow night, as the Nighthawks and Mustangs will do battle again at 6:00 p.m.