Men's Basketball | 1/11/2018 9:20:00 AM

Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 9 Northern State University men's basketball team will host Wayne State College and Augustana University this Friday and Saturday from Wachs Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday versus the Wildcats and 6 p.m. on Saturday against the Vikings. Saturday's contest will also feature the South Dakota Special Olympics Unified Basketball game at halftime of both the men's and women's contests.
 
The Wolves enter the weekend on a 15-game win streak, while sitting atop both the NSIC overall and North Division standings. Northern is 16-1 overall and 10-0 in the league, as they are shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, 39.0 percent from the arc, and 73.4 percent from the foul line. NSU is averaging 77.5 points, 35.8 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 11.8 turnovers, 6.2 steals, and 4.1 blocks per game this season. Against NSIC opponents they sit first in scoring defense (65.4), first in scoring margin (+15.9), second in free throw percentage (77.5), first in field goal percentage (51.5), and first in rebounding margin (+6.5), third in assists (15.4). Ian Smith is leading five scorers in double figures, averaging 13.6 points per game. The junior has a team leading 72 assists as well. Logan Doyle and Carter Evans are leading the team shooting 63.7 and 60.5 percent from the floor, while DJ Pollard is shooting a team leading 45.5 percent from the arc. Doyle is averaging a team best 6.8 rebounds per game, with 116 total this season. Pollard and Darin Peterka are averaging 12.6 and 12.5 points per game, while Doyle and Evans are notching 10.8 and 10.3 points per game. Smith has been a balanced attack for the Wolves this season with 12 games in double figure scoring and 16 games with three or more assists, including a career high ten against MSUM.
 
About the Wildcats
    • Wayne State enters the weekend 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the NSIC.
    • The Wildcats are shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from the 3-point line, and 70.6 percent from the foul line.
    • WSC is currently ninth in the league overall and six in the NSIC South standings.
    • They are averaging 76.9 points, 33.1 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 10.9 turnovers, 6.8 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game.
    • Kendall Jacks leads the team averaging 13.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and leading the roster with 46 assists this season.
    • Trevin Joseph is second on the team averaging 11.7 points per game.
    • Tony Bonner is shooting a team leading 56.3 percent from the floor, while Vance Janseen is shooting 45.2 percent from the arc.
    • The Wildcats are led by head coach Jeff Kaminsky in his second season at the helm.
 
Last Match-Up
    • The Wolves defeated the Wildcats 76-66 on the road in 2016-17.
    • Doyle led the team with 23 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 80.0 percent from the floor. He also notched a team leading five blocks.
    • Pollard was second on the team with 14 points and eight rebounds.
    • NSU shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from the arc, while WSC shot 32.3 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from the arc.
 
About the Vikings
    • Augustana enters the weekend with a 10-6 record overall and 5-5 mark in league action, sitting fifth overall in the NSIC South.
    • The Vikings are shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 40.2 percent from the arc, and 74.4 percent from the foul line, while averaging 83.9 points, 36.6 rebounds, 17.3 assists, 12.4 turnovers, 6.4 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game this season.
    • Jordan Spencer leads four in double figures, averaging 16.2 points per game, as well as 7.8 assists per contest.
    • John Warren is second on the team averaging 14.9 points, followed by Steven Schaefer and Adam Dykman at 13.1 and 10.6 points per contest.
    • Dykman is shooting a team leading 53.5 percent from the floor, while Schaefer is shooting a team leading 47.2 percent from the arc.
    • Marcus Asmus is grabbing a team leading 7.3 rebounds per game, with 116 total.
    • Augustana is led by head coach Tom Billeter in his 15th season at the helm. 
 
Last Match-Up
    • The Wolves fell to the Vikings 80-66 in the regular season and 88-64 in the NSIC Tournament.
    • In the regular season match-up, Pollard led the team with 18 points, as the Wolves shot just 34.4 percent from the floor.
    • In the second loss, NSU tallied three in double figures however gave up 16 points off turnovers and shot just 37.5 percent from the floor.