Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 13 Northern State University men's basketball team will remain at home this Friday for an 8 p.m. match-up against MSU Moorhead.
 
Northern enters the contest on a 9-game win streak and a three spot jump in this week's NABC Top-25 Poll to No. 13 nationally. The Wolves sit atop the North Division shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from the arc, and 69.7 percent from the charity stripe. They are averaging 74.3 points, 38.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 12.3 turnovers, 6.0 steals, and 4.6 blocks per game this season. Ian Smith is leading the team averaging 13.2 points, closely followed by Carter Evans notching 11.9 points off the bench. Evans is leading the team shooting 68.2 percent from the floor, while DJ Pollard is shooting a team leading 48.6 percent from the 3-point line. Evans is coming off a great weekend for the Wolves averaging 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. He is currently the NSIC leader shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in league contests. Logan Doyle is leading the team averaging 7.3 points per game, with 16 blocks this season. Darin Peterka has a team leading 15 steals, while Smith has a team leading 40 assists. In league contests the men sit first in scoring defense, first in scoring margin, first in field goal percentage defense, first in 3-point field goal percentage defense, first in offensive rebounds, and fourth in blocked shots.
 
About the Dragons
• MSU Moorhead enters the weekend with a 4-6 record overall and 2-2 mark in the NSIC.
• The Dragons are shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 33.9 percent from the 3-point line, and 73.0 percent from the foul line.
• They are averaging 79.7 points, 34.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 11.0 turnovers, 3.8 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game.
• MSUM is being out-scored by their opponents by 4.4 points and out-rebounded by 2.1 boards per game this season.
• Tanner Kretchman leads four in double figures, averaging 17.6 points per game with 29 made 3-point baskets.
• Evan Hines is leading the rebounding attack, averaging 7.6 per game.
• Matt Anderson is shooting a team leading 55.9 percent from the floor, while Kretchman is shooting a team leading 40.3 percent from the arc.
• Moorhead is led by head coach Chad Walthall in his seventh season at the helm.
 
Last Match-Up
• The Wolves and Dragons split their two games in 2016-17, with Northern falling 93-92 and winning 118-117.
• Ian Smith was second on the team in the game one loss, notching 17 points and shooting 60.0 percent from the floor.
• Smith tallied another 21 points, followed by DJ Pollard with 20 points in the double overtime road victory.
• NSU is 63-37 all-time against MSU Moorhead and 4-6 in the last five seasons.