The SVSU men’s basketball took on the Northern Michigan University Wildcats at home on Saturday, Dec. 1, where they ultimately lost, 67-59.
After a back-and-forth early first half, the Wildcats began to put some distance between them and the Cardinals, tacking on nine quick points. The first half ended with the Wildcats holding on to a 28-23 lead.
The Cardinals fought to re-claim the lead, but the mix of efficient offense and defense from the Wildcats kept the Cards to only coming within one point. The closest score of the second half was 31-30 after sophomore guard James Toohey sunk two free throws.
Despite a resilient offense for the Cardinals that refused to go away easily, the Wildcats kept scoring. With 30 seconds to play, and SVSU being forced to foul, the Wildcats drained six straight free throws to put a lock on the game, winning 67-59.
Junior forward Fred John Jr. scored 16 points and added two assists with four rebounds. Sophomore guard C.J. Wilson also made it into double digits with 11, and freshman guard Myles Belyeu led the game in rebounds with 10, while also putting up eight points.
SVSU finished with 21 turnovers to the Wildcats’ eight.
The team’s next game will be a road contest, as they travel to Lake Superior State University to take on the Lakers on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
