WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team used a commanding 27-7 second quarter to triumph the Quincy Hawks 82-56 on Sunday at the Waterpark Capital of the World. 

Northern saw all 10 who entered the game find the net in the contest, with Makaylee Kuhn leading the way on an efficient 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. She shot 8-13 from the floor and added three steals. Alyssa Nimz tied a career-high with 11 points, all coming in the first half before foul trouble. Nimz wasn't the only 'Cat to hit a career-high, as Reide Osterman recorded 10 points, all in the final quarter, on 4-6 shooting with a pair of threes. Jacy Weisbrod chipped in 11 of her own backed by three triples. 

The 82 points was the second best output for Northern this season. The 'Cats shot 32-70 (45.7%) from the field while holding Quincy to 21-59 (35.6%). NMU forced the Hawks into 18 turnovers while only giving the ball up eight times themselves, leading to a 21-7 tripling in points off turnovers. NMU also dominated off the bench, with 42 points coming from the reserve unit. 

Northern had the helping hand in full effect throughout the contest, assisting 19 times, one off of their season-high. Eight Wildcats recorded an assist, with Mackenzie Holzwart's six and Braelyn Torres' four leading the way.  

The 'Cats improve to 7-3 on the season with the victory, while dropping the Hawks to 4-8. 


How it Happened
The Wildcats had a bit of a sluggish start, facing an early 7-0 hole after missing their first five shots. The first scratch 3:22 into the game from Alyssa Nimz. NMU trailed 10-4 at the first quarter media timeout after former Wildcat Taya Stevenson knocked down a triple. NMU put together a late 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 17-13 after 10 minutes. 

Consecutive jumpers from Mackenzie Holzwart and Nimz pushed Northern ahead for the first time on the evening. Nimz didn't stop there, adding another nice touch off the glass the next trip down the floor to trigger a Quincy timeout, with NMU up 21-18 at 7:38 of the 2nd quarter. The Green and Gold second quarter run extended all the way to 16-2, with Nimz completing an old-fashioned three-point play to reach 11 points and giving NMU a double-digit advantage, 29-19, halfway through the second stanza. 

After Quincy hit their first field goal over six minutes into quarter two, NMU instantly responded with a 7-0 spurt on a three from Jacy Weisbrod sandwiched between a pair of buckets from Makaylee Kuhn. In what seemed like a perfect quarter, Kuhn beat the halftime horn for a 40-24 halftime lead. NMU outscored the Hawks 27-7, shooting 12-20 (60.0%) to QU's 2-18 (11.1%) in the second. 

A lot of back-and-forth play ensued in the third quarter, without any significant runs taking place. Braelyn Torres scored her first points late in the third to give Northern its largest lead to date at 19. For the second straight quarter, NMU beat the horn, with Torres hitting a three to stay ahead by 19, 58-39, after three quarters of play. 

In the fourth, CJ Romero banked in a three as she was the tenth Wildcat to enter the scoring column. The fourth quarter belonged to NMU, led by Osterman scoring 10 in the frame.


Up Next
It will be a quick turnaround for the 'Cats, as they host the Northwood Timberwolves on Tuesday, December 19th at 1 p.m. in the PEIF Gym in what will be the final game for NMU in the 2023 calendar year.