No. 19 Dixie State stopped a brief two-game skid with a resounding 88-68 road victory at Chadron State Saturday night inside the Chicoine Center. The win, which is the program's first-ever victory in the state of Nebraska, moved DSU to 12-3 overall and kept the Trailblazers tied atop the RMAC standings at 7-2.

The Trailblazers trailed just once on the night at 9-7 after Chadron scored seven-straight points to erase an early five-point DSU lead. Dixie State took control from there, scoring 11-straight points as part of a 14-3 run to race out to a 21-12 advantage. Andre Wilson got the rally started with a 3-pointer and wound up with nine of the 14 Blazer points overall, including a conventional 3-point play and another trey that book-ended the run.

Chadron guard Brady Delimont briefly stopped Blazer run with a perimeter jumper cut the Eagle deficit to six. However that Eagle basket did nothing to stop the Blazers' momentum as DSU methodically began to pull away, outscoring Chadron 30-9 over a span of 11-plus minutes to extend to a commanding 37-18 lead after a Dason Youngblood 3-pointer with 5:34 to go in the period.

The Eagles did manage to make it a 38-26 game with 2:35 on the clock, but Dixie State closed the half with nine-straight points, including five from Jacob Nicolds, highlighted by a lay-in and free throw in the final moments, en route to a 47-26 cushion at the halftime intermission.

Dixie State maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the second half, though Chadron did not go away quietly. Brian Rodriguez-Flores drained 3-pointers on the Eagles' first two possessions of the frame to cut the Blazer lead to 15, but the Trailblazers answered with six-straight points in the paint on buckets from Youngblood, Jacob Greene and Hunter Schofield.

DSU survived one more Chadron rally as Eagle guard Colby Jackson drilled a trio of 3-pointers and tallied 19 second-half points overall to help keep his side close, including a pair of free throws that trimmed the Blazer lead to 12 at 63-51 with 11:11 remaining.

However that would be as close as Chadron would get as Dixie State would eventually push its lead to as many as 23 points before securing the road split with the 20-point win. 

Five Trailblazers scored in double figures as part of a balanced DSU attack, led by Youngblood, Wilson and Nicolds with 16 points apiece. Wilson's 16 points off the bench tied a career high, while Nicolds, who tallied 10 of his career-high 16 points at the foul line in 18 reserve minutes, reached double figures in points for the first time in his collegiate career. In all, DSU bench poured in a season-high 42 points and outscored the Eagle reserves by a 42-26 count.

Pagenkopf added 13 points with three assists and four steals, and Schofield finished with 11 points, nine of which came after halftime. In all, nine of the 12 Blazers who played scored.

Dixie State shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the floor, which included a 6-of-21 night (.286) from the perimeter. DSU also connected on a season-high 86.7 percent (26-of-30) at the foul line and outrebounded Chadron by a 38-33 count. 

Jackson led all scorers with 21 points, while Rodriguez-Flores chipped in 14. DSU limited Chadron to a 35.3 clip (18-of-51) from the floor, 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from beyond the arc.

Dixie State opens a four-game homestand next weekend with a pair of RMAC match-ups against Colorado Christian on Friday, Jan. 17, and Regis on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena for both games is slated for 7:30 p.m.