Career-high 35 points, 18-16 double-double helps the Wildcats to two wins
MARQUETTE, Mich. – After delivering one of the most impressive two-game stretches of his Northern Michigan career, graduate forward Dylan Kuehl has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Kuehl opened the weekend with a career performance on Friday in a 73-65 win over Northern State at the Justagame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells. The graduate forward poured in a career-high 35 points on 13-22 (59.1%) shooting, going 7-8 at the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and a team-high five assists. He scored 18 points in the first half, including 12 in the final five minutes to turn a deficit into a 31-26 lead. He later sealed the win with 17 more in the second half, repeatedly answering Northern State’s push with timely baskets.
He carried that momentum into Saturday, powering the Wildcats to a decisive 69-51 win over Northwest Missouri State, snapping the Bearcats’ five-game winning streak in the first-ever meeting between the programs. He recorded an authoritative 18-point, 16-rebound double-double, finishing just one board shy of his career high. Kuehl scored nine points during NMU’s pivotal 14-2 run to begin the second half and added four assists, a block, and a steal in the victory.
Across the two games, Kuehl averaged 26.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. The performance also moved Kuehl into the top 10 on NMU’s all-time scoring list, now sitting at 1,538 career points. Through two weeks, he leads the GLIAC in scoring at 22.0 points per game, stands third in both rebounds (8.0) and field-goal percentage (56.7%), and ranks fourth in assists at 3.8 per contest.
The Wildcats are back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 26, hosting Concordia (Wis.) for their home opener at 2 p.m. inside Vandament Arena.
