Lakers stay tied with Michigan Tech for first place in GLIAC
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men’s basketball team took the No. 15 Lake Superior State Lakers to overtime on Thursday night, but ultimately fell 80-74.
The Lakers outscored the Wildcats 15-9 in the extra session thanks to an 11-12 (91.7%) conversion rate at the free throw line. Northern was 0-2.
The game saw nine ties and eight lead changes, with the Lakers holding the lead for over 75% of the game. The three-point line also played a key role in the game, as NMU was just 8-26 (30.8%) compared to the Lakers’ 10-22 (45.5%). Overall, Northern shot 28-64 (43.8%) while LSSU was at 28-57 (49.1%).
Dylan Kuehl led the Wildcat efforts, scoring a game-high 25 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds and six assists. Jackson Dudek (12) and Gerald Gittens Jr. (11) also found double figures while Sam Privet was stout defensively, recording four steals and a pair of blocks. LSSU was led by Kingsley Perkins with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Green and Gold held five leads in the first half, with an early 12-9 edge proving its largest lead of the night. A late 9-0 run from Lake State in the first half along with a triple in the final seconds gave them a 34-26 lead at the break.
The ‘Cats faced its largest deficit of 50-39 with under 12 minutes to play. Lake State would hold that lead until NMU tied its largest run of the night, a 7-0 spurt, to knot the game at 58’s with 4:51 to play.
Northern scored the final points of regulation, a corner three from Dudek with 90 seconds left, to tie the score at 65-65. The Lakers would miss a shot at the rim in the final seconds and a Derek Merwick three at the horn from near half court sailed just wide to send the contest to an extra five-minute session.
The sides exchanged points early in OT and a Kuehl three gave NMU a brief 70-69 edge with 3:15 to play. The Lakers were able to get the job done at the free throw line when it mattered most, going 11-12 on NMU’s six fouls while the ‘Cats were an empty 0-2 on LSSU’s lone foul.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 16-7 and 10-5 in the GLIAC. NMU is now two games back of Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech at 12-3 with five games to play. Northern is now tied with Ferris and Parkside at 10-5 and although not completely out of the picture for the regular season title, NMU is firmly in a battle to get home court for the postseason.
Up Next
Another big match awaits, as the Wildcats will host No. 20 Ferris State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
