Kerr Goes Wild As Wildcats Pick Up Win In Detroit
Story witten by NMU Sports Information. Photo courtesy of Wayne State Athletics. Click the AUDIO buitton to hear Tre Harvey player spotlight interview.
DETROIT, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University men's basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday (Jan. 15) with an 88-78 win at Wayne State. The Wildcats improved to 7-8 on the season and 3-5 in the GLIAC.
Northern found success from deep in the first half and continued that success closer to the hoop and from the charity stripe in the second half on the way to an important road win.
- John Kerr dominated with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
- Justin Brookens chipped in 16 points off the bench. Carson Smith also reached double figures with 14 points.
- Sam Schultz stuffed the stat sheet with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and six assists.
- The Wildcats shot 29-60 (48.3%) from the field and 9-24 (37.5%) from three.
- Northern outrebounded the Warriors 44-34 in the game.
- Brailen Neely led the Warriors with 20 points.
Three pointers from John Kerr, Wagner, Justin Kuehl, and Justin Brookens opened up a 21-10 Wildcat lead with 12:32 to go, leading to a Warrior timeout. The 'Cats started red hot from downtown, connecting on five of six attempts.
Brookens would continue to make an impact off the bench, hitting a pair of triples and adding two assists en route to a 26-13 NMU lead halfway through the first half.
Nick Wagner continued with the hot-hand, reaching double figures on a deep three pointer and the Wildcats led 31-23 with seven minutes to go in the half.
Carson Smith got in on the three-point barrage, connecting from the right side to stretch the Wildcats lead to 38-23 with less than five minutes left.
Northern used an 11-0 run to push the lead to 42-23, with Ben Wolf and John Kerr each contributing four points on the run.
The 'Cats held a 48-32 lead at the half thanks to a 9-14 (64.3%) shooting clip from downtown. Six Wildcats connected from deep, led by Nick Wagner with three triples and 11 total points.
On the first possession of the second half, Sam Schultz recorded his fifth assist, finding John Kerr on the low block who touched it off the glass for the score.
Wayne State would turn up the pressure on defense and close the gap to 54-41 with 15:30 left in the second half.
The Warriors would cut their deficit to ten, but the Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run while holding the opponent scoreless for a four minute stretch.
The Wildcats would maintain a 67-53 lead as the teams hit the under eight media timeout.
Kylin Grant would hit a triple for the Warriors to cut the deficit to single-digits at 68-60 with just over five minutes remaining.
The 'Cats would hold strong down the stretch, finishing off a 88-78 victory.
The Wildcats will return home next week to begin a four game homestand. Davenport will visit the Berry on Thursday (Jan. 20) with a 7:45 p.m. start time. Northern will then host Grand Valley State on Saturday (Jan. 22) with tip-off slated for 3:15 p.m.
