Men's Basketball Defeats Grand Valley State 79-73

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University men's basketball team earned a 79-73 home victory Grand Valley State Saturday afternoon (February 13) on Senior Day.

Northwood is now 14-11 overall, 10-9 in the GLIAC. Grand Valley falls 16-9 to overall, also 10-9 in the GLIAC.

It was a relatively slow start for both teams, as Northwood led 13-12 with just over seven minutes remaining in the half. But that is when Northwood got hot, scoring 27 points in the final seven minutes to go up 40-24 at the break.  NU finished at 46.9 percent from the floor (15-32) compared to GVSU at 30.4 percent (7-23).

The Lakers came out strong in the second half, scoring 11 of the first 13 points of the half to cut the lead to seven at 42-35. Northwood got the advantage back to 12 at 47-35, but the Lakers would not go away. GVSU got the lead down to two at 71-69 with under two minutes to go. NU was the better team in the final moments, making their final eight free throws to earn the win.

For the game, Northwood finished with a 44.6 percent mark from the field, (25-56) to Grand Valley at 41.7 percent (25-60). Both teams got big contributions from beyond the arc, with Northwood hitting 46.2 percent (12-26) to Grand Valley at 44.0 (11-25). In terms of free throws, Northwood hit 89.5 percent (17-19) to the Lakers' 80.0 (12-15).

The Timberwolves were led on Senior Day fittingly by Maurice Jones (Saginaw, Mich.), who finished with with 27 points, five rebounds, and six assists.  Seniors Jermaine Myers (Ajax, Ontario) and Dylan Langkabel (Morristown, Indiana) each chipped in with 17 points and 12 points respectively.

Northwood has now completed its home slate. The Timberwolves will return to action February 18 for a game against Michigan Tech. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.