LSSU Lakers drop both games to Northwood (Photos)

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State women’s basketball team fell to the Northwood University Timberwolves in both games this past weekend. Friday nights game had a final score of 80-61

First Half

Mattison Rayman opened the game’s scoring at 8:28 of the first quarter as she was perfect in two free throw attempts to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead. The Timberwolves would respond with a ten point run in the next three minutes to take a 10-2 lead. Rayman, who finished the first quarter with seven points to lead the Lakers, added the next five points for LSSU as she made a layup and a three pointer to bring the Lakers within six points (13-7). 

Freshman Jozie Bontrager would ignite a 10-point run by Lakers to end the first quarter when she hit a three pointer (15-10). Makenzie Bray made a pair of free throws, Mackenzie Kalchik scored a layup and Bontrager would add a second three pointer to give the Lakers a 17-15 lead at the end of the first ten minutes of play. 

Northwood’s offense would have a strong second half as the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers, 22-11 in the quarter. Bray scored the first four points in the quarter for the Lakers as she netted two layups to bring the Lakers within a point (22-21) of the Timberwolves with 6:30 left in the half. Rayman would then follow with a pair of layups to keep the Lakers within three points of the Timberwolves (28-25) with five minutes left in the quarter. Bray would score the final three points of the half for the Lakers as the home team trailed by nine, 37-28, at the close of the first half. 

Second Half

In a high scoring third quarter, the Lakers put up 21 points while the Timberwolves scored 28 points. After Northwood scored the first four points of the quarter, Bray made a shot from behind the arc to close the gap to 10 points (41-31). 

With 6:02 left in the third quarter, Carson Nitz hit a three pointer (47-37) but the Timberwolves followed with back-to-back threes to extend the lead. In the final 4:36 of the quarter, Kelly Olthof would lead the way for the Lakers as she scored eight points on four layups to close out the scoring in the third quarter. 

The teams entered the fourth quarter with the Timberwolves leading 65-49.

Bray would continue her strong game for the Lakers with a three pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter to bring the score to 67-52. The Timberwolves defense was successful in keeping the Lakers from rallying in the final quarter. Senior Rebecca Villaneuva would score a three pointer with 1:20 left but the Lakers would fall by a final score of 80-61.

Breaking Down the Game

Rayman led the team with her third straight game with double figures in points as she posted 16 points in the game. Rayman also added a team-leading seven rebounds against the Timberwolves. Bray followed Rayman with 15 points in 28 minutes on the floor. Olthof rounded out the top three scorers for the Lakers in the game as she finished with 10 points. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 39.3 shooting percentage, going 22-for-56 against Northwood On the other end of the floor, the Timberwolves went 33-for-72 in the game to total a 45.8 shooting percentage. Lake Superior was outrebounded by Northwood, 37-32, in the game.

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Saturday’s Game

The Lake Superior State women’s basketball team fell by a final score of 87-59 to the Northwood University Timberwolves on Saturday, Feb. 13 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in the second game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) weekend serie

First Half

The first twenty minutes of the game featured strong play from both the Timberwolves and Lakers offense as the half ended with the Lakers trailing, 45-34. 

Sophomore forward Mattison Rayman opened the scoring with a layup in the first minute to give the Lakers an early 2-0 lead. Jaden Wilder would score the next two baskets for the Lakers, both layups to put the Lakers ahead 6-4 with 6:28 left in the first quarter. 

Rayman would score her second layup of the quarter with 4:20 left as she brought the Lakers within a point of Northwood (11-10). Sadie DeWildt would regain the Laker lead with 3:36 left in the first quarter as she scored from beyond the arc (13-11). 

With 1:29 left to play in the first quarter, Carson Nitz would make the score 17-16 in favor of the Lakers with a three point jump shot. Kelly Olthof would score on two free throw attempts in the final minute of the first quarter but the Timberwolves would add a layup after to hold a 20-19 lead after the first ten minutes of play. 

In the first two minutes of the second quarter, the Timberwolves would come out strong to build their lead over the Lakers to eight points (28-20). DeWildt’s second three pointer of the game, assisted by Taylor Bryant, would cut the Lakers deficit to five points (28-23) with 8:16 left in the first half. 

Minutes later, DeWildt’s solid shooting would see her score her third shot from behind the three point line (33-26) but Northwood would respond and would take their first double digit lead of the game (38-26). 

Rayman would score the Lakers next seven points, including a three point jump shot, to bring LSSU back within seven points of the Timberwolves (40-33) with under three minutes to play in the half. The sophomore would lead the Lakers in the first half with 13 points. 

The first half ended with the Lakers trailing by 11 points, 45-34. 

Second Half

After Northwood scored the first four points of the second half, Rayman made a layup after getting her own offensive rebound (49-36). The Timberwolves offense would dominate the third quarter as Northwood outscored the Lakers, 21-8. 

In the closing minute of the third quarter, senior guard Rebecca Villaneuva would make a three pointer for the Lakers. The Lakers would enter the final quarter of play trailing, 66-42.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers would score 17 points while the Timberwolves added 21 points to secure the win. Villanueva and Mackenzie Kalchik would lead the Lakers in the fourth quarter with five points each. 

Breaking Down the Game

Rayman led the team with 15 points, marking her fourth consecutive game with double figures in points. Rayman also added three rebounds, one steal and one block against the Timberwolves. Sadie DeWildt ranked second among the Lakers with nine points in the game as she went 3-for-4, with all four attempts from behind the arc. DeWildt and Bryant shared the lead in assists as both players recorded four. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 39.6 shooting percentage, going 21-for-53 against Northwood On the other end of the floor, the Timberwolves went 36-for-766 in the game to total a 54.5 shooting percentage. Lake Superior was outrebounded by Northwood, 34-25, in the game.

What’s Next

The Lakers will travel to Big Rapids, Mich. for a single game against the Ferris State Bulldogs at the Jim Wink Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m. The two GLIAC teams played the first game of their season series earlier this year in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium with the Bulldogs winning, 83-65.

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