ASHLAND, Wis. – The Northland College Men's Basketball team lost to Crown College 56-85 in their first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday evening in Ashland, Wis.
 
The Polars opened the scoring with a three-pointer. On the following possession, Damian Cejka found Stephen Kesti in the paint for a quick response. Soon after, Cejka connected from deep to give Northland an early lead, forcing Crown to call a timeout. The teams traded baskets, but a three-pointer from Kesti gave Northland a three-point lead at 14-11. With just under eight minutes remaining, Jahlani Thornton scored in the paint, but a two-point jumper from the Polars brought the score to 22-21 in favor of the Jacks. Neither team scored for the next four minutes, but Crown tied the game after converting a free throw. The lead changed hands several times, but the Polars took a 30-28 lead into halftime.
 
The largest lead in the first half was three points, but it took less than 10 seconds in the second half for the Polars to extend their lead to five. Crown found success in the paint, continuing to build its lead and soon went up 39-30. After a free throw by Cejka and a three-pointer from Gavin Bartlett, Northland trimmed the lead to five, but that would be as close as the Jacks would get for the rest of the game. At the 12-minute mark, Crown's lead grew to double digits, and they never looked back. In the second half, 36 of Crown's points were scored in the paint.
 
Cejka and Ari Pierson led the scoring for the LumberJacks with 12 points each. Ian McFaggen came off the bench to score 10 points, while Kesti and Thornton rounded out the top five with nine and six points, respectively. Thornton also led the team in rebounds with eight, followed by Donovan Washington with five. The Jacks recorded three blocks, with Kesti contributing two and Tyler Tuura adding one.
 
The Jacks continue UMAC play on Saturday as they host Minnesota Morris at 1 p.m.
 
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.