MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan men's basketball team will head into the holiday break with a 78-59 win over Grace Bible at the Berry Events Center Saturday afternoon. 

Naba Echols led the way for Northern Michigan with his double-double performance, posting 16 points and adding 11 rebounds. The Wildcats had three more players hit double figures in the points column; Jordan Perez posted a game-high 17 points, Terry Nash added 14 of his own and Donnell Cegers netted 10 points.

The Wildcats dictated the pace of the game right from the start going on a 9-0 run highlighted by a Perez three pointer to give Northern Michigan a 16-5 advantage at the 13:21 mark of the first half. The Wildcats built on the early lead when Nash weaved between defenders and put the ball off the glass to put the Wildcats up 19 at the 7:08 mark.

 The Northern Michigan offense continued to put points on the scoreboard when Perez was able to connect from downtown with a hand in his face to knock down a three, growing the Wildcat lead to 27 with 3:30 left to play in the first half.  After a Cegers layup with 18 seconds to play, Northern Michigan headed into the locker room with a 46-19 advantage.

Northern Michigan held a 20 point lead, 61-41, after a couple of Nash free throws at the 11:11 mark. The Wildcats were able to put the finishing touches on the win when Echols was able to lob a pass in traffic to Perez for the easy lay in.  

Northern Michigan pulled down 35 rebounds as a team and scored 14 points off turnovers in the winning effort.

With the win Northern Michigan moves to 3-5 (1-3 GLIAC) on the season. The Wildcats will return to the floor Jan. 2 to take on Tiffin with tip off set for 3 p.m.