MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan Wildcats (13-11, 8-7) will play its last two regular season home matchups this weekend fighting to keep its hopes for a home playoff game alive, squaring off against Parkside and Purdue Northwest.
The 'Cats first host Parkside on Thursday, February 16, at 7:30 p.m., then square off against Purdue Northwest on Saturday, February 18, at 1:00 p.m.
Thank You Seniors
The Wildcats will honor senior
Elena Alaix and student volunteer coach
Esther Byington before Saturday's matchup against the Pride.
Follow the Action
Follow @nmu_wbball and @NMU_Wildcats on Twitter for continuous updates throughout the week.
Thursday, February 16 - vs. Parkside at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets | Watch | Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
Saturday, February 18 - vs. Purdue Northwest at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets | Watch | Audio | Live Stats
Last Time Out
The 'Cats spent last weekend downstate, defeating Davenport 73-55, and dropping the contest to Grand Valley by a score of 64-52.
The team returned to winning ways in impressive fashion on Thursday, picking up a 73-55 road win at Davenport. After a slow start, the Wildcats outscored the Panthers 64-39 over the final three quarters for the win.
Makaylee Kuhn led the attack with a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. NMU shot 30-58 (51.7%) from the floor on the evening. It was a season-high for the Wildcats in made shots, and it was the second-best shooting performance percentage of the season.
Trailing by as many as 25 on Saturday, NMU cut the deficit to single digits late in the fourth quarter but ran out of time as GVSU was victorious 64-52.
Mackenzie Holzwart led the Wildcats with 14 points, going 5-7 from the field. She also led the squad with three assists while tacking on four rebounds.
Cat Attack
The Wildcats are 13-11 (8-7 GLIAC) this season and currently sit fifth in the GLIAC standings. NMU averages 59.4 PPG, the lowest average in the conference. What NMU lacks in offense is made up for on defense, as the 56.5 PPG allowed is the second-best mark in the conference and 15th-best throughout DII hoops. Opponents shoot 38.4% against the Green and Gold defense, good for third in the conference. The Wildcats have a 5.8 rebounding margin, the second-best in the conference. Northern also holds opponents to 10.3 assists/game, the third-best mark in the GLIAC.
NMU is led by
Makaylee Kuhn with an average of 15.3 PPG and 7.4 RPG.
Mackenzie Holzwart averages 9.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG.
Coach Thousand Interview
Scouting Parkside
The Rangers are currently third in the GLIAC with a 16-8 overall record and an 11-3 conference record. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak, and are 9-1 in their last 10 games.
The Rangers are led by Alyssa Nelson, who averages a GLIAC-best 22.1 PPG, good for top-5 in the country. She also holds the fourth-best 3PT% in the GLIAC at 42.9%.
Previous Matchup vs. Parkside
NMU pulled off a 47-35 road win back on December 3.
Makaylee Kuhn led the way for the 'Cats with 18 points. She also recorded eight rebounds and two assists.
Mackenzie Holzwart recorded 11 rebounds and two assists to go with her five points.
The 35 points allowed from the Wildcats has easily held as the season-low output for the Rangers. The next fewest points Parkside has scored this season came on January 28 when they scored 57 points in a loss to GVSU.
Scouting Purdue Northwest
The Pride will be fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive, as they currently sit in the last playoff spot with a 7-17 overall record and a 3-11 conference record. The Pride will be on a two-game losing streak before they play Michigan Tech on Thursday before traveling to Marquette on Saturday.
Dash Shaw leads the way for the Pride, averaging 19.2 PPG, good for third-best in the GLIAC. Mercedes Simmons leads the GLIAC in FG% with 53.9%.
Previous Matchup vs. Purdue Northwest
Makaylee Kuhn (19 points) and
Taya Stevenson (15 points) combined for over half of the Wildcats' scoring production in a 64-48 GLIAC-opening win on December 1.
