No. 21 Northern State Claims Third Straight NSIC/Sanford Health Championship - Mar 4, 2020

The No. 21 Northern State men's basketball team (26-6, 18-4 NSIC) completed the bracket with a 80-59 win over Minnesota State (17-15, 12-11 NSIC), making the Wolves the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Champions for the third season in a row.
The Wolves made Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference history as well becoming just the second team in league history to win three straight tournament championships. In addition, the Wolves tied Winona State for most tournament titles, notching the programs fifth overall, and now hold the longest win streak in NSIC Tournament play with 12 victories. The tournament title gives the Wolves an automatic berth to the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
Mason Stark (6'2''-G)'s stellar tournament continued on Tuesday as he went 12-of-18 for 27 points, bringing his tournament stat line to a whopping 75.0% from the floor for 89 points. If his domination continues, it will be near impossible to stop Northern State as they move on to the Division II National Tournament later this month.
The offensive production for Northern was dominant in the opening minutes as they boasted a 77.8% success rate from the floor. Mason Stark in particular was unstoppable, going 5-of-5 for 11 points in just the first five minutes, setting the tone for what would be a shootout all game long.
The Wolves defense was also playing well, forcing 11 turnovers for eight points in the first half. However, the Mavericks remained in striking distance for most of the half despite the turnovers, sending Northern to the locker room with an uncomfortable 34-30 advantage.
The second half got off to a good start for both the Wolves and Mavericks on offense, as every basket made by one team was responded to by the other, leading to a tense tug of war in the opening minutes. The Mavericks also seemed to fix their turnover issues and threatened to make it a close game until the end.
However, the entire complexion of the game seemed shift at 15:54 when a simple jumper from Tommy Chatman (6'4''-G) triggered an electric 22-4 run. In a matter of seconds, the Wolves were suddenly incapable of missing a shot, opening up a demoralizing 20-point lead midway through the half.
Northern's consistency on both ends of the court, in addition to the heavily bias crowd in Aberdeen South, began to take its toll on the Mavericks. With 1:27 left in regulation Coach Phillips sent in the bench players close out their third consecutive NSIC tournament championship.
Northern shot 50.8% from the floor, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 56.3% from the foul line. 54 of their points came from the paint, 13 off of turnovers and five bench points. On defense, the Wolves held the Mavericks to 42.1% from the floor while forcing 14 turnovers.
Leading the team in scoring was Parker Fox (6'8''-F), going 11-of-17 for 29 points. Following close behind was Mason Stark with four rebounds and another 27 points. The only other player to reach double digits was Gabe King (6'5''-G) with 11.
Jordan Belka (6'7''-F) led the team off the bench five points, while Tommy Chatman and Andrew Kallman (6'4''-G) rounded out the scoreboard with four points each.
Mason Stark, Gabe King, and Parker Fox were named to the All-Tournament team following the win, with Fox garnering Tournament MVP honors.

Courtesy of northernsun.org

NSIC Tournament Final: Northern State - Minnesota State 80-59
NSIC Tournament Semifinals:
Northern State - MSU Moorhead 81-65
Minnesota Duluth - Minnesota State 73-79

Tags : ANDREW KALLMAN, NORTHERN ST. UNIVERSITY, NAIA BASKETBALL