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C.J. Nelson and the Northern men's basketball team will take a break from Frontier Conference play as they compete at the Cactus Classic in Chandler, Arizona, starting this weekend.
The non-conference season is winding down, but before the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team turns its attention to the Frontier Conference in January, the Lights have work to do.
Starting Saturday, the Lights (7-2) will play three games at the Cactus Classic, with all three games coming against outstanding teams from the Golden State Athletic Conference.
Northern will open play in the tournament Saturday when the Lights play Hope University. The Royals are a GSAC powerhouse who have started off the year 6-3, with wins over teams like Menlo and William Jessup. They have also played Arizona Christian, and are currently 4-2 in conference play.
After a day off, Northern returns to the court for a Monday game against Vanguard. The Lions are another tough GSAC team that currently sits at 5-4 and has wins over Westmoint, as well as a game against NCAA DI Pepperdine.
The last game of Northern's visit to Arizona will come against The Master's. The Mustangs are a favorite in the GSAC this season, and are off to a 9-3 start including a win over NCAA DII Azusa Pacific. The Mustangs have beaten Oklahoma City and Westmont this season as well.
"All three teams we play in Arizona will be great tests for us," Northern head coach Shawn Huse said earlier this year. "The GSAC is a great league with really good basketball teams so it will be great for us to play those games."
The Lights, of course, are a tough team in a great league as well. Led by senior Jesse Keltner, averageng 12 points and eight rebounds per game, as well as point guard C.J. Nelson, Immanuel Anderson and others, the Lights are off to a strong start this winter and are looking to keep improving before Frontier play resumes in January.
Northern's three-game trip to the Cactus Classic starts Saturday at noon against Hope. The Lights play Vanguard at 10 a.m. Monday and The Master's at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The Lights close out December with home games against Keyano University and St. Mary's University Dec. 29-30.
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