Wolves Fall For 1st Time In 14 Games

February 27, 2004

St. Paul, MN - The Wolves were reacquainted with a few uncomfortable feelings Friday night at Concordia-St. Paul as they stumbled against CSP. The loss would signify two things. First, the loss would be the first taste of defeat for the Wolves since January 6th when Northern fell to Bemidji in Bemidji. Second, the loss would mean for the first time in three seasons that Northern would not be the NSIC regular season champions.

The Wolves had a tough time getting anything started throughout the game. Every good play by the Wolves was countered and matched by a Golden Bear play. The Wolves also struggled in the foul category. Normally accustomed to a distinct free throw advantage Northern found themselves shooting 20 compared to CSP's 36. In addition, for the first time this season the Wolves had three different players foul out of the ball game.

Offensively the Wolves had four players in double figures. Sophomore Matt Hammer led all Northern scorers with 17 points. Fellow sophomores Aaron Busack added 13 points while Junior Jared Obering added 16 points on the night. Senior Steve Smiley nearly single handily kept the Wolves in the game with a strong second half game. Smiley ended with 14 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. In addition, Smiley committed zero turnovers and played 42 of the 45 minutes in the game.

The Golden Bears were led by David Albo and Brian Jamros. Albo fueled the Bears in the first half and early second half scoring 26 on the night and hitting 10-17 from the field and 5-7 from 3-point land. Brian Jamros scored 22 on the night, but none more clutch than his 3-pointer with :02 remaining sending the game into overtime.

With the loss, the Wolves more to 20-6 overall and 12-3 in NSIC action. The Wolves will close out the regular season on Saturday night in Winona, MN. Then, the Wolves will return home for a their first round playoff game on Wednesday, March 3.

Game Stats