Northern Michigan University’s Jackson Dudek dunks in the first half during a GLIAC men’s basketball game played against Michigan Tech at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — You could’ve only heard a pin drop if it had been about 20 of the bowling alley variety in Vandament Arena on Thursday night. And even that wouldn’t have been audible at certain moments.

The men’s basketball team from Northern Michigan University played in front of a sold-out crowd in their arena while taking on top Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech.

And the Wildcats emerged with an important victory to somehow move back into a tie for the top spot in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The spot that NMU had been accustomed to being in — not just first place, but sharing that top position — for almost all of two months was taken away from the Wildcats when they lost at middle-of-the-pack Purdue Northwest last Saturday.

They already needed a win on Thursday to catch back up with one of the co-conspirators at the top, MTU. But Grand Valley State had also pulled ahead by a game, meaning Northern would additionally need a victory from the Lakers’ foe on Thursday, middling Saginaw Valley State.

But NMU and Tech amazingly got the help they needed when the Cardinals not only upset GVSU, but bludgeoned them to the tune of 92-65 on SVSU’s home floor on Thursday.

It leaves the Wildcats, Huskies and Lakers all with 13-4 league records with three games to go in the conference season. The two U.P. rivals are also both 22-5 overall while Grand Valley is 20-5 in all games.

One other thing the trio did was lock out the rest of the conference from catching them. Next closest in the standings is Lake Superior State, four games behind with just three to go.

Thursday’s game at Vandament was described as “thrilling” and “high intensity” by NMU Sports Information in its account of the game.

Neither team grabbed a lead of more than one possession for nearly 10 minutes. Around the midpoint of the first half, Northern went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 18-10 with 9:43 left in the first half, capped off by a dunk from the Wildcats’ Charlie Miller.

Though the home team wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the night, it was no simple matter fending off Tech.

As soon NMU’s lead hit eight, the Huskies hit back-to-back baskets 45 seconds apart to get it back to 18-15 with 8:01 left in the opening half.

Less than five minutes later, Northern assumed its first double-digit lead, 30-19, with 3:18 to go when Dylan Kuehl made a layup.

After the Wildcats settled for a 32-24 halftime edge, the Huskies made a couple runs in the second half but were never able to make it a one-possession game again.

Twice they got within four points in the first five-plus minutes of the second half, the second time at 40-36 with 14:55 to go after a Gabe Smith layup.

Then it was NMU’s turn to go on a scoring streak, working its advantage back to 15 points on two occasions, the final time 58-43 with 7:39 left after a Sam Privet dunk.

Tech’s final gasp shaved 10 points off that, making it 63-58 with 2:40 remaining after a pair of Dawson Nordgaard free throws.

But the visitors would pull no closer, and instead, Northern upped its lead back to double digits when Privet hit a pair of freebies with 22 seconds to go that made it 69-58.

Some of the Wildcats’ usual suspects showed up luminously on the stat sheet, Kuehl leading all scorers with 23 points after he made a pair of 3-pointers and 9 of 15 overall from the field. He added four assists and a game-high 11 rebounds while not committing a turnover in 35 minutes court time.

Among the rotating cast of Kuehl’s helpers on offense, on this night it was Privet adding 16 points as he also hit a pair of 3s, made 6 of 9 overall from the field and sank 2 of 2 free throws. He tacked on five rebounds and also didn’t commit a turnover in 24 minutes.

Miller added nine points, making 4 of 4 free throws and pulling in six rebounds, while Jackson Dudek put up eight points and seven rebounds. Cal Klesmit added seven points, struggling with his shotmaking, but dished out a game-high five assists.

Tech was paced by Nordgaard with 18 points as the GLIAC’s No. 2 scorer, teammate Marcus Tomashek, managed just 15 points as he was 6 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 12 on triples.

Many of the team stats were quite even, but four more MTU fouls, 14-10, gave the Wildcats 22 trips to the free throw line, where they converted 17 of them for a 77% clip. Tech was just 5 of 7 there.

Northern split its games with both Tech and Grand Valley this season, so there’s no advantage there in end-of-season tiebreakers. But the Lakers swept MTU, so some type of edge might go to GVSU if all three end up tied in a little over two weeks.

First, though, NMU has to worry about staying in that deadlock, having its final road game of the regular season at 3 p.m. today in Big Rapids against Ferris State. At 7-9 in the GLIAC, the Bulldogs are in the middle of a grunge pit where 3 1/2 games separate fourth place from 10th.

Next week, the Wildcats finish the campaign at home, where they’ll also play in the GLIAC quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Northern hosts last-place Roosevelt, then at 3 p.m. next Saturday, NMU entertains 10th-place Wisconsin-Parkside.

Tech gets those same two opponents also at home next week, just on opposite days.

Grand Valley’s three remaining games are at fourth-place LSSU on Saturday, at eighth-place Davenport on Tuesday, then home against Ferris on Thursday.

NMU 68, Mich. Tech 57

Thursday at Vandament Arena

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

MICHIGAN TECH — Nordgaard 7-4-18, Tomashek 6-0-15, Abel 4-0-10, Smith 4-1-9, Terrian 1-0-3, Fernholz 1-0-3, Schmainda 1-0-2, Napgezek 1-0-2, Warren 1-0-2. Totals 26-5-64.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Kuehl 9-3-23, Privet 6-2-16, Dudek 3-2-8, Klesmit 1-4-7, Basich 1-2-5, Miller 2-4-9, Polite 1-0-2. Totals 23-17-70.

Halftime score: NMU 32-24

FG shooting: Michigan Tech 26 of 60 (43.3 percent), NMU 23 of 56 (41.1 percent); 3-point shooting: Michigan Tech 7 of 24 (29.2 percent), NMU 7 of 23 (30.4 percent); FT shooting: Michigan Tech 5 of 7 (71.4 percent), NMU 17 of 22 (77.3 percent); Rebounding, Michigan Tech 33 (Nate Abel 8), NMU 38 (Dylan Kuehl 11); Assists, Michigan Tech 12 (Josh Terrian 3), NMU 16 (Cal Klesmit 5); Steals, Michigan Tech 1 (Gabe Smith 1), NMU 3 (3 players with 1 each); Turnovers, Michigan Tech 5, NMU 4.

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.