ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- Junior
Kendale McCullum scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures, but Northern Michigan made 14 three-point baskets on its way to a 97-75 victory over Wisconsin-Parkside in both teams season opener on Saturday in the Neil Carey Arena as part of the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge.
The Wildcats were 4-of-12 from beyond the three-point line in the first half, but made 10-of-17 attempts in the second half and outscored the Rangers 52-35.
The loss ended a string of five consecutive season-opening victories for Wisconsin-Parkside and marked the first time it has opened the season with a loss since dropping a 69-64 decision to Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 13, 2010.
McCullum was 4-of-12 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from the three-point line, and 7-of-10 from the free throw line to lead the Rangers. He also led the Rangers with six rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
Alexander Brown scored 14 points for Wisconsin-Parkside on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, while
Chavares Flanigan finished with 11 points and
Adam Bonk added 10 points.
Northern Michigan was led by the duo of Naba Echols and Isaiah Johnson who combined to score 47 points. Echols finished with 24 points, while Johnson made three three-pointers and had 23 points. Sam Taylor added 16 points for the Wildcats and Will Carius had 11 points and Rod Johnson scored 10 points.
Wisconsin-Parkside shot 46.6 percent from the floor, but Northern Michigan shot 51.4 percent from the field including 48.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Northern Michigan jumped out to an early 9-4 lead, but a layup by McCullum and a dunk by
Jake Verhagen brought the Rangers to within 9-8 with 14:46 to play in the opening period.
The Rangers tied the game on a free throw and a layup by Brown and took the lead at 16-13 on a three-point play by Flanigan with 12:52 to play before halftime.
Northern Michigan used a 9-2 run to regain the lead at 22-18 with 10:15 to play in the first period. McCullum trimmed the lead to 22-21 with a three-pointer, but the Wildcats reeled off a 6-0 run to up the lead to 28-21 with 7:57 left before halftime.
Sparked by six points from McCullum, Wisconsin-Parkside rallied with an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 29-28 with 6:12 to play in the first period.
After a free throw by
Joe Borcia tied the game at 32-32 with 5:00 to play in the first half the Wildcats took the lead for good on a jumper by Isaiah Johnson with 4:37 remaining in the period.
Three consecutive free throws by the Rangers cut the lead to 42-40, but Rod Johnson connected on a three-pointer with 31 seconds left in the first period giving the Wildcats a 45-40 lead at the break.
Brown opened the second half with a layup for the Rangers, but the Wildcats stretched the lead to 52-42 with a 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Rod Johnson with 16:49 to play.
After a layup by Brown cut the Wildcats lead to 56-48 with 15:35 to play, Northern Michigan took control of the game with an 18-5 run, including three three-pointers, to stretch the margin to 72-55 with 11:11 left in the game.
The Rangers could get no closer than 16 points for the remainder of the contest and the Wildcats took their largest lead of the game at 94-70 on a three-pointer by Marcus Matelski with 1:22 to play.
Wisconsin-Parkside will continue play in the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge when it faces Michigan Tech at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 13) in the Neil Carey Arena.
