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Wildcat women pull off big comeback

BIG RAPIDS – Regular top scorers Alyssa Colla and Lauren Gruber gave the Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team a chance by sending the game into overtime.

But four of the starters got in on the scoring in the extra period as the Wildcats roared back for a 79-74 victory at Ferris State on Saturday afternoon.

Northern improved to 13-8 overall and 11-6 in the GLIAC North Division, while the Bulldogs slipped to 9-11 and 7-10.

Even for a team noted for its comebacks, NMU looked like a longshot trailing 45-29 with just 8:51 to go in the second half.

But the Wildcats fought back, chipping away at the lead until they trailed 60-58 after Abbey DeBruin made a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left in regulation.

Ferris’ Christina Branch answered with her own pair of free tosses with 22 seconds left, making it 62-58 and leaving it up to the heroics of the Wildcats’ star senior guards.

Colla responded with an offensive rebound and jump shot with eight seconds to go, then Gruber took a steal by sophomore guard Bre Gaspervich and put in a layup with less than second left to force the extra five-minute period.

Northern’s offense exploded in OT, scoring 17 points though the Wildcats were never more than one possession ahead until Gaspervich scored the game’s final points on a layup with four seconds to go.

For the game, Gruber put in a game-high 27 points while sharing the team high in rebounds with seven and making four steals and three assists.

DeBruin scored 18 points; Gaspervich added 12 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists; and Colla ended up with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

For Ferris, Christina Branch scored 21 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Teammates Destiney Robinson scored 16 points and Katie Mavis 14.

Early in the game, the Bulldogs used a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 20-9 with 5:40 left before halftime. Though Northern senior center Courtney Lemon hit a 3-point jumper just before the break, NMU still trailed 23-14 at halftime.

Gaspervich hit a triple to keep Northern within 38-29 nine minutes into the second half, but Ferris went on a 7-0 run to put the Wildcats in that big 16-point hole before mounting their comeback.

NMU returns home to the Berry Events Center this week to host Saginaw Valley State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Hillsdale at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee.

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