MARQUETTE -- (Courtesy of NMU Athletics) On a day when Steffani Stoeger surpassed 1,000 points for her career, the Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team kept its conference playoffs hopes alive with a 74-66 win over Ashland University.Stoeger scored a season-high 25 points in her last game at the Berry Events Center. Stoeger, along with classmates Jaclyn Davey, Erin Powers, Kellie Rietveld and Callie Youngman, were all honored with their parents before the game.
NMU (11-13, 6-11 GLIAC) was down one with 6:00 to go before going on a 15-4 run in the next five minutes to lead by 10 with 50 seconds left. Rietveld scored six during the run and Stoeger had four free throws to go along with a 3-pointer by Hillary Bowling and a layup by Staci Beckel.
NMU held a five-point halftime lead after Chelsea Lyons buried a jumper at the buzzer. Bowling scored 11 first-half points.
Bowling finished the game with 17 points and was 4-of-8 from downtown. Chelsea Lyons scored 12 and Kellie Rietveld netted 10 points.
Ashland (15-9, 10-7 GLIAC) had three players in double figures led by Daiva Gerbec with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lindsay Tenyak scored 13 and Elizabeth Taylor netted 12. The Eagles shot 45.3 percent from the floor and were a perfect 12-of-12 from the foul line.
NMU finished shooting 43.9 percent and 75 percent (15-for-20) from the free throw line. The ‘Cats took it away from the Eagles 12 times which lead to 23 points.
With the win, NMU still has an outside chance to make the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament. The ‘Cats would need to win the next two games and hope that Tiffin, Wayne State and Ferris lose the next couple.
NMU hits the road for the final time this season to take on Northwood on Thursday and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
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