Great Lakes Wire

In a decisive matchup at Vandament Arena on Thursday night, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team secured a 79-52 victory over Grand Valley State. This win ended NMU's two-game losing streak and halted GVSU's four-game winning run. The Wildcats dominated the second half, outscoring their opponents 45-25.

Dylan Kuehl led the scoring for NMU with 21 points, including 17 in the second half, and contributed nine rebounds. Jackson Dudek made his first start of the season, adding 16 points and achieving a career-high nine boards. Julien Smith and Gerald Gittens Jr. also reached double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively.

The Wildcats' defense was equally effective, limiting Grand Valley to just 32.3% shooting in the second half and maintaining a significant rebound advantage of 46-32 overall. NMU capitalized on turnovers, scoring 18 points off GVSU's errors while allowing none from their own.

Throughout the game, NMU displayed strong starts in both halves, leading early with an 11-3 run in the first five minutes of play and continuing to extend their lead as the game progressed. Despite a brief lapse where GVSU took its only lead at 25-24 before halftime, NMU quickly regained control with a strong finish to the first half.

The Wildcats' performance improved further in the second half as they extended their lead through aggressive plays by Kuehl and others. With this win, Northern Michigan improved to a record of 13-6 overall and 7-4 in conference play. Grand Valley State's record now stands at 10-9 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC.

Northern Michigan will next face Davenport Panthers at home on Saturday, February 1 at 2 p.m.