MARQUETTE, Mich. -  The Northern Michigan men's basketball team (17-6, 10–1) looks to bounce back after a tough 74-68 loss to Lake Superior State. The GLIAC play continues this week, as the 'Cats will host UW-Parkside (11-10, 6-5) on Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. Going into the weekend, the Cats' will host Purdue Northwest (11-10, 5-6) on Saturday, February 10 at 1 p.m.

The Northern Michigan men's basketball team fell 74-68 on Saturday at Lake Superior State, ending its winning streak at 13, tying the all-time program mark set in 1984-85. The Green and Gold are nationally ranked No. 16 in the D2CSC poll and first in the Midwest region. Northern will look to continue to stay atop the conference standings after suffering its first conference loss last weekend. The Cats' still hold a three-game ledger over LSSU and FSU at the top of the GLIAC leaderboard. This will be the second meeting with the Rangers and Pride this season. 

There will be a poster signing in the Wildcat Room following Saturday's game. All are welcome to attend! 


Follow the Action
Follow @NMUMensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on Twitter for continuous updates throughout the week.
 
Thursday, February 8 - vs. Parkside at 7:30 p.m. ET
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Saturday, February 10 - vs.  Purdue Northwest at 1 p.m. ET
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Game Sponsor: Culver's


A Word From Matt Majkrzak
"Everything has been so close and the league is so even. Those two teams are frustrated that they lost close ones to us…we know it's going to be really difficult. I'm hoping we respond in the right matter coming out of last Saturday that we can take care of business at home."



Last Time Out
Northern defeated No.18 Ferris State in a nail biting 83-80 finish last Thursday. This was a top-20 matchup and a clash of the top two teams in the Midwest. Northern was up by 10 points going into the half, and continued to lead for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs continued to fight and claw back into the game bringing it within one possession several times. It was a team effort to finishe the job as all six scoring 'Cats reached double figures. Max Weisbrod was once again sensational as he led the way with 21 points and six assists. Carson Smith added 17 and Dylan Kuehl registered 14, with each of them contributing four rebounds and five assists. Riley Brooks notched 11 and forwards Sam Schultz and Sam Privet each hit 10. FSU's Dolapo Olayinka led all scorers with 22.

On Saturday, Northern fell 74-68 at Lake Superior State. It was a close contest between the two in Sault Ste. Marie, Wildcats found themselves on the wrong end of a 17-10 foul margin. LSSU would go on to win, courtesy of the charity strip shooting a immense 23-26 to NMU's 1-3. Max Weisbrod showed up again for the Green and Gold, scoring 22 points on 9-18 shooting before fouling out late in the second half. Dylan Kuehl wasn't far off with 17 points. Sam Schultz continued to dominate on the glass, pulling down a game-high 11 with five coming on the offensive end. Kingsley Perkins led scoring with 22 points for the Lakers. 


Cat Nips

• In the latest D2CSC national poll, the Wildcats have moved to No. 16. With four of six first-place votes, Northern is also ranked first in the Midwest.
• For a program that has been around for well over 100 years (since 1906), the Wildcats tied the longest winning streak in program history at 13 games set in 1984-85.
• Schultz leads the GLIAC at 10.3 rebounds/game, which is good for 14th in the country. Averaging 10.3 points/game, he is one of 15 in DII to be averaging a double-double, and the only one to boast the honors in the Midwest. 
• Over the last seven games, Max Weisbrod has been one of the best players in the country, averaging 23.4 points/game while shooting 26-52 (50%) from beyond the arc. On the season, he now sits fifth in the GLIAC in scoring (16.7), second in assists/game (4.3), and second in three-pointers made (64-162, 39.5%). 
• The Green and Gold is the only conference team to have five in double figures: Max Weisbrod (16.7), Dylan Kuehl (16.3), Carson Smith (12.0), Sam Schultz (10.3), and Brian Parzych (10.3). 
• The 1.68 assist/turnover ratio for the 'Cats is the sixth best mark in the country. Northern is also averaging 6.2 more rebounds a contest than its opponents, good for 21st in the nation. NMU is only allowing 7.5 offensive rpg, the second best mark among conference teams. 
• Northern is averaging 80.6 ppg while allowing 71.3 ppg. The 80.6 points per game is second in the GLIAC. NMU is ranked second in the conference in FG%, shooting 48.7% from the floor.
• The 'Cats are near the top of the conference in both creating assists on offense and preventing assists on defense, as its 16.4/game is the most while the 10.5/game they allow is the fewest.  
• The Wildcats are 81-51 (.629) under 5th year head coach Matt Majkrzak. With 25 victories at Bryant and Stratton before he got to NMU, Majkrzak hit the 100 collegiate wins milestone in NMU's victory at Grand Valley earlier this season. 

Notes on Parkside
The Rangers enter Thursday with an 11-10 overall record and 6-5 mark within conference play. Parkside averages 71.1 ppg, which is the third fewest in the conference, while only allowing 67.2 ppg, which is the second best among league teams. They shoot 44.6% from the floor, and 37.9% from beyond the three-point line. The Rangers have been one of the best in the conference at maintaining possession, as they are second in GLIAC in fewest turnovers (9.8). Parkside also commits the fewest fouls/game (13.3). The Rangers attack is led by Colin O'Rourke (15.4 ppg) and Josiah Palmer (14.7 ppg). 

In the last matchup between the two, Northern won on the road 61-58. The Wildcats used a 8-0 run late in the second half to create some separation and put the game on ice. Max Weisbrod  commanded the offensive for the Cats' with 20 points on 7-11 shooting and five assists. Sam Schultz recorded a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double.  Colin O'Rourke led the Parkside effort with 19 points. 


Notes on Purdue Northwest
The Pride enter the weekend matchup at 11-10 overall and 5-6 in the GLIAC. PNW scores 77.1 ppg while allowing 72.8 ppg. The Pride shoot 45.5% from the floor and 33.8% from three. Rebounding is a point of emphasis for the Pride as they are third in the conference in total rebounds/game (38.1), and first in defensive rebounds/game (27.9). 

The offense is led by graduate forward Brendan Temple averaging 14 ppg while shooting 58.9% from the field. Senior guard CJ Jackson  is second in command averaging 13.7 ppg on an efficient 40.2% from the field. 

Northern won on the road 82-78 earlier this season. Trailing by four with just over 10 minutes left, the 'Cats went on a 20-4 run over a span of six-minutes. The guards led the way for the Green and Gold, as Brian Parzych scored 24 and Max Weisbrod added 23. The two combined to shoot 15-26 (57.7%) with 27 of their 47 points coming in the second half to help seal the win. Brendan Temple led the way for the Pride scoring 22 points on an efficient 11-16 (68.7) from the field.