The Northland College LumberJills basketball team found out what it is like to face the # 17 team in the nation Friday night when they dropped their opening game by a score of 73-48. Northland hung close in the first 16 minutes but didn't finish their half and then played poorly in the second half.
Both teams started off the contest shaky on offense but very tough on defense. Northland had four free throws that wouldn't go in the first five minutes, while St. Norbert missed their share as well as it was nearly five minutes into the game before the Green Knights scored the first basket. Northland got a field goal and a triple from freshman Maria Mackey (Holmen, WI), and a jumper from Jessica Graham (Sr., Bessemer, MI) to make it a 10-7 game halfway through the first half. The Jills then gave up the next eight to trail by 11, but scored six in a row themselves as Laura Fisher (So., Green Bay, WI) hit a pair of post ups and Chelsea Lundgren (Jr., Crosby, MN) had another. Now the Jills trailed by only five with three minutes to go against the # 17 ranked team in the country
Meanwhile, the Jills defense forced six consecutive turnovers and the Jills had the ball again. Another post entry pass left the Jills with a layup, but a miss was all the Green Knights would need as they went on another 8-0 run to go up 26-13. "That (the missed layup) was a big play for us," said Coach Roiger. "We could have cut it to three but instead they got a long rebound and a layup, and it took the excitement out of us and gave it to them." Northland went into halftime still in the game down 27-16. "Overall, it still wasn't a bad half. We forced 17 turnovers, and missed four free throws and a few layups, and we are still in the game against a great team. We just hadn't capitalized on our opportunities," said Coach Roiger
The second half would not be so good for the Jills as that tough defense went south and the offensive struggles continued. The Jills soon found themselves down by 20 and were battling to stay in the game throughout. They went to their bench and a number of freshman received their first playing time of their careers. "We never gave up, we battled to the end, and I thought our team, veterans and freshman alike, stayed very positive and played together despite the score at the end. I was excited by the team chemistry in the face of adversity," said Coach Roiger
Northland was led by Maria Mackey with 10 points who was 3 of 5 from the field. Ashleigh Galligan (Fr., Campbellsport, WI) played well in the post adding six points while getting two steals and three assists, and Anna Lembcke (Sr., Norwood, MN) and Lulu Seelye (Fr., Deer River, MN) each had six points. Laura Fisher had six rebounds to lead the team. Northland shot only 33% from the field in the game while giving up 49%. The Jills shot 71% from the free throw line, hitting an impressive 15 of 17 after the first four misses of the game. The stat the Jills have to change is the turnovers, as they had 34 turnovers against the defense of the Green Knights.
The Jills will face North Central College from Illinois in the consolation game tomorrow. North Central was defeated 87-70 by UW-Stout in the first game yesterday. The Jills play at 1 pm on Sunday, and the game will be broadcast live on the Northland Webcast.