The NMU men’s basketball team will attempt to build on a two-game winning streak as they head down the home stretch towards the start of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) playoffs.
The Wildcats (4-13 overall, 4-5 GLIAC) will look to carry momentum from their weekend victories over Wayne State and Hillsdale into Thursday’s home game against the Ferris State Bulldogs.
Senior NMU guard Jake Suardini scored a career high 32 points in Sunday’s upset 67-66 win over Hillsdale, he also grabbed 10 boards in the game to pick up the double-double. Sophomore Jerard Ajami also played well for the ‘Cats over the weekend, averaging 16 points per contest.
The ‘Cats have now won three of their past four games, in part because of the strong play of their 2-3 defense. In the past four games NMU has forced their opponents to commit 63 turnovers, while only turning the ball over 47 times. This has allowed the Wildcats to score an average of 17.5 points off of turnovers per game.
Ferris State (8-11, 3-5 GLIAC) has allowed more turnovers than any other team in the GLIAC this season, averaging 19.5 per game so far this season – a stat that the Wildcats will be looking to take advantage of.
The Bulldogs are led by freshman forward Justin Keenan, who is averaging 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Thursday’s game is at 7:30 p.m. in the Berry Events Center. After the game there will be a volunteer auction in the Wildcat Room where various NMU coaches will be auctioned off to perform services for the winning bidders.
