Usually if you can score 30 points from downtown in the first half of a basketball game, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll walk away with a win. In the case of the No. 14 NMU Wildcats, that rang true in their bout against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals. The ‘Cats came out of the gates hungry and aggressive, scoring 51 points in the first half alone. Another 29 in the second half rounded out a dominating showcase proving there is reason why the ‘Cats give opponents fits. Alongside a trebuchet-esque three point barrage from NMU, 16 turnovers by the Cardinals contributed to another 29 points for the Green and Gold.

SVSU was able to keep somewhat of a wrap under the Wildcat offense early on, tied at 13 apiece midway through the first quarter. As the game progressed, Northern’s offense got into a hum and pulled away with a 16 point lead at the half. A furious effort by the Cardinals cut the lead to seven in the third quarter, but a 12-4 run by NMU put the metaphorical nail in the coffin for Saginaw Valley State.

Among the symphony of triples, three Wildcats scored double digits. New program threes leader Jacy Weisbrod paced all players with 19 points in 35 minutes of action. Addison Pytelski showed off the range, adding 16 on 4-5 from behind the line. Sydney Whitehouse rounded out the trio of ‘Cats with 10 plus points, scoring 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench as a spark plug for the Wildcat offense. As a team, NMU would finish 13-27 from three, including a 62.5% mark in the first half. Northern would also have one of their best outings from the charity stripe all season long, only missing one free throw en route to a 13-14 showcase.

“She’s (Addison Pytelski’s) been fantastic. Obviously, she was a freshman last year, and the best part about freshmen is that they become sophomores,” said head coach Casey Thousand. “She has learned a ton last year from watching our seniors last year, and now she’s guarding the best player every single game.”

The Wildcats will take their win against SVSU and hope to make a run for first place in the GLIAC, where the No. 1 GVSU Lakers finally fell 77-78 against Wayne State. While the Wildcats won’t see the Lakers again in the regular season, NMU will play second place Ferris State one more time on Feb. 21. For now, next weekend will hold the Wayne State Warriors and the Purdue Northwest Pride for a two game road trip. Both contests will be on FloSports at 5:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.