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Kuhn Double-Double Helps 'Cats Beat UW-Parkside
 This story was written by NMU Sports Informantion. Click the AUDIO button to hear RRN's Casey Ford interview Coach Casey Thousand. MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team took the lead on the first basket in the second quarter and never looked back, defeating the Parkside Rangers 71-60 on Thursday night at the Berry Events Center. With 33 fouls called in the game, there wasn't much sustained flow to play. A total of 37 free throws were shot, with Northern converting 17-21 (81.0%) and Parkside going 10-16 (62.5%). Makaylee Kuhn led the Green and Gold attack with 25 points. She also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the double-double. Ana Rhude added 12 points while Jacy Weisbrod also reached double figures with 10. The Wildcats controlled the turnover game as Parkside committed 15 turnovers to just seven for the Wildcats. With that, NMU dominated points off turnovers 20-5. NMU now sits alone in third place in the GLIAC at 8-4 with the win, while its overall record moved to 14-7. Northern came up empty on its first seven attempts from the floor, but finally got a scratch three minutes in on a spin move below the hoop from Ana Rhude. The offensive woes continued throughout the remainder of the first quarter as Northern struggled to the tune of just a 4-19 (21.1%) clip. Parkside led 12-10 after 10 minutes. The Wildcats got it going in the second, outscoring the Rangers 24-21 in the frame, leading to a slim 34-33 halftime advantage over the visitors. Makaylee Kuhn and Jacy Weisbrod both hit the 10-point plateau, while UWP's Sheiridan Fluager had 13 points. NMU grabbed a six-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but Parkside countered with a 6-0 run to tie the game 43-43 with two minutes and change left on the clock. The Green and Gold responded with a strong finish to the frame, rattling off the final nine points of the quarter for its largest lead to-date, nine points, at 52-43 heading to the fourth. Kuhn scored 11 points in the quarter for a three-quarter total of 21. There were 16 fouls in the final quarter, resulting in no rhythm to the action and a plethora of free throws. NMU did what they needed to do at the charity stripe, going 17-21 (81.0%) in the contest to help ice the game and secure the win, 71-60. The Wildcats will look to make it a 2-0 weekend at home on Saturday, February 10th at 11 a.m. as they'll host the Purdue Northwest Pride. |
