Wildcats are 4-1
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Northern Michigan turned in a complete team performance on both ends of the floor on Saturday afternoon in a 79-53 win over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.
The Wildcats’ defense set the tone, forcing prolonged scoring droughts in both halves as the Bulldogs shot just 19-61 (31.1%) from the field and 6-20 (30.0%) from three. Northern also controlled the glass, finishing with 42 rebounds to Duluth’s 32.
NMU complemented its defensive dominance with efficient offense. The Wildcats shot 50% from the field and from three (28-56, 14-28), making their most triples since Jan. 27, 2024, when they hit 15 against Michigan Tech.
Brooks Hinson had his best game of the season, scoring 13 points on 5-9 shooting, including 3-5 from three, while also dishing out a game-high six assists. Dylan Kuehl led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and Jackson Dudek recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Charlie Miller and Sam Privet added 13 and 12 points, respectively, as five Wildcats reached double figures. NMU also set a season-best with 19 assists.
The Wildcats’ defensive effort extended to limiting Duluth’s leading scorer, Caleb Siwek (22.0 ppg), to just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.
The win moves Northern Michigan to 4-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 5-2.
How it Happened
Minnesota Duluth opened the game with a quick 4-0 lead, but both teams struggled to generate offense out of the gate. Trevor Polite provided an early spark with an emphatic block at the rim, helping keep the Wildcats within range, but they opened 0-5 from the field. UMD wasn’t much sharper, starting 1- 7 as the game crawled through the first four minutes.
Northern finally broke through at the 15:34 mark when Sam Privet cut to the basket for the team’s first points off a feed from Dylan Kuehl. Kuehl followed with a three on the next possession, giving NMU its first lead at 5-4, five minutes in. Privet then added a three of his own, and he and Kuehl accounted for the Wildcats’ first nine points as the offense slowly found its footing.
The backcourt joined in soon after, with Cal Klesmit drilling a pair of triples to push Northern ahead 17-13 midway through the half. The Wildcats’ momentum continued when Jackson Dudek converted a four-point play, sparking a 9-0 run that extended the lead to 21-13.
NMU continued to tighten the screws defensively as the half wore on. The Wildcats held Duluth to just one field goal over a span of 7:30, with the Bulldogs shooting 1-10 from the floor during that stretch. UMD managed to stay within reach by getting to the free-throw line.
The Wildcats then caught fire from long range late in the first half to build real separation. Dudek drilled a 3-pointer, followed by makes from Charlie Miller, Brooks Hinson and Privet as NMU stretched its lead to 42-27 with 35 seconds left. The surge pushed Northern to close the half 8-12 from beyond the arc after starting the afternoon 1-4 from deep.
Trevor Polite added a putback in the final seconds to close the half, giving NMU a 44-30 advantage at the break. The Wildcats made six of their final seven shots and finished the half at 15 for 29 (51.7%) from the field and 9 for 16 (56.3%) from three-point range, fueled by balanced scoring and a strong defensive stretch.
Northern carried its momentum into the second half, starting with back-to-back buckets in the paint from Kuehl. Dudek added another three a few possessions later, helping the Wildcats maintain a 53-38 lead five minutes into the half.
NMU broke things open shortly after with a 10-0 run fueled by a pair of threes from Hinson. The surge pushed the margin to 65-42 at the midway point of the half as the Wildcats’ perimeter shooting continued to shine.
Miller kept the long-range barrage going, knocking down back-to-back threes himself to make it 71-50 with 5:32 remaining. From there, the game slowed, and Minnesota Duluth endured another prolonged scoring drought of more than seven minutes while NMU continued to dictate the pace.
The Wildcats closed the afternoon by scoring 14 of the final 17 points, capped by an Isaiah Allen dunk to finish off a 79-53 victory. Northern outscored UMD 35-23 in the second half to seal the win in convincing fashion.
Up Next
The Wildcats open up GLIAC play next weekend on the road, starting with a visit to Parkside on Thursday, December 4.
