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Wayne State University Athletics

Jaci Tubergen 2024 vs. Ashland
David Thurman
Jaci Tubergen hit the game-winning triple in the final 20 seconds for the win at NMU.
61
Winner Wayne State WSU-W 9-6,4-3 GLIAC
60
Northern Mich. NMU 11-4,5-2 GLIAC
Winner
Wayne State WSU-W
9-6,4-3 GLIAC
61
Final
60
Northern Mich. NMU
11-4,5-2 GLIAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wayne State WSU-W 11 11 22 17 61
Northern Mich. NMU 9 17 24 10 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball Notches 61-60 Road Win At Northern Michigan

Tubergen drains game-winning triple.

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (9-6 overall, 4-3 GLIAC) scored the final points in each quarter including the final bucket in a 61-60 triumph at Northern Michigan University (11-4 overall, 5-2 GLIAC) Thursday evening at Vandament Arena, the Wildcats new basketball home.  The game featured seven ties and 12 lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
In a back-and-forth opening stanza that saw four ties (2-2, 4-4-, 7-7, 8-8) and four lead changes, the Warriors dealt the final blow on a triple by Mackenzie Miller (Schoolcraft, Mich.) giving the guests an 11-9 advantage after 10 minutes.  Sophomore guard McKenna Ferguson (Grandville, Mich. / Byron Center) scored Wayne State's first four points, while senior forward Shea Tripp (Jackson, Mich. / Michigan Center) tallied the next four WSU points.

Second Quarter
NMU knotted the game at 11-11 before freshman forward Lexi Boyke (Frankenmuth, Mich.) made two foul shots and Ferguson added a bucket for a four-point margin (15-11).  Wildcat Sarah Newcomer drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc putting the hosts in front 17-15.  Ferguson answered with her own triple giving the Warriors their last lead of the first half at 18-17 as Northern Michigan rattled off nine of the next 11 points for a 26-20 lead with 73 seconds left before intermission.  A bucket in the final minute by Tripp cut the WSU deficit to four (26-22).

Neither team shot well in the opening 20 minutes with NMU at 30 percent (10-of-33) and WSU at 29 percent (8-of-28).  The Wildcats made four triples and two foul shots, while the Warriors connected on two attempts from beyond the arc and all four free throw attempts.

Third Quarter
The teams traded scores the first two minutes prior to junior Gabi Lutchka (Grass Lake, Mich.) draining a triple to put Wayne State in front 29-28.  The alternating buckets continued until another Newcomer trey tied the game at 33-33 with 6:24 left in the stanza.

Lutchka's triple 90 seconds later regained the lead for WSU at 36-35.  After a free throw by junior Taylor Thompson (Grand Blanc, Mich.), NMU tallied the next five points for a 40-37 lead.  A pair of free throws by Tripp evened the score at 40-40, but the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run highlighted by five points from CJ Romero and another triple by Newcomer.  Senior Alyssa Leister (St. Louis, Mich. / Alma) closed out the period with a lay-up at the buzzer marking the third straight quarter WSU scored the last points of the stanza.

The 46 point quarter (Northern Michigan-24, Wayne State-22) featured a combined 15 field goals, including six triples and 10 made foul shots.

Fourth Quarter
Two free throws by NMU's Alyssa Hill 66 seconds into the final period gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game (8, 52-44).  The hosts led 56-49 with just over four minutes remaining, but two Thompson jumpers were sandwiched around an NMU bucket to make it a five-point contest (58-53) with 3:18 left.  Northern Michigan extended its lead to seven (60-53) as CJ Romero connected twice from the charity stripe with exactly three minutes remaining.

Thompson made 3-of-4 from the foul line over a 22-second span to cut the WSU deficit to four (60-56).  A steal by Lutchka and a lay-up by Thompson trimmed the margin to two (60-58) with 2:19 left.  Northern Michigan had two turnovers and a missed jumper on its next three possessions, before junior guard Jaci Tubergen (Hudsonville, Mich.) drained a triple with 17 seconds left.

The Wildcats did not make a field goal in the final 3:30 with the only points coming from Romero's foul shots.

TEAM STATS
Both teams shot 37 percent from the field (WSU - 20-of-53, NMU 22-of-59), with the Wildcats connecting on eight triples in 22 attempts (36 percent) compared to WSU's 24 percent (5-of-21).  Wayne State was a stellar 16-of-20 (80 percent) from the charity stripe, while Northern Michigan was a perfect 8-of-8.  NMU won the battle of the glass 38-33 and bench points (23-19), but the Warriors had seven fewer turnovers (10 to 17), which led to an 18-7 edge in points off turnovers.  WSU also led 30-22 for points in the paint. 

LEADING THE WARRIORS
McKenna Ferguson nearly had her first double-double with game-high totals of 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals.  Taylor Thompson chipped in with 12 points, while Gabi Lutchka contributed 10 points off the bench.

LEADING THE WILDCATS
Sarah Newcomer was the lone NMU player in double figures with 14 points, including four triples.  Three players had five rebounds each.

WARRIOR TIDBITS
Northern Michigan had won eight straight games at home since an overtime loss to Grand Valley State last February, including a win over WSU in the GLIAC Quarterfinals on March 6, 2024.  Jaci Tubergen's game-winning field goal was her only made shot of the game.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will conclude its second U.P. road trip of 2025 with a noon tip-off on Saturday at Michigan Tech.
 
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