By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — Nothing much comes easy when your top player is out of action.

With junior guard Jacy Weisbrod not able to play for the fourth straight game, the Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team had to come from behind several times in the second half before pulling out a 60-56 victory over GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt at Vandament Arena on Monday evening.

Though it hasn’t been stated by NMU Sports Information in their news releases, it would seem like Weisbrod is injured.

No matter the reason, the Wildcats have to miss their top scorer, who not only leads the league in 3-point shooting, but is among national leaders in that statistic as well. Weisbrod’s 3.2 made 3s each game along with a 36.4% make rate are both No. 1 in the GLIAC with those made per game listed as No. 2 in NCAA Division II, according to NMU SI.

Northern improved to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in the league, moving back into a three-way tie for second place with Ferris State and Wisconsin-Parkside and a game behind national No. 1 Grand Valley State, which is 6-0 and 16-1. Roosevelt slid to 4-8 and 2-4, part of a four-way logjam for sixth place.

Even without Weisbrod, NMU had an advantage shooting from the floor on Monday, mainly because Roosevelt was quite cold there in these teams’ first-ever meeting.

The Lakers made just 17% on 3s (4 of 23), making Northern’s fairly pedestrian 33% (6 of 18) look pretty good. And the Wildcats outshot Roosevelt overall by almost 10%, making 44% (22 of 50) to 35% for the visitors (21 of 60).

RU had an advantage at the free throw line, though both teams made 10 of the charity tosses to even that out. Roosevelt was 10 of 12 (83%) and Northern 10 of 19 (53%).

Alyssa Nimz led NMU with 18 points, making 8 of 14 from the field, adding in five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Mackenzie Holzwart had 12 points, making a triple, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and making two assists.

Kayla Tierney came off the bench to score nine points with four rebounds, three assists and a team-high three steals.

The Lakers’ Jayla Turchin led all scorers with 19 points, also pacing all rebounders with nine and leading her team with four steals and two assists.

With a half-dozen lead changes in the first quarter alone, neither team had more than a one-possession lead as Roosevelt emerged with a 15-14 edge at the end of the period.

Not surprisingly, the second quarter was similar — except that NMU never had the lead. But the Wildcats remained within one possession the entire period except for a brief moment, 13 seconds to be exact, when Turchin hit a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a 26-21 lead.

Then that baker’s dozen worth of ticks later, NMU’s Abi Fraaza made a layup to get her team back within three, 26-23, 3:39 before halftime.

Roosevelt nursed a narrow 30-27 lead at intermission before grabbing its biggest advantage barely a minute into the third quarter. Luka Malinka hit a triple about 30 seconds after Turchin made a jumper to put the visitors ahead by six, 35-29.

That must’ve triggered something in Northern’s shooters, who immediately went on a 6-0 run to tie it. Nimz made 1 of 2 free throws, Romero a trey and Fraaza a pair of free throws in just under three minutes to make it 35-35 with 4:43 left in the third.

The Wildcats used that momentum to grab their own six-point lead, something they would tie but not exceed several times in the next period. The first lead that size was 44-38 with 45 seconds left in the third after a Romero 3.

Still ahead 44-40 at the end of the quarter, NMU got it to a six-point margin again three times in the fourth, the final time 52-46 with 5:22 left. In an odd coincidence, each time Northern built a six-point lead in the fourth, it was after a Nimz layup.

That must’ve struck Roosevelt the same way that the Lakers’ lead affected the Wildcats earlier as RU went on a 7-0 run over exactly two minutes to retake a 53-52 lead.

That was the first of four straight baskets by both teams that changed the lead each time. Finally, though, Holzwart made a layup with 20 seconds to go to give the home team the lead for good as Pytleski hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 13 seconds to insure her team’s victory.

The Wildcats complete their four-game homestand later this week with GLIAC games at Vandament Arena against Wayne State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and against Saginaw Valley State at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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