Wildcats 20 for 20 at free throw line
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Jacy Weisbrod buried four of her eight triples in the first five minutes on her way to a career-high 33 points, helping guide the No. 14 Wildcats to an 83-77 victory over Northwood on Wednesday night.
Weisbrod knocked down eight triples, just one shy of her career best and the program record. She finished 12-23 (52.2%) from the field, scoring 15 points in the first quarter to spark NMU’s strong start and adding 10 more in the fourth to help seal the win.
In a pivotal matchup between two of the top teams in the Midwest Region, the Wildcats defended their home court to improve to 11-1 on the season. A major factor was the free-throw line, where NMU went a perfect 20-20 in the second half and 21-22 for the game. That included five flawless trips to the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds to halt any Northwood comeback attempt.
Trailing 34-32 at the break, the Wildcats experienced a tale of two halves early, outscoring Northwood 25-11 before media timeouts but getting outscored 23-7 afterward. Northern adjusted after halftime and closed quarters more effectively, edging the Timberwolves by one point in the final two periods during those stretches.
Sarah Newcomer also found double figures with 10 points, Alyssa Hill led the way on the glass with eight rebounds, and CJ Romero orchestrated the offense with six assists.
The win moves the Wildcats to 11-1, while Northwood fell to 8-3. The Timberwolves were led by Lea Holmes with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Maeve St. John added 16 points and seven steals.
How it Happened
Northern set the tone early behind a torrid shooting start from Jacy Weisbrod. She opened the game with a three and quickly added another to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead two minutes in. Weisbrod stayed red hot, knocking down a third triple and scoring 11 points in the first four minutes. She opened 4-4 from beyond the arc and 5-5 overall as NMU surged ahead 18-6 at the 4:43 mark.
Northwood responded with an 11-0 run to get back into the game, but the Wildcats maintained control heading into the quarter break, carrying a 23-19 lead. Weisbrod scored 15 of Northern’s 23 points in the opening frame.
NMU kept its momentum to open the second quarter as Weisbrod knocked down yet another three. Northwood answered by pushing the pace, finding offense in transition to keep the game tight. The Wildcats still held a 30-24 advantage at the quarter’s media timeout, but the momentum soon shifted.
Northwood put together a 13-0 run, claiming its first lead of the afternoon at 34-30 in the final minutes. NMU went scoreless for more than six minutes during the stretch before Addison Pytleski converted a layup in the closing seconds to stop the drought. Northwood carried a 34-32 lead into halftime after outscoring NMU 15-9 in the second quarter.
Weisbrod led all scorers at the break with 18 points. The Wildcats held a 25-11 advantage before the media timeouts in the first half, but were outscored 23-7 by Northwood after those timeouts.
The ‘Cats responded coming out of the break, leading 40-38 after an 8-4 start before the quarter’s media timeout. The third quarter turned whistle-heavy, with both teams frequently at the free throw line as 12 of the quarter’s 36 total points came at the stripe.
Jacy Weisbrod continued her hot shooting late in the quarter, burying her sixth three to give the Wildcats a 52-46 advantage with one minute remaining. She followed with another basket in the closing moments as Northern finished on a strong note, carrying a 54-48 lead into the fourth. NMU outscored Northwood 14-10 after the media timeout, marking the Wildcats’ first strong close to a quarter in the game.
Northern leaned on Weisbrod once again in the fourth quarter, as she opened the period with back-to-back threes to push the Wildcats’ lead to 62-54 with 7:30 remaining. CJ Romero followed with a triple of her own, and Weisbrod added a contested jumper to reach a new career-high as NMU extended the margin to 67-58 nearing the midway point of the quarter.
The Wildcats rebuilt a double-digit cushion in crunch time, taking a 71-60 lead with 3:50 left. Northwood made one final push, closing within four at 73-69 on a 7-0 run with 1:14 remaining, but Northern held firm at the free-throw line down the stretch. NMU finished a perfect 20-20 at the stripe in the second half to secure the victory.
Up Next
The Wildcats will be off for two weeks and return to action on New Year’s Day, taking on Davenport at Vandament Arena at 5:30 p.m.
