Box Score

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Wayne State University men's basketball dropped its second straight contest Saturday, losing 74-66 at Northern Michigan University. The Wildcats shot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half, sinking 6-of-7 three-point attempts to help clinch the victory over the Warriors.

With the loss, Wayne State falls to 11-11 overall and 9-10 in the GLIAC. NMU improved to 5-17 overall and 4-14 in the league.

Senior Gerald Williams-Taylor (Flint, Mich. / Northern) notched a double-double, totaling game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds for Wayne State. Senior Bryan Coleman (Southfield, Mich. / Lathrup) also tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Chene Phillips (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Warriors.

The lead changed five times in opening 20 minutes, with the score also being tied five times. WSU took the lead on a Gavin Toma (Troy, Mich. / Southfield Christian) triple, 18-15, with less than eight minutes left and didn't trail for the rest of the opening frame.

Wayne State and Northern Michigan nearly were identical from the field during the first half. WSU made 9-of-23 shots (39.1 percent), while Northern Michigan was 8-of-23 from the floor (34.8 percent). WSU was 8-of-11 from the foul line in the first 20 minutes.

Williams-Taylor led the Warriors in scoring in the first half with 10 points. He made 6-of-8 free throw attempts in the first half. Phillips added eight points in the openig frame for WSU.

The start of the second half was a back-and-forth battle, with the lead changing five more times and the score being knotted six times in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Northern Michigan took the lead for good, 45-42, on a Marcus Hall three-pointer with 10:14 to go in the contest. Hall followed with another triple as NMU went up 48-42 with 9:34 remaining.

Wayne State got to within two points, 51-49, on a jumper by senior Jamar Ragland (Detroit, Mich. / Loyola), but NMU followed with a bucket by Chavis Mattison. After two Coleman free throws pulled WSU to within two points again, 53-51 with 6:40 to go, the Wildcats went on an 8-2 run to take a 61-53 advantage with 4:28 remaining.

Northern Michigan upped to lead to 11 points two different times in the last three minutes and led 68-57 with 1:30 remaining. WSU would not go away, however, as Phillips sank a jumper and Toma followed with a triple from the wing to pull the Warriors to within six points, 68-62, with 47 seconds left.

WSU got to within four points, 70-66, with six seconds left after Coleman buried two foul shots. Northern Michigan would go on to sink all four free throws in the final seconds to clinch the win.

Wayne State shot 39.7 percent from the floor during the contest and made 3-of-12 three-point attempts. WSU was also 17-for-24 from the free throw line, while Northern Michigan made 19-of-28 foul attempts.

The Green and Gold had the rebounding advantage overall, 38-34. Northern Michigan had three players in double figures led by Hall's 18 points. The Wildcats shot 50 percent overall from beyond the arc, going 7-of-14 from three-point range.

The Warriors return to the court Thursday for an 8 p.m. contest at Ferris State University.