Northwood’s Lea Holmes, right, tries to block a layup by Northern Michigan University’s Jacy Weisbrod during their college women’s basketball game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — While a nonleague encounter might not sound like a big deal in the middle of the conference season, the women’s basketball team at Northern Michigan University knows a game like Wednesday night’s could figure into a spot in the national tournament come March.

So it was nice to see senior guard Jacy Weisbrod find her long-range shooting touch again for a career-high 33 points in an 83-77 victory at home over Northwood.

The Timberwolves, a former member of NMU’s Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, weren’t nationally ranked like the 11-1 Wildcats at No. 14, but they join the Wildcats as one of the highest rated teams in the Midwest Region as they fell to 8-3.

Weisbrod got Northern off to a fast start by hitting four of her eight 3-pointers in the game’s first 5 1/2 minutes. She finished by making 8 of 16 from long range, 12 of 23 overall from the field, while adding four rebounds and just one turnover in 36 minutes court time.

Weisbrod’s 3-point total was one shy of her career best and the program record.

Sarah Newcomer was next in NMU scoring with 10 points, including 4 of 4 free throws, while also making three steals. CJ Romero, who has led the Wildcats in assists all season, had six of those helpers to go with nine points as she hit 6 of 6 free throws.

Teammate Sydney Whitehouse also put in nine points with four rebounds, while Addison Pytleski had eight points, going 4 of 4 on free throws, and grabbed six rebounds.

In fact, as a team, the Wildcats were a near-perfect 21 of 22 at the charity stripe, a keen 96% success rate.

Thanks to Weisbrod, their shooting from the floor was pretty solid, too — 43% overall (26 of 60) and 46% on 3s (10 of 22).

Lea Holmes paced four Northwood players scoring in double figures with 18 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds.

With Weisbrod’s fast start in the scoring column, Northern raced to an 18-6 lead with 4:45 left in the opening quarter.

But that offense dried up for the rest of the quarter as the Timberwolves battled back, using an 11-0 run to get back to within 18-17 and only trailing their hosts 23-19 at the end of the period.

The second quarter was a yo-yo much like the first. The Wildcats rebuilt their lead to nine points a couple times in the first three minutes, only to see Northwood claw back and actually take the lead in the last three minutes of the first half.

A Lexie Bowers triple staked the T’wolves to a 34-30 lead with 2:12 left, while Pytleski’s layup in the waning seconds shaved the deficit to two, 34-32, by halftime.

It remained close with neither team achieving more than a one-score lead to start the second half until the final minute of the third period, when a pair of Weisbrod treys and another 2-point jumper by her got Northern a 54-48 lead headed into the fourth.

NMU gradually worked that lead into double digits, 71-60, with 3:51 left on a pair of Alyssa Hill free throws. Hill, a Negaunee graduate, led the Wildcats with eight rebounds.

While Northwood soon got its deficit back under 10 for the rest of the way, they never got within a single score as NMU made 12 of 12 free throws in the final four minutes.

With that effort, the Wildcats get a well deserved two-week rest until they resume action on New Year’s Day with a 5:30 p.m. home game against GLIAC foe Davenport, with another game two days later on Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. vs. national No. 1 and conference opponent Grand Valley State, a game also to be held at Vandament Arena.

NMU 83, Northwood 77

Wednesday at Vandament Arena

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

NORTHWOOD — Holmes 8-2-18, St. John 7-2-16, Bowers 4-2-14, Miller 0-2-2, Isenhath 5-2-13, Keefer 3-2-8, Kolnitys 1-0-3, Stemmer 1-0-3. Totals 29-12-77.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Weisbrod 12-1-33, Newcomer 3-4-10, Romero 1-6-9, Pytleski 2-4-8, Hill 1-4-6, Whitehouse 4-0-9, Walder 1-2-4, Osterman 1-0-2, Schroeder 1-0-2. Totals 26-21-83.

Score by quarters:

Northwood 19 15 14 29 — 77

Northern Michigan 23 9 22 29 — 83

FG shooting: Northwood 29 of 68 (42.6 percent), NMU 26 of 60 (43.3 percent); 3-point shooting: Northwood 7 of 26 (26.9 percent), NMU 10 of 22 (45.5 percent); FT shooting: Northwood 12 of 16 (75 percent), NMU 21 of 22 (95.5 percent); Rebounding, Northwood 35 (Lea Holmes 9), NMU 39 (Alyssa Hill 8); Assists, Northwood 14 (Ella Miller and Karie Keefer 3 each), NMU 14 (CJ Romero 6); Steals, Northwood 11 (Maeve St. John 7), NMU 9 (Sarah Newcomer 3); Turnovers, Northwood 13, NMU 16.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the game. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.