Lady ‘Cats win at Lake State
Courtesy of NMU Athletics
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team got back in the win column on Thursday (Jan. 24) evening with a 58-52 victory over Lake Superior State University from Bud Cooper Gymnasium. The Wildcats placed four players in double figures and led the whole second half to earn the win.
With the win, NMU is now 10-7 overall and 7-6 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. LSSU is 5-12 overall and 4-9 in conference action.
Freshman forward Nea Makela scored a game-high 15 points with nine of them from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Alyssa Colla tallied 14 while sophomore forward Abbey DeBruin added 12 and sophomore guard Lauren Gruber finished with 11.
The ‘Cats led by seven (53-46) with 2:51 left in the game. The Lakers scored four straight on a pair of free throws and a layup to cut the lead down to three. LSSU missed two three-pointers down the stretch while Northern hit 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, including four by Gruber, to seal the eight-point win.
NMU finished the game shooting 35.2 percent (18-for-51) from the field and buried 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) free throw tries. Makela and Gruber each finished with eight rebounds. Gruber added three steals while Colla had four assists.
LSSU shot 41.3 percent from the field and outrebounded the ‘Cats 36-30. Maria Blazejewski scored a team-high 13 points while Kandace Crittendon added 10.
The Green and Gold held a 29-24 halftime lead. Colla had nine points in the first half while DeBruin and Makela each had six.
Northern plays at Northwood at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Michigan Tech defeated the Timberwolves 65-59 on Thursday.