MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – The Northern Michigan University Womens Basketball team finished off the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge with a win over the William Jewell Cardinals 70-51 in Liberty, Missouri.

The Wildcats got on the offensive boards early, after two missed attempts Ana Rhude and Vivianne Jende ripped down two offensive rebounds. After 1:20 of play went off the board, the Cardinals struck first from deep going up 3-0. Going down on the offensive end Ana Rhude got fouled and went to the free throw line. She split the pair of free throws. 3-1 in favor of the Cardinals. A Cardinal turnover led to a fast break, a missed jumper by Makaylee Kuhn got the right bounce and Elena Alaix grabbed the offensive rebound, kicked it out to Ana Rhude who laid it up and in to tie the game at three. Sarah Newcomer came in the game off the bench and nailed a three-point attempt, adding the assist was Mackenzie Holzwart. With another two minutes of play gone by, the score still sat at 6-3 in favor of the Wildcats. Elena Alaix found an open look and buried the two-point attempt.

The Cardinals went down the court and made a two-point attempt of their own to bring the score to 8-5 in favor of the Wildcats. After a few substitutions, Alyssa Nimz went to the free throw line. Nimz made both free throws to extend the lead to 10-5. Coming off a Cardinals missed three-point attempt, Alyssa Nimz grabbed the rebound, threw the outlet pass to Mackezie Holzwart who pulled up from three and buried it. After missed three-point attempt by the Cardinals, Abi Fraaza grabbed the rebound and took the ball all the way to the other end and laid it up and in. The Cardinals added a layup of their own. Kayla Tierney made her first three of the game of a Makaylee Kuhn assist. Just before the end of the quarter, Mackenzie Holzwart found Andrea Perez, who buried a three just before the buzzer to give the Wildcats at 21-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Coming out of the break, the Cardinals converted a layup, the Wildcats came down the floor and Mackenzie Holzwart made a short jumper. After back and forth missed shots by both sides, Makaylee Kuhn got on the board with her first bucket of the game. After a turnover by the Cardinals and a steal by Elena Alaix, it led to a fast break where Mackenzie Holzwart found Kayla Tierney for a layup. The extended the Wildcat lead up to 27-9. Abi Fraaza grabbed the defensive rebound off a Cardinal missed three pointer, found Kayla Tierney who gave it right back to Fraaza for the layup. After some substitutions on both sides, the Cardinals made a three pointer to cut the Wildcat lead to 29-12. Kayla Tierney found an opening and layed it up and in, and a turnover by the Cardinals right after sent the game to a media timeout. After some back-and-forth by both sides, the game was just under two minutes left before the half. Kayla Tierney found herself wide open for three and she made it. The Wildcats were up 36-12 at this point. The buzzer sounded and it was halftime, the Wildcats led the Cardinals 36-14.

The third quarter started with a made three by the Cardinals, followed by a Makaylee Kuhn jumper, and a Cardinal layup on the other end. The quarter got out to a fast start. A few minutes later, the Cardinals found themselves at the free throw line. They made both attempts. Just seconds later, Mackenzie Holzwart found herself at the free throw line, they split the pair. A made three by the Cardinals cut the Wildcat lead to 39-24. 30 seconds later, the Cardinals again hit a shot from beyond the arc, 39-27. The Cardinals got a stop and went down and made a layup bring the game within ten points. The game went into a media timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Elena Alaix got open and buried a three. Some back-and-forth throughout the rest of the quarter brought the game to the end of the third quarter, where the Wildcats led 46-35.

The Cardinals got to the free throw line right away in the quarter. They made both. Alyssa Nimz came down the court and made a three of her own, assisting was Makaylee Kuhn. The next time down, Makaylee Kuhn missed a three, Alyssa Nimz battled for the offensive rebound, got it and layed it up in plus a foul. Nimz couldn’t convert the three point play. The Wildcats led 51-39 at this point. Alyssa Nimz went on a run of her own by adding another three to her stat line. With just over six minutes left in the game, Makaylee Kuhn got to the free throw line, and made both attempts. A little while later, Kuhn found herself making a short jumper, and then the Wildcats next time down the floor, Kuhn made another jumper. With just under two minutes left Elena Alaix made another three to put the Wildcats up 66-47. Andrea Perez buried a three with just under a minute left, and the Cardinals made a three at the buzzer, but the Wildcats came out with the victory 70-51.

The Wildcats will travel to Minnesota Crookston for a matchup with the Eagles on Thursday, November 11. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

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