Postgame Press Conference | Game Highlights
Sioux Falls, S.D. – The Northern State University men's basketball dropped their opening round match-up to Central Missouri in the Central Region Tournament. The Wolves fell to the Mules 72-82, finishing the year with a 23-9 overall record.
 
Central Missouri took the lead early in the first half of play and did not look back. The two teams headed to the locker room with NSU down 31-43. Northern began chipping away at the UCM lead in half two bringing themselves within a basket of the defending national champions. DJ Pollard knocked down two free-throws with 2:15 to play and brought the Wolves within two. NSU however resorted to the foul game, and Central Missouri shot 8-of-10 from the free throw line to secure the victory.
 
Pollard led the Wolves with 24 points in the game, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the foul line. Senior Seth Bachand was second on the team with 14 points and five rebounds of his own. Darin Peterka was the final double-digit scorer for NSU with 11 points and three rebounds. Starters Mitch White, Skye Warwick, and Tydan Storrusten tallied eight, six, and four points respectively, while White led the team with six rebounds. Justin Decker added five points and two rebounds off the bench.
 
Both team's experience foul trouble in the second half, as both the Wolves and Mules shot 24 foul shots a piece. Northern went 83.3 percent from the line knocking down 20-of-24, while Central Missouri went 18-of-24. The Wolves shot 42.3 percent from the floor in the game, and out-scored their opponents in the second half, 41-39.
 
Northern's three seniors, Seth Bachand, Tydan Storrusten, and Mitch White, exhausted their eligibility for NSU. The trio helped lead the Wolves to a 23-9 record, and their first regional appearance since the 2008-09 season. The 23 wins mark the most of head coach Paul Sather's career at NSU in a single season and his first regional appearance as a Wolf.