MARQUETTE, Mich. – The No. 14 Northern Michigan Wildcats secured a weekend sweep after defeating the Lake Superior State Lakers 76-49 at Vandament Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Sarah Newcomer was lights out, leading all scorers with 25 points. She connected on 7-11 (63.6%) of her three-point attempts, including a nothing-but-net, half-court shot to close the first half. She added four rebounds and two steals.
Sydney Whitehouse followed with 15 points and eight rebounds, with six coming on the offensive end as she continuously created second-chance opportunities for the Wildcats.
Jacy Weisbrod added 13 points, and
Alyssa Hill notched her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 28-74, just 37.8%, but managed 23 more shots than the Lakers, thanks to a 16-4 offensive rebound advantage and forcing LSSU into 18 turnovers, resulting in a dominant 19-2 edge in points off turnovers.
Northern is now 20-4 on the season, marking the third straight season under Thousand that the Green and Gold have reached the 20-win plateau. NMU is 11-3 in GLIAC play and has won 12 straight over LSSU.
Before the start of the contest, players from both teams honored the Play4Kay Foundation by holding signs showing who they 'Play4.'
How It Happened
The Wildcats trailed early in the opening quarter, with the Lakers up as much as 10-5 just over three minutes in after LSSU hit its first four shots.
Layups from Whitehouse and Hill brought the 'Cats back within one point with four minutes left in the opening quarter.
CJ Romero drained a corner three to put NMU in front for the first time in the match.
Addison Pytleski, Weisbrod, and Newcomer all found success from beyond the arc, putting the Wildcats up by nine as NMU responded with a 13-0 run and held LSSU scoreless for nearly five minutes after their hot start.
The Wildcats hit six triples in the first and led 26-16.
The 'Cats went scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter, and the teams combined to miss their first 10 shots. Despite struggling to find the basket at the start of the frame, the 'Cats kept ahead with solid defense. Newcomer continued to lead the Wildcat scoring efficiency, adding a jumper followed by a three-pointer to the score sheet (33-21). Weisbrod added to the scoring, draining one from field goal range, putting her at the double-digit scoring mark.
With a half-court buzzer beater, Newcomer continued to lead the Wildcat offense with 16 points. NMU closed the half on a 13-4 run to lead 41-25.
Hill opened the second half with two quick layups. The Lakers then went on to net six unanswered points. This run was put to rest by two made free throws from Whitehouse, which she followed up with an assisted layup from Romero. Hill grabbed a rebound below the basket that was immediately turned into a made three-pointer from Newcomer.
The Lakers continued to attempt to keep the Wildcat lead from growing beyond 20, matching Newcomer's three with one of their own before the Laker coach called for a timeout (58-38). The score showed 61-40 heading into the final quarter of the contest.
The sides continued in back-and-forth play, seeing layups from Whitehouse as well as Hill with two. Newcomer sank two more threes, bringing her to 25 points in the game, just two away from her season high of 27. Whitehouse also found the basket, making a three of her own. The Wildcats had increased the lead to 27 points at 76-49 with just two minutes left to play. NMU outscored the Lakers 15-9 in the final ten minutes of play for the 76-49 final.
Up Next
Next weekend, the Wildcats will return to the road for games against Wayne State and Purdue Northwest. The team will play Wayne State on Thursday, February 12, at 5:30 p.m. and Purdue Northwest on Saturday, February 14, at 2 p.m.
