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Aberdeen, S.D. – Defense and penetration led the Northern State University men's basketball team over Southwest Minnesota State 79-63. The Wolves improve to 10-7 overall and 6-5 in the league, while the Mustangs slide to 8-8 on the year and 4-7 in the loop after the win.
 
A big and physical team stepped on the court for SMSU, however Northern was not phased as they played physical basketball on both ends of the floor. The Wolves forced 15 Mustangs turnovers, and took care of the ball on offense with only four given up. Those 15 SMSU turnovers resulted in 15 Wolves points in the game, and a team leading four steals by Darin Peterka.
 
Peterka led the team with 17 points and five assists. He also added six rebounds, while shooting 6-of-11 from the floor. DJ Pollard knocked down 14 points, and hit the boards for a team leading eight on the night. Pollard added one assist and shot 5-of-9 from the floor. Spencer Pankonin was the third Wolf in double-digits with 11 points, and a team leading three blocks.
 
Northern shot 50.0 percent from the floor, and held Southwest to a 46.9 percent mark. NSU topped the Mustangs with 11 points off offensive boards, 25 points off the bench, and 36 points in the paint. Leading Northern's bench scorers was Mack Arvidson with nine points. Arvidson shot 4-of-6 from the field and added two rebounds. Skye Warwick, Bo Fries, Carter Evans, and Michael Schreiber each added six points, while Ian Smith put down four.
 
NSU out-scored Southwest Minnesota in each half and led a majority of the game. The Wolves largest lead, of 18 points, came with just 39 seconds remaining in regulation. The Northern defense held SMSU leading rebounder, Mitch Weg, under his season average with just five in the game. Weg was unable to capture an offensive board, as he led the league averaging 3.5 heading into the game.
 
The Wolves return to Wachs Arena tomorrow night in a 6 p.m. match-up with the University of Sioux Falls.