A new era began at the Event Center on Tuesday evening, as Danny Turner made his home debut as the Wolves head men's basketball coach.
It turned out to be a great night as the Wolves beat Prairie State 80-75 to even their record at 1-1.
With a great vibe in the Event Center, behind a boisterous crowd, the Wolves jumped on Prairie State early and took a 43-21 halftime lead.
The Wolves were up by as many as 30 in the second half, but the Pioneers began chipping away with eight minutes to go and pulled to within one late in the game, but the Wolves were up to the task and had two six point leads in the last minute to seal the victory.
"This feels really, really good," Turner said. "But, it was important to me to see the team really enjoy themselves and come together down the stretch. Our team had grit tonight, you saw the comradery among the entire team. We really saw signs of growth tonight with this team and it's all part of the process.
"I never really thought they [Prairie State] were out of it, especially with a Hall of Fame coach on the other bench. Give them credit, they made a great comeback."
Terrell Taylor led the Wolves with 24 points, as Niko Vassilakis added 15, Deavion Scales had 13 points and Anthony Nava with 12.
Turner gave kudos to Alex Vassilakis, naming him the defensive player of the game.
"Alex really stepped up for us tonight coming off the bench and really deserved the award and also hit a big three down the stretch"