After posting an 85-47 victory over Interamericana University on Thursday, the Wildcats added an 81-42 win over Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Friday and a 97-54 triumph past Puerto Rico-Bayamon on Saturday.

Northern has put up some gaudy numbers at this early point in the season, leading all of NCAA Division II in scoring defense at 57.3 points per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9-to-1, also in the top three nationally with a 27.1-point scoring margin and 14.3 per-game rebound margin.

NMU (11-1) takes off time for Christmas before returning home for a more domestic challenge to start the new year at Vandament Arena. Northern hosts GLIAC foe Davenport at 7:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day, then entertains another conference challenger, Grand Valley State, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Here are details from the final two games in Puerto Rico:

Northern Michigan University’s Pryce Gregoire, center, goes up for a dunk past several Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras players during their college men’s basketball game played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

NMU 81, PR-Rio Piedras 42

On Friday evening, unlike in their opener against Interamericana, the Wildcats dominated from the get-go, racing to a 15-0 lead in the game’s first eight minutes before the Gallitos got on the scoreboard when Emmanuel Marrero made a layup with 11:46 remaining in the first half.

Regular leading-scorer Dylan Kuehl put up six of Northern’s first eight points, outpacing the total he had all game vs. Interamericana. Teammate Bennett Basich also had a layup and 3-pointer in the opening stretch, while Isaiah Allen made a pair of free throws.

Rio Piedras kept the Wildcats from opening the lead up much more after the early streak, though NMU got to its first 20-point lead when Charlie Miller sank a triple with 39 seconds left in the first half to make it 38-18.

Still ahead 38-20 at halftime, Northern broke things open further to start the second half, getting to a 30-point lead, 54-24, with 14:05 left on a Kuehl layup.

Their biggest lead of 40 points, 69-29, came with 6:40 left on a Cody Schmitz layup.

Kuehl finished as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points in just 21 minutes court time — actually the most playing time by any NMU player — as he was efficient with his shots, making 6 of 9 overall and 2 of 2 on triples. He added in a game-high seven rebounds to go with two steals and two assists.

Teammate Jackson Dudek contributed 13 points in 20 minutes, making 5 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 treys, while Cal Klesmit had eight points with a pair of triples to go with six rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Sixteen Wildcats saw action with 15 scoring and 15 also getting at least one rebound.

Erwin Cardona paced the Gallitos with 11 points.

NMU 97, PR-Bayamon 54

On Saturday evening, Northern wrapped up its tropical wave with another dominating performance, never trailing and opening up a double-digit lead just past the midpoint of the first half.

Klesmit returned to his sharpshooting ways, pumping in 23 points in just 21 minutes by making 8 of 12 from the field, including 7 of 10 on 3-pointers without even getting to try a free throw. He also had five rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Dudek was even more a model of efficiency, scoring 14 points with just one miss all night — on a free throw. While just 1 of 2 from the line, he was 5 of 5 from the field, including 3 of 3 on triples.

For the season, he’s now shooting a sizzling 59% on 3-pointers, 24 of 41.

Allen contributed 13 points, making 6 of 9 from the field and grabbing five rebounds while dishing out three assists.

Basich, the reigning GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, led all rebounders with eight boards, while scoring three points and also getting two steals and two assists.

Miller led all players with five assists while scoring five points and making three steals, while Kuehl had a modest seven points but made the only two blocked shots by a player from either team, adding in three rebounds.

Eddiel Melendez led the Cowboys with 17 points as he hit a trio of 3s, while teammate Adriel Crespo added 16 points.

The Wildcats continued their recent dominance on the boards, this night holding a 42-24 edge there for a 229-100 rebounding advantage over their last five games against a pair of D-III schools from Wisconsin, Concordia and Marian, and their three foes from Puerto Rico. That equates to an average 46-20 edge each of those five games.

