MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Wayne State University men's basketball squad (2-5 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) handed Northern Michigan University (5-5 overall, 3-1 GLIAC) its first conference setback with a 67-43 victory Monday evening at the Berry Events Center.
 
A see-saw first half which included six lead changes and three ties was back-and-forth with the Wildcats holding a pair of four-point leads (6-2 and 8-4), before an 8-4 run by the Warriors knotted the game at 12.  Redshirt sophomore Michael Lewis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) had five of WSU's first 12 points.
 
After Northern Michigan had taken a 12-11 lead on a tip-in by Alex Sorenson, the hosts did not another point for over 5:30 and did not make another field goal until a triple by Jordan Perez at the 4:26 mark.  Meanwhile, Wayne State had rattled off 10 consecutive points for a 21-12 advantage.
 
The final four minutes of the first half saw WSU hold a 6-4 scoring edge for a 27-20 lead at intermission.
 
Seven different players scored for Wayne State in the opening 20 minutes, while Perez led Northern Michigan with 11 points.
 
A dunk by redshirt sophomore Joel Ndondo (Ajax, Ont.) on the opening possession after halftime increased the lead to nine.  After an NMU bucket, freshman Marcus Moore (Lansing, Mich. / Waverly) sank a pair of free throws and Lewis hit his second three pointer of the game.
 
The Wayne State lead was cut to 10 (34-24) with 17:28 left, but the Warriors responded with a 15-0 run over the next seven minutes to open a 25-point advantage at 49-24 before the midpoint of the second half.
 
Following five consecutive points by the Wildcats, WSU had an 11-0 spurt to make it a 60-29 contest with just over five minutes remaining.
 
Lewis totaled a game-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.  He also had a team-best three steals.
 
Junior Gavin Toma (Troy, Mich. / Southfield Christian) added 12 points including two triples, while sophomore Clark Bishop (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) chipped in with 12 points and a game-high seven assists.
 
Ndondo grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his game-best three blocked shots.
 
Wayne State shot 43 percent (22-of-51) from the floor but 42 percent (5-of-12) from three-point range.  WSU was outstanding at the charity stripe connecting for 86 percent (18-of-21).
 
Perez, who was 0-for-4 from the floor in 14 second-half minutes, led NMU with 11 points.
 
The Wildcats shot 29 percent (14-of-49) from the field and just 17 percent (2-of-12) from beyond the arc. 
 
The Warriors held a 39-28 edge in rebounding.
 
Wayne State will be idle for the holidays and resume conference play on Friday, Jan. 2 with a home contest against Grand Valley State.