Aberdeen S.D. - The Northern State men's basketball team (9-3, 5-1 NSIC) defeated MSU Moorhead (7-5, 3-3 NSIC) 95-64 to remain undefeated at Wachs Arena and move to No. 1 in the North Division.
 
Just two games removed from one of the best games of his career, Mason Stark turned in yet another electric performance. Stark was unstoppable from the 3-point line as he shot a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, leading his team to a dominant win Saturday night.
 
Northern's defense showed up early, keeping the Dragons from scoring a single point in the first four minutes of regulation. However, the Wolves' offense wasn't doing great either, only scoring five points during that same four minutes.
 
As the half continued the Wolves' offense began to heat up, and their defense remained excellent. By halftime Northern had held the Dragons to just 28.6% from the floor and boasted a 39-25 lead.
 
However, Northern had a scare early in the second half when Tommy Chatman went down with an apparent left ankle injury. As he was helped off the court by his teammates Chatman was unable to put weight on the injured ankle.
 
Nevertheless, the Wolves' continued their dominant performance, building up an impressive lead as the defense continued to stifle the Dragons. Tommy Chatman soon made his return to the court with an outburst of applause from the audience.
 
With Chatman back and Mason Stark on fire from the 3-point line, MSUM was unable to stop Northern as they closed out one of their best performances of the season for their fifth straight win.
 
The Wolves went 53.1% from the floor, 52.0% from the 3-point line, and 82.4% from the foul line. Meanwhile, Northern's defense held MSUM to a season worst 33.9% from the floor and just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.
 
The Wolves scored 24 of their points from the paint, 18 points off of turnovers, and 25 from their bench players.
Leading the team was Mason Stark, who went 9-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the 3-point line for 23 points and five assists. Close behind were Andrew Kallman and Parker Fox, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively.
 
Despite his brief absence with an apparent ankle injury, Tommy Chatman was next on the scoreboard with seven points and two rebounds, along with Gabe King who also scored seven points and picked up four rebounds.
 
Leading the team off the bench was Cole Dahl with 12 points and four rebounds, and rounding out the scoreboard were Jordan Belka, Jaylen Robinson and Gus Reede, each scoring six, five and two points respectively.
 
The Wolves entered the night ranked No. 1 in the NSIC North Division after St. Cloud State upset Minnesota Duluth earlier in the afternoon. With this win Northern has ensured that they'll stay in that position for the time being.
 
Up next, Northern will play Upper Iowa at home on January 3. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. from Wachs Arena.