Northland International UniversityNorthland International University

Pioneers Suffer Tough 30 Point Loss

Turnovers and poor shooting plagued the Northland men's basketball team Saturday night as the Pioneers fell to Lakeland College, 97-67, at Woltzen Gymnasium in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Northland fell behind to an early 12-4 lead which they never fully recovered from. Lakeland College, the first place team in the Northern Athletic Conference, was led by junior forward Jake Schwarz’s 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Coming off a successful night at Emmaus Bible College on Friday, the Pioneers were exposed by a tenacious Muskie defense that led to 20 turnovers and poor shooting. In the loss, Northland shot 33.9% from the field and a mere 9.1% from the three point line, while Lakeland shot 46.3% from the field and an impressive 40% from long range.

Freshman forward Kyler Gardner led all scorers with 28 points and sophomore guard Zach Mercado chipped in 10 points and 3 assists.

The Pioneers look to rebound from the tough road loss on Tuesday when they face Davis College in Binghamton, New York, the third of a five game road trip.