Harvey Leads Wildcat Men’s Basketball Past LSSU, 91-70
Courtesy: Northern Michigan University Athletics
MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball defeated Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference rival Lake Superior State University, 91-70, Sunday afternoon inside the Physical Education Instructional Facility. The team came out firing from the start, looking for the weekend split and eager to right the ship after their game one loss.
The Wildcats started out strong with a quick 5-0 run to open the game. Tre Harvey sank a three-point shot shortly after the jump ball start before Ben Wolf made a huge dunk less than a minute in. NMU continued to pressure the Lakers, jumping out to the 9-4 lead nearly three minutes into the game.
The offensive success continued as the men went up 22-9 and LSSU was forced to call a timeout with 13:40 to play in the first half.
LSSU made a push later in the half, eventually cutting the lead to eight, but the Wildcats answered with four points of their own to make it 38-26 with six minutes to play.
Late in the opening half, Tre Harvey went on a tear for NMU, sinking three straight shots for eight points as the Wildcats went up 44-32 followed by a jump shot from Sam Schultz to extend their lead to 14 points, 46-32.
The two teams headed to the locker room with the Wildcats up, 56-39. Harvey, whose full-court shot hit the rim and bounced out as the buzzer sounded, finished the first half with a team-best 16 points.
NMU returned to the court for the second half, jumping out to a dominant 20-point lead, 65-45, with 15 minutes left in regulation.
Dolapo Olayinka extended the lead with a quick layup before a defensive stop gave the Wildcats the ball back, up 67-45.
The Wildcats grabbed their largest lead of the season at 11:53 with a pair of free throws from Justin Kuehl to give NMU the 72-45 lead.
The Wildcats finished the afternoon with a 91-70 victory over the Lakers. Their 91 points is a team-best since November 29, 2019 when they defeated the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 95-45.
Five individuals finished in double-figures Sunday afternoon, including Harvey who posted a team-best 21 points. Ben Wolf (15 pts.), Olayinka (14 pts.), Max Bjorklund (11 pts.) and Noah Parcher (10 pts.) also hit the double-digit mark.
Sam Schultz picked up two blocked shots on the afternoon, leading his team in the category and showing up big at the defensive end. In total, the Wildcats blocked six shots in the win, with Harvey, Alec Fruin, Justin Kuehl and Olayinka each accounting for one.