MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team defeated Wayne State 51-48 in the GLIAC Quarterfinals and will now make the trip to Allendale, Michigan as Grand Valley will host the remainder of the tournament. 

Northern (20-9) enters as the No. 3 seed and will contend with No. 2 Ferris State (22-4) on Saturday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. It will be the second semifinal as No. 1 Grand Valley (27-2) will face No. 5 Parkside (16-11) at 2 p.m.


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

Fridday, March 9 - vs. No. 2 Ferris State at 4:30 p.m. (Allendale, Mich.)
Watch  |  Live Stats  |  Listen


Last Time Out
Trailing 46-42 with less than three minutes to play, NMU ended the GLIAC quarterfinal on a 9-2 run to defeat the Wayne State Warriors on Wednesday. 

In what was a defensive battle, Mackenzie Holzwart provided a spark off the bench with 14 points to lead the way. She converted on 6-11 from the floor and added a notable four steals. Ana Rhude was an immovable force below the hoop with five blocks while Jacy Weisbrod cleaned up the glass with eight rebounds. WSU's Shea Tripp led all scorers with 20 points while Gabi Lutchka contributed 16.


Cat Nips

• The Wildcats are ranked at No. 4 in the latest Midwest Regional poll.
• In the last eight games, NMU has averaged 68.0 points/game while allowing just 57.4. 
• Senior Makaylee Kuhn is second in the conference averaging 17.5 ppg and is fifth at 6.8 rpg. She has scored in double figures in all but three games this season and has averaged 19.8 ppg over the last seven. Kuhn is 120-144 (83.3%) from the free throw line this season, good for second in the GLIAC. She is a three-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and was named to the Preseason First Team. NMU's all-time leading scorer currently has 1,961 career points.
• Sophomore gaurd Jacy Weisbrod is averaging 12.4 points/game this season, a top-10 conference mark. She is far-and-away the conference leader in threes, connecting on 76-185 (41.1%). She is 16th in the country in made threes and 20th threes/game (2.81). She has made at least one in all 27 of her games this season and has connected on 5+ an outstanding six times. Her 14.8 points/game in GLIAC play ranks sixth.
• Ana Rhude has been a force in the paint, rejecting 39 shots this season (second in the league). Over the last three, she is averaging an eye-popping 3.7 blocks/game. Her 134 career blocks is seven off of the all-time program mark, set by Jessica Schultz (136). 
• Northern leads the GLIAC in fewest turnovers/game (12.0), which is the third best mark in the country. The Wildcats are also 27th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.06) and 29th in FT percentage (76.0%). 
• As a team, NMU allows just 6.9 offensive rebounds/game to opponents, the fewest across conference teams. The 'Cats are second in the conference in rebounding margin (6.4). 
• After struggling from the three-point line a season ago where they went just 121-454 (26.7%), the 'Cats have made tremendous strides beyond the arc this season, as they are second in the GLIAC in made threes and third in percentage (204-620 - 32.9%). 
• The Green and Gold can present a balanced scoring attack on any given night, as nine different 'Cats have recorded a double-digit output game this season.
• In two seasons under head coach Casey Thousand, the Wildcats have hosted a playoff game in each and have a record of 35-21 (.625). 

Notes on Ferris State
The No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, Ferris State knocked off Saginaw Valley State 54-47. Kadyn Blanchard (11), DeShonna Day (11), and Kenzie Bowers (10) all found double figures. 

The Bulldogs have won four straight and are 22-4 this season including a pair of wins over the Wildcats. The first matchup was in Marquette, a 79-67 decision. NMU then fell 71-66 on the road to the Bulldogs last month. In the two meetings, Chloe Idoni averaged 18.5 points/game for FSU while Weisbrod averaged 15.5 for NMU. 


GLIAC Tournament
Wednesday, March 6 | Quarterfinals
Campus sites, higher seed is host

Game 1    No. 1 Grand Valley State defeats No. 8 Purdue Northwest, 65-54
Game 2    No. 5 Parkside defeats No. 4 Michigan Tech, 51-49
Game 3    No. 3 Northern Michigan defeats No. 6 Wayne State, 51-48
Game 4    No. 2 Ferris State defeats No. 7 Saginaw Valley State, 54-47

Saturday, March 9 | Semifinals
Hosted by Grand Valley State

Game 5    No. 1 Grand Valley State vs. No. 5 Parkside, 2 p.m.  
Game 6    No. 2 Ferris State vs. No. 3 Northern Michigan, 4:30 p.m.   

Sunday, March 10 | Championship 
Hosted by Grand Valley State

Game 7    Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 3 p.m.