Aberdeen, S.D. – The (RV) Northern State men's basketball team (15-4, 11-2 NSIC) defeated the St. Cloud State Huskies (10-9, 7-6 NSIC) 88-71 on Friday night, giving NSU the best record in the conference.
 
Sole control of the NSIC is Northern's for the first time this season, as the University of Sioux Falls lost to Upper Iowa on the same night as the Wolves' latest victory. This is also Northern's sixth straight win, giving them plenty of momentum as they look to close out the season in first place.
 
As the game got underway neither team was able to take a strong lead. However, the Wolves were able to hold a slim advantage throughout the opening minutes.
 
There was a scary moment later in the half as Parker Fox scored a dunk, but immediately came down holding his side and calling for support from the bench. He wasn't on the sideline long however, and after his return the Wolves were finally able to open up a strong lead, ending the half at 44-27 in favor of Northern State.
 
An early standout for the Wolves was Mason Stark, who went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first half. The long ball was working well for the rest of the team as well, as the Wolves ended the half going 50.0% from the 3-point line for 21 points.
 
The second half got off to a similar start as the first, with both teams going back and forth from the floor. However, Northern began to methodically open up their lead as the half continued.
 
With ten minutes left in regulation, the Wolves had built up a 20-point advantage, a lead they would maintain throughout the remainder of the game. With only a few minutes remaining, Coach Phillips sent in the bench players to finish the job, ending the night at 88-71 for the Wolves' sixth straight win.
 
Northern shot 53.1% from the floor, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line. 34 of the Wolves' points came from the paint, eight off of turnovers and 25 from the bench.
 
Leading the team in scoring was Mason Stark, going 7-of-10 for 18 points. Close behind was Parker Fox with 17 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Jordan Belka led the team off the bench, grabbing four rebounds and going 4-of-5 for 12 points.
Also scoring in the double-digits were Tommy Chatman, Gabe King and Cole Dahl who each scored 11 points and combined for nine assists. Rounding out the scoreboard were Andrew Kallman and Roko Dominovic with six and two points, respectively.
 
The Wolves will return to action tomorrow to face the University of Minnesota Duluth for one of their toughest games of the season. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. at Wachs Arena on January 25.