WBB Fights Valiantly but Loses Late

February 18, 2026 | Petoskey Plastics Arena

The ACC Lumberjacks women's basketball team dropped a 67-46 decision at North Central Michigan on Wednesday evening, with the result coming in the context of a squad battling illness that limited the availability and effectiveness of key contributors including Saige Flaugher and Brooke Portice.

The Lumberjacks (4-18, 0-12 MCCAA) showed early signs of life, jumping out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter and playing competitively through much of the first half. But North Central Michigan (4-20, 2-10) outscored ACC 46-32 in the second half to pull away, with the Lumberjacks managing just 10 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

Alpena came out with energy, and despite the illness affecting the roster, held a five-point lead heading into the second quarter. Elise Flaugher was a spark off the bench, connecting on a pair of three-pointers — assisted by her sister Saige — to help ACC build its advantage. Lillie Maser also contributed a timely jumper late in the second quarter, assisted by Allison Cece, to give the Lumberjacks a 24-21 lead at the midpoint of the third quarter, their last lead of the game.

The score changed hands seven times and was tied three times throughout the contest, a testament to the Lumberjacks' resilience given the circumstances.

North Central Michigan took control for good midway through the third quarter, using its interior advantage to pull away. The Lumberjacks shot just 25.0% from the field for the game and committed 24 turnovers — 21 of which North Central converted into points — against North Central's 18 turnovers. Paint points told a similar story: North Central outscored ACC 36-14 in the paint, a gap that proved decisive.

Portice, playing through illness, still turned in a gutsy effort. She finished with 7 points on 1-of-9 shooting but was a force on the glass, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds — 5 offensive — and adding 2 blocks. Her hustle and rebounding kept ACC in possession on multiple possessions when they needed stops. Saige Flaugher, also battling illness, pushed through 32 minutes of play, finishing with 9 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals despite clearly not being at full strength.

Lillie Maser led the Lumberjacks in scoring with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting, adding 8 rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes. Elise Flaugher matched Maser's 11 points off the bench, going 4-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-10 from three-point range, providing a consistent scoring punch in reserve minutes. Abby Platt chipped in 5 points and 4 rebounds off the bench, including a big three-pointer in the first quarter that gave ACC a momentary 12-9 edge.

Cece provided solid defensive contributions with 2 steals and a block in 31 minutes, while Sarah Wyglendowski contributed 6 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Box Score

Score by Quarter

The Lumberjacks will look to get healthy and get back on the floor for their next contest Sunday, Feb. 22 at Mid Michigan College.