MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University women's basketball team (14-11, 9-7) had a tight competition against a hot Parkside Rangers (16-9, 11-4) squad on Thursday. The 'Cats outlasted the Rangers in a back-and-forth affair for a big 73-67 victory.
Makaylee Kuhn led the team with 22 points. Following behind her was
Mackenzie Holzwart with 11 points. Alyssa Nelson paced all scorers with 23 points for the Rangers.
NMU shot 29-64 (45.3%) from the floor while UWP was 25-58 (43.1%). On the 3-point line, the 'Cats made 5/21 (23.8%) and the Rangers were 5/20 (25.0%).
How It Happened
The first quarter had an abundance of buckets for both teams which led to the score being tied multiple times along with several lead changes.
Vivianne Jende led the 'Cats with six points off the bench while
Sarah Newcomer also made an impact off the bench with a triple. Together, the two went 4-4 for nine points, but UWP's Alyssa Nelson was a lot to handle in the quarter dropping 15 points to help the Rangers hold a slim 18-15 edge through 10 minutes.
The bench production continued in the second with
Abi Fraaza being inserted onto the court and connecting from three. Trailing 20-15, a 9-0 spurt jolted the 'Cats in front 24-20. The Rangers battled back, sneaking a 34-32 lead into recess. The bigs were productive for NMU, with
Ana Rhude snagging seven rebounds and Jende leading with seven points.
Neither side could seem to build out a comfortable lead in the third quarter, knotting the score more than five times. The end of the quarter wrapped up with Wildcats regaining the lead by two points, 52-50.
In a game where not much separation was made, a
Kayla Tierney three with 6:42 to go gave NMU a six-point advantage, the largest lead either side saw the whole night. Stout defense and clutch free throws down the stretch propelled the Wildcats to a 73-67 victory over the Rangers.
Postgame Notes
- Makaylee Kuhn dropped 22 points, her 20th time reaching double figures on the season. It is also the 7th time she reached at least 20.
- Mackenzie Holzwart added 11 points and Vivianne Jende and Sarah Newcomer each chipped in nine. Ana Rhude pulled down nine rebounds along with Kuhn to lead the way on the glass.
- Alyssa Nelson led all scorers with 23 points for the Rangers. She scored 15 of those in the opening quarter.
- In a game that saw several balanced stats between the sides, the Rangers turned the ball over four more times than NMU (14-10). This led to the 'Cats doubling up Parkside in points off turnovers, 16-8.
Up Next
The Wildcats will be back in the Berry when they play Purdue Northwest on February 18, 2023 at 1 p.m. before heading back on the road to go up against Michigan Tech on Saturday, February 25.