A time line of excellence
• October, 2010 — Northern begins preparations for the start of a season with no returning starters and eight new players on the roster.
• January, 2011 — Lights take a solid record into Frontier Conference play, but are still un-ranked in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll.
• February, 2011 — Lights win all conference games on their home floor during the month, including victories over Westminster and Lewis-Clark State on the final two nights of the regular season. Northern winds up tied for the regular season championship for the second time in three years, but will go into the league playoffs seeded second behind Carroll College.
• March 8, 2011 — Northern captures its first Frontier postseason championship by beating Carroll in Helena. Lights earn automatic berth to NAIA national tourney and climb to No. 19 in the last NAIA Coaches Poll. Northern also sees Devin Jackson, Shaun Tatarka, Joe Simpson and LaVon Myers earn all-conference honors.
• March 17, 2011— Northern’s season comes to an abrupt end with a 59-48 loss to Biola in the first round of the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City. Still, MSU-N wins 24 games and loses just nine, going undefeated on its home court and leading the NAIA in scoring defense along the way – all with five first-year starters and now seniors.
• October, 2011 — Lights being the start of the 2011-12 season, ranked No. 15 in the NAIA and as preseason favorites to capture the Frontier title. Northern returns every player who played during 2010-11, as well as adds newcomers Corbin Pearson, Baird Henning, Pat Jensen, and Mike LaValley, who played in 2009-10.
• January 6, 2012 — Lights have ripped off eight straight wins to close the non-conference schedule, are ranked No. 15 in the NAIA, have lost just twice by a combined five points and haven’t suffered a setback since Nov. 5 at Warner Pacific. MSU-N beats UGF 63-62 at home in what will turn into a stellar three-game rivalry between the two schools. Tatarka also scores 26 points and makes seven three’s in the win over the Argos, becoming the 17th Light to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
• January 14, 2012 — In beating nationally-ranked UM-Western at home, Northern head coach Shawn Huse reaches career-win No. 200 at Northern. He would eventually become the school’s all-time winningest men’s coach later in the season.
• February 4, 2012 — Lights have risen to a school-record No. 10 ranking in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll and are 6-1 in the Frontier when they are beaten on a last-second, bank-shot 3-pointer at UGF. It’s the start of a three-game losing streak for the Lights, their first such streak in over three seasons. Northern still leads the NAIA in scoring defense.
• February 19, 2012 — The Lights beat Carroll College in a thrilling Senior Night game in Havre. The win caps off another unbeaten record at home, and overall the Northern seniors didn’t lose a regular-season home game over the last two years.
• February 25, 2012 — Northern thrashes Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho, two nights after beating Westminster in Salt Lake City for the first time in school history. The sweep of the Griffins and Warriors is the first for a Lights’ team on the road since the two out-of-state rivals joined the Frontier over a decade ago. The Lights also tie Western at 10-4 and clinch a share of the Frontier’s regular season championship again. Northern goes into the playoffs seeded No. 1. MSU-N is also fighting a bias in the rankings, as despite a four-game winning streak to close the regular season, the Lights stay at No. 22 in the latest NAIA Poll.
• March 2, 2012 — The Lights get their revenge against the Argos. In front of a huge crowd at the Armory Gymnasium, Northern trounces the Argos 81-56 and become just the second MSU-N team to ever win 26 games.
• March 5, 2012 — Northern hosts the Frontier championship game for the first time since 1998. In front of over 2,000 fans the Lights beat Western 61-56, capturing their second straight Frontier championship and the league’s auto bid to the national tournament. The Lights win back-to-back Frontier titles for the first time since 1995 and 1996. MSU-N also sets a new school record for wins in a season with 27 and will go to Kansas City for the third time in four years. The current Lights’ team finishes a perfect 30-0 at home over the last two seasons and the Lights end the year still ranked No. 1 in scoring defense in the entire country. The Lights also see Jackson, Tatarka, Myers and Simpson earn all-conference honors again, while Simpson is named the Frontier Defensive MVP. Northern draws No. 15 Columbia College of Missouri in the first round of the NAIA tourney.
