There is no better surefire way to win a basketball game than by controlling the rebounds and second-chance shots. There really is no better surefire way to win a basketball game than by outrebounding your opponent 41-25 overall and grabbing 16 off the glass on offense. For Matt Majkrzak and the NMU Wildcats, that goal became a reality against Wayne State as they held a tight grip throughout the game.

Northern managed to build a suffocating 51-29 lead at the break, and maintained the dominance all throughout the second half. While the Warriors would come out of halftime swinging with a 9-2 run, the Wildcats quelled any hopes WSU had at a comeback by outscoring Wayne State 31-9 over the final 40 total points scored.

“We’ve been doing a really good job of scrambling around and running people off the line, out of post doubles and out of things like that, so we just kind of counted on doing what we had been doing well,” said Majkrzak, head coach of the Wildcats. “Sometimes that’s the worst thing you can do as a coach, is count on things you’ve done well in the past and just assume they’re going to work rather than maybe we didn’t work on them enough or spend enough time, or maybe we should add a different strategy going into that one.”

Relying on things done well in the past Majkrzak did, and the Wildcats stepped up. Dylan Keuhl once again looked in top shape as he scored 19 points on 6-15 shooting, leading all players. Jackson Dudek was right behind Keuhl, adding 17 points in 25 minutes. The ‘Cats shot in bundles behind the three line, going 10-30 as opposed to Wayne State’s 3-13 mark. NMU only managed two points off the fast break, but made up for the lack of tempo with 21 points off the bench.

With the good offensive performance also came tenacious defense, shutting down Wayne State at every step of the gameplan. The Warriors managed just 25 rebounds all game, and committed 14 personal fouls while doing so. NMU also had a hand in the face for nearly every deep shot, holding WSU to 3-13 from behind the arc.

The win vaults the ‘Cats to 21 total on the year, still keeping Northern right in the thick of the top of the GLIAC. With just four contests left on the schedule, every matchup is crucial, especially for tournament seeding. Three of the final four contests will be at Vandament Arena, kicking off with rival Michigan Tech on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m.