St. Joseph, Mo. – The Northern State University men's basketball team opened the 2018-19 season with an overtime thriller at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Wolves ultimately fell to No. 5 Northwest Missouri State 72-70, in a game where neither team led by more than eight points.
 
Northern led 34-28 at the half, however was out-scored by Northwest Missouri in the second. The Wolves led by three with 1:29 left to play in regulation, however the Bearcats tied things up with 24 seconds remaining and the Wolves were unable to regain the lead, sending the game to overtime. It was a closely contested final five minutes with the Bearcats just edging out the Wolves.
 
The Wolves shot 45.0 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from the 3-point line, and 50.0 percent from the foul line in the game. Defensively, they held the Bearcats who shot just 33.8 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from the arc. NSU recorded 30 points in the paint, 22 points off the bench, 12 second chance points, ten points off turnovers, and four fast break points.
 
They held the largest lead of the game, eight points, with 6:12 left in the first. Northern was out-rebounding by just five boards in the game, recording 41 total, including nine offensive grabs. They combined for a game high 13 assists and five blocks, while adding four steals.  
 
Ian Smith led three Wolves in double figures with 15 points. He also tallied a team high six assists and two steals, and added seven defensive boards. Parker Fox was second on the team with 14 points, and recorded the first double-double of his career with a team high 12 rebounds. Fox shot 46.2 percent from the field and led the team with two blocks, leading the team off the bench.
 
Bo Fries was the final starter in double figures, notching 11 points, as well as five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. The senior hit 3-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the foul line. Andrew Kallman, Justin Decker, and Gabe King rounded out the starting five with nine, eight, and five points respectively. Kallman shot 75.0 percent from the 3-point line with a team high three made field goals from beyond the arc. King was second on the team at the rim, recording eight rebounds, while adding two assists. Roko Dominovic scored the final eight points from the Wolves, hitting 3-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from the arc.
 
Northern returns to the court for the night cap on Sunday evening in St. Joseph. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. between the Wolves and Queens (NC).