Sioux Falls, S.D. – The No. 6 Northern State University men's basketball team made history on Tuesday evening from the Sanford Pentagon in a 79-71 victory over (RV) East Stroudsburg. The Wolves notched the first NCAA Elite Eight win in school history and broke the single season school record with their 35^th win. NSU advances with a 35-3 record overall this season.
 
Despite a quick start by the Warriors of East Stroudsburg, Northern 38-32 at the half en route to the 8-point advancing victory. Heading into the final minutes of the first half, Northern went on a 14-0 run, holding East Stroudsburg scoreless for five minutes and 12 seconds. The Wolves tallied their largest lead of 17 points with 6:32 left in regulation, as nine student-athletes hit the floor for NSU.
 
Northern shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from the 3-point line, and 74.1 percent from the foul line. As a team, the men combined for a game high five made 3-pointers, 14 assists, and five blocks. NSU tallied 36 points in the paint, 19 points off the bench, 11 points off turnovers, five second chance points, and four fast break points. The Wolves out-rebounded the Warriors 37-21, notching five offensive boards, and out-shot ESU from the floor and 3-point line.
 
Ian Smith led four Wolves in double figures with 21 points, hitting 9-of-12 from the floor, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-4 from the foul line. The junior added four rebounds and a team leading five assists. DJ Pollard added a team second best 19 points, shooting 71.4 percent from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Pollard notched four rebounds two assists, two steals, and one block as well.
 
Logan Doyle led the Wolves off the bench with 13 points, and notched a team high seven rebounds. The senior shot 5-of-6 from the floor and recorded two assists and one block. Gabe King was the final Wolf in double figures with ten points, as well as four rebounds, and a team leading two blocks.
 
Darin Peterka and Carter Evans rounded out the starting five with six and four points respectively. The pair each tallied three rebounds and one assist. Bo Fries notched four points, as well as a team second best five rebounds and three assists. Justin Decker added two points as the final team scorer for NSU.  
 
The Wolves will face No. 7 Queens (NC) in the NCAA Final Four on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. from the Sanford Pentagon. Queens advanced to the Final Four with a 100-94 victory over Cal Baptist. The meeting will be the first between the two teams.