Northern Michigan University’s CJ Romero, right, works the ball around Ashland’s Ashley Mullet during their NCAA Division II Midwest Region semifinal game played in Allendale on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

ALLENDALE — For the second straight season, the Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team made the second round of the national tournament before bowing out to a national powerhouse.

This year, the Wildcats lost to national No. 5 Ashland 68-45 on Saturday at the gym of the Midwest Region host and No. 1 seed, Grand Valley State.

Last year, NMU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan in its opening game before losing to GVSU in the regional semifinals.

Back to this year, though, as in just about any other region, Ashland would’ve been a No. 1 seed and able to host the regional tourney with its national ranking and now 32-3 record, but GVSU is ranked No. 2 in the country and had an even better 34-2 mark after Saturday’s regional semifinal round.

On Saturday, Northern had just one brief, early lead, 3-2 after Sarah Newcomer sank a 3-pointer with 9:12 left in the opening quarter. Twenty-nine seconds later, the Eagles’ Lexi Howe hit a pair of free throws to put her team ahead 4-3, a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Ashland got to its first double-digit lead late in the first quarter, 15-5 with 2:07 left, after a pair of Zoe Miller free throws.

The Wildcats, who finished the season with a 23-9 record, got back within 17-10 at the end of the quarter, then cut their deficit to five points three times in next period. The final time was at 21-16 with 6:25 to go after a Sydney Whitehouse layup.

But the Eagles finished the first half on an 8-1 run to build a sizable 29-17 bulge at halftime.

And in the second half, the closest NMU got was the same 12 points, 34-22, after Newcomer made a triple with 6:18 to go.

By the end of the quarter, Ashland led 41-26 and built its advantage to 20 points or more for almost all of the final period. The closest the Wildcats got in the fourth once that lead built to 20 was back down to 18, 52-34, on an Alyssa Hill layup with 5:06 to go. Hill is a Negaunee High School graduate.

NMU was kept from having a double-digits scorer, the closest being Newcomer and Mackenzie Holzwart with nine points apiece. Newcomer scored all her points on 3-of-6 3-point shooting, while Holzwart made 5 of 7 free throws.

Hill added in seven points and shared team rebounding honors with Jacy Weisbrod as each grabbed seven. Weisbrod, NMU’s leading scorer over this season, finished with five points.

Howe and Miller paced Ashland, a former member of the GLIAC, with 14 points apiece as teammate Lydia Sweeney added 13.

In other games from the NCAA Midwest Region, in Friday’s quarterfinals, the regional No. 3 seeded Wildcats downed No. 6 Hillsdale 61-56, No. 2 Ashland felled No. 7 Ferris State 62-50, No. 1 Grand Valley streaked by No. 8 Quincy 108-72 and No. 4 Wayne State zipped by No. 5 Lewis 77-57.

GVSU won Saturday’s other regional semi with a 87-54 decision over Wayne State, setting up the regional championship game to be played at 7 p.m. today between Grand Valley and Ashland back in Allendale.

The winner advances to the NCAA Elite Eight to be played in Pittsburgh starting next Monday and running through March 28.

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.