Story and photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information. Click the AUDIO button to hear RRN's Casey Ford interview Coach Matt Majkrzak.
Click the video to see a slam dunk by Dylan Kuehl.
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The No. 16 Northern Michigan Wildcats put on an offensive showcase Thursday night, riding a three-headed attack to another statement win at Vandament Arena.
Dylan Kuehl poured in 32 points, Cal Klesmit followed with 24, and Bennett Basich chipped in another 14 as the trio combined for 70 of Northern's 83 points as the Wildcats secured their 20th victory of the season.
Kuehl's 32 came on 14-19 (73.7%) shooting, with 21 coming in the first half. He added a team-high eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks to continue his all-around dominance this season.
Klesmit poured in 15 of his 24 in the second half. He was as efficient as you'll see from beyond the arc, knocking down seven of his eight attempts while going 8-9 overall. Basich scored 14 points, shooting 5-8 from the floor, to go along with five rebounds and a pair of helpers.
The Wildcats shot 30-48 (62.5%) for the game, their third-best shooting performance of the season. NMU was 9-18 (50.0%) from three and 14-17 (82.4%) from the free throw line, while the Cardinals struggled at the charity stripe, going 6-18 (33.3%). While committing one more turnover at 13-12, NMU took better advantage of its opportunities, edging SVSU 18-11 in points off turnovers.
Northern only trailed 3-0 and built a double-digit lead in the back half of the opening 20 minutes after a 7-0 run. The 'Cats then extended that lead to 22, its highest of the game, with a 12-2 run out of halftime to take the wind out of SVSU's sails.
Northern is now 20-3 overall and 11-2 in conference play, maintaining pace with Grand Valley State, which also won on Thursday night over Purdue Northwest.
