Northern Michigan University’s Gerald Gittens Jr. drives just outside the lane on Wisconsin-Parkside’s Jack Rose during their GLIAC men’s basketball game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Gerald Gittens scored all 18 of his points and added three steals in the final 10 minutes to lead the Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team to a 73-62 victory over GLIAC foe Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday afternoon at Vandament Arena.

The Wildcats remained in a four-way logjam atop the conference at 2-0 while improving to 6-2 overall. The Rangers slipped to 2-6 and 0-2.

Trailing by seven points less than two minutes into the second half, Northern went on a 13-0 run to grab the lead for good. But it was a tenuous lead until the final minute, when the Wildcat sank all six of their free throw attempts.

Gittens shared NMU scoring honors with his 18 points, the total also posted by teammate Dylan Kuehl. While both hit a 3-pointer, Gittens also went 9 of 9 on free throws, adding in a game-high five assists and three steals while pulling down three rebounds. Kuehl nabbed six rebounds.

Teammate Brian Parzych added in 11 points, making 2 of 3 on triples along with snaring four rebounds and making two steals.

And Sam Privet grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to go with his six points as he didn’t commit a turnover in 31 minutes court time.

Parkside’s Josiah Palmer led all scorers with 20 points, including four 3s, but he also committed five turnovers.

While both teams shot almost exactly 50% from the field with the Rangers making one more basket, NMU had a big advantage at the line, making 23 of 27 free throws compared to just 8 of 10 for Parkside. Northern also held a decisive edge on the boards, 33-18.

Though Privet scored the first basket about 45 seconds into the game, the Rangers quickly took the lead and held it for the rest of the first half, settling for a 33-30 advantage at intermission. Their lead had grown to as many as nine points, 29-20, four minutes before halftime following a Palmer triple.

Parkside bumped its lead back to seven, 37-30, just 78 seconds into the second half before NMU’s decisive 13-point run. In a span of just under five minutes, NMU went ahead 43-37 with a 3 and 2 by Parzych, a pair of layups by Kuehl, a layup by Julien Smith and two free throws from Privet.

With 9:19 to go, NMU head coach Matt Majkrzak replaced four players, including inserting Gittens in the lineup.

Gittens hit a triple about 45 seconds later to boost NMU’s lead to 51-44 and had a layup and pair of free throws over the next five minutes.

Then with 3:34 to go, Palmer sank another triple to pull Parkside within 58-56, the closest it had come since giving up the lead early in the second half.

Gittens had a “traditional” three-point play, a pair of free throws and a layup over the next 2 1/2 minutes, but NMU was still only ahead 67-60 with 54 seconds to go.

But Northern thwarted the Rangers’ fouling strategy down the stretch as Gittens went 4 of 4 and teammate Derek Merwick 2 of 2 at the line to put the final result in the books.

The Wildcats now return to their “home away from home” at Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, for a nonconference game against Upper Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday. This will mark NMU’s fourth game there this fall, actually one more than they’ve played at Vandament so far.

But the NMU men will even that up with their fourth home game at Vandament against nonconference Northland at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, to end the 2024 part of the season.

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