SAULT STE. MARIE – A Northwood team fighting for a spot in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament fended off a Lake Superior State charge to win 49-45 Thursday during the regular-season finale for both teams.
Northwood (17-11 overall, 13-9 GLIAC) entered the game tied with Northern Michigan for fourth place in the GLIAC North Division. With the win, the Timberwolves claimed the No. 7 seed, while LSSU ended its season 5-23 overall and 4-18 in the GLIAC. It was the final collegiate contest for Laker seniors Megan Manninen, April LaCross and Katie Wollan.
NU stormed to a 19-2 lead during the first seven minutes of the game. LSSU's Val Meissner scored six points, and Mackenzie Edwards added five points and five rebounds as the Lakers controlled the second quarter, 18-11, trimming the deficit to 30-22 at halftime.
After Northwood ended the third quarter with an 11-point lead, Manninen opened the fourth with a layup, and LaCross followed with a three-pointer and layup to cap a seven-point Laker run. Edwards made a three-pointer with 4:20 remaining to cut the Timberwolves' lead to 44-41. NU gained a five-point lead with 1:15 to go after two Laker turnovers and two missed shots. Meissner cut it to three again with 30 seconds remaining, but LSSU failed to get another shot.
Edwards led the Lakers with 14 points and seven rebounds. Meissner finished with 11 points and six rebounds, and LaCross totaled five points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers shot 28.6 percent from the field, including 4-of-17 from three-point range, and made 9-of-9 free throws.
Jordyn Nurenberg led Northwood with 16 points and 18 rebounds, and Lauren Robak scored a team-high 19 points. The Timberwolves shot 32 percent from the field, including 2-of-12 from three-point range, and made 15-of-25 free throws.
Edwards was 2-of-6 from behind the arc to finish the season with 55 three-point field goals, tying LSSU's single-season school record. She now shares the record with Nicole Marshall '10 and Stephanie Fisher '14.
Manninen contributed three assists to finish with 280 career assists, good for 10th on LSSU's all-time list. She scored 401 career points and totaled 95 steals. During three seasons at LSSU, LaCross totaled 509 points and 357 rebounds. Wollan, a Sault Ste. Marie native, appeared in 11 games as a reserve forward in her first season at LSSU.