NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball pulled away from a pesky Jessup squad in the second half for a 70-58 victory on Saturday night.
The Nighthawks improve to 4-1 on the year after their five-game homestand to open the season.
NNU did not get off to a good start, going scoreless over the first six minutes of the contest and trailing 8-0. A quick 7-0 run capped by an
Easton Reagan triple got the Nighthawks right back in the game, however, and NNU eventually tied it at 13 on a
Kye Dickson layup at the 9:09 mark.
That basket was part of an 18-2 Nighthawks run, culminating in a
Ryzin Bergersen three-pointer that gave NNU a 25-15 advantage with 6:42 remaining in the first half. Jessup would battle back before halftime, though, cutting the NNU lead to six at 29-23 heading into the break.
The Warriors cut the deficit to four, 39-35, early in the second half, but that was as close as they would come. A
Nathan Perez triple ignited a 12-3 Nighthawks run, putting the home team up 51-38 with 12 minutes to play.
NNU cruised from there, leading by as much as 20 on their way to victory.
Kye Dickson led the Nighthawks with 19 points on 57% shooting, finishing with a double-double as he pulled down 12 rebounds.
Biggie Bergersen was next with 16 points, followed by
Zane Foster and
Nathan Perez each with eight.
Next up for NNU is round two of the 2024 United Heritage Mayor's Cup, as the Nighthawks will travel to Caldwell to take on the College of Idaho on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7:07 p.m. NNU will look to defend their overtime victory in Nampa a few weeks ago as they renew the fierce rivalry with the Yotes.
