ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team led 23-11 late in the first quarter against the No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers, but were outscored 53-24 the rest of the way in a 64-47 defeat Saturday afternoon in Allendale.
Northern was near perfect from three in the first quarter, going 5-6, to hold a 23-16 advantage after 10 minutes. From there, the No. 1 Grand Valley squad and its No. 2 ranked defense took over, holding NMU to 10-41 (24.4%) shooting in the final three frames. The paint was a key to success for Grand Valley, outrebounding NMU 42-35 and scoring 34 points in the paint to just 20 for the 'Cats.
Makaylee Kuhn scored 11 for the 'Cats and added five assists as she is now just eight points off of the all-time Northern scoring mark.
Sarah Newcomer added 11 points on three triples while
Ana Rhude posted a near double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Rylie Bisballe and Nicole Kamin both scored 16 for GVSU.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 9-4 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC, while GVSU improved to 12-1 and 3-0 in the conference.
How It Happened
A pair of early triples from
Sarah Newcomer and
Makaylee Kuhn helped combat Rylie Bisballe scoring the first nine for GVSU, as the 'Cats led 14-9 at the first media timeout.
Alyssa Nimz then came off the bench and made an immediate impact, scoring a quick five points including NMU's third triple in four tries to give the 'Cats a 17-9 edge on the No. 1 Lakers.
After a couple of turnovers stalled the Green and Gold offense, the three-ball got the offense right back in rhythm. This time it was Newcomer adding her second and
Jacy Weisbrod joining in on the three-point barrage. The 'Cats were 5-6 from downtown in the first quarter and briefly led by a dozen, but settled for a 23-16 lead after 10 minutes.
Northern led 23-11 with 1:54 to go in the first, but went cold, not scoring again until the clock read 6:09 left in the half, a drought of 5:45. The Grand Valley offense used defense to get back into it, knotting the score at 25's with 4:23 to go in the half. GV was able to regain the lead, but Newcomer crossed double figures with a contested jumper late in the half to give NMU a slim 32-31 edge at intermission. She led the way in the first half with 11 points on 3-3 from beyond the arc.
Ana Rhude scored the first four of the second half for NMU to reach 10 on the afternoon, but GVSU put together a 6-0 run and led by six, 44-38, halfway through the third quarter. The Lakers outscored the Wildcats 19-10 in the quarter and led 50-42 with 10 minutes to play.
Unfortunate for Northern, the top-ranked Lakers didn't waver down the stretch, outscoring NMU again in the final frame, 14-5, to pull away for a 64-47 victory.
Up Next
The Wildcats will return home for two next week, starting with the Lake Superior State Lakers on Thursday, January 11th at 5:30 p.m. in the Berry Events Center.
