There was heartbreak and hope for the Northern State men’s basketball team at Wachs Arena this past weekend.

The Wolves suffered another tough loss in the closing seconds Saturday night, but for the second straight game took a quality foe right to the wire. After falling on a last-second shot to Winona State on Friday night, Northern fell to nationally-ranked Minnesota State 85-83 on a shot with 3.5 seconds left in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest.

“I told the team in the locker room afterwards, we have to let pain and pride live simultaneously right now,” said Northern coach Saul Phillips. “There’s no way that you can feel good about losing two, but we can also feel good about how we’re progressing. If that’s not a statement that we can beat anybody in this conference, then I don’t know what would be.”

The Wolves went toe-to-toe with a Mavericks squad that has lost just two games all season. While Northern was unable to knock off the 5th-rated squad, it certainly showed it can compete at that level.

“I think it really shows that we’re trying to compete and we’re playing at a competitive level right now and it’s really shown from the beginning of the season to now how we’ve come together as a team,” said Northern point guard Josh Dilling. “The record may not show that we’re doing the best, but just the fight that we have is coming along.”

Dilling certainly did his part to give the Wolves a chance against the Mavericks. He scored 25 first-half points as Northern trailed by just three at the break.

While his scoring curtailed a bit in the second half, he still orchestrated NSU’s offense that hung right with one of the top teams in the country. When Dilling scored on a drive with 13:13 left, it gave Northern a 66-63 lead.

However, the Wolves then went on a scoring drought that lasted more than five minutes and left them staring at a 74-66 deficit. Northern missed numerous long-range attempts in that span.

“There was a stretch in the second half there where we kind of got stagnant on offense and I think if we could go back in that portion and try to get down hill and try to create some free-throw attempts, and maybe some closer shots at the bucket, I think that would have kind of helped our situation,” Dilling said. “But the thing is, with these guys on our team, I trust these guys, we trust each other, that if we’re going to kick it out and shoot a shot, we’re going to trust it goes.”

The margin remained at eight points before Northern went on one final run. Jacksen Moni made two free throws, Dilling scored on a drive, Isaiah Hagen hit a shot, and Moni tied the contest at 83-83 with a field goal with 22 seconds left.

However, Malik Willlingham hit a floater with 3.1 seconds left and the Mavericks broke up an NSU in bounds pass at half court to deny the Wolves a chance at a final shot.

Dilling finished with 37 points and eight assists. Moni added 13 points, and Michael Nhial finished with 11.

The contest marked the final home game for Aberdeen senior Augustin Reede. It was an emotional night for the former Roncalli standout who grew up watching the Wolves before becoming a starting member of the squad.

“I think getting to put the jersey on here at Northern State and getting to represent my home town, it’s hard to put into words how much it truly means to me, but I have so much pride being from Aberdeen,” Reede said. “I love Aberdeen, South Dakota. I’m never going to leave Aberdeen, South Dakota. I’m going to live here my entire life. This is really my home and getting to play in front of friends and family for all these years, it’s a dream come true.”

Reede will look to make the most of his remaining chances to wear the NSU uniform as the Wolves play at Augustana and Wayne State next weekend and will attempt to make the NSIC postseason tourney.

“You’re really staring down the end of your career,” Reede said, “and you just don’t want to take it off, because it’s just been so much fun.”

Phillips said the team is playing its best basketball of the season and he is looking forward to seeing what the Wolves can do this upcoming weekend.

“I’m interested in seeing this team play more, because they’re getting better,” Phillips said. “It’s fun to see them grow.”

To see a complete box score from Saturday’s game, click on the following link:

https://nsuwolves.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/minnesota-state/boxscore/13330