Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State men's basketball team (16-5, 12-3 NSIC) controlled the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (6-13, 4-11 NSIC) from start to finish Friday night, coming out with an 88-60 victory.
 
Wachs Arena was packed to watch the men's basketball team in their first I Hate Winter game of the weekend. Fans were treated to non-stop offensive and defensive domination, as NSU cruised back to the top of the North Division.
 
The Wolves set the tone early, as Parker Fox received a pass from the far end of the court and slammed it in mere seconds after the Bears had done the same thing, bringing the Arena to its feet and drawing Concordia-St. Paul's first timeout of the game.
 
Before long Northern had built an imposing double-digit lead, in large part thanks to their defense. Just ten minutes into regulation the Wolves had already forced eight turnovers for seven points and had dominated in rebounds, a trend that continued throughout the game.
 
By the end of the half Northern was firing on all cylinders, walking to the locker room with momentum on their side and an 53-21 lead.
 
The second half began with a sense of déjà vu as Parker Fox once again slammed in an early dunk to build momentum. The Wolves 3-point shooting also remained hot, allowing them to maintain a 30-point advantage for most of the second.
 
With five minutes to go Coach Phillips sent in the bench players to finish the job. By the end of regulation Northern had a scored 80 points for the eleventh time this season, ending the night at 88-60 in favor of the Wolves.
 
The Wolves shot 47.0% from the floor, 36.7% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line. 35 of their points came from the paint and 20 came from the bench. Meanwhile, Northern's defense stepped up to force 18 turnovers for 19 points.
 
Leading the team in scoring was Parker Fox with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Gabe King went 100.0% from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, for 16 points. Mason Stark was also close behind with 15 points and three rebounds.
 
Andrew Kallman passed the ball well for five assists and also scored in the double-digits with ten points. Leading the team off the bench was Cole Dahl with eight points and leading the team with six assists.
 
Meanwhile, Tommy Chatman and Roko Dominovic each scored four points and combined for four rebounds. Rounding out the scoreboard were Jordan Belka, Ethan Kranhold and Gus Reede with three, two and three points respectively.
 
The Wolves return to Wachs Arena tomorrow night for their second game of the I Hate Winter weekend. They'll be facing off against Minnesota State at 6:00 p.m. on February 1.