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Wildcat Women Take Defensive Battle Downstate
 This story was written by NMU Sports Information GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team rang in the new year with a victory at Davenport, edging the Panthers 47-40 in a defensive battle. The Wildcats forced a season-high 22 turnovers and held the Panthers to just 40 points, a season-low for the Green and Gold collective. Northern created separation with a 22-point second quarter and didn't relinquish the lead after going ahead for the first time in the final minute before halftime. Without its top scorer in Jacy Weisbrod who averages north of 15 points per game, the 'Cats opted for a balanced attack in addition to its stifling defense to get the job done. Mackenzie Holzwart recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, just the second time she's reached that feat in her career (1/7/23 vs. Saginaw Valley State). Sarah Newcomer chipped in another 12 and Alyssa Nimz controlled the glass by tying a career-high 11 rebounds. Davenport's Lillee Gustafson also added a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Northern put up 22 more shots than Davenport in the game, going 19-66 (28.8%) to DU's 15-44 (34.1%). Both sides struggled from beyond the arc, as NMU was 1-17 and DU went 3-14 for a combined 4-31 (12.9%). Each side pulled down 40 rebounds, but the 'Cats held a 15-5 edge on the offensive glass leading to a 13-4 advantage in second chance points. NMU also outscored DU 23-12 in points off turnovers. It was a slow start out of the holiday break in the opening quarter, as NMU shot just 2-14 while Davenport was 3-10 with six turnovers. Nimz converted the only two buckets for the Green and Gold, but DU led 8-4 after 10 minutes. NMU pulled even for the first time since the opening tip with 3:07 before halftime on a jumper from Newcomer that evened the score at 16's. Holzwart followed with an and-one to give the 'Cats its first lead. Trailing 21-19 in the final minute, Nimz tied the game on a layup, Newcomer converted a pair of technical free throws, and then hit a deep three to beat the halftime horn to give the 'Cats a 26-21 lead at intermission. NMU put up nine more shots in the second quarter leading to a 22-13 advantage within the frame. The game reverted back to a defensive battle in the third quarter, with each side scoring nine. Newcomer (5) and Holzwart (4) accounted for all NMU points as the Wildcats maintained a 35-30 lead going to the fourth. NMU scored the first four points in the final quarter, but a 7-0 run from Davenport closed the gap to 39-37 with five minutes to play. That two-point cushion would remain intact with less than two minutes to play, but a layup from Alyssa Hill and free throws from Holzwart and CJ Romero helped put the game away. Coming up big throughout the game, NMU's defense held the Panthers to just three points in the final five minutes to secure the win. NMU is now 9-2 overall and 3-0 in the GLIAC, while the Panthers fell to 3-8 and 1-2 in conference play. |
