The Wayne State basketball teams both came away with key wins Saturday, as the women and men hung on for close wins at Northern State.
In the women’s matchup, Wayne State made 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:29 to hang on for a 60-56 victory at Northern State, improving to 12-6 (7-5 NSIC) on the season.
Northern State forced six Wildcat turnovers in the opening period and built a 20-17 lead, but the Wildcats came back in the second period and returned the favor, holding Northern to 1-of-13 shooting and using an 11-0 run to build a 33-26 halftime advantage.
Wayne State maintained the lead the entire third quarter, leading by as many as seven at 39-32 before the Wolves cut into the deficit and were within three at 48-45 going to the fourth quarter.
Northern State took their first lead of the second half at 51-50 on a Brianna Kusler jumper with 6:56 to play, and the two teams traded the lead six times until the final minute when Wayne State regained the lead for good.
Kylie Hammer tied the score at 55-55 with 1:29 to go after hitting one of two free throws, and the Wildcats took the lead for good when Brittany Bongartz canned two charity tosses with :43 to play.
The Wildcats took a 58-56 lead when Maggie Lowe made one of two free throws with 13.3 to play. Northern State set up for the potential tying shot, but Zoe Hardwick was called for an offensive foul with 5.4 seconds remaining, and Halley Busse was fouled and sealed the win with two free throws.
Erin Norling finished the game with 16 points while Bongartz added 15. Andrea Larson led Wayne State on the glass with six boards, Lowe and Hammer each had two assists while Norling finished with four steals.
In the men’s contest, Wayne State built a 14-point lead with just over five minutes remaining, then had to hold off a Northern State rally to knock off the top team in the NSIC, 84-81.
The first half was a close battle throughout the first half. Northern State led by as many as five at 13-8 with 15:32 to go in the half, and the Wildcats came back with a 10-4 run later in the half to lead 38-32 before settling on a 42-38 halftime advantage.
The Wildcats used a 14-0 run early in the second half to take a double-digit advantage. Tied at 46-46 three minutes into the second half, Wayne State used back-to-back treys from Trevin Joseph, a 3-pointer from Vance Janssen and a three-point play by Jordan Janssen in a span of 3:06 to take a 60-46 lead.
Wayne State still held a 73-59 lead at the 5:21 mark when Northern State started their comeback. The Wolves trimmed the lead to 73-68 at the 3:19 mark, but Wayne State answered the run and was in front 79-70 with 1:06 remaining when Northern State made one last surge.
The Wildcats led 82-75 with 16 seconds to play, but Northern State got 3-pointers from Ian Smith and Mason Stark to cut the lead to one at 82-81 with 3.4 seconds left. Vance Janssen was fouled and made two free throws with 2.8 to play for an 84-81 lead. Northern State’s Ian Smith raced into frontcourt and was long on an approximate 30-footer from the right side giving the Wildcats the big NSIC road win, their fifth in seven NSIC road tests this season.
Joseph led Wayne State (14-4, 9-3 NSIC) in scoring with 31 points, making 12-of-19 shots from the field. It was his second 30-point outburst in the last six games and the fifth time in the last nine outings recording over 20 points.
Kendall Jacks added 15 points, extending his streak of scoring double figures in every game this season. Jordan Janssen added 14 points with Vance Janssen scoring 13.
Jordan Janssen led the Wildcats with nine rebonds and two steals while Ben Dentlinger accounted for four blocked shots.
Wayne State will be at home next weekend, entertaining Minnesota State Saturday at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul Sunday in 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. matchups.
