Box Score Unleashing a 24 to 13 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Northeastern A&M Golden Norsemen cruised to a 96-78 drubbing of the Western Oklahoma State Pioneers Thursday night in the NEO Fieldhouse. 


“Even though the basketball wasn't going in the first half, we made some adjustments at the break that really worked out for us,” Golden Norse head coach Dustin Grover. “We played better offensively in the second half because their pressure put us in some odd places and the shots started falling.”
During the first 20 minutes, Western (8-4 and 1-2) built a 13-8 cushion in the first five minutes of play. Five points by Stirling Thomas and four points by Jedarian Jackson along with putbacks by D'Audrio Patton and Jalen Chapman ignited the Pioneer offense.
After the Norsemen (6-6 and 1-2) rallied with four straight points by Frederico Santos and baskets by Jevanue Dawson and Nkosi Ali to grab a 16-13 margin, the lead changed hands seven times before NEO held a slim 39-37 halftime advantage.
Fueled by strong play inside the paint in what would become a 'dunk-a-thon' the Golden Norse constructed a 63-50 cushion midway through the seconds half.
Western trimmed the deficit to 73-63 with 6:09 left in the game, but a 23-15 run by the Norsemen sealed the outcome.
Jeff Newberry was one of three Norsemen to crack the 20-point plateau with 23 total points while Ali and Santos contributed 21 points each.
Jackson paced the Pioneers with 22 points while Thomas added 19 and Dil'Jon Allen-Jordan produced 10 points.