WHAT A WEEKEND: 'Cats Pull Out Two Thrillers
The Northern Michigan University men's basketball team puled out two heartstopping wins as the GLIAC season continued in Marquette.
The 'Cats beat Lake Superior State, 72-71, and then rallied past Ferris State, 75-71, on Saturday. Stories below, and photo, courtesy of NMU Sports Information.
SATURDAY'S GAME RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Under a blizzard warning in Marquette, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team completed another miraculous comeback, scoring the final eight points of the game to defeat No. 12 Ferris State 75-71. The win marks the ninth straight for NMU as they improve to 6-0 in the GLIAC and 13-5 overall.
After connecting on a buzzer-beater on Thursday, Max Weisbrod showcased the clutch gene once again. Weisbord hit three free throws down the stretch to take a one-point lead. With 14 seconds left and holding a one-point edge, he then stepped into a top of the key triple that splashed home to go up by four in the closing seconds.
It was too little too late for FSU, as the Wildcats completed a comeback effort against a quality opponent for the second straight outing.
Weisbrod led the Wildcat attack with 18 points while Riley Brooks and Carson Smith added 15 each. Sam Schultz pulled down 12 boards including an impressive six on the offensive end.
Ferris led for over 90% of the contest, but the 'Cats got it done when it mattered most. On FSU's last four offensive possessions, they went 0-3, missed a pair of free throws, and committed a turnover. Northern took advantage of the trips earned at the charity stripe, going 24-30 (80.0%) in the game.
At 6-0 in conference play, the 'Cats now have a two-win ledger on any other team in the GLIAC. With more crucial games ahead, NMU's opponents will all be looking to take down the unbeaten team at the top.
Former Wildcat Dolapo Olayinka got the Bulldogs on the board first scoring from the post. A few possessions later, Max Weisbrod converted from the charity stripe to get the Cats' on board. In a first half that didn't have much rhythm, the Bulldogs maintained the lead for the majority of the half, with the largest lead at 10 points, 17-7, eight minutes in.
NMU visited the charity stripe a lot in the opening half, going 14-18 from the line. Riley Brooks paced the way for the Cats' early on, scoring 10 points backed by a couple of triples. Sam Schultz caused frustration for the Bulldogs, attacking the offensive glass and creating second chance opportunities for Northern which led to trips to the free throw line.
Schultz connected on a layup with 1:20 left in the half to give Northern its first lead of the night, but a pair of buckets from the visitors late gave them a slim 38-36 edge as the teams discussed matters in the locker room.
The Green and Gold were able to trim the deficit to a single possession several times in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Bulldogs had an answer each and every time, not relinquishing the lead they put together.
NMU finally pulled even after the 10-minute mark with a pair of Brian Parzych free throws to make it 56-56. The next eight points would come from FSU's Jack Ammerman as NMU trailed 64-56 with under eight minutes to go. Nine of the next 11 would go to the home squad, once again, making it a one-point game with 4:41 left.
After the sides exchanged buckets for a couple of minutes, Dylan Kuehl flushed home a dunk with two minutes to go and Ferris would not score the rest of the night. Weisbrod would get three free throws and then hit a signature triple with 14 seconds left to go up by four. Two desparation shots from the Bulldogs rattled off and NMU won another thriller in Marquette, 75-71.
THURSDAY GAME RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. - At 9 p.m. on a Thursday night, the bank remained open, as Max Weisbrod stepped into a shot from the top of the key and banked in a jumper right as the final horn sounded for a remarkable 72-71 victory for the Northern Michigan men's basketball squad over Lake Superior State.
The Wildcats, who found themselves down much of the night, were trailing 70-62 with less than two minutes to play. With ice in his veins, Weisbrod hit two triples to even the score at 70's. LSSU earned a trip to the free throw line with three seconds left, converting on one to take the lead. The 'Cats then advanced the ball to halfcourt and coach Majkrzak drew up a play for the hot hand and Weisbrod delivered, as the Wildcats stole a big GLIAC victory at home to improve to 5-0 in the conference, 12-5 overall, and extend the winning streak to eight games.
Weisbrod paced the way on the night, scoring 25 points on 9-14 shooting, including a 6-9 downtown mark. Teammate Dylan Kuehlwas not far behind, adding 22 points.
On a night where the Wildcats failed to grab an offensive rebound, getting edged 9-0 in the category and 6-0 in second chance points, they found a way. Along with Makaylee Kuhn setting the all-time scoring record for the women in the game before, it sure made for an exciting night of hoops in Marquette.
It was a fast paced first half, as there were six lead changes. The Lakers outrebounded the Wildcats offensively 7-0, controlling the margin on second chance points. The Lakers also had their way down low, scoring 26 of their 35 points in the paint while NMU managed just 12. Max Weisbrod led the Cats' offensive in the first 20 minutes scoring 12 points, shooting 3-5 from deep.
The second half started rocky for the Cats' as they quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-0 run by the Lakers, trailing by ten just minutes into the second half.
Kuehl converted from deep as part of an 8-2 NMU run to pull back within four nearing 13 minutes remaining. The 'Cats found buckets at times, but couldn't seem to string together stops as the deficit remained with the minutes ticking away.
With 6:34 left, LSSU went back ahead by double digits and seemed to have all the momentum on their side. The 'Cats got the next five, but LSSU once again answered to maintain a multiple possession lead late in the contest.
Trailing 70-62 with less than two minutes remaining, Weisbrod connected not once, but twice from deep to bring the Cats' all the way back to an even score at 70-70 with just 34 ticks remaining on the clock.
With just over a couple of seconds difference between the shot clock and game clock, LSSU missed a three with five seconds left, but Hunter Soper pulled down an offensive rebound and was fouled on his putback attempt, sending him to the line.
After a split at the charity stripe, NMU still had a chance. The 'Cats advanced the ball to halfcourt quickly and opted for the final timeout, drawing up a play with two seconds to go. The rest is history, as Weisbrod's clutch buzzer beater stunned the Lakers and gave NMU a crucial conference win.
