ABERDEEN, S.D. – Despite 19 points apiece from Zyon Little and Vincent Tedeschi, Chadron State fell just short of the home team, falling to Northern State 79-76 in CSC's first game of the 2026-27 season.
The Wolves (1-0) outscored Chadron State (0-1) by just two points in the first half and by one point in the second half. The Eagles kept pace but seldom pulled ahead, holding the lead for only 1:32 of game time. There were seven ties in the game, the last of which came at 50-50 with 15:45 left to play.
The hosts shot 54 percent from the field, 42 percent from three and 70.8 percent from the line (17-24). Chadron State made only 38.7 percent of its field-goal attempts, but outshot Northern State from deep, making 43.5 percent of its threes (10-23). The Eagles left some points on the table at the free-throw line, making 64.3 percent of their foul shots (18-28).
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Little, a transfer from Angelo State, shot an efficient 7-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Little had 12 of his 19 points in the first half.
Tedeschi, on the other hand, scored 12 of his 19 in the second half. The former Central Arizona College and New Mexico Highlands guard also had three of Chadron State's 13 steals plus five rebounds.
Kelton Williams scored 10 points, making both of his three-pointers, to be the third Eagle to finish in double figures.
Patric Prince recorded a team-high six rebounds while Patrick Punch led the team with six assists. Prince, Punch and Spencer Shonnard all finished with five points, including one three-pointer made each.
The Eagles also took care of the ball, committing just seven turnovers. That total would be tied for the third fewest out of Chadron State's 28 games played last season. Northern State committed 16 turnovers, but out-rebounded Chadron State 41-33. Tobi Obiora had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Wolves while Nic Book and Joshua Book had 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Northern State built a 13-6 lead in the first five minutes, but three-pointers from Jackson Schauer and Kelton Williams gave CSC its first lead at 20-18 with 10:36 to go in the first half.
The lead would change hands four times with five ties in the first 20 minutes. The Eagles took another brief lead when Tedeschi went 4-for-4 at the line on two possessions sandwiched around an NSU turnover to make it 39-37 Eagles with three minutes to go in the first half, but a dunk and a second-chance jumper by the Wolves on their next two possessions put the hosts back in front.
Northern State held the lead for 18:33 of the second half, but the Wolves never pulled away. NSU's largest lead of the half was 10 points with 6:20 to go, but the Eagles cut the lead down to three points on three separate occasions in the final minute. Tedeschi scored each of Chadron State's final three field goals, hitting a three with 56 seconds to go and layups with 12 seconds left and at the buzzer.
The Eagles play twice more this week, at a crossover hosted by Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Chadron State faces West Texas A&M on Friday and Texas A&M-International on Saturday, both neutral-site matchups.
Chadron State — Zyon Little 19, Vincent Tedeschi 19, Kelton Williams 10, Patrick Punch 5, Patric Prince 5, Spencer Shonnard 5, Caleb Hannah 4, Konnor Kralik 3, Jackson Schauer 3, Ronyo Obou 3. Totals: 24-62 FG (10-23 3PT) 18-28 FT. 76 points, 33 rebounds, 14 assists, 7 turnovers.
Northern State — Nic Book 16, Avery Christensen 15, Joshua Book 13, Tobi Obiora 12, Mason Witt 8, Dane Danielson 6, Nic Anthony 5, Marshawn Smith 4. Totals: 27-50 FG (8-19 3PT) 17-24 FT. 79 points, 41 rebounds, 19 assists, 16 turnovers.
