Wildcats advance to GLIAC Semifinals Saturday against Grand Valley State
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan women’s basketball team advanced to the GLIAC Semifinals with a 74-66 victory over the Michigan Tech Huskies on Wednesday evening at Vandament Arena.
Trailing 23-15 in the second quarter, NMU closed the half with a 20-5 run over four minutes to lead 35-28 at the break. The Huskies pulled within one twice, but NMU closed with the last eight to lead 54-43. Again, Tech threatened and closed the gap to 65-63 with 90 seconds left, but NMU answered the bell with 9 of the final 12 points to advance.
Sydney Whitehouse led the way with a career-high 25 points, connecting on 7-9 field goal attempts and a perfect 8-8 at the charity stripe. Jacy Weisbrod followed with 17, and Sarah Newcomer added 16. Tech’s Ella Mason led all scorers with 30 points, 26 of those coming in the second half.
The Wildcats dominated the glass 40-21, with Alyssa Hill’s 11 rebounds leading the charge. NMU pulled down 11 offensive rebounds to MTU’s three, leading to an 11-6 second-chance points edge.
At 25-6, the Wildcats will move on and travel to No. 1 seed Grand Valley State on Saturday, March 7. GVSU handled Lake Superior State 89-45 in the quarterfinal round.
How it Happened
Michigan Tech jumped out to a 10-3 lead four minutes in, opening 4-5 from the field. Northern settled in defensively but trailed 16-13 after the Huskies banked in a buzzer-beater to close the quarter.
Offense was hard to come by early in the second frame, as NMU did not score until midway through the quarter. Tech managed just two baskets during that stretch and held a 20-15 advantage with five minutes until halftime.
Then the offense came to life.
Sarah Newcomer delivered a key and-one to reach the 1,000-point milestone, sparking a momentum shift. Jacy Weisbrod followed with back-to-back three-pointers to give NMU its first lead at 25-23 with 2:30 remaining. The Wildcats caught fire from deep as the half closed, as Newcomer and Sydney Whitehouse added triples during a 4-4 stretch from beyond the arc.
Northern closed the half on a 20-5 run over the final four minutes, after going without a field goal for the first five, making seven of its final eight shots to take a 35-28 lead into the break.
Tech opened the second half with the first six points to pull within one and regained the lead less than four minutes in. Whitehouse answered with a three-pointer and a layup, pushing her total to 16 points.
Newcomer and Weisbrod connected on back-to-back threes before Whitehouse capped the quarter with a perfectly executed play, beating the buzzer with 0.5 seconds remaining. NMU carried a 54-43 lead into the fourth.
Whitehouse drilled another three to open the fourth quarter, setting a new career high with 23 points. Tech responded with the next nine points to cut the deficit to five, 57-52, with seven minutes remaining.
A 13-2 Huskies run brought Tech within three before Newcomer answered with another and-one to make it 62-56 with 3:52 left. Tech again trimmed it to 65-63 with 90 seconds to play, but CJ Romero responded with a clutch three-pointer at the one-minute mark.
Leading 70-66 late, the Wildcats secured the win as Tech missed a layup and Romero converted two free throws with 12 seconds remaining, sealing the victory.
Up Next
NMU advances to take on No. 1 seed Grand Valley State on Saturday, March 7, in Allendale. The Lakers defeated Lake Superior State 89-45 in the opening round.
