The women’s basketball team had their season opener with a tournament this past weekend. They traveled to Wisconsin Dells to face off against Thomas More and Lewis. In a recent poll, the NMU Women’s basketball was picked as 3rd in the GLIAC.
The team is starting the season on a high with back to back wins. The team defeated Thomas More in overtime, winning the game 48-46. The team then brought home another win against Lewis with a score of 53-48.
The game against Thomas More ended the fourth quarter with a tie of 42-42. However, the Wildcats were able to get the first four points of extra time allowed and never let their lead get away from them. As the final buzzer went off in the game, Thomas More looked like it was going to make a final basket. The shot was shot a split second too late, and the Wildcats left the game victorious.
Jacy Weisbrod led the team in scoring, with 11 points and eight rebounds. Alyssa Hill also led the pack, with 10 points added to the scoreboard. Hill scored the first four in overtime, and Sarah Newcomer added the final point to secure the victory. The team struggled scoring, making 17 of 61 shots. Every player that had time on the court scored, with freshmen Madison Schroder, Sydney Whitehouse and Addison Pytleski logging their first collegiate points.
The team had one more game of the weekend, where they faced off against Lewis. They did not let this close game get the best of them, and came out victorious again. The Wildcats held a strong lead against Lewis, with the team leading the game 19-9 by the end of the first quarter.
Sarah Newcomer led the team in scoring for this game, with 14 points. CJ Romero added 10 points, and Alyssa Nimz had 11 rebounds and 6 points. NMU missed the seven shots that were attempted in the final minutes of the game. Lewis was able to close the gap that NMU had held for a while, to have the game be separated by three points. Nimz and Romero were able to add final points to the scoreboard, with both girls making three point shots to secure the victory.
The Wildcats had a scoring record of 17-51, while Lewis had 18-53. The team scored eight free throws, which was double what Lewis had scored. The Wildcats also recorded four blocks, coming from four different players.
The team has their next set of games at home on the Nov. 15 and 16. The team will face off against Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. The team plays at the newly renovated Vandament Arena, which is located right next to the Berry Events Center.
The team’s current record is 2-0-0, and will have their first set of GLIAC games right before Christmas break.
