Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University men's basketball team pulled out the 85-80 overtime victory over Minnesota Crookston on Friday evening from Wachs Arena. With the win the Wolves improve to 19-6 overall and 15-4 in the league, heading into the final three games of the regular season.
The Northern State men trailed a majority of the game to the Golden Eagles however rallied in the final minutes of the second half, pushing the game to overtime. The NSU fans were on their feet, as the Wolves took the lead in the opening seconds of the first overtime period.
The Golden Eagles crept within two of the Wolves, however NSU held on after a smart play by junior
DJ Pollard. Pollard fouled Harrison Cleary of UMC with five seconds remaining forcing the Golden Eagles to the foul line with a 3-point deficit. Cleary led UMC with 33 points and three made baskets from beyond the arc. The freshman missed both from the line, forcing Minnesota Crookston to foul
Gabe King and keep their hopes alive. King quickly sunk both free-throws and sealed the 5-point victory for the Wolves.
Logan Doyle led the Wolves with 23 points and a career high 20 rebounds in the win. The junior shot 69.3 percent from the floor and added a career high six blocks.
DJ Pollard was second on the team with 15 points and seven rebounds, while adding three blocks of his own.
Ian Smith and
Mack Arvidson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Wolves with 12 and 11 points respectively, while Smith also notched a career high with a team second best 15 boards.
King matched Pollard's mark of three blocks in the game, a career high for the freshman and added four points and two rebounds.
Carter Evans and
Justin Decker led the Wolves off the bench with eight points each, while
Bo Fries and
Jonny Dahl each tallied two.
In the win, the Wolves shot 42.0 percent from the floor and 72.4 percent from the foul line. They tallied a season second best 42 points in the paint, and added 18 second chance points and 20 points off the bench. NSU continued their season strength of rebounding, notching 55 boards to the Golden Eagles 40.
The Wolves will face Bemidji State tomorrow at 6 p.m. from Wachs Arena on senior night. The contest will also be the final home game for Northern in the regular season.
