ALLENDALE, MI - The Panthers seventh 20-win season under Head Coaches Caleb and Nicole Nieman has come to an end, as they fell 69-56 to the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This was the sixth NCAA tournament appearance for the women's basketball team under the Nieman's, and their fourth in the past six years. 

Northern Michigan improves to 22-9 and will face #1 seeded Grand Valley State in the next round. The Panthers season ends with a 21-7 record, and a 16-4 mark in G-MAC play. 

The Panthers used a few early buckets from Jordyn Barga and Shiya Hoosier to take a quick 6-3 lead. Northern Michigan then went on a tear, outscoring Wesleyan 15-1 over the final six minutes of the quarter to take an 18-7 lead after one. 

Barga opened the second quarter by hitting a three, but the Wildcats quickly came back with two buckets of their own. NMU kept rolling, leading by as many as 18-points and eventually taking a 36-19 lead into the locker room. 

Northern Michigan was on a shooting tear early in the second half and extend their lead to 25 (53-28) with 4:56 left in the third quarter. The Panthers didn't give up, as an Emmy Ralph jumper started a 12-2 Wesleyan run that saw them cut the lead to 55-40 heading into the fourth. 

The Panthers kept pushing in the fourth, as freshman Jordan Gillies scored four straight points to make it 60-47 halfway through the final quarter. The teams traded threes over the next few possessions, but it was too little too late for Wesleyan, as the comeback fell short. 

Shooting and rebounding, that's where the Panthers lost this one. Wesleyan was 22-57 (38.6%) from the field and just 3-25 (12%) from behind the arc. Norther Michigan on the other hand went 23-52 (44.2%) from the field and 10-23 (43.5%) from three. NMU's Jacy Weisbrod was nearly impossible to stop, as she hit nine threes and went off for 29 points. The size of the Wildcats had a big impact on the game, as they outrebounded the Panthers 46-22, including 15 offensive boards. 

Sydnee Richetto (13) and Jordyn Barga (11) each finished in double-figures. Shaylee McDonald led with five boards and two assists. 

Wesleyan graduates seniors Jordyn Barga, Corina Conley, Emmy Ralph, Mariah Jones, and Jevin Schreve from this year's team. 

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