The Wayne State men’s basketball team ended a 14-game losing streak to Minnesota State to highlight a two-win weekend in NSIC basketball action.
Nick Ferrarini scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including a fast break layup with :05 left for the game-winning basket as the Wildcats shocked Minnesota State 73-71 Friday evening.
The win snapped a 14-game losing streak to Minnesota State dating back to the 2011-12 season and the Wildcats had lost 22 of the last 23 meetings vs. the Mavericks before the Friday night win.
The Wildcats held the lead a majority of the first half thanks to stellar shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Wayne State took a 12-4 lead on a Ferrarini 3-pointer and built a 22-10 advantage following a layup from Isiah Burd with 10:18 to play in the first half.
Wayne State still held a 30-25 lead with 5:52 to play in the half, but MSU scored nine points in a row to grab their first lead of the game at 34-30. The Wildcats responded with seven straight points to regain the lead and held a 39-38 lead at intermission.
Minnesota State led most of the second half until the final two minutes when Wayne State came up with big plays and shots for the win.
Minnesota State tied the score for the final time at 71-71 on a pair of Corvon Seales free throws with 58 seconds remaining. Wayne State turned the ball over on their next possession and Minnesota State missed two shots for the potential go-ahead basket.
In the closing seconds, Jordan Janssen rebounded a Cameron Kirksey miss and fired a long pass on a fast break to Ferrarini, who converted a lay in for a 73-71 lead. Minnesota State had one last chance, but a 3-pointer from Kevin Krieger was well defended and missed off the side of the rim as time expired and Wayne State held on for the win.
Ferrarini’s game-high 21 points, 16 in the second half, led Wayne State in scoring. Janssen ended with 14 points followed by Nate Mohr and Al’Tavius Jackson with 12 and 11, respectively.
Both teams had 31 rebounds with Jackson and Janssen each grabbing six for the Wildcats. Janssen was credited with four assists and three steals.
On Saturday, Wayne State and Concordia-St. Paul hooked up in a fantastic game that included 20 lead changes and six ties. Wayne State College blocked a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds to hang on for a 66-63 win to improve to 8-15 overall and 5-9 in the NSIC.
Neither team led by more than five points throughout the game. Concordia-St. Paul held a pair of four point leads in the first half – 17-13 and 19-15 – for their biggest leads of the game. Wayne State led 33-32 at the half and took a four-point lead on a Mohr 3-pointer to open the second half and make it 38-34.
Wayne State trailed 55-52 before coming back to lead by four. Baskets from Janssen and Jackson, capped by a three-point play from Janssen, gave Wayne State the lead for good at 59-55 with 6:22 to play.
Wayne State took its biggest lead at 66-61 on a 3-pointer by Mohr with :38 to go. The Golden Bears hit two free throws and Wayne State blocked a 3-pointer at the end to come away with the victory.
Mohr led Wayne State in scoring with a game-high 19 points, making five 3-pointers in the contest. Ferrarini finished with 16 points while Janssen nearly recorded a triple-double, accounting for 15 points, a career-high nine assists, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Henry Penner grabbed nine boards.
The Wildcats will be at home next weekend, hosting the University of Mary Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Minot State Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
