Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan men's basketball team secured a 77-63 victory against the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Tritons at the Midwest Region Tip-Off Tournament in Wisconsin Dells, marking their second win of the season. The Wildcats demonstrated a balanced offensive effort with all ten players scoring and assisting, while no individual scored more than 15 points.

Julien Smith led Northern Michigan with 15 points, followed by Brian Parzych with 13 and Biggie Luster with 11. The trio shot an impressive combined 65% from the field, including Luster's perfect shooting performance. Sam Privet, Gerald Gittens, and Brandon Trilli contributed eight points each, while Dylan Kuehl was instrumental on defense with 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats faced early challenges, trailing UMSL 9-2 within the first five minutes due to missed shots and turnovers. However, contributions from the bench helped turn the game around. Michael McNabb scored twice, followed by consecutive three-pointers from Trilli that narrowed the deficit to one possession at 15-12.

Gerald Gittens then went on a personal scoring spree contributing to a 10-0 run that gave NMU a lead of 19-15 midway through the first half. By halftime, NMU maintained a slim lead of 36-32 after shooting an efficient six out of nine from beyond the arc.

In the second half, NMU quickly extended its lead following UMSL's successful free throws. A key three-pointer by Smith widened their advantage to double digits for the first time at 48-37. Jackson Dudek's three-pointer and Luster's subsequent baskets pushed NMU ahead by twelve points midway through the half.

With less than ten minutes remaining, additional scoring bursts from Privet and Parzych ensured NMU maintained control over UMSL until securing their victory as time expired.

Northern Michigan ended with a shooting percentage of approximately 48%, compared to UMSL’s nearly 45%. Both teams attempted similar numbers of three-point shots; however, NMU was more accurate with a conversion rate of fifty percent compared to UMSL’s twenty-eight percent success rate.

The Wildcats will return next Saturday for another game against Illinois-Springfield in Wisconsin Dells.