Nov 12, 2025
Northern Michigan University’s Sydney Whitehouse, second from right, goes up for a shot between Lake Superior State’s Grace Bradford, second from left, and CeCe Hacker, right, during their GLIAC game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
EDINBORO, Pa. — It might be time to start attracting some national ranking points after the women’s basketball team at Northern Michigan University has begun the season 3-0.
The Wildcats won three games in as many days at the CCA Tip-Off Classic held in a pair of northwestern Pennsylvania cities about 15 miles apart.
NMU defeated a trio of home-state schools in Edinboro and Erie, including national No. 5 Gannon on Saturday.
The Wildcats also downed California (Pennsylvania) in their opener on Friday, then finished off this whirlwind tour on Sunday afternoon with a 65-50 win over Edinboro, a team that actually had a better finish than Gannon last season in the three teams’ Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
On Sunday, Northern used a big second period to erase a 15-14 deficit after one quarter, then played the Fighting Scots just about even over the final two quarters.
Jacy Weisbrod, a Preseason First Team selection in the GLIAC, led NMU in scoring for the third straight game with 17 points, though she actually shared that honor with teammate Sydney Whitehouse on Friday.
Weisbrod sizzled from long distance on Sunday, making 5 of 8 on 3-pointers much like she did when leading the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last season in triples.
She also was part of a quartet of Wildcats who led them in rebounding with six apiece, and Weisbrod didn’t commit a turnover in 30 minutes court time.
Teammate Addison Pytleski added a career-high 14 points, making a trio of triples, while Whitehouse scored 12, adding six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.
Despite scoring just five points, CJ Romero had a big hand in the scoring with eight assists, more than half NMU’s total, while Negaunee graduate Alyssa Hill and Madison Schroeder also had six rebounds apiece.
Ava Haddad paced Edinboro with 14 points.
Surprising considering the final score, Edinboro tried to blow the Wildcats off the court in the first three minutes, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after hitting a pair of triples.
But when Weisbrod hit her second trey with 3:55 left in the opening quarter, NMU was back within 12-10.
With Northern trailing by a single point entering the second quarter, that situation lasted all of 10 seconds, the time that Pytleski needed to make a layup and change the score to 16-15 in favor of NMU.
The Scots didn’t go away easily, tying the score twice and even taking a lead for mere seconds, 24-22, when Haddad made a layup with 4:25 left in the first half.
Ten seconds after Haddad’s layup, Baraga graduate Reide Osterman bombed in a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 25-24 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish.
The lead bulged to double digits, 34-24, in a little more than two minutes after Weisbrod hit another 3.
Ahead 38-26 at halftime, Northern’s lead shrunk to four points twice in the third, the final time 38-34 with 3:20 left. But back-to-back-to-back triples by Pytleski, Romero and Weisbrod in the final 80 seconds of the quarter returned NMU to a 49-36 edge going to the fourth.
Unlike the third quarter, Northern wouldn’t let Edinboro get within single digits in the final period, growing its advantage to as many as 19 points twice, the final time 63-44 with 2:48 left after a Pytleski trey.
The Wildcats remain on the road for two neutral-site games in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, this weekend, facing Upper Iowa at 6 p.m. EST Friday and Lewis (Illinois) at 6 p.m. EST Saturday.
NMU comes back to Marquette for its first home game of the season at Vandament Arena at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, to face St. Cloud State (Minnesota). The following day, also at 5:30 p.m., Northern hosts Minnesota-Duluth.
NMU 65, Edinboro 50
Sunday at Edinboro, Pa.
Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)
NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Weisbrod 6-0-17, Pytleski 5-1-14, Hill 4-0-8, Romero 1-2-5, Whitehouse 6-0-12, Schroeder 2-0-4, Osterman 1-0-3, Walder 1-0-2. Totals 26-3-65.
EDINBORO — Haddad 5-4-14, Manfredo 4-0-8, Garrity 2-0-6, Baker 2-0-4, Suman 1-0-2, Batchik 2-1-6, Vasquez 3-0-6, Brinson 2-0-4. Totals 21-5-50.
Score by quarters:
Northern Michigan 
14 24 11 16 — 65
Edinboro 15 11 10 14 — 50
FG shooting: NMU 26 of 60 (43.3 percent), Edinboro 21 of 53 (39.6 percent); 3-point shooting: NMU 10 of 22 (45.5 percent), Edinboro 3 of 15 (20 percent); FT shooting: NMU 3 of 5 (60 percent), Edinboro 5 of 12 (41.7 percent); Rebounding, NMU 39 (4 players with 6 each), Edinboro 31 (Samantha Baker 5); Assists, NMU 15 (CJ Romero 8), Edinboro 9 (Ava Haddad 3); Steals, NMU 5 (Sydney Whitehouse 2), Edinboro 4 (Rachael Manfredo 2); Turnovers, NMU 15, Edinboro 13.
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.
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