Against Bayamon, NMU needed less than four minutes to turn a narrow 11-9 lead into a 29-10 bulge with 7:41 left in the first half on a Klesmit triple.

Another late-first-half run put Northern ahead 48-25 at halftime, with the lead quickly growing to 30, 57-27, on a pair of Miller free throws with 16:51 left.

The Wildcats’ biggest lead came with 1:54 remaining, 97-49, on a Keller Hanson dunk.

During the late-game run, Allen and Aidan Bellisle each hits 3s, as did Nathan Fife for his first collegiate basket as NMU finished with 17 made triples, a season high.

NMU 81, PR-Rio Piedras 42

Friday at San Juan, Puerto Rico

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

PUERTO RICO-RIO PIEDRAS — Cardona 4-2-11, Rios 3-0-9, Rosa 0-3-3, Marrero 2-1-5, Davila 1-2-4, Ramirez 0-3-3, Gonzalez 0-3-3, Santana 1-0-2, Rivera 0-2-2. Totals 11-16-42.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Kuehl 6-1-15, Dudek 5-1-13, Klesmit 3-2-8, Miller 2-0-6, Polite 2-1-5, Basich 3-0-7, Schmitz 1-3-5, Privet 1-2-4, Gregoire 2-0-4, Hinson 1-0-3, Hanson 1-0-3, Allen 0-2-2, Robertson 1-0-2, Ingalls 1-0-2, Bellisle 1-0-2. Totals 30-10-81.

Halftime score: NMU 38-20

FG shooting: PR-Rio Piedras 11 of 44 (25 percent), NMU 30 of 66 (45.5 percent); 3-point shooting: PR-Rio Piedras 4 of 18 (22.2 percent), NMU 11 of 31 (35.5 percent); FT shooting: PR-Rio Piedras 16 of 19 (84.2 percent), NMU 10 of 14 (71.4 percent); Rebounding, PR-Rio Piedras 26 (Neftaly Diaz 5), NMU 43 (Dylan Kuehl 7); Assists, PR-Rio Piedras 8 (8 players with 1 each), NMU 20 (Charlie Miller and Isaiah Allen 4 each); Steals, PR-Rio Piedras 6 (Ivan Rosa 2), NMU 8 (Kuehl and Cal Klesmit 2 each); Turnovers, PR-Rio Piedras 18, NMU 10.

NMU 97, PR-Bayamon 54

Saturday at San Juan, Puerto Rico

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

PUERTO RICO-BAYAMON — Melendez 4-6-17, Crespo 6-4-16, Negron 4-5-13, Soto 0-1-1, Maya 1-2-4, Romero 1-0-2, Matos 0-1-1. Totals 16-19-54.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Klesmit 8-0-23, Dudek 5-1-14, Kuehl 3-1-7, Miller 1-2-5, Polite 1-0-3, Allen 6 -0-13, Robertson 3-0-7, Privet 3-1-7, Basich 1-1-3, Hinson 1-0-3, Fife 1-0-3, Bellisle 1-0-3, Hanson 1-0-2, Schmitz 0-2-2, Gregoire 1-0-2. Totals 36-8-97.

Halftime score: NMU 48-25

FG shooting: PR-Bayamon 16 of 47 (34.0 percent), NMU 36 of 66 (54.5 percent); 3-point shooting: PR-Bayamon 3 of 18 (16.7 percent), NMU 17 of 38 (44.7 percent); FT shooting: PR-Bayamon 19 of 25 (76 percent), NMU 8 of 14 (57.1 percent); Rebounding, PR-Bayamon 24 (Joel Negron 6), NMU 42 (Bennett Basich 8); Assists, PR-Bayamon 9 (Eddiel Melendez and Edgardo Hernandez 2 each), NMU 22 (Charlie Miller 5); Steals, PR-Bayamon 9 (Negron 3), NMU 16 (Cal Klesmit 4); Turnovers, PR-Bayamon 19, NMU 12.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.