February 17, 2005
Men’s Basketball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BALL NETS CAREER-HIGH 20 IN 78-72 WIN OVER NORTHERN MICHIGAN

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – SVSU snapped a four-game losing streak and remained in the hunt for a possible postseason berth with a 78-72 win over Northern Michigan. Freshman guard Brandon Ball (Grand Rapids, Mich./Union) scored a career-high 20 points and dished out six assists. He was 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 at the line in 34 minutes. Ball scored 12 points in the second half and was 4-of-8 from the field. Freshman forward Chris Johnston (Clarkston, Mich.) played a career-high 29 minutes and responded with 12 points and a team-high nine boards. He connected on two free throws with 35 seconds left to give SVSU the lead for good.
    The teams were deadlocked at 33-33 at halftime after a technical foul on the NMU bench resulted to four straight makes at the line for Ball. Neither team could gain a significant advantage in the second half as the teams traded baskets for the first five minutes. NMU used a mini 9-3 run to take a 51-46 lead with 13:27 left before SVSU tied the game at 56-56 with 10:13 to go. NMU would hold a lead until the 1:25 mark when senior forward Anthony Parker (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores) made a three-point play to give the Cards a 70-69 lead. After a Jake Suardini three-point play gave NMU a 72-70 lead, senior forward Kenny Nether (Southfield, Mich./Canton) hit a tough left-handed layup to notch the score at 72-72 with 55 seconds left. The Cards made six straight free throws in the final 35 seconds to preserve the victory and improve to 10-14 overall and 5-10 in the GLIAC.
    Nether notched his fourth straight double-digit game with 14 points and four rebounds. He also had a clutch steal in the game's final minute. Parker added 15 points and three boards before fouling out in 26 minutes. SVSU shot 51.7 percent in the second half and 43.6 percent overall. NMU shot 14.8 percent (4-of-27) from the arc and 41.5 percent overall. The Wildcats shot 60.5 percent from inside the arc. Ricky Volcy led the Wildcats with game-highs of 28 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out. Four Wildcats fouled out in the contest, including David Noel who had 12 points and four assists.

Game Stats

Contact: Ryan Thompson (989) 964-4053

##SVSU#