After leading almost the entire first half, the Wildcats were caught up in a back-and-forth game in the third quarter, the host Cardinals taking a 48-47 lead at the end of the period.

Then NMU needed a span of less than two minutes in the middle of the fourth quarter to put together a decisive 11-0 run and take control.

Northern improved to 15-6 overall and 9-4 in the GLIAC, the same league record as Wayne State, who the Wildcats travel to play at 1 p.m. today. Grand Valley State not only leads the GLIAC with a perfect 13-0 mark, but is 23-1 overall — it’s only loss to Big Ten member Ohio State in December — and No. 1 in the NCAA Division II.

Ferris State is a game ahead of NMU and Wayne State at 10-3, while Wisconsin-Parkside is 8-5 and a game behind Northern.

Northern Michigan University’s Madison Schroeder, left, works for position to take a shot during a GLIAC women’s basketball game played against Davenport at Vandament Arena in Marquette last Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

SVSU, meanwhile, dropped to 11-10 overall and 5-8 in the GLIAC, tied with Roosevelt for seventh place.

In Thursday’s game at Saginaw Valley, Jacy Weisbrod returned to NMU’s starting lineup — she had been coming off the bench for about a month after missing time around the Christmas holidays — and scored a game-high 23 points, making 4 of 8 on 3-pointers and 8 of 13 overall from the field. She also pulled down six rebounds.

Teammate Sarah Newcomer added 11 points, hitting 3 of 5 triples, and grabbing five rebounds. The Wildcats’ Sydney Whitehouse had nine points by making 4 of 5 shots in just seven minutes court time, while Alyssa Nimz had four points while grabbing a game-high seven rebounds. And NMU’s CJ Romero dished out a team-high five assists as she scored five points and made two steals.

Aleshia Jones paced the Cardinals with 18 points, making 4 of 6 triples.

Northern had its best shooting night of the season, making 58% overall from the field (25 of 43), including 56% on 3-pointers (10 of 18). But the Wildcats also committed 21 turnovers, its second most in the campaign.

Weisbrod hit a pair of 2-point jump shots in the game’s first minute and a half to stake NMU to an early 4-0 lead. While never trailing in the first quarter, the Wildcats’ biggest lead was just five points, which happened twice with the second time being 15-10 with 1:27 left after a Newcomer layup.

Northern kept a narrow 17-16 lead at the end of the period, then opened it back up to seven points on three occasions in the second quarter, the final time 30-23 on a Addison Pytleski triple with 3:30 to go.

Leading 32-28 at halftime, the Wildcats quickly re-established a seven-point lead, 35-28, on a Romero trey just 22 seconds into the third.

But soon after, SVSU rattled off a 7-0 run to take its biggest lead, 40-37, with 6:10 left in the third after a Jones jumper.

The teams traded the lead four more times before the quarter ended, the Cardinals going up one at the end of the period after a Saniaa Walker layup.

There were another three trades of the lead in the first 78 seconds of the fourth quarter, too.

But that’s about the time NMU caught fire, turning a 53-53 tie into a 64-53 edge with 3:53 left, Nimz capping it off by making a “traditional” three-point play with a layup and free throw.

The Cardinals were able to get back within seven, 64-57, on a Megan McCalla jumper with 1:18 to go, but Weisbrod answered with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer after that to put the game out of reach.

After today’s game at Wayne State, Northern returns home next week, hosting last-place Lake Superior State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and second-place Ferris at 1 p.m. next Saturday.

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.