Wayne, Neb. – The Northern State men's basketball team (14-4, 10-2 NSIC) defeated Wayne State College (6-15, 3-9 NSIC) 82-72 for their ninth win in their last ten games.
 
Parker Fox was unstoppable on Saturday night as he picked up his first triple-double of the season. Fox was seemingly everywhere, cashing in 24 points, picking up 15 rebounds and stuffing his opponents for ten blocked shots. His dominating performance led the Wolves to their fifth straight win and kept them in first place of the North Division.
 
Just one day removed from his clutch performance against Augustana, Mason Stark opened his night by hitting three 3-pointers in a row to give Northern a strong early lead. Once Stark had given them the advantage, the Wolves never looked back.
 
Northern was outmuscling their opponents in the box, picking up nine offensive rebounds for 11 second chance points in the first half. Fox added insult to injury when he launched the ball from half-court at the buzzer, tacking on three more points and bringing their lead to 44-28 at halftime.
 
The Wolves maintained their point advantage throughout the second half as they refused to let the Wildcats within striking distance. Northern's defense was a big reason for that success, holding Wayne State to just 37.9% from the floor with five minutes remaining.
 
Wayne State threatened to make it close in the last few minutes of regulation, but Northern wouldn't allow it, finishing off the night for yet another victory on the Road. The Wolves are now 7-1 when playing NSIC competition outside of Wachs Arena.
 
Northern shot 47.5% from the floor, 41.7% from beyond the arc, and 53.8% from the foul line. 32 of their points came from the paint, 9 off of turnovers and 12 from the bench.
 
Parker Fox led the team in scoring with 24 points, while matching his career high in rebounds with 15, and doubling his career high in blocked shots with ten. Also having a good night from the floor was Mason Stark, scoring 19 points and picking up four rebounds.
 
Tommy Chatman, Andrew Kallman and Cole Dahl also reached double-digit point totals, with 11, ten and ten points respectively. Gabe King and Jordan Belka rounded out the scoresheet with six and two points respectively.
 
In addition to maintaining their lead in the North Division, Northern State University is now tied for first place in the conference with Sioux Falls.
 
Northern will look to take the lead in the NSIC next Friday versus St. Cloud State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Wachs Arena on January 24.