Northwest men’s basketball started its season on the road in North Dakota, making the trip to Williston for an exhibition game against Williston State on Tuesday night and winning 91-68 over the Tetons.

The Trappers started out the game going down low early and often, feeding sophomore forward Juan Pablo Camargo Tellez who finished with a team-high 23 points.

Northwest used a strong post presence alongside strong drives from guards Davion McAdam and Yannice Nlend to outscore the Tetons 52-32 in the paint.

Christian Adun came off the bench for Northwest to finish 3-of-4 from 3-point range and chip in 13 of the Trappers’ 24 bench points.

Northwest led early in the game before Williston took the lead midway through the first half, but the Trappers took control from that point forward to take a double digit lead into the locker room.

The Trapper defense held the Tetons to 39.1% from the field, while finishing 57.8% from the field as a team.

Northwest limited its turnovers, finishing with only seven while forcing 21 from Williston State.

This game was labeled as an exhibition contest for both teams, but was played as a full game.

HOME OPENER

Northwest opens up its home campaign immediately, heading back to Cabre Gym on Friday to take on the Rocky Mountain JV at 3 p.m.

Throughout the preseason, coach Andy Ward said the Trappers focused on the defensive end first but have been focusing on the offensive side of the ball lately heading into the regular season.

“The past couple of weeks we have worked more on the offensive end to prepare for the various defenses we will see,” Ward said.

He said the team has been taking its time with the ball lately, but he is hoping to pick up the pace moving forward while still taking care of the basketball.

One thing he has not questioned with his team is how much the team shares the basketball and helps each other on the defensive side of the ball.

“They are focused on the team rather than individual performances,” Ward said.

NORTHWEST 91, WILLISTON STATE 68

Points — Juan Pablo Camargo Tellez 23, Davion McAdam 19, Christian Adun 13, David Ayala 10, Yannice Nlend 8, Andre Loigu 7, Mack Page 4, Will Hemme 3, Milton Rodriguez Santana 2, Antwon Logan 2

Rebounds — Davion McAdam 9, Juan Pablo Camargo Tellez 7, Andre Loigu 5, David Ayala 3, Brash Emery 3, Christian Adun 3, David Ayala 2, Yannice Nlend 2, Antwon Logan 2, Milton Rodriguez Santana 1, Will Hemme 1

Assists — Andre Loigu 3, Milton Rodriguez Santana 3, David Ayala 2, Davion McAdam 1, Juan Pablo Camargo Tellez 1, Christian Adun 1

Steals — Christian Adun 2, Yannice Nlend 1, Milton Rodriguez Santana 1