Northern Michigan University’s Sam Privet, right, drives the baseline while defended by Saginaw Valley State’s Maurice Anderson during their GLIAC men’s game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette last Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

BIG RAPIDS — The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team couldn’t pull out a victory on Thursday evening to open what may be its toughest and most important road trip of the season.

The Wildcats fell 85-79 to nationally ranked No. 8 Ferris State, falling into fourth place in the GLIAC, now two games behind the league-leading Bulldogs. NMU rests at 6-3 in conference games and 12-5 overall, while Ferris took over first place alone at 8-1, also being 18-2 overall.

In a battle of the league’s top four teams playing each other this week, Thursday’s other much-watched game saw former coleader Michigan Tech fall at third-place Lake Superior State 82-72. The Lakers and Huskies are now tied for second place at 7-2.

And Northern travels to Sault Ste. Marie to take on No. 14 LSSU at 3 p.m. Saturday. A win could either bring the Wildcats back into a second-place tie or pull them within a single game of the league lead.

On Thursday, after trailing for most of the first half and all of the first seven minutes of the second half, NMU pulled even at 51-51 following a Jackson Dudek layup with 12:29 to go.

The Wildcats went ahead by a single possession for not quite two minutes after that, its last lead 56-53 when Biggie Luster dunked with 9:51 remaining.

Ferris reclaimed the lead after that, though Northern tied it five times over the next 3 1/2 minutes.

Then the Wildcats were able to grab their final advantage, 73-71, with exactly four minutes to go on a Cal Klesmit 3-pointer.

The Bulldogs needed 21 seconds to retie it 73-73, then took the lead for good, even though for most of the final stretch it was only a one-possession lead.

Northern had gotten back to within two points, 81-79, with 28 seconds remaining following a Dylan Kuehl layup. But the Wildcats wouldn’t score again and Ferris tacked on four free throws in the final seconds to insure its victory.

Kuehl led NMU scorers with 19 points, hitting a 3-pointer and making 6 of 8 free throws. He tacked on six rebounds, too.

Sam Privet was next in scoring with 12 points as he and Klesmit paced Northern rebounders with seven apiece. Julien Smith added 11 points, including a pair of triples, and a game-high six assists, while Klesmit and Gerald Gittens Jr. each had nine points, Klesmit’s all on a trio of 3s.

The Bulldogs’ Ethan Erickson led all scorers with 20 points, while teammate Tyler Hamilton added 19 off the bench.

Cold shooting early put the Wildcats into a hole right out of the gate as FSU assumed a 13-4 lead just over seven minutes in.

Five straight points later in the half pulled NMU into a 23-23 tie, Privet and Smith making baskets and Smith a separate free throw. That was actually the start of an 11-0 burst that put the Wildcats ahead 29-23 with 4:13 left in the first half. The remaining points in that string came from Kuehl and Smith 3s.

The Bulldogs wrested control again, pulling even and then coming out with a six-point lead, 37-31, with 20 seconds left before intermission after a pair of Hamilton free throws.

But Luster made one free throw and Dudek two in the final ticks to get their team within 37-34 at halftime.

Ferris re-extended its lead to nine, 45-36, to start the second half before the Wildcats took six minutes to get back into a tie, 51-51, and create the end-game drama for the rest of the contest.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing this game. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.