MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men's basketball team outscored the Marian Sabres 61-21 in the second half to pull away with a commanding 109-52 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Jackson Dudek erupted for a career high 29 points to lead the way in just 22 minutes of action. He shot 10-12 (83.3%), a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc, and 6-6 at the free throw line. He scored eight points on a 12-0 run to regain the lead in the first half and totaled 19 in the first half. He also led the way on the glass with seven rebounds. 

Dylan Kuehl followed with 20 points on 8-10 (80%) shooting. Cal Klesmit and Cody Schmitz each chipped in 10 more. 

The Wildcats shot 40-63 (63.5%) for the game, their best shooting performance since shooting 65.8% in a 125-50 win over Finlandia on Dec. 18, 2022. NMU led in rebounds 41-20 and points in the paint 62-12.

Northern dished out 27 assists, edging their season best of 25 set against Roosevelt. Klesmit handed out a career-best eight to lead the way, while eight other 'Cats recorded at least one. The Wildcats were also productive with 24 Marian turnovers, converting them into 44 points. 

With the victory, NMU improves to 8-1 on the season. 


How it Happened
Northern traded early threes with Marian to open the game, as Charlie Miller knocked down a pair from deep to give the Wildcats a 6-3 edge. The Sabres responded with a 10-2 run to move in front 13-8, but Northern quickly settled in. Jackson Dudek sparked the response by knocking down a pair of free throws and a three to reclaim a 17-16 lead at the 10:53 mark.

From there, the Wildcats seized full control. A 12-0 run pushed NMU ahead 24-16 with 8:30 remaining, with Dudek scoring 10 points in a span of less than four minutes. Dylan Kuehl followed with eight straight points of his own as Northern built its first double-digit lead. The surge continued into an 18-0 run as the Wildcats flipped a 16-12 deficit at 12:21 into a commanding 45-22 advantage at the 1:38 mark — a dominant 33-6 stretch over nearly 11 minutes.

Dudek buried another corner three late as Northern carried a 48-31 lead into the break. Dudek was nearly flawless in the opening half, going 6-7 from the field and 3-3 from three for 19 points. Marian was paced by Marvin Haslett with 18. Northern shot 17-for-30 (56.7%) in the half, held a 20-9 rebounding edge and outscored Marian 22-8 in the paint.

Northern wasted no time pulling away after halftime, erupting for 18 unanswered points in the first four minutes as Kuehl scored eight during the run to quickly stretch the lead to 66-31. Brooks Hinson connected from deep and Isaiah Allen followed with a dunk as the margin ballooned to 72-34 with 14 minutes remaining.

The Wildcats kept pouring it on. Aidan Bellise drilled a three to make it a 40-point gap, 84-44, just past the midway point of the half. Less than four minutes later, a Bennett Basich steal and layup stretched the lead past 50, 97-46. That was part of another 13-1 run as Northern cracked the century mark at 101-47.

Cody Schmitz added 10 points late as the Wildcats cruised to a 109-52 victory. Northern outscored Marian 61-21 in the second half while shooting an impressive 23-for-33 (69.7%) after the break.


Up Next
Northern will head to Puerto Rico for three games, taking place Dec.18-20.