Five score in double figures as Men's Basketball tops Alma (Mich.), 99-71

By: Andrew Korba

ALMA (Mich.)--Junior Branden Rushton scored a game high 24 points, as the Ohio Nothern men's basketball team had five players score in double figures in a 99-71 victory over Alma (Mich.) Saturday evening at the Alma Thanksgiving Classic.

The Polar Bears improve to 3-1 on the season with the win, while the Scots fall to 0-3.

Sophomores Lucas Pennington and Isaiah Roux each scored 17 points for ONU.

Junior Jared Horstman had 12 points and senior Taylor Kuhlman finished with 11 points.

Northern shot a solid 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) in three pointers on the evening.

The Polar Bears used a 15-2 run midway through the first half to build a 33-19 lead.

Roux scored six points during the run, senior Jason Faykosh scored three points and Horstman, Kuhlman and sophomore Adam Bair each added two points.

Alma would chip away and cut the ONU lead to 37-30.

But the Polar Bears came right back and used a quick 6-0 spurt to expand their lead to 43-30 with just under two minutes left in the first half.

Roux made a layup to cap off a 12-1 run and put Northern up 64-42 with 16:11 left to play.

ONU would continue to expand their lead, and a layup by Pennington with 5:19 remaining gave the Polar Bears their largest lead of the night at 90-61.

The Polar Bears shot the ball well, going 35-of-67 (52.2 percent) from the field, while the Scots were 26-of-54 (48.1 percent).

Brandon Krause scored 14 points to lead Alma.

Northern forced 18 turnovers on the night and scored 26 points off of them.

ONU only turned the ball over eight times.

Ohio Northern will return to the court on Sunday, when they take on Finlandia (Mich.) at 1 pm.