ASHLAND, Wis. – The Northland College Men's Basketball team was defeated 101-69 by North Central University in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening in Ashland, Wis.
 
On NCU's first shot, the Rams took a three-point lead. Stephen Kesti answered with points in the paint, but the lead began to grow for North Central as they scored the next seven points. Kesti broke up the run with a layup in the paint. The Rams built a 19-point lead before the next LumberJack connected, with Ari Pierson hitting a jumper. A few minutes later, Pierson knocked down NC's first three-pointer. Late in the half, Ryan Ehlert put together a five-point rally with a three-pointer and then went 2-for-2 at the line. Aveion Cavitt scored the final points of the half, but the LumberJacks trailed 64-31.
 
Kesti started the scoring in the second half just like the first. On the opening two drives, he continued to have success in the paint. On his second shot of the game, Ehlert converted another three-pointer. The Jacks outscored the Rams in the second half, 38-37, but the 33-point deficit entering the second half was too much to overcome, and they fell 101-69. In the final two minutes, Ridge Guyette scored his first collegiate points, hitting two jumpers in the paint.
 
Donovan Washington and Pierson led the Jacks in scoring with 12 points, and Ehlert also reached double figures with 10 points. Kesti and Damian Cejka rounded out the top five, both contributing nine points. Washington and Tyler Tuura had a team-high three assists. On the other side of the ball, Jahlani Thornton grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Northland recorded seven blocks, with Thornton, Washington, and Kesti each getting two and Cejka swatting one.
 
The Jacks' next game is on Saturday when they travel to Martin Luther College for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
 
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 and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.