ASHLAND, Wis. – The Northland College Men's Basketball team ended its final home game with a 75-102 loss to North Central University in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action Saturday evening in Ashland, Wis.
 
Nine seconds in the Rams hit a three-point, one of ten in the first half. Following the triple, Stephen Kesti scored on back-to-back trips to give the LumberJakcs their first lead. Jordan Brennan added to two more with a pair of free throws. Both teams traded baskets with Jahlani Thornton giving the lead back to NC with a layup assisted by Langston Flowers. Another three-pointer had NCU back on top and that is where they remained for the rest of the game. The Rams were hitting from deep to extend their lead and ended the half shooting 10-of-23 (43.48%) from behind the arc.
 
After trailing by 38 early in the second half the Northland started to chip away a deficit. It started with four free throws made by Brennan, then Kayden Palmi scoring in the paint, followed by Drew Lindberg knocking down a three, and Northland put together a nine-point run. The Jacks pull within 21 a few times in the final stretch with Blake Richard making a free throw to get the Jacks to 74 points. To end the game Wyatt Kocurek landed on the scorer's sheet with a free throw.
 
The Jacks reached the free throw line 33 times in the contest matching their season-high. Brennan was at the line for 15 shots and made all but one. Those 14 points added to his nine for the field let Brennan in scoring with 23. 11 other student-athletes tallied points in the loss. Thornton and Flowers were behind Brennan with eight and seven points respectively. Thornton had a season-high four assists to pace the Jacks.
 
The battle for rebounds was close with NCU taking a slight edge at 42-to-38. Brennan and Richard led the way for Northland with six apiece. Thornton, Flowers, and Kesti tallied four. Kesti had a career-high three steals in the contest with all three coming in the first four minutes of the game. The LumberJacks had four blocks all coming from a different student-athlete: Kesti, Brennan, Richard and Flowers.
 
The Jacks hit the road for the last two weeks of the season. Northland will start the road tri[ at Crown College on Feb. 9, with a 7:15 p.m., tipoff.
 
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.