MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University men's basketball team played in their first regular season home game on Thursday (Nov. 21) evening. The Wildcats fell, 68-53, to non-conference Southwest Minnesota State at the Berry Events Center. NMU is now 1-2 on the season.

In the opening half, Southwest Minnesota set the tone, scoring the first basket of the game. The Wildcats trailed by nine points (19-10) midway way through the half, which was the Broncos largest lead of the half. Back-to-back jumpers by junior forward Justin Newell and sophomore guard Terry Nash, along with two free throws by junior forward Ethan Blackwell put NMU within three points (19-16) with 8:51 remaining in the half. From there, the Broncos continued to lead by six or less for the half, going into the break with the 33-28 advantage.

In the second half, the Broncos quickly extended their  lead to 40-30 in the opening two minutes of play. NMU cut the deficit to under 10, three separate times in the half but the Broncos went on to lead by double digits from the 12:23 mark on.

Newell was the lone Wildcat to enter the scoring column in double digits with 15 points on four two-pointers, one basket from beyond the arc, and was four free throws on five attempts. NMU shot 19-for-52 (36.5 percent) from the floor and were 12-for-16 (75 percent) from the charity stripe. Junior forward Chavis Mattison controlled the boards, pulling down eight total, four on each defense and offense. The Wildcats had 25 total rebounds on the night.

For the Broncos, Matt Zager led with 13 points, while Shaun Condon added 11. Southwest Minnesota State shot 24-for-43 (55.8 percent) from the floor and were 14-for-21 (76.2 percent) from the free throw line. William Giddings also contributed with eight total rebounds, all on defense.

The Wildcats host Lewis University in a non-conference matchup on Sunday (Nov. 24) at 3 p.m. The women's basketball team will also face Lewis at the Berry Events Center on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.

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