North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan men's basketball team secured a crucial victory against the Roosevelt Lakers on Monday night, winning 75-68. This win places them in a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with two games remaining.

Northern Michigan led from start to finish but had to maintain their effort throughout the game against a determined Roosevelt team. The Wildcats began strongly, establishing a 20-5 lead with a 14-0 run early in the game. Despite this strong start, the match remained competitive until the end.

Roosevelt closed the gap to just one point with five minutes left, but Northern responded with an 11-2 run over 80 seconds to seal the win. Dylan Kuehl was a standout performer for Northern, scoring 15 of his 23 points in the second half and securing 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Gerald Gittens contributed 13 points, while Jackson Dudek and Brian Parzych each added 12 points. Enari Thomas of Roosevelt led all scorers with 27 points.

Northern shot 40.6% compared to Roosevelt's 45.3%, but they dominated on rebounds, pulling down 17 more than their opponents (43-26). This included a season-high of 18 offensive rebounds that resulted in 20 second-chance points.

This victory ends a three-game losing streak for Northern Michigan, bringing their record to 17-9 overall and 11-7 in the GLIAC. They are now tied with Parkside for fourth place and will face them on Thursday in an important matchup for postseason home court advantage.

The game saw Kuehl initiating Northern's offense with a hook shot followed by triples from Dudek and Parzych during their initial run. Although Roosevelt managed to reduce the deficit several times, including narrowing it to one point late in the game, Northern maintained control through strategic plays and timely scoring.

Looking ahead, Northern Michigan will face Parkside Rangers on Thursday, February 27th as both teams vie for fourth place in conference standings.