KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team sealed its first Mid-American Conference victory of the season with a resounding 79-70 performance over Northern Illinois on Wednesday inside University Arena.
The Broncos were led by the quartet of redshirt junior
Taylor Williams, redshirt sophomore
Lauren Ross, Junior
Hannah Spitzley, and fifth-year
Maddie Watters, who combined to score 75 of WMU's 79 points against the Huskies.
Leading the way for WMU was the duo of Ross and Williams, Ross registered 31 points and Williams poured in 23 points. Ross shot 11-of-22 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the free throw line. The Muskegon, Mich., native also recorded five rebounds and one steal.
Williams tallied 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field with one made a three-pointer and a team-high 15 rebounds. Williams 15 rebounds also recorded her season high. She registered two assists, three blocks, and one steal on the day.
Spitzley downed 11 points on the day, shooting 2-of-5 from the field, 2-of-4 from deep, and 5-of-6 from the line. She recorded seven rebounds, two steals, and one assist and block each. Spitzley earned her season-high for minutes played while adding her season-high for free throws made and attempted.
Maddie Watters shot 3-of-9 from the field, 2-of-8 from deep, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the line for 10 points. She dished out three assists while pulling down two rebounds and grabbing two steals. Watters three assists on the night made her season high.
Western Michigan (6-8, 1-2 MAC) opened the game on a 5-0 run, holding the Huskies scoreless until the 6:19 mark. Two made free throws for NIU started a 9-0 run for Northern Illinois to put them up by four. The Broncos answered with the next seven points after a converted three-point attempt by Watters. WMU took a 12-9 lead with 2:20 left in the opening quarter and would conclude 15-13.
NIU (9-5, 1-2 MAC) tied the game at 21 in the second quarter with two made a three-pointer and a made layup. Western Michigan then added its 9-0 run to go up 30-21. The two teams traded baskets back and forth, but no team would lead by more than nine points. Despite the Huskies converting the last four points, WMU headed into the locker room holding a three-point edge, 36-33.
The Broncos opened the third with an 8-0 run, started with a pair of made free throws by Williams, followed by pair of made jumpers and driving layups. Western Michigan reached its largest margin of the game at the 5:07 mark, two made free throws by Watters tallied a 12-point lead for the Broncos at 50-38. After a pair of made free throws by Janae Poisson and a made three-pointer by Grace Hunter, WMU added its biggest lead with 16 points and highest scoring quarter to conclude the third at 58-43.
Northern Illinois started the fourth with a 9-2 run that was quickly answered by Western Michigan. The fourth quarter showed WMU's control within the game as they pulled away again. Spitzley downed a three-pointer at the 6:38 mark to extend the Bronco lead, followed by four made layups by Ross. During the final minutes of play, the Huskies would come within eight points of the Broncos as they made their final six free throws to secure the 79-70 victory.
WMU finished the game shooting 46.7 percent from the field with five made three-pointers. An impressive night from the charity stripe, they shot 18-of-21 for 85.7 percent from the line. With four blocks and eight steals, WMU displayed strong defense and great ball handling with a 17 percent turnover ratio. As a team, they registered 35 rebounds, led by Williams with 15. Western Michigan concluded play having scored 44 points in the paint and four points off the bench while leading a total of 37:17 minutes of play. Northern Illinois shot 35.1 percent from the floor and committed 17 turnovers on the night.
The Western Michigan women's basketball team continues conference play on the road this week, traveling to Mount Pleasant to face the Chippewas of Central Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 pm at McGuirk Arena.
