DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball team (11-10 overall, 8-7 GLIAC) was unable to keep up with 17th-ranked Northern Michigan (21-4 overall, 12-3 GLIAC) on Thursday night inside the WSU Fieldhouse.  The Wildcats snapped the Warriors' second three-game winning streak of the season with a final score of 82-62.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Through the game's first 40 total points, over nine minutes of game time, the score was tied six times with nine lead changes.

Northern Michigan proceeded to rattle off 11 of the ensuing 13 points to lead by nine (31-22) with under nine minutes to play before halftime.

Wayne State responded with a mini 6-2 spurt that pulled it within five (33-28) at the 7:03 mark, but no closer.  Four of those six points came from Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) while Jalen Jenkins (Belleville, Mich. / Belleville [Macomb C.C.]) added the other two.

From there until the final first-half buzzer, the Wildcats outscored the Warriors by 17 (18-1) to lead by 22 at the break, 51-29.

NMU converted at a 53.1 percent (17-of-32) rate from the field to Wayne State's 45.8 percent (11-of-24).  The visitors cashed in 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) from behind the arc to the home team's 2-of-8 (25 percent).  The away team also converted 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) at the free throw line while the hosts attempted just six shots at the charity stripe with five makes (83.3 percent).  The Wildcats turned the ball over twice with a 17-3 advantage in second-chance points.

Second Half
Wayne State came out of intermission hot and opened with a 12-2 run that slimmed the deficit to 12 (53-41) and elapsed nearly five minutes of the clock.  During that stretch, the Green and Gold's scoring came from Paul III with five points, Marshall Thorn (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth [Schoolcraft C.C.]). with five and Jordan Briggs (Muskegon, Mich.) with two.

However, the rest of the night, the Warriors could never get closer than 11 (60-49, 65-54) and fell behind by as many as 20 (80-60, 82-62).

TEAM STATS
Wayne State finished with an overall efficiency of 46.3 percent (25-of-54) to Northern Michigan's 46.8 percent (29-of-62).  The Wildcats also made seven more three-pointers (10-of-30 to 3-of-13) and five more free throws (14-of-18 to 9-of-13).  NMU accounted for only six turnovers to 20 assists and won the rebounding battle by 16, including 16-5 on the offensive glass.  That discrepancy led to Northern Michigan's 25-8 edge in second-chance scoring.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Carlos Paul III and Jordan Briggs were the two Warriors to score in double-figures thanks to 17 points and 12 points, respectively.  Paul III also led the way on the glass with four rebounds to his name while Jalen Jenkins dished out five assists.  Defensively, three players notched one steal apiece while a different trio tallied one block each.

LEADING THE WILDCATS
The top of the Wildcats' scoring column featured Dylan Kuehl (19 points), Cal Klesmit (17) and Jackson Dudek (13).  Trevor Polite brought down eight boards and Klesmit was responsible for six dimes.  On the other side of the court, Charlie Miller finished with a pair of swipes and Kuehl blocked two shot attempts.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will play a fourth straight home game when it hosts 13th-ranked Michigan Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m. inside the WSU Fieldhouse.