Men's Basketball Wins Wild 123-121 Overtime Exhibition Game Versus St. Francis

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University men's basketball team picked up a wild 123-121 overtime win over St. Francis (Ind.) in exhibition action Sunday afternoon (October 25).

The contest was the first in the renovated Bennett Sports Center.

The Timberwolves got their lead to double figures with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half and would maintain a big advantage the rest of the half. NU's biggest lead of the half was 22 (54-32) and eventually took a 69-51 lead at halftime. Both teams performed at a high level offensively in the opening 20 minutes – NU shot 62.2 percent (23-37) while the Cougars ended up at 64.0 percent (16-25). The two teams also combined to make 17 3-pointer in the half (9 – NU, 8 – SF).

It appeared Northwood was on its way to an easy win in the second half. The Timberwolves led by as many as 24 and led by at least 16 until the final 4:19 of the game. Northwood led 109-86 with 4:20 remaining in the game when St. Francis made a huge run to finish regulation. Playing against the NU reserves, the Cougars out-scored Northwood 28-5 to finish the game, capped by a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie the game 114-114 and send the contest to overtime.

Northwood opened up a five point lead in overtime (120-115), but St. Francis would not go away. The game was tied 121-121 when senior point guard Maurice Jones (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) was fouled. He connected on two free throws and the NU defense held, giving Northwood the win.

The Timberwolves finished the game shooting 53.5 percent (38-71) while St. Francis shot 59.3 percent (35-59). The Cougars made 14 triples in the game, while Northwood ended up with 10. The game featured a large number of free throws – the two teams were whistled for 69 fouls in the contest (NU 36, SF 33) which led to a combined 102 free throw attempts (55 SF, 47 NU).

Jones led all players in the game with 30 points, eight assists and six steals. Nick Spitzley (Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) came off the bench to score 17, while PJ Weaver (Dayton, Ohio/Meadowdale) had 14 points and three steals. Dylan Langkabel (Morristown, Ind.) and Jermaine Myers (Ajax, Ontario/Fordham) each added 13.

Northwood will host Delta College in an exhibition game next Sunday (November 1). Game time is set for 2 p.m.