ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. --- Crown Men's Basketball hosted their first game of the year on Saturday, their first home contest in eleven months. The Storm defeated the Northland College Lumberjacks 68-64 in a riveting battle too close for comfort. Northland threatened to take the lead at all points in the last ten minutes, but the Storm held on, in large part due to junior forward Seth Royston, who had an incredible performance. Royston was +23 when on the court and led the team with 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block. 

The Storm jumped ahead early in the game, securing a ten-point margin within the first five minutes of action, leading as much as 14 before going into halftime leading nine. However, the Lumberjacks would not go away, making six straight shots to pull the game within three, tying it two possessions later. Leading by one, two huge threes from Royston continued to push the Storm lead into two possessions, guiding them to victory. 

Four Crown players were in double-figures, with first-year Quincy Wilson (13 points), sophomore Alec Testerman (12 points), and senior Christian Moore (10 points) joining Royston. Junior Cade Neubert scored four points in the contest, sophomore Aaron Davis and first-year Jacob Van Dam each scored three. First-year Micah Ladd, junior Cole Andersen, and junior Dylan Gilmer all scored two to finish the Storm's scoring.  

The Storm dominated points in the paint, outscoring the Lumberjacks 34-14, controlling inside. Crown will look to improve its performance from the free-throw line after making only five of 18 attempts in the contest. Next, Crown will travel to Martin Luther on Thursday, hoping to continue their six-game winning streak against the Knights.