The Wildcats were ten of 18 from three-point land in the first half
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men’s basketball team outscored the Concordia Wisconsin Falcons 55-10 in the first half en route to an 87-35 victory on Thursday night at Vandament Arena.
To say the first half was one of the most dominant in program history would be an understatement. Northern blitzed Concordia from the opening tip – and owned the glass while doing it – unleashing runs of 9-0, 17-0, 9-0, and 13-0 to surge to a 55-10 halftime lead.
The Wildcats overwhelmed every facet of the game across the opening 20 minutes, controlling the boards 32-5, including 15-1 on the offensive glass, and turning that into 19 second-chance points. NMU’s defensive pressure forced 11 turnovers as the Wildcats shot 19-37 overall and 10-18 from three.
Northern finished the game with a commanding 57-14 rebounding edge, one of the most lopsided margins in program history. That included a 27-2 advantage in offensive rebounds, producing 38 second-chance points. Bennett Basich led the way with 10 boards.
Cal Klesmit poured in 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, hitting five of nine attempts from deep overall. Jackson Dudek knocked down all three of his triples in the first half and ended the night with 14 points. Dylan Kuehl followed with 13, Ross Robertson had a season-high 12, and Basich added 10.
Defensively, Northern held Concordia to just 11-42 (26.2%) shooting. The Wildcats also limited Logan Landers and Casey Verhagen – who entered the matchup averaging a combined 48.9 points per game – to only 11 points on 3-17 shooting.
Northern moves to 7-1 on the season with the victory.
How it Happened
Northern wasted no time seizing control, as Klesmit carried over his success from last weekend by drilling a pair of early threes to spark an 8-2 start. Moments later, Kuehl faked a handoff and exploded to the rim for a one-handed reverse dunk, capping a 9-0 burst that put NMU ahead 14-2 less than four minutes into the game.
The Wildcats dominated the offensive glass from the opening tip, grabbing nine offensive boards in the first eight minutes. Second-chance points piled up quickly as 12 of NMU’s first 21 points came on extra opportunities. A Kuehl corner three helped stretch the margin to 31-6 just past the halfway point of the frame.
Northern’s run swelled to 17-0 as Concordia went nearly seven minutes without a point. Another surge soon followed, as an Isaiah Allen triple and two more threes from Klesmit pushed the lead to a monstrous 42-8 with 3:39 left. The Wildcats closed the half with yet another burst, a 13-0 run featuring two more threes from Jackson Dudek and Klesmit, to take a spellbinding 55-10 lead into the locker room.
The numbers reflected total domination: a 32-5 rebounding advantage, including a 15-1 edge on the offensive glass and a 19-2 margin in second-chance points. NMU forced 11 turnovers for 15 points and shot 19-37 from the field and 10-18 from three. Klesmit led all scorers with 17 points on 5-7 from deep, while Dudek knocked down all three of his attempts.
Dudek opened the second half the same way he finished the first – sinking a deep three, this one off glass to beat the shot clock. Concordia matched its entire first-half point total within the first five minutes of the period and kept pace with NMU early in the frame.
Allen connected again from deep to reach the 50-point gap, 73-23, with 11:52 remaining. As the game slowed down in the closing minutes, the Wildcats emptied the bench, allowing Pryce Gregoire, Keller Hanson, and Nathan Fife to make their collegiate debuts with four minutes left.
Northern cruised to the finish line, outscoring Concordia 32-25 after the break on the way to an 87-35 victory.
Up Next
The Wildcats will wrap up the weekend against Marian (Wis.) on Sunday, December 14, at 3 p.m.
