Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl puts up a shot against Michigan State in the Superior Dome Showdown exhibition basketball game played at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Oct. 13. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Up next: Wildcats remain home to host Purdue Northwest in a GLIAC women’s-men’s doubleheader on Thursday; women’s game at 5:30 p.m., men’s at 7:30 p.m.; Radio: WUPT 100.3 FM The Point

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MARQUETTE — He’s still only a junior, but Northern Michigan University men’s basketball player Dylan Kuehl has already eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier in the early part of this season.

Kuehl, technically a redshirt junior as he didn’t play in his first NMU season of 2021-22, scored a season-high 26 points as the Wildcats devoured Concordia 70-58 on Saturday afternoon in the men’s basketball team’s debut at Vandament Arena.

The NMU men have already played a home exhibition against NCAA Division I Michigan State in the Superior Dome in mid-October, but they hadn’t been back home to inaugurate the refurbished and expanded Vandament Arena until Saturday.

The once-volleyball-only arena seats about 1,500 and now also plays host to the Northern men’s and women’s basketball teams.

NMU, which improved to 4-2, was expected to mash up winless Division III Concordia, but instead, didn’t take the lead for good until Kuehl sank a pair of free throws with 6:19 left to give the Wildcats a 55-53 lead. It came in the middle of a 6-0 run, all on free throws, that turned around a 53-51 deficit.

NMU could’ve been in some trouble if it wasn’t for Kuehl. He not only scored his season high, but did it efficiently, making 8 of 11 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line. He also pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists and even found time to block two shots.

Sam Privet, who made the first two free throws in the 6-0 streak that gave Northern the lead for good, finished with 11 points, also in an efficient manner, as he was 2 of 2 from the floor and 7 of 8 on free throws. His 10 rebounds were also twice as many as any other player on either team.

Julien Smith and Brian Parzych added eight points apiece as Smith had a team-high four assists and Parzych five rebounds.

The Wildcats were actually outscored from the field, but their huge advantage at the free-throw line more than made up for it — NMU was 24 of 32 there while the Falcons were just 3 of 5.

Matt Merlo led Concordia with 11 points, while Severin Hilt and Mekhi Sutton added 10 each. Former NMU player Casey Verhagen added four points and a game-high six assists for the Falcons.

Kuehl reached 1,000 points with a baseline jumper in his team’s opening possession of the second half, becoming the 35th Northern men’s player to join the club. The most recent Wildcat to do that was Max Bjorklund on Feb. 17, 2022.

NMU got off to a fast start as Parzych sank two free throws and Privet one in the game opening 2 1/2 minutes for a 3-0 lead.

Concordia soon after tied it 5-5 before the Wildcats raced off again, building a trio of seven-point leads near the midpoint of the first half. The final time came at 19-12 on a Peter Lattos layup with 8:13 to go.

But the Falcons wouldn’t go away, instead working until they took their first lead, 26-25, 2:46 before halftime on a Jacob Christjohn triple.

With Northern clinging to a 29-28 halftime advantage, Concordia grabbed a pair of three-point leads early in the second half, the final time at 36-33 with 16:49 to go after a Verhagen jumper.

That prompted a Wildcats’ 11-2 spurt as they took a 44-38 lead with 13:32 to go following a Derek Merwick fast-break layup.

But the Falcons still refused to lay down, working back to take a trio of one-possession leads in the middle of the second half, the biggest 53-51 with 7:26 to go on a Merlo trey.

Then the six-free throw spurt — the last four by Kuehl — allowed Northern to start to pull away.

NMU amassed its first double-digit lead of the day, 65-55, with 1:26 remaining after a Gerald Gittens free throw. Two more free throws by Kuehl with 25 seconds to go gave the Wildcats their biggest lead, 69-55, before they settled for the 12-point victory.

Northern kept the Falcons off the free-throw line entirely in the second half, while making 17 of 20 (85%) of their own then.

Up next for the Wildcats is their GLIAC opening weekend at home against Purdue Northwest at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and against Wisconsin-Parkside at 2 p.m. Saturday.

They have two more nonconference games on back-to-back Saturdays before taking a break for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Northern plays Upper Iowa on Dec. 14 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, then hosts Northland at 2 p.m. on Dec. 21.

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