MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team (12-6, 6-3) will look to bounce back from a tough loss to rival Michigan Tech last weekend as they prepare to hit the road vs. No. 7 Ferris State (14-2, 8-1) on Thursday, February 1 at 5:30 p.m. in Big Rapids. The Cats' will then head back north of the Mighty Mac to take on Lake Superior State (1-17, 0-9) on Saturday, February 3 at 1 p.m. 


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Thursday, February 1 - at Ferris State at 5:30 p.m.
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Saturday, February 3 - at Lake Superior State at 1 p.m.
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A Word From Casey Thousand
"We battled with (Ferris) when they came up here. Everyone has to step up, they are playing better and they are playing well. Lake State is another GLIAC Challenge and we have to show up for both games and play hard."



Last Time Out
NMU was last on the court on January 27th, where they started out slow vs. MTU. The Huskies started hot, scoring 27 points in the first quarter while holding Northern to just 16. The 'Cats were never able to quite recover, as they lost 71-58 at home. Tech started red hot, knocking down 4-4 from three in the opening minutes. Before the 'Cats noticed, they found themselves down 27-12 early on. The loss marked the 14th straight defeat to Michigan Tech. 

Makaylee Kuhn scored 12 for the 'Cats to lead the team. Jacy Weisbrod added another 10 points on the afternoon.


Cat Nips

• Northern takes care of the ball as well as any team in the country. They lead the GLIAC in fewest turnovers/game (11.7), which is the third best mark in the country. Northern is second in the conference in rebounding margin (7.1) and third in FT percentage (76.2%). As a team, NMU allows just 5.9 offensive rebounds/game to opponents, the first fewest across conference teams. 
• With such few turnovers, the Wildcats sit 15th in the country with a 1.16 assist/turnover ratio. 
• Makaylee Kuhn is first in the conference averaging 16.9 ppg and is fourth at 6.9 rpg. Kuhn is 77-96 (80.2%) from the free throw line this season, good for seventh in the GLIAC. She is a three-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and was named to the Preseason First Team. 
• 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 are second in the GLIAC in made threes (141-419 - 33.7%). Jacy Weisbrod has led the way from downtown, as she is first in the GLIAC with 45 made threes and made at least one in all 17 games she has played. Sarah Newcomer is not far behind, as she has made a triple in all but two games this season and her 35 triples is fourth across GLIAC competition.
• Mackenzie Holzwart is averaging 7.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, and 5.9 rpg. Holzwart also leads the team with 19 steals on the season. She is sixth in the GLIAC in total assists and is first among conference guards in defensive rebounds (4.6). 
• The Green and Gold present a balanced scoring attack, as nine different 'Cats have recorded a double-digit output game this season.
• Ana Rhude ranks second in the conference in blocks (24). 

Notes on Ferris State
At 14-2 overall, and 8-1 in conference play, the Bulldogs enter this week as the No. 7 ranked team in the latest WBCA poll. Ferris State has gone 5-0 at home, are 9-2 on the road, and are currently on a seven-game winning streak. 

Ferris State averages 76.0 points/game while allowing just 58.8 points/game, both top 50 marks in the country. The Bulldogs rank 8th nationally in assists/game (17.7), 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.24), and 12th in the nation in scoring margin (17.3) and field goal percentage (46.0%).

The Bulldogs present a balanced attack, with three averaging in double figures and six contributing at least six points each game. Senior forward Chloe Idoni leads the way with 15.1 ppg, while Mallory McCartney orchestrates the offense averaging a league high 5.5 apg along with 10.8 ppg. In addition, Kadyn Blanchard is averaging 21.8 ppg over the last four. 

FSU got the best of NMU earlier this season, besting the 'Cats 79-67 at the Berry in early January. Down 11 points going into the half, the 'Cats turned in an impressive third quarter and clawed back to tie the game early in the fourth quarter, where the game was up for grabs. From there, the Bulldogs turned on a 32-17 run with 19 free throws to pull away. The 'Cats had four in double-figures: Sarah Newcomer (18), Makaylee Kuhn (14), Jacy Weisbrod (14), and Mackenzie Holzwart (11). Mya Hiram put up a career-high 22 points to lead Ferris. 


Notes on Lake Superior State
LSSU sits at 1-17 on the season and 0-9 in the GLIAC, dropping its last eight contests overall. Lake Superior is 1-11 away from their home court. LSSU is shooting 34.4% from the field and 27.7% from three, which are both bottom two marks in the conference. 

The Lakers have struggles scoring, averaging just 56.6 points/game. Forward Grace Bradford has been a bright spot for Lake State, as she is averaging 11.8 points/game to go along with 10.1 rebounds/game, making her the only player in the Midwest to be averaging a double-double. 

NMU got the best of LSSU earlier in the season, 76-49. Makaylee Kuhn led the offense with 18 points while Jacy Weisbrod notched a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. After trailing 14-13 after 10 minutes, the Green and Gold turned it up, outscoring the Lakers 63-35 the rest of the night. NMU also held LSSU to a 19-64 (29.7%) shooting clip.