CROOKSTON, Minn. – Jacy Weisbrod tied her career high with 29 points to lead No. 18 Northern Michigan to an 89-57 road win over Minnesota Crookston on Saturday.

Weisbrod shot 11-21 from the field and 7-13 from three-point range. She led four players in double figures, as Faith Walder added a season-best 13 points on 6-7 shooting, while Sydney Whitehouse and Madison Schroeder each scored 11. Alyssa Hill pulled down 10 rebounds to pace the Wildcats on the glass.

Northern trailed 17-16 after the first quarter, but exploded for 32 points in the second, shooting a mesmerizing 13-17 (76.5%) from the field. Leading 48-39 at halftime, NMU switched to a defensively-dominant quarter in the third, outscoring Crookston 21-5 to pull away and lead 69-44 going to the final frame. 

The Wildcats turned the ball over just seven times, while recording nine steals on 17 Crookston turnovers. NMU created separation in points off turnovers, dominating the Golden Eagles 26-5. 

With the victory, Northern now sits at 7-1 through eight games. 


How it Happened
Northern opened the game with a strong start as Jacy Weisbrod knocked down the game's first  triple to help the Wildcats to a quick 5-2 lead. Minnesota Crookston responded with five straight points to move ahead 7-5, and the opening quarter settled into a back-and-forth rhythm. Neither team could create separation, and UMC held a narrow 17-16 edge after the first.

NMU's offense shifted gears in the second quarter as the Wildcats attacked the paint. They scored the first six points of the frame to reclaim a 22-17 lead and kept pushing inside to dictate the tempo. Northern recorded 15 points in the first four minutes alone, building a 31-23 advantage as the pressure continued to mount on the Golden Eagles.

Schroeder added to the momentum with a strong and-one finish at the rim, and the Wildcats continued to pour it on from multiple levels. Jacy stayed hot from deep, drilling her fourth 3-pointer of the half to reach 16 points before the break. NMU's offense was nearly flawless in the quarter, shooting an exceptional 13-17 (76.5%) for 32 points. Despite the Wildcats' surge, Minnesota Crookston kept the margin from ballooning by matching the pace with its own efficient quarter. The Golden Eagles put up 22 points in the second quarter to stay within reach, but NMU carried the momentum and a sizable lead into halftime, 48-39. 

Northern doubled up the Golden Eagles 28-14 in the paint, and Weisbrod paced the way with 16 points backed by four triples. 

Weisbrod kept the hot hand out of halftime, scoring the Wildcats' first eight points in less than three minutes on a pair of 3-pointers to push her total to 24. Her surge fueled a 15-0 NMU run that broke the game open and stretched the lead to 63-39.

Crookston couldn't find an answer in the third quarter, opening the frame 0-11 from the field before finally scoring its first basket at the 2:15 mark. NMU dominated the period 21-5 and held UMC to just 1-16 shooting. The defensive clampdown sent the Wildcats into the fourth with a commanding 69-44 advantage.

Weisbrod opened the fourth quarter the same way she started the third, with another 3-pointer. Haddie Showen added one of her own soon after as the Wildcats continued to dictate the pace. NMU outscored the Golden Eagles 20-13 in the final period to close out the decisive win. 


Up Next
The Wildcats and Golden Eagles will match up again tomorrow (November 30) with a 1 p.m. ET tip-off.