SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team dropped the opening game of a two-game series against the Northern Michigan Wildcats by a final score of 62-46 on Saturday, Jan. 30 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game.
First Half
After the Wildcats took an early 3-0 lead in the game, sophomore Kelly Olthof got the Lakers on the board with a layup. Northern Michigan would score the game's next seven points to take a 10-2 lead over the Lakers in the first five minutes of play.
After trailing by 12 points with 2:55 left in the first quarter, the Lakers would respond strong. Freshman guard Jaden Wilder made a three pointer jumper and senior Rebecca Villaneuva would score on three straight free throw attempts to make it a nine point game (19-10). Freshman Jozie Bontrager would net a three point jump shot on the quarter's final scoring play to cut the Wildcats lead to six points (19-13) heading into the second quarter.
The two GLIAC rivals would match up evenly in the second quarter with each team scoring 12 points in the ten minute span. Makenzie Bray would score on a jump shot in the first minute of the quarter to bring the Lakers within four points of the Wildcats (19-15).
When Northern's Taya Stevenson recorded a three pointer, Wilder would respond with her second three pointer of the game to keep the Wildcats at bay. With six minutes remaining in the half, Mattison Rayman cut the Lakers deficit to just two points when she secured an offensive rebound and capitalized on a layup (22-20).
With over two minutes to play in the half, Bray netted a three pointer (29-25) and the Wildcats would add the final basket of the half with 2:07 left in the half to end with a 31-25 lead over LSSU.
Second Half
To open the second half, NMU's Makaylee Kuhn scored a three pointer to give the Wildcats a nine point lead but LSSU's Hailey Voelker responded with a jump shot to bring the Lakers within seven points (34-27).
With 3:30 left in the third quarter, Bontrager made a layup to make it a five point game (36-31) but the Wildcats would go on a run in the final three minutes as the team scored 10 straight points over the Lakers. Wilder scored a jump shot with :22 seconds left but the Wildcats added a three pointer in the last three seconds to take a 16 point lead into the final quarter (49-33).
In the final ten minutes of the game, the two teams played even with each recording 13 points. The Wildcats would hold off the Lakers in the fourth quarter to register the win by a final score of 62-46.
Breaking Down the Game
Wilder posted a double-digit point total for the third straight game as she finished the game with a team-best 10 points against the Wildcats while playing a team-leading 36 minutes in the game. Wilder also added three rebounds and four assists in the game for the Lakers.
Bray ranked second among her teammates in the game with eight points as well as a team-leading five rebounds.
The Lakers finished the game with a 27.8 shooting percentage, going 15-for-54 against Northern. On the other end of the floor, the Wildcats went 21-for-56 in the game to total a 37.5 shooting percentage. Lake Superior was outrebounded by Northern Michigan, 37-31, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers and Wildcats will close out the two-game series tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, Jan. 31. The game, which is scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m., will be played in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Follow the Lakers
Due to State of Michigan, GLIAC and Lake Superior State University mandates, fans are not currently permitted to attend any Laker sporting events. Even though spectators cannot currently attend Laker home games, there are still a number of ways that fans will be able to follow the game action. All Laker home games during the 2021 season will be available to watch live on Stretch TV. For more information or to sign up for a subscription, visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lssu/. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast on ESPN 1400, the official radio station of Laker basketball.
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