Wildcats down Bulldogs 89-77 in Battle of GLIAC Contenders

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The NMU men’s basketball team put together an all-around performance for an 89-77 win over GLIAC favorite Ferris State. Five Wildcats reached double figures in scoring on the night.

Brian Parzych recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 steals for a complete performance. Max Bjorklund had 18 points and 7 rebounds while Dylan Kuehl added 18 himself, 16 of which came in the second half. Ferris State also saw five with double digits, with Amari Lee pacing the team at 14 points. On the night, NMU (7-3, 2-1 GLIAC) went 33-64 (51.6%) from the floor and 8-22 (36.4%) from deep. Ferris (6-3, 2-1 GLIAC) shot 26-63 (41.3%) and 5-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc.

Brian Parzych had the hot hand early for the Green and Gold against the preseason GLIAC favorite Ferris State, scoring a quick five before the first media timeout including a driving and-one to help the home squad jump ahead. The Bulldogs soon found their footing after the ‘Cats pounced early, getting contributions throughout the lineup to even up the score at 18 apiece, the first time the scoreboard read even since the opening tip. Ferris continued their short surge to snag their first lead of the contest at 26-25 with just a few ticks under four minutes remaining.

Northern Michigan responded to that deficit and did what was needed to close the half, ending on a 13-4 scoring stretch to take a 38-30 lead into the locker room. Brian Parzych and Max Bjorklund each dropped 11 points for NMU. Parzych stuffed the stat sheet, adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. The Wildcats shot 14-36 (38.9%) while FSU went 13-37 (35.1%). The hot hand switched hands for NMU in the second half, as Dylan Kuehl poured in 16 of his 18 in half number two. He scored the first four of the half as part of a 9-4 NMU run that led to a Ferris timeout trailing 47-34.

Sam Privet and Carson Smith also hit buckets in the middle stretch of the half to cross double-figures. Each time the Bulldogs would put together a short run and begin to claw back, the ‘Cats would have the answer to consistently seem to have an 8-12 point advantage. The Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run to make it 77-71 with three minutes to go, but the Green and Gold prevailed with a pair of highlight and-ones. First, Max Bjorklund finished his acrobatic three-point play with an up-and-under, and then Brian Paryzch put his defender in the spin cycle, got the hoop, and was fouled.

Max Weisbrod got his first bucket late and Dylan Kuehl finished off the night with an emphatic slam to cap off a big 89-77 win for Northern.

The Wildcats will be back at the Berry on Sunday, December 11 at 1 p.m. to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers.

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