Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl, top, slams the ball through the hoop with several Wisconsin-Parkside defenders and the Wildcats’ Sam Schultz, lower left, watching during their GLIAC men’s basketball game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

DULUTH, Minn. — The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team ran into a dose of reality over the weekend after facing a pair of nationally ranked teams at the St. Louis County Basketball Classic held in Duluth, Minnesota.

No. 3 Minnesota State-Moorhead recorded an 82-71 victory over the Wildcats on Friday, then No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth pulled off a similar coup Saturday, beating NMU 79-67.

Northern (3-2) has another nonconference game against Concordia at 3 p.m. Saturday before beginning its GLIAC season the following week. The Concordia game will be this Wildcat team’s debut in the refurbished and expanded Vandament Arena after the NMU men hosted NCAA Division I Michigan State in the Superior Dome for an Oct. 13 exhibition known as the Superior Dome Showdown.

The conference opens December for the Wildcats as they host Purdue Northwest at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Wisconsin-Parkside at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Here are details from Duluth:

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Minnesota State-Moorhead 82, NMU 71

On Friday, the Wildcats were still within a single score with 8 1/2 minutes to go before the Dragons pulled away and re-established their double-digit lead.

NMU lost despite balanced scoring as four players reached double digits, led by Julien Smith and Dylan Kuehl each pumping in 16 points. Smith made a pair of 3-pointers and pulled down five rebounds, while Kuehl was 7 of 12 from the field and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Neither player committed a turnover despite each logging 28 minutes court time.

Teammates Sam Privet and Gerald Gittens Jr. added 12 points apiece as each hit a pair of 3s, Privet going 2 for 2 there. Gittens was 4 of 4 on free throws as each had a pair of assists.

Moorhead’s Logan Kinsey led all scorers with 22 points as teammate Jacob Beeninga added 21.

While Kuehl was the game’s high rebounder, it was the Dragons who held a big 39-24 rebounding advantage, at least partially offset by NMU’s fewer turnovers, 14-5.

Northern could only claim a one-point lead three times, all in the first half, as Moorhead led the rest of the time.

The Wildcats’ final lead was 25-24 after Gittens hit a triple with 8:58 left in the opening half, which capped off a 9-0 run that erased Moorhead’s 24-15 advantage barely two minutes earlier.

Northern also tied it 32-32 with 5:26 left in the opening half on a Jackson Dudek free throw as the Dragons opened up a 46-38 advantage at intermission.

Moorhead built its early second-half lead into double digits several times, only to see the Wildcats battle back within a single possession three times later in the half.

The final time was at 63-60 with 8:13 left following a Kuehl layup. After that, the Dragons rebuilt a double-digit lead hitting an 11-point advantage four times down the stretch, including the final score following an Eddie Beeninga free throw with 15 seconds to go.

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Minnesota-Duluth 79, NMU 67

On Saturday, the Wildcats couldn’t overcome a cold-shooting stretch in the middle of the first half to fall behind by double digits. After that, the closest NMU would get is six points.

Despite that, Smith led all scorers with 27 points, making 5 of 9 on 3s and 8 of 8 on free throws. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The only other Wildcat to score in double figures was Kuehl with 12 as he also had five rebounds. Privet added in eight points, and while Brian Parzych didn’t score, he did dish out a game-high five assists.

But they couldn’t overcome a big first half by Duluth’s Matt Thompson, who scored 22 points before intermission, then didn’t score at all in the second half. Teammate Caleb Siwek added 20 and Charlie Katona had 18 points along with a whopping 17 rebounds.

Despite Katona’s effort, though, NMU still held a narrow 34-33 advantage on the boards. But Northern committed 12 turnovers to just five for the Bulldogs.

The Wildcats had a couple of early leads, the final one 6-5 after a Biggie Luster layup with 14:25 left in the first half.

After Michael McNabb made a free throw with 12:32 left to tie it 8-8, the NMU offense went cold. Northern scored just seven points over the next seven minutes as Duluth built a big 32-15 lead with 5:37 left before intermission.

With Duluth ahead 37-24 at halftime, Northern fought back at the start of the second half, starting with an 11-4 streak in the first 2 1/2 minutes to get back within 41-35 on a Smith 3-pointer.

However, the Bulldogs had an answer, scoring 10 straight points over the next two minutes to re-establish a 51-35 lead with 15:18 to go.

After that, Duluth built its lead to as many as 18 points, while the Wildcats only cut it back to single digits — nine points to be exact — twice, the final time at 70-61 with 2:20 to go after Smith sank three free throws.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.