TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The Wolverines built a big early lead, gave it all away in the second quarter, then used a dominant second half to pull away for a 58-38 win against the visiting Dayton Dust Devils on Wednesday.

and#8220;Extremely physical play got us out of our game,and#8221; said Dayton head coach Jason Santos, whose team fell to 7-2 on the season. and#8220;Truckee is known for physical play, and it’s something we struggled with.and#8221;

The Wolverines, who improved to 7-2 with the win, came out with energy and scored six unanswered points inside the paint to start the game. The Dust Devils, meanwhile, started with a cold shooting hand as they fell behind 13-4 by the end of the first quarter.

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But Dayton fought back in the second quarter, heating up with a 13-2 run to take a brief lead, 17-15, with a minute remaining before the break. The Wolverines turned the ball over repeatedly during the stagnant stretch as the Dust Devils applied heavy pressure on the ball.

and#8220;We let the emotion of the game get the best of us in the second quarter,and#8221; said Truckee head coach Angelo Tenorio. and#8220;We started turning the ball over and were not working together. At the half we talked about how much fun it was in the first quarter when they were moving the ball around and getting easy points, and we tried to go back to that.and#8221;

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The message sunk in, as Truckee scored seven straight points to open the third quarter, and outscored the Dust Devils 20-8 in the period to take a commanding 38-25 lead. Truckee went on to score 20 points to Dayton’s 13 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

and#8220;I was proud of our kids. They kept their composure and played together as a team,and#8221; Tenorio said. and#8220;When they play together as a group they play very well. It’s when they try to play individually that they struggle.and#8221;

Truckee senior guard Tony Rodriguez and junior forward Trent McMullen posted a game-high 13 points apiece, while Bryan Reed and Frankie Teran each contributed 6 points. Colin Christian pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Wolverines.

Dayton junior Sean Derubertis scored a team-high 11 points. Dylan Taylor scored 10 points and Jake Koch 8 for the Dust Devils.

and#8220;The first half we were just getting too mad at ourselves,and#8221; said Truckee senior point guard Mitch Nelson. and#8220;But the second half we started playing better and having fun.and#8221;

The game marked the second meeting between the two teams this season. Dayton won the first matchup in overtime, 52-49, back on Dec. 3.

The Wolverines led much of the way before host Reed took control with a lopsided fourth quarter en route to a 47-38 win on Tuesday.

Tenorio said Truckee, which led 12-7 after one quarter, 20-17 at the half and 33-29 after three quarters, fell apart in the fourth after getting frustrated and and#8220;taking themselves out of the game mentally.and#8221;

Rodriguez led the Wolverines with 14 points, while Devin Gray led Reed with 12 points.

Playing without two of its starters in the lineup, the Truckee girls lost a home game to 4A Hug, 46-27, on Tuesday.

Junior post player Aleigh Krug scored a team-high 10 points, while Aly Coronado-Smith scored 6 points for the Wolverines.

Truckee played without senior standout Megan Shalvis, who is out with a concussion, and freshman Claire Roberts, who is out for the season with a knee injury. The girls are now 4-6 on the season.