Dylan Kuehl scores 33 points in 28 minutes
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men’s basketball team didn’t miss a beat coming out of the holiday break, drilling a program-best 21 three-pointers in a 101-65 rout of Davenport on Friday afternoon at Vandament Arena.
Northern connected on 21 of its 37 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 56.8% from deep. The performance broke the program record of 18 threes, previously set against UW-Stout in 2006 and Concordia Wisconsin in 2021. The Wildcats were efficient in both halves, going 8-13 in the first and 13-24 in the second.
Dylan Kuehl led the way with a near-flawless performance, finishing with 33 points on 10-11 (90.9%) shooting from the field, a perfect 5-5 from three, and 8-9 (88.9%) at the free-throw line. He finished just two points shy of his career high.
Cal Klesmit followed with 24 points, knocking down 7-10 (70%) from long range. Bennett Basich added 14 points, while Jackson Dudek chipped in 13. In total, six Wildcats knocked down multiple threes in the contest.
Northern continued to back up its national numbers, outrebounding Davenport 40-25 and handing out 23 assists to just eight turnovers, good for a 2.88 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Wildcats’ nation-leading scoring defense also held Davenport to 18 points below its season average of 83.
The Wildcats improved to 12-1 on the season and extended their winning streak to 11 games, two shy of the program record. NMU also eclipsed the century mark in conference play for the first time since Feb. 24, 2022, when it defeated Lake Superior State 102-69.
NMU is now the last remaining unbeaten in conference play with Grand Valley’s 79-75 upset win over Michigan Tech.
How it Happened
Northern wasted no time asserting control, opening the game with back-to-back triples from Cal Klesmit and Charlie Miller to spark an 8-0 run that held through the first media timeout. Dylan Kuehl quickly took over from there, converting an and-one before drilling a three from the top of the arc as the Wildcats raced out to a perfect 16-0 start.
The defense was just as sharp early, as Davenport missed its first 11 shots and didn’t score until the 12:50 mark of the half. Kuehl immediately answered the Panthers’ first points with another three, accounting for 11 of NMU’s first 19 points as the Wildcats continued to build early separation.
Jackson Dudek added to the surge with a tough finish in traffic and a corner three, though Davenport briefly found its footing by making six of seven shots following its slow start to trim the margin to 24-14 with nine minutes remaining. Any momentum was short-lived, as Klesmit knocked down another three to halt the run and restore control.
Kuehl delivered the decisive stretch of the half moments later, burying a deep three while drawing a foul for a four-point play to push the lead to 36-16 with just under five minutes left. He followed with his third and-one of the half, giving him 20 points as Davenport struggled to find any answers for the graduate forward.
Northern put together another 14-0 run late in the half, highlighted by Kuehl’s flawless shooting and Klesmit’s third triple in as many attempts. The Wildcats carried a commanding 48-24 advantage into the locker room, led by Kuehl’s 23 points on 7-8 shooting and a perfect 3-3 from deep. Klesmit added 10 points, also going 3-3 from beyond the arc, as NMU shot 8-13 (61.5%) from three in a dominant opening 20 minutes.
Northern picked up right where it left off coming out of the locker room. Klesmit opened the half with a triple, followed by another from Dudek on the next possession. Charlie Miller soon joined the barrage, as the Wildcats opened the half 3-3 from deep and quickly reasserted their control.
The three-point shooting only escalated from there. Klesmit knocked down two more in rapid succession as NMU went 5-6 from beyond the arc in the opening 3:30 of the half, with Klesmit himself improving to 6-7 from deep. Kuehl followed by banking in a three before adding another moments later, moving to a perfect 5-5 from long range and pushing his total to 33 points on just 11 shot attempts.
With the offense firing on all cylinders, the lead swelled to 31 at 73-42 by the 12:29 mark. The Wildcats continued to stretch the margin as Klesmit buried his seventh three of the night, NMU’s 18th overall, tying a program record and making it 84-47 with eight minutes remaining.
Northern officially claimed the record moments later when Bennett Basich connected on a step-back triple with 6:40 left, giving the Wildcats their 19th three-pointer of the night. From there, NMU cruised comfortably to the finish line, eclipsing the century mark on a final bucket from Ross Robertson to punctuate a dominant wire-to-wire performance in which they never trailed.
Up Next
The Wildcats return to action tomorrow, taking on Grand Valley State, which knocked off No. 5 Michigan Tech 79-75 on Friday.
