Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 9 Northern State University men's basketball team tied the school record for consecutive wins, defeating Presentation College 111-73. The last time NSU won 18-straight was in the 1992-93 season. The Wolves improve to 19-1 overall, after their final non-conference game of the regular season.
The Saints held with the Wolves through the first 14 minutes of action trading the lead four times, however the Wolves broke things open at the 6-minute mark and did not look back. NSU held a double figure led from then on with the largest spread of 38 points coming with just 29 seconds remaining in the contest.
Northern shot a staggering 66.7 percent from the floor, 48.1 percent from the arc, and 71.4 percent from the foul line. On the flip side, the Saints shot 40.3 percent from the floor, 24.0 percent from the 3-point line, and 68.0 percent from the charity stripe. Northern out-rebounded Presentation 39-24, notching 16 total second chance points on 11 offensive boards. They added 62 points off the bench, 54 points in the paint, and 18 points off turnovers. The men combined for 27 assists, seven blocks, and three steals.
Cole Dahl led the team, notching a career high for the second straight game, with 27 points. The sophomore knocked down 10-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the 3-point line. He added a team leading seven rebounds, including five offensive boards, as well as two assists. Logan Doyle followed with 18 points of his own, shooting 77.8 percent from the floor. The senior added three rebounds, one assist, and one block in 16 minutes of play.
Carter Evans and Bo Fries were the final Wolves in double figures with 15 and 11 points respectively. Evans shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor and added four assists, four rebounds, and a team leading three blocks. Fries 66.7 percent from the floor with two made 3-pointers, as well as four rebounds and three assists.
DJ Pollard notched nine points, while
Ian Smith and
Justin Decker tallied eight points apiece. Gabe King rounded out the NSU starters with six points of his own. Pollard was also perfect from the field, draining 4-of-4. He added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals. Smith dished out a team leading seven assists and pulled down a team second best six rebounds. Decker added three rebounds and two assists, notching his second straight start.
Andrew Kallman hit two from down town, adding six points to the team total. The freshman also tallied two rebounds, one assist, and one block. Ethan Kranhold tallied the final made 3-pointer of the night for the Wolves, as Northern tallied 13 total. He added two rebounds as well.
Northern returns to action this weekend on the road at St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday versus the Huskies and 6 p.m. on Saturday against the Bulldogs.
