Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan women's basketball team secured a 68-64 victory over the Michigan Tech Huskies at Vandament Arena on Thursday evening. The Wildcats took an early lead, maintaining it throughout the game, and never trailed their rivals.

Despite missing leading scorer Jacy Weisbrod for the third consecutive game, Northern Michigan's balanced offense was effective. All ten players contributed points, with Abi Fraaza leading off the bench with 13 points in her season debut. Alyssa Nimz added 11 points, while CJ Romero led with six rebounds and Mackenzie Holzwart recorded three blocks.

Northern Michigan excelled in scoring close to the basket, achieving a 32-18 advantage in paint points. Their strategy involved driving to the hoop and passing to open players when double-teamed. The Wildcats shot 43.3% from the field compared to Michigan Tech's 33.9%, marking one of NMU's best defensive performances this season.

The Wildcats started strong by scoring five unanswered points and holding Michigan Tech scoreless for over three minutes at the start of the game. By halftime, NMU led 35-18, having forced ten turnovers from their opponents.

In the second half, Michigan Tech attempted a comeback with an 11-2 run but could not close the gap completely. The Huskies outscored NMU in the third quarter but still trailed by fourteen points going into the final period.

Michigan Tech made another push in the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run but remained behind by two points after missing crucial shots in the final seconds. CJ Romero's key layup and free throw helped secure Northern's win.

With this victory, Northern Michigan improved its record to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while Michigan Tech fell to a 5-8 record overall and 2-3 in conference games.

Looking ahead, Northern will face Roosevelt Lakers on Monday, January 13th as they continue their GLIAC campaign.