Tiffin University (4-8, 2-5 GLIAC) could not make up the deficit after a rough first half, falling to Northern Michigan 69-53 in their first contest of 2017.

Tiffin hung tough after one quarter, trailing just 19-13 after leading for most of the quarter. The Wildcats went ahead at the 2:40 mark, finishing on a 7-0 run to close out the quarter.

NMU took control in the second frame, outscoring TU 20-9 to take a 39-22 lead into the intermission. The Wildcats dominated inside, totaling a 22-4 edge in the paint and finishing the quarter on a 20-6 run.

The Dragons tried to battle back, nearly matching the Wildcats with a 20-19 deficit in the third quarter, but they could not catch up. TU shot 63 percent in the third quarter and 60 percent in the fourth but could get no closer than 14 points.

Sarah Cummings led the team off the bench with 17 points including 3 for 6 from three point, while Madison Jackson had 12 points. Ali Schirmer had 10 points and Allie Miller had 8 points.

Overall NMU outrebounded TU 36-23 and outscored them 38-14 in the paint.