Wildcat men edged by T’Wolves

Courtesy of NMU Athletics

MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team dropped a 76-71 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference contest to Northwood Saturday at the Berry Events Center.

The loss drops NMU to 4-15 overall with a 3-12 league mark. The Timberwolves improved to 15-8 overall with an 11-4 GLIAC record.

Junior guard Ethan Blackwell led three Wildcats in double-digit scoring with a career-high 23 points. Blackwell was 9-16 from the floor and 5-9 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Terry Nash and junior forward Chavis Mattison added 12 each for NMU. Mattison led NMU with eight rebounds.

“We are really resilient and that’s good to see,” said NMU head coach Bill Sall. “It’s tough to swallow but they played hard enough to win today. It always comes down to, when you play good teams and you play close games, those crucial moments and you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

A three-pointer by senior guard Spencer Huss as time expired gave the Wildcats a 35-27 lead going into the break.

The Wildcats shot a blistering 62.2-percent from the floor in the first half going 15-23 and 5-8 (62.5) from three-point range. Blackwell led the Wildcats with seven first-half points shooting 3-4 from the floor and 1-2 from three-point range.

A three-pointer by freshman guard Wade Schetter gave NMU its largest lead of the game 25-15 with 7:03 remaining in the first half.

The second half saw four lead changes and four ties as Northwood opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take the lead on a layup from Will Bowles with 16:01 left in the game.

A three-pointer by Blackwell gave NMU the lead 41-39 with 14:32 left, but the Timberwolves recaptured the lead on a layup from Wes Wilcox at the 12-minute mark. Nash drained a pair of free throws to put NMU on top for the final time 47-46 before a three-pointer from Bowles gave Northwood the lead for the final time 49-47 with 10:23 left to go.

NMU outrebounded Northwood 29-28, but were outscored in the paint 28-20. The Wildcats shot 48.2-percent (27-56) from the floor and 45-percent (9-20) from three-point range.

Dylan Langkabel led four Northwood players in double-digits with 21 points, followed by Darvin Ham with 14, Bowles with 13 and Wilcox with 11.

Sophomore center Brandon Havercamp recorded a career-high four blocked shots for the Wildcats.

NMU returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Monday as they travel to face Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech in Houghton.