Only two weeks removed from an 18-point blowout loss to Grand Valley at home, the Bulldogs (13-5, 7-2 in GLIAC) fell to the Wildcats (12-5, 6-3 in GLIAC) in their worst loss of the season in a 78-48 blowout.
The Wildcats ran wild on the Bulldogs in the first half, shooting 47% (14-for-30). The Bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, scoring only 10 points in the first period and four points in the second.
Despite a renewed effort in the second half, the four-point second quarter seemed to kill any chance they had in this game. Coach Westendorp praised the Wildcats in this game, as the Bulldogs did not play consistently in the game.
“Northern played amazing, they came out with a purpose and they were way more aggressive than we were,” said Westendorp. “They attacked us in the paint and on the outside and we just shot very poorly in the first half and we let that affect us the rest of the game other than a couple of good spurts throughout.”
The Bulldogs failed to keep up with the Wildcats from beyond the arch, with the Wildcats shooting 44% (11-for-25) while the Bulldogs only shot 19% (5-for-26). Westendorp understands that the Bulldogs struggled with their perimeter defense and hopes to fix it before Saturday’s game.
”They did a great job of moving the ball around whether we were in zone or man to man,” Westendorp said. “They moved the ball really well and always seemed to find the open man and they shot in rhythm all game while we could not shoot with rhythm.”
Westendorp also announced that senior star guard Kadyn Blanchard will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury that was retroactive to Jan. 4. The loss of Blanchard, who leads the GLIAC in points per game with 17.8, will be a huge blow to the Bulldogs’ season.
The Bulldogs next face off against the Michigan Tech Huskies on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.