Box Score Box Score
Coach Sather's Post-Game Comments

ABERDEEN, S.D. - The Northern State Wolves went to battle with the defending Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion Bemidji State Beavers - a team that advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament a season ago - and emerged with a hard-fought 64-61 victory Saturday night in NSIC men's basketball action.

The win marks NSU's tenth in its last 11 and moves the Wolves - who started the season with two straight wins - to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the loop.  Bemidji State slips to 6-4 on the year and 4-2 in league play.

After holding the lead through much of the night, NSU saw what was as much as an 8-point lead slip into Bemidji State hands with 6:07 left to play in the game.  The Beavers used a quick 7-0 run, capped by a driving back-door Dermaine Crockrell layup, to go up 52-56 with 4:49 left.  Two Collin Pryor free throws later and it was Crockrell again, this time drilling a long three-pointer to give the Beavers a five-point cushion, this time with under four minutes left in the game.

The tide then began to turn back in favor of the Wolves.  Senior Geoffrey Firmin hit two free throws to pull within three and sophomore Michael Emge nailed a driving layup with 1:59 left to make it a one-point game.  

The two teams traded baskets to keep it a one-point affair with less than a minute to play.  Emge, coming off a missed free throw that would have tied the game on his previous basket, then came up with a big defensive steal to give NSU the ball back.  BSU's Jason Edward committed a foul to send Firmin to the line with a chance to put NSU back in the lead.

Firmin drilled both attempts, giving NSU a 62-61 lead with 33 seconds left in the game.

After a Northern State timeout to talk defensive strategy, Crockrell came up short on a jumper from the left wing.  Pryor gathered up the defensive rebound, absorbed the foul and hit his tenth and eleventh free throws of the night to force BSU into a three-point desperation situation.

The Beavers, however, never got off a game-tying attempt as Seth Bachand and Jared Hannigan stripped the ball away at half court to preserve the NSU victory.

Pryor, who was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line on the night, finished with a career-high-tying 25 points, the second time he has matched that mark this season.  He also snagged nine rebounds for the Wolves.  Emge hit 3-of-5 treys and finished with 13 points, while Firmin closed his night with 11 points.

The Beavers put four starters in double figures, led by Zach Noreen's 13 points, but got limited help from the bench.