Box Score Aberdeen, S.D. - The No. 15 Northern State men's basketball program got off to a hot start Saturday, leading top-ranked Northwest Missouri State 30-24 at the half, but could not sustain that momentum through the second half, falling 68-55 to the Bearcats in the 2021-22 season-opener in St. Joseph, Mo.

QUICK HITS

• Final score: Northwest Missouri State 68, Northern State 55
• Records: Northwest Missouri State 1-0; Northern State 0-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Northern State fell behind 10-2 early in the game, but clawed back into the lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half. The Wolves led as much as 30-22, and took a 4-point lead into the break.
• Northwest Missouri State took the lead for good with 17:01 left to play in the game.
• After shooting better than 45 percent from the field in the first half, Northern was just 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from the floor in the second half.
• The Bearcats hit on 45.3 percent of their attempts in the game.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Jordan Belka: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block
• Sam Masten: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
• Augustin Reede: 8 points, 1 assist

UP NEXT
The Wolves round out their weekend stay in St. Joseph, taking on Rockhurst Sunday at 1 p.m.