A tightly contested battle for three quarters slipped away in the final stretch as the Northern Michigan women’s basketball team fell 77–61 to Wayne State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, bringing the Wildcats’ strong season to a close.
NMU finishes the year at 25–8, marking the program’s highest win total since the 1999–2000 season and the third consecutive year the Wildcats have surpassed 20 wins and reached the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats remained within striking distance for the majority of the game, even holding a lead halfway through the third quarter. However, a fourth-quarter surge from Wayne State proved to be the difference. The Warriors outscored Northern Michigan 24–13 in the final sequence and pulled away during a seven-minute stretch in which they scored 24 of 30 points.
Wayne State advances to the regional semifinal to face Grand Valley. The Green and Gold leaned heavily on its bench throughout the game, with the reserves lighting a significant spark. The Wildcats’ bench accounted for 33 of the team’s 61 points and snatched up 18 of the team’s 37 rebounds, including 20 points during the first half.
Sydney Whitehouse led the way for NMU with 15 points and nine rebounds, just narrowly missing a double-double. Faith Walder added 10 points while Jordyn Schmittdiel contributed six rebounds and two blocks. Sarah Newcomer paced the Wildcats’ starting lineup with 11 points.
The trio of Whitehouse, Walder, and Schmittdiel — all underclassmen — helped power the Wildcats throughout the season and are expected to play key roles moving forward.
Wayne State was led by McKenna Ferguson, who finished with 21 points and an impressive eight steals. Jaci Tubergen added 15 points while Gabi Lutchka chipped in 14 for the Warriors. Despite the final margin, the game remained tightly contested for much of the afternoon. Wayne State opened with the first four points as Northern struggled with early turnovers. The Wildcats eventually settled in behind Whitehouse, who came off the bench to score seven straight points, including a banked-in three-pointer that tied the game at 9–9 midway through the opening quarter.
The Warriors responded late in the period to take a 16–12 lead into the second quarter. NMU began to find its rhythm in the second. Newcomer knocked down a pair of three-pointers, and Walder helped spark a 9–0 run that erased the deficit and gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game. Walder capped the half with a strong drive to the basket just before the buzzer, sending NMU into halftime with a 30–29 advantage.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the third quarter as Alyssa Hill opened the half with a basket before CJ Romero connected from deep and Jacy Weisbrod converted an and-one opportunity to give Northern Michigan a 38–33 lead.
Wayne State responded quickly, and the teams traded baskets throughout the middle portion of the quarter. Late in the period, however, the Warriors found their offensive rhythm and rattled off nine consecutive points to regain control. Newcomer’s late floater kept the Wildcats within reach as Wayne State entered the fourth quarter leading 53–48.
Newcomer opened the final period with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just two points, but the Warriors answered immediately. Wayne State scored the next eight points to push its lead into double digits and never looked back.
Back-to-back three-pointers stretched the advantage to 72–57 with less than three minutes remaining as the Warriors closed the game with an 11–0 run that ultimately put the contest out of reach.
The difference came largely from beyond the arc and in turnover margin. While Northern shot a slightly better percentage from the field at 41.0 percent compared to Wayne State’s 40.0 percent, the Warriors made their impact from long range, hitting 8-of-19 three-pointers. Wayne State was particularly effective in the second half, going 5-of-8 from deep while Northern connected on just 2-of-15 attempts.
Though the season ended one game sooner than Northern Michigan hoped, the Wildcats’ 25-win campaign and continued postseason appearances under head coach Casey Thousand – signal a program firmly on the rise.
