MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team is gearing up to hit the road this weekend for its final road games of the regular season. The Wildcats will look to continue the momentum into the week coming off a 70-45 blowout win over rival Michigan Tech this past weekend. NMU will travel downstate to take on the Cardinals of Saginaw Valley State on Thursday, February 22 at 6 p.m. The Green and Gold will then travel to the Motor City to take on the Warriors of Wayne State University on Saturday, February 24 at 1 p.m.


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Thursday, February 22  - at Saginaw Valley State at 6 p.m.
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Saturday, February 24 - at Wayne State at 1 p.m. 
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A Word from Casey Thousand
"You know going on the road that it's not going to be easy at either place. They are very physical teams. We have to be tough and we have to be strong."



Last Time Out
Northern went into Michigan Tech and came away with a 70-45 statement victory. NMU held a slim 31-30 advantage going in at halftime, then dominated the second half, outscoring the Huskies 39-15. 

Ana Rhude had a career-performance for the Wildcats, scoring 16 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting display. Without a miss in eight attempts, she tied the program's single-game record for most field goals without a miss. The victory also snaps a 14-game skid against Tech that dated back to 2017. In addition, it is the first win for the Wildcats in Houghton since 2010.


Cat Nips

• In the last game against Tech, Ana Rhude (8-8) and Mackenize Holzwart (7-8) combined for 30 points on 15-16 (93.8%) shooting, marking one of the best performances from a pair of teammates in a GLIAC game this season. 
• Makaylee Kuhn is first in the conference averaging 17.3 ppg and is fourth at 7.0 rpg. Kuhn is 104-125 (83.2%) from the free throw line this season, good for fourth in the GLIAC. She is a three-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and was named to the Preseason First Team. 
• Northern leads the GLIAC in fewest turnovers/game (11.1), which is the third best mark in the country. The Wildcats are also 11th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.21). Northern has two players averaging at least two assists per one turnover in CJ Romero (2.14) and Makaylee Kuhn (2.21). 
• As a team, NMU allows just 6.4 offensive rebounds/game to opponents, the fewest across conference teams. The 'Cats are second in the conference in rebounding margin (7.0) and second in FT percentage (76.9%). 
• 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 this season, as they are third in the GLIAC in made threes and percentage (172-522 - 33.0%). Jacy Weisbrod has led the way from downtown, as she is first in the GLIAC with 59 made threes and has made at least one in every game and 2+ in 11 of 13 GLIAC games. Sarah Newcomer has made a triple in all but three games this season and her 40 triples are good for sixth across GLIAC competition.
• Holzwart (3.3 assists/game) and Kuhn (2.8) are one of two pairs of teammates in the league to be averaging 2.6+ assists/game each (Wayne State - Kate McArthur 4.0 and Shea Tripp 3.0). 
• The Green and Gold present a balanced scoring attack, as nine different 'Cats have recorded a double-digit output game this season.

Notes on Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals enter the weekend 9-16, but have won three of five including an impressive 47-44 victory at No. 4 Ferris State. SVSU is averaging 58.9 ppg on the season, while allowing 62.3 ppg. The Cardinals are shooting 39.9% from the field, and 25.3% from deep. 

The Cardinals offense is led by junior guard Aleshia Jones who is ranked sixth in the GLIAC in ppg (13.3). Sophomore guard Lydia Meredith is second in GLIAC in total steals (60). Senior forward Tyler Scheid crashes the offensive glass better than anyone in the conference, averaging 2.3 per game.

Jenny Pruett is entering her 5th season as head coach for the Cardinals.

The Wildcats defeated the Cardinals earlier in December, 65-41. The Wildcats held SVSU to just 12-47 (25.5%) shooting as Sarah Newcomer scored a career-high 23 points. The Cats' also forced the Cardinals into 17 turnovers, leading to a dominant 26-4 edge in points off turnovers. 


Notes on Wayne State
The Warriors enter the weekend matchup 16-8 overall. At 9-6 in conference play, the Warriors currently hold the final spot to host a postseason game and are right behind the 'Cats who are third at 10-4. Wayne State is 8-3 on its home court, and has held opponents under 70 points per game (67.5) this season while scoring 71.4 ppg themselves. The Warriors are first in free throws made per game (13.7), and second in steals/game (10.8).
The Warriors shoot 43.4% from the field and 32.2% from three. Wayne State js led by junior forward Shea Tripp who is averaging 12.8 ppg on 48.5% shooting, while pulling down 6.7 rpg. Tripp is also first in the GLIAC in steals per game (2.6). Sophomore forward Gabi Lutchka is right behind at 11.6 ppg, while shooting 51.8% from the field and (38.8%) from three.
 
Carrie Lohr is in her 13th season as coach for the Warriors. 

In their last matchup back in December, NMU defeated WSU 81-66. NMU shot 31-60 (51.7%) while WSU was a cool 22-64 (34.4%). The 'Cats dominated the glass with a 42-28 margin, with a 34-21 clearance on the defensive end. Three Wildcats scored then season-highs: Makaylee Kuhn led the way with 30, Mackenzie Holzwart added 17, and Kayla Tierney chipped in 14 to lead Northern to its first conference win of the season.