NMU Basketball Teams Have Rough Day In Illinois

These stories were written by NMU Sports Information

SUNDAY'S WOMEN'S GAME SUMMARY

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Northern Michigan University Women's Basketball fell to Lewis University in the team's second game of opening weekend. The Wildcats fell to Flyers 65-41.

Junior Lexi Smith (St. Germain, Wis.) paced the NMU offense with 11 points. Senior Erin Honkala (Howell, Mich.) and freshman Makaylee Kuhn (Hilbert, Wis.) added six points each.

Senior Jessica Schultz (Mineral Point, Wis.) grabbed a team high seven rebounds and five points. Junior Amber Huebner (Marquette, Mich.) dished three assists to lead the team.

Schultz hit a three to get the game started, but the hosts responded with 10 points to take a 10-3 lead halfway into the quarter. Honkala stopped the run with a three followed by two free throws from Schultz to make it 10-8 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

Smith ended the quarter with a three at the buzzer but Lewis had hit two of their own and had a 16-11 lead after the first frame.

Kuhn added a layup for the first NMU score in the second quarter but it came after a nine-point run from the Flyers halfway through the quarter. Smith scored and Kuhn made a free throw to move the score to 29-16. Lewis extended the lead before Honkala sank a second three in the last minute of the half to make it 34-19.

Junior Elizabeth Lutz (Marshall, Wis.) hit a three for the first NMU score of the second half and Smith sank two free throws after the hosts opened the half with five points which made the score 39-24.

Huebner and freshman Gwen Streblow (Plymouth, Wis.) scored a basket each in the closing minutes of the quarter but Lewis had managed to extend their lead out to 46-28.
In the fourth quarter, Streblow hit a jumper and Kuhn made one from behind the arc early in the quarter. Smith made a layup and a jumper in the first half of the quarter.

Redshirt freshman Madigan Johns (Ishpeming, Mich.) added a three and redshirt freshman Peyton Wright (Ashwaubenon, Wis.) made a free throw to finish the scoring. However, Lewis was able to outscore NMU through the quarter on their way to a 65-41 victory.

The Wildcats are now 1-1 this season and will head to Minnesota this weekend. On Thursday night, they visit Minnesota State University Mankato and then visit University of Minnesota Duluth Saturday afternoon.

SUNDAY'S MEN'S GAME RECAP

LEBANON, Ill. – Northern Michigan University Men's Basketball fell to McKendree University in their second game of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup, falling 69-46.

Senior Sam Taylor (Chicago, Ill.) paced the team with 11 points. Junior Alec Fruin (Beloit, Wis.) tallied nine points while freshman Xzavier Jones (Milwaukee, Wis.) added eight points.

Sophomore Dolapo Olayinka (Chicago, Ill.) had a team best six rebounds. Senior Myles Howard (Chicago, Ill.), Fruin and Jones each chipped into the effort with five rebounds. Howard and redshirt freshman Ben Wolf (Naperville, Ill.) had two blocks as well.

Olayinka put NMU on the board nearly five minutes into the game to make it 5-2 but both teams traded runs throughout the first half. The Wildcats cut into the McKendree lead and got within four points but the Bearcats continued to respond and build their lead back, eventually taking a 31-22 lead into the half.

In the second half, MCK built a double figure lead which ultimately became a 69-46 victory for hosts.

The Wildcats drop to 1-1 on the season. NMU returns to action Friday and will head to the University of Minnesota Duluth. The team then takes on Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday, played at Minnesota Duluth.

SATURDAY'S WOMEN'S GAME RECAP

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Northern Michigan University Women's Basketball held William Jewell College to just 18 points over the last 30 minutes on their way to winning their season opener 60-33 Saturday afternoon in the first of two games opening weekend.

Senior Jessica Schultz (Mineral Point, Wis.) led the Wildcats with 12 points, finishing 6-8 from the field. Junior Lexi Smith (St. Germain, Wis.) added eight points.

Freshman Samantha Potter (Royal Oak, Mich.) chipped in with seven points and led the team with seven rebounds.

Senior Erin Honkala (Howell, Mich.), juniors Amber Huebner (Marquette, Mich.) and Elizabeth Lutz (Marshall, Wis.), and redshirt freshman Madigan Johns (Ishpeming, Mich.) all aided the effort with six points each.

Honkala and freshman Makaylee Kuhn (Hilbert, Wis.) both tallied five rebounds.
The Cardinals led the majority of the first quarter but NMU was able to tie the score at the 1:31 mark when Smith converted an and-one opportunity. Huebner ended the quarter with a layup to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game, 17-15 with 37 to go in the quarter. The quarter ended with the same 17-15 NMU lead.

The Wildcats defense almost pitched a shutout for the second quarter and NMU added 17 points to take a 34-16 lead at the half. NMU forced William Jewell to 0-12 shooting from the field but the Cardinals were able to sink a free throw for their lone point.
NMU opened the quarter with 12 points before WJC was able to score.

NMU's defense stayed strong throughout the second half as they kept the Cardinals to single digits in both quarters.

SATURDAY'S MEN'S GAME RECAP

LEBANON, Ill. – Five players reached double figures for the Northern Michigan University Men's Basketball team as the Wildcats opened the Matt Majkrzak era with a 76-63 victory over Lewis University in the first game of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference/Great Lakes Valley Conference Challenge.

Sophomore Alec Fruin (Beloit, Wis.) tallied a team-high 17 points, going 3-4 from the three point line. Sophomore Dolapo Olayinka (Chicago, Ill.) added 13 points with senior Marcus Matelski (Boyne Falls, Mich.) chipping in with 12 points, hitting four threes.

Freshman Ben Wolf (Naperville, Ill.) posted 11 and senior Sam Taylor (Chicago, Ill.) had 10. Senior Myles Howard (Chicago, Ill.) tallied nine points and led the team with six rebounds.

Taylor and freshman Noah Parcher (La Crose, Wis.) both notched five assists. Taylor also got three steals in the effort.

NMU committed just nine turnovers in the game and forced the Flyers into 16, with NMU scoring 20 points off Lewis turnovers. The Wildcats also recorded 15 assists compared to just 8 from Lewis.

From the field, NMU shot 47 percent including 45 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, the Wildcats held Lewis to 33 percent from deep.

Fruin got things started by scoring NMU's first five points. The Flyers were able to rally and take a lead but Howard tied the score at 10-10 halfway through the first half. With just under three minutes left, NMU called timeout down 24-17 but scored the final six points of the half to narrow the gap to a 24-23 halftime deficit.

To start the second half, NMU hit five threes to take a lead. Olayinka and Fruin made two with Matelski also hitting one, plus a layup from Olayinka gave NMU a 40-32 lead five minutes into the half.

Lewis pulled within 40-37, but Matelski stopped the Flyers' run with a three. Lewis was then able to pull within in four points, 43-39 but would be unable to get any closer as NMU closed out the game with strong defense and timely shooting on their way to a 76-63 victory.