Wildcats defeat Grand Valley State 85-72
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men’s basketball team jumped out to a 40-23 halftime lead behind strong defensive efforts en route to a 85-72 victory over the Grand Valley State Lakers in the GLIAC Semifinals. The Wildcats will now face No. 1 Michigan Tech on the road on Saturday, March 8 at noon.
With a blizzard warning outside, the Wildcats created a defensive warning of their own in the first half, holding Grand Valley to just 23 points on 7-28 (25.0%) shooting. Northern had the hand warmers ready to go from the start, shooting a much better 16-27 (59.3%) in the first half to build a 40-23 lead at the break.
Five Wildcats found double figures, led by Jackson Dudek with 17 points on 7-9 (77.8%) shooting. Brian Parzych was an all-around hazard to the Lakers, scoring 14 points on 5-6 (83.3%) shooting, which included 4-5 from three. He also added a game-high five assists to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and a block. Julien Smith added 13 while Sam Privet and Gerald Gittens each contributed 11 points.
GVSU’s Kaden Brown led all scorers with 23 points while William Dunn pulled down 10 rebounds.
Overall, Northern shot 30-51 (58.8%), its best percentage on the season. They were 13-27 (48.1%) from three, which tied a season-best, but just 12-29 (41.4%) at the free throw line. Grand Valley shot 25-63 (39.7%) and 11-28 (39.3%) from beyond the arc.
With each of the home teams winning on Wednesday, the Wildcats will now head to Michigan Tech to play the Huskies in the first semifinal game on Saturday, March 8 at noon. No, 2 Lake Superior State and No. 3 Ferris State will follow.
