North Michigan News

Northern Michigan University's men's basketball team emerged victorious in the GLIAC Quarterfinals, defeating Purdue Northwest 71-63. The Wildcats will now host the semifinals and finals of the tournament this weekend, facing No. 4 Grand Valley State in their semifinal match.

Dylan Kuehl led all scorers with 27 points, shooting an impressive 13-17 from the field. He contributed significantly to Northern's success with 10 points in the first half and 17 in the second. Brian Parzych also scored in double figures for Northern with 15 points, while Brendan Temple led Purdue Northwest with 26 points.

The game began favorably for Northern Michigan as they quickly established an 18-5 lead. However, Purdue Northwest responded with a strong run to tie the game at 20 before taking a halftime lead of 34-30 over the top-seeded Wildcats.

In the second half, Northern regained momentum by making their first seven shots. A layup by Kuehl tied the game at 49, and from there, NMU maintained control until securing victory. The Wildcats outshot Purdue Northwest overall and dominated in assists and points in the paint.

This win marks a departure from recent trends where No.1 seeds have been eliminated early in previous conference tournaments.

Looking ahead, Northern Michigan will face Grand Valley State on March 9 after Grand Valley defeated Michigan Tech. The other semifinal matchup will feature Ferris State against Wayne State following Wayne State's upset over Lake Superior State.