Great Lakes Wire

In a quarterfinal matchup of the GLIAC tournament, Northern Michigan University's women's basketball team secured a decisive victory over Saginaw Valley State University with a score of 81-60. The game took place under challenging weather conditions in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at Vandament Arena.

Jacy Weisbrod led NMU's offensive efforts by scoring 27 points, marking her third time reaching this total in the season. She demonstrated exceptional shooting accuracy from beyond the arc, hitting seven out of nine attempts. Abi Fraaza contributed with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Alyssa Nimz and Sydney Whitehouse added 12 and 10 points respectively. For Saginaw Valley, Aleshia Jones was the top scorer with 24 points.

NMU showed dominance in rebounding, leading with a 39-22 advantage. Eight players from NMU managed to record at least four rebounds each. Additionally, NMU excelled in assists with an 18-8 lead over their opponents.

With this win, NMU advances to face Ferris State in the GLIAC semifinals scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at Grand Valley. The game is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The game started evenly matched with six lead changes resulting in a tied score of 16-16 after the first quarter. Despite committing six turnovers, NMU shot efficiently at 63.6% from the field during this period.

Weisbrod's performance continued into the second quarter as she made four three-pointers contributing to a strong offensive showing for NMU. They ended the first half on a high note with a significant run that doubled up SVSU's score in that quarter alone.

At halftime, NMU led by a comfortable margin of 46-31 and maintained shooting efficiency throughout the game despite some cooling off after halftime adjustments by both teams.

As they prepare for their next challenge against Ferris State, NMU will aim to continue their successful run through the tournament.