TIGHT BATTLE: Wildcats Fall At No. 8 Ferris State

This story was written by NMU Sports Information. Click the thumbnails to see videos of RRN's Casey Ford's highlights from Big Rapids.

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Facing one of the top teams in the nation on the road, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team battled back and forth at No. 8 Ferris State on Thursday night, but ultimately fell in a closely contested game, 85-79. 

 

The final 15 minutes of the game were played in a true back-and-forth affair, with seven ties and neither side leading by more than four points until the Bulldogs were able to ice the game at the free throw line in the final seconds.

The 'Cats hung around and held a 56-53 lead with 9:51 to play and another 73-71 advantage at four minutes, but NMU was unable to get a stop in the final three minutes and missed two threes in the final 15 seconds to hinder the road upset chances. 

 

Northern's 79 points were its third highest total of the season and best since they dropped 83 against Northland on December 21. The offense was led by Dylan Kuehl who scored 19 points in just 27 minutes of work as he battled foul trouble all night. Sam Privet scored 12 and Julien Smith added 11. Cal Klesmit scored nine and pulled down a career-high and team-best seven rebounds while Smith dished out six assists. Ferris had five in double figures led by Ethan Erickson with 20.

 

The Wildcats shot 28-69 (40.6%) to FSU's 29-60 (48.3%). NMU connected on nine threes from six different players, led by three from Klesmit. Northern played well in the post, holding a 43-37 rebounding edge against the league's top rebounding team. That included a 13-4 advantage on the offensive glass which led to a 17-4 margin for the 'Cats in second chance points. 

 

Northern started just 2-15 from the field and found themselves in an early 13-4 hole eight minutes into the game. The Green and Gold continued to chip away and would find a rhythm at the 7:15 mark of the first half, going on an 11-0 run over 4:46 of play to take a 29-23 lead, its largest of the night. 

 

The Bulldogs answered with 14 of the final 19 points of the half and led 37-34 at the break. Biggie Luster scored six in the half including a layup that put him over 1,000 career collegiate points. Smith and Privet each scored eight in the opening 20 and NMU held a 7-0 offensive rebound advantage.

 

A pair of threes from FSU's Erickson were part of a 8-0 run out of the locker room to give the home squad a 45-36 lead. Once again, NMU continued to chip away and evened the score at 51-51 with 12 minutes to play. Gittens Jr. followed with an and-one to take a three-point lead.

 

NMU's leads did not last long as it was answered by back-to-back threes from Jaxson Whitaker to give the Bulldogs the lead. 

 

Once the game reached eight minutes to play, the flow stopped as the fouls started to pile up. NMU scored six straight at the foul line as the game remained close. A Klesmit three with four minutes to play gave NMU its last lead of 73-71, but FSU fought back with the next six to take a 77-73 lead.

 

The 'Cats continued to fight and kept pulling back within two in the final few minutes, but the Bulldogs scored on every trip down the floor in the final three minutes, either with a bucket or at the free throw line. NMU missed a pair of threes in the ticking seconds and the Bulldogs iced the game at the charity stripe, going 8-10 in the final two minutes.

 

The defeat drops NMU to 12-5 overall and 6-3 in league play, while the No. 8 Bulldogs continue to pace the conference with a 8-1 record and 18-2 overall.

 

It won't get any easier for Northern, as they will now head to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the No. 14 Lake Superior State Lakers (16-3, 7-2) on Saturday, January 25, at 3 p.m. The Lakers defeated Michigan Tech 82-72 on Thursday.