Story courtesy of NMU Sports Information. Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos taken by RRN's Casey Ford.
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UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – It was a complete team effort for the No. 20 Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, as they earned an 86-77 road victory over Saginaw Valley State behind balanced scoring and timely execution.
Five Wildcats reached double figures, with two others narrowly missing the mark. The most notable all-around performance came from redshirt freshman Bennett Basich, who impacted the game in nearly every facet. Basich posted a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double, controlling the glass while also leading the team with five assists and three steals. He added two blocks and repeatedly made winning plays on both ends, especially during key stretches of the second half.
Cal Klesmit led all scorers with 19 points, doing much of his damage from beyond the arc by knocking down five triples. Dylan Kuehl added 13 points of his own, narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds, while also contributing three blocks on the defensive end. Jackson Dudek provided a strong presence early, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half, and Brooks Hinson matched him with 11 points off the bench to give Northern another steady scoring option.
As a team, the Wildcats were efficient offensively, finishing 28-of-58 (48.3%) from the field and 11-of-25 (44.0%) from three-point range. Northern paired that shooting with a physical interior presence, holding a 40-32 rebounding advantage and outscoring SVSU 34-28 in the paint.
Defensively, the Wildcats were active and disruptive around the rim throughout the afternoon, recording six blocks overall, including five in the second half.
With the win, Northern improves to 16-2 overall and 7-1 in GLIAC play, remaining tied atop the conference standings with Michigan Tech, which also picked up a victory on Saturday.
