42-10 point margin for Wildcats in the paint
CROOKSTON, Minn. – The Northern Michigan women’s basketball team outscored Minnesota Crookston 29-16 in the third quarter en route to a 78-63 victory on Sunday afternoon, securing the weekend sweep against the Golden Eagles.
After a dominant 21-5 third quarter on Saturday, the Wildcats mirrored their success into Sunday, pulling away from Crookston out of halftime after holding a slim 32-31 lead at the break.
The Green and Gold utilized a balanced attack to get the job done, as four ‘Cats eclipsed double figures with three more scoring at least seven. Shooting an efficient 5-8 from the field and 3-5 from three, Addison Pytleski paced Northern with 15 points. Sarah Newcomer followed with 13 points while also connecting on three triples. Madison Schroeder added 12 points and six rebounds while Alyssa Hill chipped in 10 points and seven boards. CJ Romero ran the offense to perfection, dishing out six assists.
The Wildcats shot 31-63 from the field and 7-21 from three. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles were 21-54 overall while shooting a productive 11-22 from beyond the arc.
Northern dominated the glass 44-23, which led to a remarkable 42-10 edge in points in the paint. The Wildcats also turned nine Crookston turnovers into 13 points off turnovers.
With the win, the Wildcats move to 8-1 on the season with conference play awaiting this coming week.
How it Happened
Northern opened the afternoon by establishing its presence inside, with Alyssa Hill scoring the Wildcats’ first three baskets in the paint. The early minutes mirrored the matchup yesterday, featuring rapid lead changes and tight possession-by-possession play. The lead flipped eight times in the first five minutes before Minnesota Crookston edged ahead 12-11 midway through the opening quarter.
Madison Schroeder sparked a brief NMU surge with a layup that capped a 5-0 run, giving the Wildcats the game’s first multi-possession lead at 16-12. But the Golden Eagles responded with five straight of their own to retake the lead and carry a 17-16 advantage into the second quarter in the second straight meeting between the teams. NMU scored 12 of its 16 first-quarter points in the paint, while UMC countered by hitting 3-4 from beyond the arc.
The tight play continued into the second quarter, with neither side creating separation. The teams found themselves tied for the first time at 22-22 with 6:08 left in the half. Jacy Weisbrod hit her first three, and Addison Pytleski added her second to close the first half with a slim 32-31 edge.
NMU’s lead came largely from its work inside and on the glass, dominating the rebounding battle 23-11 and outscoring UMC 18-6 in the paint over the first 20 minutes.
Northern came out of halftime firing for the second straight day, with Sarah Newcomer scoring five quick points to give the Wildcats a six-point cushion. Addison Pytleski followed with back-to-back baskets as NMU ripped off an 8-0 stretch, making its first six shots of the quarter. The burst turned into a 17-2 run that pushed the lead to 49-33 less than halfway through the quarter.
Crookston answered with eight consecutive points to trim the margin back to single digits at 49-41, but Northern countered with another blitz. Newcomer and Pytleski buried threes to jump start a 10-0 run that stretched the lead to 59-41 with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Wildcats carried a 61-47 advantage into the fourth after outscoring the Golden Eagles 29-16 in the third, their most productive quarter of the night.
Crookston opened the fourth with a three, but Newcomer immediately answered with one of her own. The Wildcats pulled away for good in the closing minutes, stretching the lead to 20 at 76-56 with 3:30 remaining, and closed out a strong all-around performance to secure the win.
Up Next
The Wildcats will open GLIAC play on the road next week, starting with a stop at Parkside on Thursday, December 4.
