Jan. 6, 2001

Northern State came out aggressively and never let up, handing Bemidji State a 90-78 loss in Aberdeen Saturday night.

The Wolves (7-7 overall, 3-3 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) stepped up their play defensively from Friday night, which kick-started their offense. The team shot a scorching 67 percent from 3-point range (12-of-18) and 57 percent from the field on the night. BSU (6-7, 3-2) came as close as three points in the first half of the second stanza, but the Wolves upped the lead back to double digits and weren't threatened down the stretch.

In his first career start, freshman point guard Steve Smiley (Arvada, Colo.) scored a career high 14 points to lead a balanced effort for NSU. Smiley also added seven assists. In all, five players scored in double-digits for the Wolves. Junior post Andy Foster (Caledonia, Minn.) led the team in rebounding with six boards to go with 12 points on a 5-of-5 shooting night that included a couple of his trademark gorilla dunks. BSU was led by Mac Smith's 21 points.