NMU improved to 13-10 overall and 8-6 in the conference and stands in fifth place, just a half-game behind fourth-place Saginaw Valley State.

Fourth place is important as the top four teams earn home court for the first-round quarterfinals in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament that starts on March 1.

The Wildcats still have an uphill battle, though, as in their final four regular-season games they include the top three teams in the GLIAC.

It starts with league leader Grand Valley State at 1 p.m. Saturday in Allendale.

Northern Michigan University’s Makaylee Kuhn, right, works around an unidentified Lake Superior State defender during their GLIAC women’s basketball game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Dec. 11. (Photo courtesy NMU)

On Thursday, Kuhn led all scorers as she made 10 of 15 shots from the field, including 1 of 2 on 3-pointers, while swishing all five of her free throw attempts.

It marked her sixth time reaching 20 points and also was her sixth double-double of the season.

It also was the second straight game NMU broke the 60-point barrier after not doing that for the previous eight contests. This was the Wildcats’ highest point total since defeating NCAA Division III Finlandia 76-49 on Nov. 22.

Kuhn led a solid shooting night for Northern, which sank 52% from the field (30 of 58), even while only making 18% on 3s (3 of 17). The Wildcats also hit on 10 of 13 free throws (77%).

Mackenzie Holzwart added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists to the winning effort, while teammates Abi Fraaza and Ana Rhude each scored eight points.

Fraaza also contributed four rebounds and three assists, while Northern freshman Sarah Newcomer only scored two points but tallied team highs of four steals and four assists.

Lillee Gustafson paced Davenport (7-16, 1-12) with 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while teammate Mary Liedel had 17 points.

Former Newberry resident Makenna Bryant, who played her first two years on the Newberry High School varsity team, scored two points while hitting her only shot attempt and also pulling in two rebounds and making one assist and one steal in 14 minutes court time.

The Panthers are in last place in the 10-team league, but are only two games out of the eighth and final tournament berth.

The Wildcats had a slow start characteristic of when they were in their funk on offense.

Davenport jumped out to a 10-0 lead as NMU didn’t get on the scoreboard until Kuhn hit a jumper with 4:16 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats made a rush at evening the game right away, though, pulling within three points twice before the period was over. The second time came at 12-9 when Holzwart hit a jumper with 1:44 left.

Trailing 16-9 to start the second quarter, Northern dug itself an even deeper hole when DU went up by double digits on two occasions, 23-13 and 25-15 with about six minutes left in the first half.

That’s when NMU seemed to discover its offense, going on a 10-2 run in barely more than two minutes to get within 27-25 on a Holzwart “traditional” three-point play with 3:51 left in the second.

Northern kept pushing, scoring the final seven points of the half to take its first lead, 32-29, at halftime.

Though the Panthers tied the game 32-32 with a Alexa Kolnitys 3-pointer in the first minute of the third quarter, NMU started pulling away, steadily increasing its lead until it reached double figures, 47-37, with 2:32 left in the third on a Holzwart layup.

The Wildcats’ lead never fell below 10 points after that, with it at 53-42 to start the fourth.

Northern built its largest lead of 23 points, 73-50, with 1:09 left on a Newcomer fastbreak jumper.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.