Northern Michigan University’s Sydney Whitehouse, left, goes up for a shot during a GLIAC game played against Michigan Tech at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

BIG RAPIDS — Ferris State not only won the statistical battle, but the more important one on the scoreboard as the Bulldogs defeated Northern Michigan University 80-68 in a women’s basketball game played in Big Rapids on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 16 in the nation, produced the game’s top two scorers with Kadyn Blanchard scoring 23 points and Mia Riley 20. Each made four 3-pointers, but Riley was really the standout with her not-too-common collegiate triple-double — adding to her points was 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Jacy Weisbrod paced the Wildcats, ranked No. 20, with 16 points as she hit two triples and dished out four assists. Teammate Sydney Whitehouse scored 13 points coming off the bench, also making a pair of 3s to go with five rebounds. NMU’s Sarah Newcomer and Negaunee product Alyssa Hill contributed 11 points apiece, Newcomer making three triples and Hill pulling in eight rebounds.

But Ferris had several significant advantages in team statistics, too, outshooting Northern 42% to 36% on a similar number of shots, and holding a 46-36 rebounding edge.

The Wildcats did have barely more than half of Ferris’ turnovers, however, 15-8, as they committed 10 steals, five by Jordyn Schmittdiel as she also grabbed seven rebounds.

Ferris took control from the outset with Northern making a run to get back in it in the third quarter.

After the Bulldogs took a quick 7-2 lead in the first 90 seconds, NMU tied it 9-9 with 6:25 left in the opening period on a Whitehouse triple.

But FSU soon after scored nine straight points to lead 24-12 entering the second quarter.

The home team’s lead hovered near double digits for much of quarter No. 2 and was 44-30 at halftime.

Then after Ferris twice built its biggest lead of 17, the second time 49-32 with 8:32 left in the third, Northern chipped away to get back into single digits, including 60-55 entering the final period.

Though Weisbrod’s layup in the first minute of the fourth got the Wildcats within three, 60-57, the Bulldogs re-extended it to 14, 71-57, with 6:49 left.

NMU had one final spurt, cutting its deficit to five, 73-68, on a Hill layup with 3:21 left, before Ferris pulled away one final time for the double-digit final score.

Northern is inching closer to finishing in fourth place in the GLIAC, now at 13-5 in league games and 22-6 overall. With two games left in the regular season, the Wildcats are 3 1/2 games up on the team in fifth, 9-8 Michigan Tech, but also two full games behind third-place Wayne State at 15-3 in the conference.

Ferris State is 14-2 and 21-4, in second place and only trailing national top-five Grand Valley State at the top of the league.

This week, Northern hosts seventh-place Roosevelt (7-11 GLIAC) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and sixth-place Wisconsin-Parkside (8-10) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Vandament Arena.

Ferris St. 80, NMU 68

Saturday at Big Rapids

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Weisbrod 6-2-16, Newcomer 3-2-11, Hill 5-1-11, Romero 2-0-5, Whitehouse 4-3-13, Osterman 2-1-5, Schmittdiel 1-3-5, Walder 1-0-2. Totals 24-12-68.

FERRIS STATE — Blanchard 9-1-23, Riley 5-6-20, Schierbeek 4-0-10, Irwin 2-0-5, Schultz 1-0-3, Hiram 5-2-14, Miller 1-1-3, Erickson 0-2-2-. Totals 27-12-80.

Score by quarters:

Northern Michigan 12 18 25 13 — 68

Ferris State 24 20 16 20 — 80

FG shooting: NMU 24 of 67 (35.8 percent), Ferris State 27 of 64 (42.2 percent); 3-point shooting: NMU 8 of 28 (28.6 percent), Ferris State 14 of 35 (40 percent); FT shooting: NMU 12 of 16 (75 percent), Ferris State 12 of 15 (80 percent); Rebounding, NMU 36 (Alyssa Hill 8), Ferris State 46 (Mia Riley 15); Assists, NMU 19 (3 players with 4 each), Ferris State 20 (Riley 10); Steals, NMU 10 (Jordyn Schmittdiel 5), Ferris State 7 (Kadyn Blanchard 4); Turnovers, NMU 8, Ferris State 15.

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