Women's Basketball Defeats Northern Michigan 56-53

OVERVIEW – NORTHERN MICHIGAN

SCORE:  Northwood Timberwolves 56, Northern Michigan Wildcats 53

RECORDS: Northwood (14-7, 10-5 GLIAC), Northern Michigan (10-13, 6-9 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood survives defensive battle against Northern Michigan, defeating the Wildcats 56-53 Thursday night (February 8).

FIRST QUARTER

• Northwood got off to a good start offensively, scoring 12 of the first 14 points off the game.
• NU eventually led 18-8 after one quarter.
• The Timberwolves shot 50.0 percent from the floor (7-14) and from 3-point range (4-8).
• Northern Michigan ended up at 28.6 percent overall (4-14) while missing all five of their 3-point attempts.

SECOND QUARTER

• After Northwood was the better team in the first quarter, Northern Michigan responded with a strong second frame.
• Thanks to a 16-4 run, Northern Michigan eventually broke through to tie the game at 24. A late three-pointer gave the Timberwolves a 27-24 advantage at the break.
• Northwood felt the effects of the Wildcat defense, as they made just 27.3 percent of their attempts (3-11) from the floor. NMU stepped it up in the second quarter as well, going 6-10 overall (6-10) and 2-5 from 3-point range (40.0 percent.

THIRD QUARTER

• The defenses were the story early in the third quarter, as it took 2:40 before Northern Michigan netted the first bucket of the second half.
• Northwood eventually found their stroke with a 9-2 run to go up 36-28 at the halfway point. The Wildcats battled back again, however, with eight consecutive points to tie the game at 36 with a minute to go. Another late score would give Northwood a 39-36 into the fourth.
• NU shot just 28.6 percent of their overall attempts (4-14). NMU was not much better, as they made just 33.3 percent of their shots (4-12) from the field.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Northwood maintained the lead throughout the fourth quarter, but it was extremely tight throughout.
• The Wildcats would cut the deficit down to one point three times before the final minute, but Northwood held firm each time.
• NMU had a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to try and tie the game but it rimmed out.
• Both teams had similar offensive numbers in the fourth – NU shot 33.3 percent (4-12), while Northern Michigan made 36.4 percent of their attempts (4-11).

GAME STATS

• FG PERCENTAGE: Northern Michigan .383 (18-47), Northwood .353 (18-51)
• 3-PT PERCENTAGE: Northern Michigan .176 (3-17), Northwood .350 (7-20)
• FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: Northern Michigan 1.000 (14-14), Northwood .765 (13-17)
• REBOUNDS: Northern Michigan 30 (6 offensive), Northwood 33 (11 offensive)
• ASSISTS/TURNOVERS: Northern Michigan 5/13, Northwood 13/11
• POINTS IN THE PAINT: Northern Michigan 30, Northwood 18
• POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: Northern Michigan 11, Northwood 4

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Karli Herrington: 14 points, eight rebounds, 5-6 from the floor
• Lindsay Orwat: 11 points
• Kenzie Seeley: 9 points (3-5 from 3-point range)

GAME NOTES:

• The Timberwolves have won five of the last six matchups in the season series dating back to January 30, 2016.
• Winners of four straight and five of their last five six, Northwood have won 10 GLIAC games in a season for the sixth straight campaign.
• Karli Herrington had her seventh game this season with at least 14 points.
• The scores in the final two quarters were identical – both teams scored 12 points in the third and 17 in the fourth.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will host No. 16 Michigan Tech this Saturday (February 10) for a game against the Huskies. Game time is set for 1 p.m.