Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl goes for a layup during a GLIAC men’s basketball game played against Roosevelt at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Led by Dylan Kuehl’s career scoring night, the men’s basketball team at Northern Michigan University hit the century mark for the third time this season after a late charge to defeat visiting Roosevelt on Thursday night.

The nationally ranked No. 18 Wildcats posted a 100-87 victory to not only defeat the last-place Lakers, but take over first place alone in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference following former coleader Michigan Tech’s 69-54 loss at home to ninth-place Wisconsin-Parkside.

By improving to 15-4 in league games and 24-5 overall, NMU now has a half-game lead on new second-place Grand Valley State at 15-5 and a full game on the Huskies at 14-5.

NMU can wrap up the league title with a victory against Parkside at 3 p.m. today; of course, that’s the same Rangers team that just upset Tech on Thursday night.

With Grand Valley completing its regular season on Thursday with a 72-64 home victory over Ferris State, the league title could be thrown into turmoil if the Wildcats were to lose today, creating at least a two-way tie at the top, and if MTU wins today, making that a three-way deadlock.

In Thursday’s win over Roosevelt, the outcome was still in doubt past the midpoint of the second half.

Northern led by two points with 8 1/2 minutes to go after the Lakers’ Davon Smith-Johnson hit a 3-pointer.

NMU had built a 12-point lead, 67-55, about six minutes before that when the Wildcats’ Jackson Dudek sank a pair of free throws.

But Northern put the pedal to the metal after Roosevelt pulled within a single bucket, going on an 18-6 run to get its lead back to double digits, 94-80, when Cal Klesmit hit a triple with 3:38 remaining.

NMU kept its lead in double digits down the stretch, hitting the 100-point mark with 26 seconds to go when Bennett Basich slammed home a dunk.

Kuehl finished with 36 points, making 13 of 20 from the field that included 4 of 7 on 3-pointers. He also sank 6 of 7 free throws, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists and didn’t commit a turnover in 33 minutes court time.

He was part of a Northern effort that confounded the Lakers on the boards as NMU held a huge 38-18 rebounding advantage.

Basich finished with game highs of 10 rebounds and six assists while scoring six points. Dudek also grabbed seven rebounds, but contributed mightily to the century effort with 19 points, hitting 7 of 12 from the field, including a 3, and 4 of 4 free throws while also blocking two shots.

Northern’s Charlie Miller added 14 points in just 20 minutes coming off the bench by making 3 of 5 from triple territory, also tacking on three assists. And Klesmit made it four Wildcats scoring in double figures as he put up 10 points, also hitting three 3s and making three assists.

All that production allowed NMU to withstand Roosevelt’s Mikey West pumping in 29 points and Dante Sawyer adding 24. The pair combined to make 22 of 36 shots from the floor, including three 3s.

Both teams shot right around 56% from the field, though the Wildcats made three more baskets, and both were also close to 50% on 3s, again with NMU having more volume there.

Though there weren’t many, Roosevelt did have an advantage in turnovers, 6-2, as Northern didn’t have a single steal.

The teams traded the lead several times in the early going, but when Trevor Polite finished off a traditional three-point play of a layup and free throw with 11:37 to go in the first half, Northern took a 21-20 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

It wasn’t always easy to keep that advantage, however. The Wildcats extended their lead later in the first half to as many as 11 points before settling for a 50-45 edge at halftime.

It slipped to three points on three occasions in the first two minutes of the second half before NMU went on a 9-2 run in just 82 seconds to re-establish a double-digit lead, 63-53, with 16:34 to go after a pair of 3s by Kuehl and another by Klesmit.

The Lakers whittled down their deficit again to 76-74 with 8:38 left before Northern’s final big burst put the win and the 100-point night in the books.

NMU’s earlier triple-digit-scoring nights this season were in a 109-52 win over NCAA Division III Marian on Dec. 14 and a 101-65 thrashing of GLIAC foe Davenport on Jan. 2, both also at Vandament Arena.

NMU 100, Roosevelt 87

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

ROOSEVELT — West 12-4-29, Sawyer 10-2-24, Smith-Johnson 4-4-15, Kleinsmith 3-3-10, Taylor 3-0-7, Reed 1-0-2. Totals 33-13-87.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Kuehl 13-6-36, Dudek 7-4-19, Klesmit 3-1-10, Basich 3-0-6, Privet 1-0-2, Miller 4-3-14, Polite 3-1-7, Hinson 2-0-6. Totals 36-15-100.

Halftime score: NMU 50-45

FG shooting: Roosevelt 33 of 58 (56.9 percent), NMU 36 of 64 (56.3 percent); 3-point shooting: Roosevelt 8 of 16 (50 percent), NMU 13 of 27 (48.1 percent); FT shooting: Roosevelt 13 of 16 (81.3 percent), NMU 15 of 17 (88.2 percent); Rebounding, Roosevelt 18 (Dante Sawyer 4), NMU 38 (Bennett Basich 10); Assists, Roosevelt 8 (Kaleim Taylor 3), NMU 22 (Basich 6); Steals, Roosevelt 4 (4 players with 1 each), NMU 0; Turnovers, Roosevelt 2, NMU 6.

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