MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team won its last four games and will look to carry over that success to 2024, as they'll hit the road for conference tilts at Davenport and No. 1 Grand Valley State. 

The Green and Gold (8-3, 2-0) will head downstate to take on Davenport (2-9, 0-1) on Thursday, January 4 at 5:30 p.m. before heading to Allendale for a matchup with the top-ranked Lakers (10-1, 1-0) on Saturday, January 6 at 1 p.m.


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Follow @NMU_WBBall and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the race. 

Thursday, January 4 - at Davenport at 5:30 p.m.
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Saturday, January 6 - at Grand Valley State at 1 p.m.
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A Word From Casey Thousand
"The couple weeks off we're good. We are ready to go and excited to get on the road this week. Both games will be super competitive, it's not going to be easy, and we'll need everyone to step up and give their best effort."



Last Time Out
NMU was last on the hardwood on December 19th, where they controlled every aspect of the game, winning a decisive 68-43 contest over the Northwood Timberwolves.

The 'Cats dominated the middle two frames, outscoring the Timberwolves 38-14 in the second and third quarters. The 'Cats shot 13-27 from the field and 7-13 from beyond the arc, while holding the Timberwolves to 5-29 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc in that span. 

Jacy Weisbrod posted a season-high 17 points backed by five triples. Makaylee Kuhn notched her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Alyssa Nimz earned 10 rebounds to go along with her eight points. 


Cat Nips

• Northern leads the GLIAC in fewest turnovers/game (12.0), which is the fourth best mark in the country. Northern is second in the conference in rebounding margin (6.7) and third in FT percentage (76.9%). As a team, NMU allows just 6.2 offensive rebounds/game to opponents, the fewest across conference teams. 
• After struggling from the three-point line a season ago where they went just 121-454 (26.7%), the 'Cats have made tremendous progress beyond the arc so far this season, as they lead the GLIAC in made threes (89-254 - 35.0%). Jacy Weisbrod leads the way with 22 triples, good for a top-five GLIAC mark. Kayla Tierney is also in the top ten with 19 makes from downtown. 
• Makaylee Kuhn is second in the conference averaging 17.0 ppg and is fourth at 8.0 rpg. Kuhn is 55-64 (85.9%) from the free throw line this season, tied for fourth in the GLIAC.
• Kuhn currently has 1,657 career points. That mark is 42 points off of the all-time NMU lead (1,699 points - Lisa Jamula). Kuhn is a three-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and was named to the Preseason First Team.
• Mackenzie Holzwart is averaging 7.6 ppg, 3.9 apg, and 5.9 rpg. Holzwart also leads the team with 16 steals on the season. She is fifth in the GLIAC in assists and ninth in defensive rebounds (4.3). 
• The Green and Gold present a balanced scoring attack, as nine different 'Cats have recorded a double-digit output game this season.
• During NMU's four-game winning streak, they are drastically outscoring teams by a 22.5 points/game margin. NMU is allowing just 51.5 points/game during that stretch, holding them to a 31.0% FG percentage and just a 28.3% clip from three. 

Notes on Davenport
The Panthers sit at 2-9 on the season and 0-1 in the GLIAC, dropping their last two contests overall. Davenport is 2-3 on their home court. The Panthers are shooting 36.5% from the field, 27.5% from three, and 62.1% from the charity stripe, all bottom three marks in the conference. 

Davenport has the lowest scoring offense in the conference at 57.6 points/game. They are led by center Lillee Gustafson who is averaging 12.4 points/game to go along with 8.4 rebounds/game. 

NMU got the best of DU in two meetings a season ago. The 'Cats claimed a 57-46 win in Marquette and followed it with a 73-55 victory in Grand Rapids. Makaylee Kuhn led the Wildcats averaging 24 points in the two contests while Gustafson averaged 18.5 for the Panthers. 


Notes on Grand Valley State
The 10-1 Lakers enter this week as the No. 1 ranked team in the country in the second consecutive poll, while being ranked at No. 2 in each of the previous polls. Grand Valley has gone 7-0 at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena this season and has won the past 18 contests on their home court. 

Grand Valley averages 77.5 points/game while allowing just 49.7 points/game, the second best across the DII landscape. The Lakers rank third in the nation in scoring margin (27.8), field goal percentage (48.4%), and rebounding margin (13.5). The defense has surely been stingy, allowing opponents to shoot just 34.2% from the field and 24.5% from three. 

The Lakers present a balanced attack, with two averaging in double figures and eight contributing at least six points each game. Ellie Droste leads the way with 13.1/game, Megan Crow is shooting 65.2% (43-66) from the field, Abrie Cabana has been a force from three at 48.0% (24-50), and Rylie Bisballe is averaging nearly seven rebounds a game while also contributing just over a block/game. 

NMU fell short in two close games last season, 45-38 and 64-52.