MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan women's basketball team improved to 9-3 (4-1 GLIAC) on the season with a resounding 57-39 victory over Hillsdale Saturday afternoon at the Berry Events Center.

The Wildcats limited the Chargers to just nine points in the first half and held a 39-9 advantage by the 8:12 mark of the third quarter.

While Hillsdale scored 30 of the next 48 points, Northern Michigan's early lead proved to be insurmountable.

Jessica Schultz led the Wildcats, recording a career high 19 points and seven rebounds. Darby Youngstrom posted her third double double of the season with 14 points and a game-best 10 boards.

In the first quarter, Northern Michigan used a 12-0 run that ran from 4:29 to 1:22 to take a 15-2 lead. The Wildcats carried the momentum from that run into the second quarter, outscoring the Chargers, 20-5, and holding them without a basket from 6:56 to 2:37.

Schultz layups on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter gave Northern Michigan its 39-9 lead, its largest of the game.

Erin Honkala contributed 11 points off of the bench. Youngstrom led the team with five assists while Schultz had a team-best three blocks.

The Wildcats' 9-3 start is their best since the 2013-14 campaign, when they opened the season by winning 10 of their first 12 games. In 2014-15, they started 7-5; last season, they were 4-8 through their opening 12 games.

Northern Michigan returns to action on Jan. 2 by hosting Finlandia at 6 p.m.