Northern Michigan University’s Carson Smith, left, works to get around Concordia-St. Paul’s Ian Sluice during their nonconference game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Nov. 18. (Photo courtesy NMU)

KENOSHA, Wis. — The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team built a second-half lead only to have host Wisconsin-Parkside come back down the stretch and hand the Wildcats a 76-68 defeat on Saturday afternoon.

Carson Smith led NMU with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, while teammate Brian Parzych was close behind with 17 points as he hit a pair of triples.

Northern’s Diego Robinson pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to go with six points, while Max Weisbrod handed out an NMU-high four assists to go with four points after he sank the only two shots he attempted.

Colin O’Rourke and Rasheed Bello each scored 20 points to pace the Rangers as Bello also had a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Wildcats fell to 6-3 overall and 1-1 on the opening weekend of GLIAC play, while Parkside sits at 6-2 and 2-0.

The Rangers led throughout the first half, their biggest advantage being 25-18 about seven minutes before halftime.

Right after Parkside took that lead, Smith hit three straight baskets in a 90-second stretch to reduce Northern’s deficit to 27-25.

With the Rangers leading 36-32 at halftime, the Wildcats needed a little over three minutes to catch their hosts, 39-39, on a Smith triple.

That basket was in the midst of an NMU 10-0 run that gave Northern a 46-39 lead a few minutes later.

That would be the Wildcats’ high-water mark as Parkside methodically chipped away at its deficit, finally catching NMU by taking a 61-60 lead with 5:28 left on an O’Rourke layup.

The lead changed hands multiple times over the next four minutes as Northern took its final lead, 68-67, with 1:34 left on a Weisbrod layup.

Unfortunately for NMU, that would be their last points as the Rangers finished on a 9-0 run that included 7 of 8 free throws as the Wildcats repeatedly fouled trying to get back in it.

NMU attempts to get back on the winning track with four home games filling out their schedule before the holidays.

The Wildcats host a pair of GLIAC games in the next week, hosting Ferris State at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Lake Superior State at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Then they have a pair of nonconference games at the Berry Events Center in the following week, entertaining Lawrence at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, and Upper Peninsula rival Finlandia at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.