CHICAGO – After scoring a career-high 30 points on Thursday night at Parkside,
Cal Klesmit scored 17 of his game-high 20 points over a six-minute stretch in the second half to help the Northern Michigan Wildcats pull away from the Roosevelt Lakers for an 85-64 win.
With just under 10 minutes left, the Wildcats held a slim 61-54 lead. The game then entered takeover mode from Klesmit, as a steal sparked a pair of free throws. He then added three triples during a 15-0 run. For good measure, he tacked on an and-one and another three soon after, turning his three points at halftime into a game-high 20.
Klesmit finished 6-for-10 from the floor and an impressive 5-for-7 (71.4%) from three. If his 20 points weren't enough, he recorded career-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (7).
It wasn't just Klesmit carrying the load. Northern had a balanced attack:
Charlie Miller added 17 points on a season-high five triples,
Jackson Dudek had 16,
Dylan Kuehl 11, and
Sam Privet 10.
The Wildcats were lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down 16 of 32 attempts — the most in a game since hitting 18 vs. Concordia (WI) on Nov. 21, 2021. Klesmit and Miller each had five, while Dudek added four — a career high.
Northern dished out a season-high 25 assists. Klesmit led the way with seven,
Trevor Polite had six, Miller five, and Kuehl four. The Wildcats also committed just seven turnovers, improving their assist-to-turnover ratio to 1.9, good for a top-five mark across all of Division II.
Northern held a 32-23 rebounding advantage, with Klesmit's eight leading the way.
With the victory, NMU remains unbeaten in conference play at 2-0, pushing its overall season record to 6-1.
How it Happened
Roosevelt opened red hot from deep, knocking down its first three triple attempts. Northern kept pace early, getting a pair of paint buckets from Kuehl and triples from Dudek and Miller to trail just 11-10 in a fast-paced first five minutes.
The Wildcats then strung together an 8-0 run behind another set of threes from Dudek and Miller to go up 20-16, prompting a Roosevelt timeout midway through the half.
Miller stayed on fire with his third triple, sparking a decisive 13-0 surge. Klesmit — coming off his 30-point night at Parkside — buried his first three of the game during the run, and
Isaiah Allen added another from deep as NMU built a 41-27 cushion. The Wildcats held Roosevelt scoreless for more than five and a half minutes during the stretch.
Northern carried a 41-31 lead into the break after shooting an efficient 17-30 (56.7%) from the floor. The ball movement was excellent, as they assisted on 14 of their 17 field goals and committed just three turnovers.
Roosevelt opened the second half the same way it started the first, knocking down a pair of threes to trim the margin to four. Northern responded immediately, with Polite scoring inside and Miller hitting his fourth and fifth triples to restore a double-digit lead.
Dudek added his third three of the game, but the Lakers continued to hang around. Their eighth triple cut the deficit to 54-50 with 12:45 remaining. Kuehl answered with a three, and Privet delivered back-to-back buckets to push the lead to 61-52 at the midway point.
Klesmit then sparked another surge. A steal led to two free throws, followed by a three to put NMU back up 66-54. Moments later, Kuehl slammed home a one-handed dunk — a familiar sight in Northern's second-half runs this season.
Klesmit stayed in takeover mode, drilling two more triples as part of a 15-0 run that blew the game open at 76-58 with four minutes left. Roosevelt went scoreless from 9:41 to 3:58 while Klesmit tallied 17 points in just over six minutes, raising his total to 20.
Northern cruised to the finish, outscoring Roosevelt 44-33 in the second half.
Up Next
The Wildcats will host Concordia (WI) on Thursday, Dec. 11, and Marian (WI) on Sunday, Dec. 14, before their trip to Puerto Rico for three games Dec. 18-20.
