Jan. 22, 2000

Northern State's 63-61 loss to Winona State Saturday in the Barnett Center was no doubt a heartbreaker for the Wolves.

But even more important than the regular season loss was concrete proof to the over 4,000 in attendance that this young Wolves team can compete with anyone. Making up for the inexperience, adversity and transition stacked against the team this season is the very element the Wolves brandished down to the wire in their showdown with the conference top-dog Warriors: heart.
 
Winona State came into the Barnett Center undefeated in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. A clutch shot by Lance Meincke with six seconds remaining assured the Warriors (12-5, 9-0 NSIC) would leave Aberdeen with their perfect mark intact, but it wasn't without a fight.

Winona held five-to-10 point leads throughout the game but could never put the Wolves away. NSU (7-10, 4-5 NSIC) made a 7-0 run in the last minute-and-a-half, capped by a clutch 3-pointer by senior guard Scott Hanson (Tolna, N.D.), to tie the score at 61 and send the NSU faithful into a frenzy before Meincke's heroics left everyone in attendance muttering 'next time.' NSU will meet WSU again in Winona Feb. 25 and could meet up yet again in the conference tournament.

Junior center Ben Dahl (Cottonwood, Minn.) had a career night, posting career highs in points (19) and rebounds (12). Hanson ended with 12 points. Justin Treptow led WSU with 19 points.