Bemidji, MN – The Northern State men's basketball team (12-4, 8-2 NSIC) defeated the Bemidji State Beavers (8-6, 5-5 NSIC) 98-92 in an overtime thriller Saturday night.
 
With 18 seconds before the end of the game, Northern found themselves down by three and in grave danger of suffering defeat. However, with a defender all over him and falling back on one foot, Gabe King cashed in possibly the best 3-pointer of his career with just nine seconds remaining, tying the game at 83-83 and sending it to overtime.
 
Once in overtime the Wolves looked like a new team, quickly building up a 7-point lead for their first momentum since the first half. However, the Beavers' 3-point shooting, which had been devastating Northern all night long, once again kept Bemidji in the game. But with 43 seconds left in overtime it was Tommy Chatman who came up clutch, cashing in a 3-pointer to extend Northern's lead beyond reach.
 
Chatman had the best game of his career Saturday night, gathering three rebounds and going 11-of-15 for a career high 25 points. He was instrumental in securing the 98-92 overtime win with many of his points coming in the clutch.
 
As the game got underway neither team was able to establish a lead for longer than a few seconds. Just five minutes into regulation there had already been five lead changes, but Bemidji State eventually got themselves a steady advantage.
 
However, Northern's 3-point shooting caught fire as the half continued, including three unexpected 3-pointers from Parker Fox. By the end of the first half the Wolves had turned an early deficit into a 48-40 lead.
 
The second half began with a 5-point run by Bemidji State, but Northern quickly took back control and maintained a decent lead throughout most of the opening minutes.
 
However, that's where the Wolves offensive production nearly vanished. Despite getting plenty of opportunities, Northern's offense scored just four points in nine minutes, allowing Bemidji State to take full control for most of the second half.
 
It was then that Tommy Chatman made his presence known, drawing defensive fouls to score multiple 3-point plays and keep Northern within reach. As they had done multiple times throughout the season, the Wolves' clutch factor did the rest, allowing Northern to come away with their eighth win in their last nine games.
 
Northern shot 51.0% from the floor, 31.4% from beyond the arc and 77.7% from the foul line. 42 of their points came from the paint, 15 off of turnovers and just eight from the bench.
 
Three of Northern's starters scored over 20 points on Saturday evening. Leading the team was Parker Fox with 29 points, followed by Tommy Chatman with a career high of 25 points and Mason Stark with 21.
 
Meanwhile, Gabe King gathered ten points and six rebounds and Andrew Kallman scored five points and eight rebounds. Rounding out the scoreboard were Jordan Belka and Cole Dahl, each scoring four points off the bench.
 
With both Minnesota Duluth and Northern State coming out with wins Saturday night, the Wolves remain just behind the Bulldogs for second place in the North Division and third in the conference.
 
The men's basketball team will return to action on January 17 to face Augustana University. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Stanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.