MANKATO, Minn. – The Northland College Men's Basketball team fell 66-91 to Bethany Lutheran College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon in Mankato, Minn. Junior Damian Cejka led the LumberJacks scoring 18 points.
 
Northland and Bethany Lutheran traded baskets to start the game, with Stephen Kesti and Hayden Harmoning scoring the first points for the Jacks. The Vikings began to pull away with an eight-point run. Cejka stopped the rally with a jumper. The teams continued to exchange baskets until another large run by BLC extended their lead to 17. Cejka again broke up the scoring with Northland's first three-pointer, and on the following possession, he connected from deep again. Donovan Washington cut the lead to single digits with his first make, coming from behind the arc. Another five-point run by BLC put them up by 14. With under two minutes to play, Jahlani Thornton made a free throw to make the score 32-42. Cejka made the final basket of the half to cut the lead to 13.
 
The Vikings started the second half with the first five points. Washington knocked down a triple for the Jacks' first basket of the half. Northland began to rally, and Ryan Ehlert helped trim the deficit to nine with a three-pointer and a free throw. Bethany Lutheran responded with back-to-back baskets to put themselves back up by double digits. Baskets from Kesti and Ehlert kept the LumberJacks close, but BLC began to pull away. A three-pointer by the Vikings with under nine minutes remaining extended their lead to 19. With six minutes remaining, Northland put together a four-point rally with points from Kesti and Washington. However, the late rally was not enough, and Northland fell in the contest.
 
Four LumberJacks reached double-digit points: Cejka (18), Thornton (13), Kesti (10), and Washington (10). To end the game, Cole Giesregen made a free throw to record his first collegiate point. Harmoning had a team-high four assists. On the other side of the ball, Thornton was one rebound shy of a double-double. Kesti had the team's only block.
 
The Jacks returns home on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m., game against North Central University.
 
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.