North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan men's basketball team secured a 75-62 victory over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Saturday. A decisive 19-0 run at the start of the second half played a crucial role in their win.

At halftime, the Wildcats were trailing 33-28. However, they quickly turned the game around with a strong performance led by Cal Klesmit and Gerald Gittens Jr., each contributing significantly to the team's second-half surge. The duo hit three triples apiece, helping NMU outscore SVSU 47-29 in that period.

Julien Smith topped the scoring chart for NMU with 17 points, followed by Sam Privet with 16. Klesmit added 12 points, while Dylan Kuehl and Gittens Jr. both scored 11. Derek Merwick set a personal best with six assists in his first start, and Privet grabbed eight rebounds to lead on the boards. Freddie McIntosh of SVSU was the game's leading scorer with 21 points.

The Wildcats shot 43.4% from the field compared to SVSU's 36.7%. They excelled at free throws, converting an impressive 86.4%, marking their second-best performance this season from the line. NMU also capitalized on turnovers, holding a significant advantage in points off turnovers.

Initially, it was SVSU who took control early in the game with a hot shooting streak leading to a quick advantage of 16-3 just over four minutes into play. Despite this early setback, NMU responded defensively and offensively to regain momentum before halftime.

In their upcoming games, NMU faces challenging road matches against Ferris State and Lake Superior State, starting with Ferris State on January 23rd at 7:30 p.m.