Cardinals made three-pointers; Wildcats just five
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan women’s basketball team suffered a defeat against the Saginaw Valley Cardinals on Saturday afternoon, losing 67-51.
The Wildcats held a 15-9 lead after the first quarter, but seven three-pointers and 29 points in the second quarter from the Cardinals gave them the lead and momentum to hold the advantage for the remainder of the game.
The ‘Cats went 20-55 (36.4%) from the field compared to the Cardinals’ 22-57 (38.6%). Saginaw Valley went 44% (11-25) on triples, one off their season-high, while the ‘Cats were 22.7% (5-22). Northern was forced into 16 turnovers compared to Saginaw’s 12. Newcomer led the Green and Gold in points with 10, and Nimz led the team in rebounds with nine. SVSU’s Megan McCalla led all scorers with 25 points while Aleshia Jones added 11, going 3-3 from three.
With both teams going scoreless for the first two minutes, Sarah Newcomer fired a triple to open up the game. However, Saginaw’s defense came out strong, causing the ‘Cats to have four turnovers in the first five minutes along with two shot-clock violations. Consequently, their defense brought Weisbrod to the charity stripe twice, as she went 4-5 at the foul-line. Persistent with the ball, Weisbrod hit a triple and Mackenzie Holzwart tipped one off the glass as part of a 10-0 run, but the Cardinals beat the buzzer from three to make it 15-9 Northern at the end of the quarter.
Saginaw came in with heat in the second quarter. Three consecutive triples came from three different Cardinals to put Saginaw back in the lead in the first two minutes. Northern fought back, as Kayla Tierney tripled from the side to make it 20-18 ‘Cats. Holzwart hit one off the glass and Abi Fraaza found Tierney for an easy layup, but Saginaw continued its rapid offensive pace. Putting down seven triples in the second and going 70% from outside the arc, the Cardinals led most of the second quarter and outscored the ‘Cats 29-16 in the frame. Newcomer came in with another three late, but once again, SVSU knocked in a three at the horn to lead 38-31.
Missed opportunities in the beginning of the third quarter caused both teams to go scoreless in the first three minutes. Saginaw eventually got a layup and yet another triple to extend its lead to double-digits at 43-31. Northern was unable to find a basket until six minutes into the third, starting 0-7. CJ Romero and Tierney made back-to-back layups, but unfortunately, those were the only baskets the ‘Cats were able to make in the quarter. After 45 points in the second, the sides combined for just 15 in the third on 5-30 shooting, with SVSU’s 11-4 edge giving them a 49-35 lead going to the fourth.
To open the fourth, Newcomer hit a jumper to get the Green and Gold rolling, but yet another three-pointer came from the Cardinals to maintain a double-digit advantage. A Romero triple was dropped from beyond the arc to close the gap and Sydney Whitehouse had two consecutive layups, but the Cardinals lead was insurmountable as the visitors handed NMU its fifth loss of the year.
Up Next
The Wildcats head down state next week to face Ferris State on Thursday, January 23rd at 5:30 p.m.
