Crookston, Minn. – The No. 12 Northern State University men's basketball team recorded a 31-point victory over Minnesota Crookston on Friday evening, defeating the Golden Eagles 81-50. The Wolves improved to 24-3 overall and 17-2 in the league, heading into the final three games of the regular season.
It was all Northern all the way, as the Wolves notched 39 points in the first and 42 points in the second. As a team, they shot 53.4 percent from the floor, 46.2 percent from the arc, and 58.3 percent from the foul line. They held Crookston defensively, who shot 32.2 percent from the floor and 27.8 percent from the arc. The Wolves out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 48-26, notching 14 points off of 11 offensive boards.
Northern added 34 points in the paint, 34 points off the bench, and ten points off turnovers. They hit 12 from beyond the arc, and added 19 assists, seven blocks, and four steals. The Wolves held their largest lead of 35 points with just 59 seconds remaining in regulation.
Logan Doyle led the team with 18 points off the bench. The senior notched his sixth double-double of the season grabbing a team leading 11 rebounds, as well as shooting 87.5 percent from the floor.
DJ Pollard was second on the team as the only other Wolf in double figures, notching 16 points, while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor. Pollard added three assists, two steals, and a team leading three blocks.
Darin Peterka and
Gabe King each notched nine points in the win, with Peterka knocking down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. King tallied five rebounds and a team leading six assists, while Peterka added three rebounds and two steals.
Ian Smith and
Carter Evans rounded out the starting five with eight and five points respectively. The pair each grabbed a team second best eight rebounds.
Bo Fries notched five points of his own off the bench, while
Andrew Kallman added four.
Ethan Kranhold dropped a three in the second half, and
Justin Decker and
Logan LeGrand each tallied two points in the win. Decker grabbed four rebounds and dished out an assist, while Kallman tallied one rebounds and two assists.
Northern returns to action tomorrow evening for a 6 p.m. match-up against the Beavers of Bemidji State University.
