Northern Michigan University's basketball teams lost on the road Thursday night, falling to the Grand Valley State University Lakers in GLIAC action. In the women's game, the Wildcats scored just ten points in the first half and lost, 50-37. In the men's game, Isaiah Johnson scored 28 points but NMU fell, 85-62.

These stories were written by NMU Sports Information

ALLENDALE, Mich.---Northern Michigan University Women's Basketball visited #11 Grand Valley State University in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference contest but fell to the Lakers 50-37.

Senior Darby Youngstrom (Cook, Minn.) and junior Jessica Schultz (Mineral Point, Wis.) paced the Wildcats with eight points each.  Youngstrom also notched five points. Sophomore Lexi Smith (St. Germain, Wis.) finished with a team-best nine rebounds.

Smith and junior Erin Honkala (Howell, Mich.) both scored four points.

Against one of the top defenses in the country, NMU got off to a slow start, and faced a 12-2 deficit after the first quarter, with Smith sinking two free throws to get NMU on the board.

In the second quarter, sophomore Elizabeth Lutz (Marshall, Wis.) answered a GVSU three with her own three-pointer with 5:16 on the clock. Youngstrom then followed a Lakers score with a three to pull within nine points two minute later.

GVSU scored again but Youngstrom responded with a jumper, which the Lakers answered with a layup to end the half with a 21-10 lead.

Grand Valley State got the second half started with two free throws which Schultz answered with a three. Honkala added a layup and a jumper followed by a three from Youngstrom which made the score 23-20 with 6:41 to go.

After six points from the hosts, senior Tess Weatherly (Howell, Mich.) made a layup, but GVSU followed with three points to make it 32-22. Schultz responded with a three, but once again the Lakers scored the final basket of the quarter and took a 34-25 lead into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter started with a three-point play which Smith answered with a jumper.

However, the Lakers followed with eight points, then made a basket after Schultz hit a layup and the score was 47-29 with 2:26 to play.

With two minutes to play, junior Baleigh Delorit (Algoma, Wis.) made a three which GVSU answered with a three. Senior Taylor Hodell (Wausau, Wis.)followed with an old fashioned three-pointer. Sophomore Amber Huebner (Marquette, Mich.) made a layup to close out the game, but Grand Valley State took a 50-37 win.

The Wildcats fall to 19-7 on the season and 14-4 in the GLIAC while #11 GVSU moves to 24-2 and 17-1. NMU returns to action Saturday as they head to Davenport University.

MEN'S GAME RECAP

ALLENDALE, Mich.---Northern Michigan University Men's Basketball visited Grand Valley State University but fell to the Lakers 85-62 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action.

Senior Isaiah Johnson (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) led the team with 28 points, making six three-pointers and grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. Junior Sam Taylor (Chicago, Ill.) added 18 points for a season high.

Senior Naba Echols (Memphis, Tenn.) tallied five assists on the night and tied Taylor with two steals each. NMU finished the game shooting 46% from the behind the arc.

GVSU started the game 7-0 before Echols made his lone three of the night at the 15:38 mark. Taylor followed it with a jumper before the hosts answered with a three. Taylor then made a three for NMU but the Lakers rebounded with five points. 
 

Johnson would make his first three of the game with 11:10 on the clock and after a basket from GVSU, junior Marcus Matelski (Boyne Falls, Mich.) made a three to make it 17-14 with 10:32 to go in the half. The Lakers retaliated with seven points before Matelski hit his second from behind the arc, making the GVSU lead 24-17 with 7:30 left.
 

However, Grand Valley St. answered with a 14-0 run over the next three minutes until Johnson made a three at the 4:03 mark to make it 38-20. GVSU eventually pulled away to a 46-20 halftime lead.

Summers and Johnson sandwiched a basket from GVSU to start the second half, but the Lakers responded with six more points before sophomore Alec Fruin (Beloit, Wis.) hit a three and Johnson made two free throws to make it 54-29 five minutes into the half.
 

After three free throws from the hosts, Taylor and Johnson both made threes. A jumper from the Lakers was followed by Johnson and junior Myles Howard(Chicago, Ill.) making two free throws, each to make the score 59-39 with 12:26 to play.
 

However, the Wildcats were unable to pull any closer as GVSU managed to win the contest 85-62.

The Wildcats fall to 15-10 on the year and 10-8 in the GLIAC while the Lakers improved to 15-11 and 9-9 in the league. NMU will now head to #16 and GLIAC leader Davenport University to take on the Panthers at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.