Northland Men's Basketball made 50% of their three point attempts on opening night, but it wasn't enough as UW-Stout took game one 94-85.

Box Score

The Northland College Men's Basketball season tipped off on Tuesday evening, as the team traveled to Menomonie, Wisconsin for a non-conference match up with UW-Stout. The LumberJacks went an impressive 15-30 from the three point line, but the Blue Devils survived a late surge to spoil the season opener 94-85.

The LumberJacks scored the first points of the game as George Butvilas hit the first of his five three pointers on the opening possession. The two teams exchanged baskets on the next two possessions before Butvilas hit a jump shot to give the Jacks an early 7-4 lead. That lead would be short lived. Three free throws and and a made jumper for Stout put the Blue Devils in front for good. Langston Flowers hit a three pointer out of the first media timeout to keep the Jacks within one. Following another Butvilas three, the Blue Devils used a 14-0 run to take control of the first half. Isaiah Campbell, coming off the bench to make his Northland debut, hit another LumberJack three pointer to finally end the scoring drought. Stout answered with a three of their own before Campbell hit another jumper to keep the deficit at 15. The Blue Devils were able to grow their lead to 19 following the media timeout at the 7:35 mark. Jaden Jones hit a layup and Drew Lindberg hit, yet another, three to start Northland on a run of their own. Marvin McBroom's back-to-back free throws and a Jordan Brennan three capped a 10-0 run for the Jacks. Northland finished the half on a 19-10 run to shrink the margin to 37-48 at the break.

Flowers opened the second half scoring with a jumper and Butvilas hit another three on the next possession. After the two teams traded baskets Butvilas hit his fifth and final three at the 16:00 minute mark. The three cut the deficit to seven and forced a Blue Devil timeout. A pair of missed free throws and missed jumper for Northland allowed the Blue Devils to rebuild their lead to double digits. Brennan's back-to-back threes stopped Stout from being able to pull away, and kept the margin at seven. Tyler Tuura's layup and bonus free throw completed the and-one play and got the Jacks within six. Stout made the front end of two free throws before a missing the second, allowing Lindberg to hit a three on the ensuing Northland possesion and shrink the deficit to four with 11:15 to go. The game was back and forth for a majority of the next ten minutes with Stout's lead seesawing between four and ten. Jones hit a jumper with 1:25 left on the clock to pull Northland within eight. Following a Northland timeout Simon Palmer hit a fast break three to put the game at 90-85. Unfortunately, the Jacks were halted there as the team's pressure defense and intentional fouls weren't enough to allow them to finish the comeback.

Brennan and Butvilas led the LumberJacks with 17 points each. Lindberg and Jones each pulled down five boards, as Northland narrowly edged the Blue Devils 41-40 in that category. 

"We really struggled defensively tonight, especially in transition," commented head coach Scott Sorenson. "That said, I am proud of the way we kept battling back and cut the lead to four or five several times down the stretch. We just have to find a way to make the little plays matter."

Northland (0-1, 0-0 UMAC) will return to the Kendrigan Center on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for the home opener is scheduled for 3:00 PM when the Jacks play host to Beloit College. 

Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.