Alyssa Hill goes over 1,000 points in her career between Bemidji State and NMU
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Thursday night was quite the impressive feature in the Upper Peninsula, as the No. 14 Northern Michigan women’s basketball team went on the road up US-41 and dominated rival Michigan Tech wire-to-wire in a 74-46 victory.
Dominant would be an understatement, as the Wildcats controlled nearly every facet of the contest. The Wildcats never trailed and opened each of the first three quarters on an 11-2 run to never give the Huskies, or their fans, a glimmer of hope.
Leading the way was senior Sarah Newcomer, who poured in a career-high 27 points. She scored 24 of her 27 in the first 23 minutes of the game before she could take a back seat with a commanding lead. She also scored 19 of NMU’s first 30 points to kickstart the night and hit seven triples. Overall, she was 10-16 (62.5%) from the field.
Newcomer was blistering all night long, constantly knocking down contested shots and rarely even needing the rim, leaving fans of each team sliding back in their seats, stunned, at what they were witnessing.
Newcomer got the Green and Gold going, and the supporting cast chipped in after that. Alyssa Hill scored 16 points, going a perfect 7-7 from the field. She also scored her 1,000th career point late in the first half. Hill led the team with eight rebounds, pacing a 43-26 advantage on the glass for NMU.
CJ Romero also found double figures with 13 points, with 11 coming in the second half. She was 3-4 from three and 4-4 at the charity stripe while leading the team with five assists to go along with five boards. No other Wildcat scored more than four points.
The Wildcats made their difference at the three-point line, where they went 12-28 (42.9%) and held Tech to a 1-11 (9.1%) clip. NMU was 25-57 (43.9%) overall while the Huskies were 16-51 (31.4%).
Northern improved to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in the GLIAC, while dropping their rival to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in conference matches. No Husky scored in double figures.
How it Happened
Northern wasted no time getting going and quieting the Huskies’ pep band, as Jacy Weisbrod buried a top-of-the-key three on the opening possession. Sarah Newcomer followed with a cutting layup, a corner three, and another triple in front of Tech’s bench in what would only be a glimpse of what’s to come as the Wildcats led 11-2 less than three minutes into the game.
The Huskies responded with a small 4-0 run, tied for their largest of the first half, while the ‘Cats put together six runs of four or greater. Tech closed the gap to 15-10 in the final two minutes of the opening frame, but NMU scored the final four, including a third splash from beyond the arc for Newcomer to reach 11 points and give the visitors a 19-10 edge heading to the second.
Newcomer carried over her blistering pace into the second with a jumper and another three. Addison Pytleski followed with a triple, and Newcomer added one more for good measure to quickly push NMU’s lead to 30-12. Newcomer scored 19 of NMU’s first 30 points and hit five threes. The ‘Cats also scored 12 straight between the close of the first and start of the second, and their 8-0 run to start the second only took 1:14.
A milestone moment followed late in the first half, as Alyssa Hill connected on a hook shot in the paint to reach 1,000 career points. Northern kept rolling from there as everyone started to get involved. The largest lead of the half came at the break, ahead 44-20.
Newcomer’s 19 led the way through 20 minutes, while Hill chipped in 10. The Wildcats created separation from deep, going 7-13 from beyond the arc while holding the Huskies to an empty 0-7. Northern also commanded the glass 22-13 in the first half.
The Wildcats wasted no time reasserting themselves in the second half. Hill found the quarter’s first two buckets, and Newcomer added a jumper to lead 50-20. Newcomer then hit perhaps her most impressive shot of the night, a nothing-but-net three from deep as the shot clock was expiring, giving her a new career-high just minutes into the second half.
CJ Romero jumped in on the fun from three, hitting a pair late in the third quarter as the Wildcats led 64-30 going to the fourth.
In the fourth, Romero added another three to reach double figures. The Huskies hit their first three of the night after an 0-10 start, but it was far too little too late, as the ‘Cats cruised to a 74-46 victory on the road against their rival.
Up Next
The Wildcats will prepare to host the No. 22 Ferris State Bulldogs on Monday, Jan. 12, at 5:30 p.m.
