Northern State executed best when it mattered most Friday night.
After a rough first half, the Wolves cleaned things up in the second half and pulled out an 84-80 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men’s college basketball win over Winona State.
The victory helped Northern improve to 7-4 in conference play and 7-10 overall as it continues to fight for position in the NSIC standings.
“I thought the biggest thing was, can we execute the game plan,” said Northern coach Matt Wilber. “And when we started doing that, that’s what happened.”
The first half did not go the way Northern wanted and the hosts trailed by six points at halftime. The Wolves struggled to take care of the basketball and had 10 turnovers before the break. Those mistakes led to transition opportunities for the Warriors.
“That was something we really had to fix,” Wilber said. “We went from 10 turnovers in the first half to only three in the second half, and that was the difference.”
NSU junior guard Joshua Book said the team knew it needed to slow down and get back to what it wanted to do.
“In the first half we strayed from the game plan a bit, as you can see by the 10 turnovers,” Book said. “We made that adjustment and only had three turnovers in the second half.”
Northern’s offense also made an adjustment in the final 20 minutes. Instead of forcing tough shots, the Wolves moved the ball and made Winona’s defense work from side to side.
“Their defense plays to the strong side trying to take everything away,” Wilber said. “When we finally went side to side, we were getting easier shots.”
Book and Simon Akena both finished with 21 points to lead the Wolves. Their ability to make shots late helped Northern hold on down the stretch to record the team’s second home win of the season,
“I credit Josh Book,” Wilber said. “He executed the game plan for us.”
Book said his confidence comes from the trust he gets from everyone in the program.
“The players and coaches give me all the confidence in the world,” Book said. “Just going out there every game and trusting the work that we put in.”
Book also said being ready early was a big focus for the team, even though it took a while for the Wolves to take control.
“Coming out from the jump ready to play,” he said. “That’s something we always talk about.”
Tobi Obiora added 14 points to the NSU total, and Marshawn Smith contributed 12.
Northern will not have much time to regroup, as the Wolves host Concordia-St. Paul at 4 this afternoon at Wachs Arena.
Wilber said the team must learn from the slow start and be sharper from the opening tip.
“We have to come out right out of the gates ready to play,” Wilber said, “especially on the defensive side.”
To see a complete box score of the game, click on the following link:
https://nsuwolves.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2025-26/winona-state/boxscore/14120
