MARQUETTE, Mich. - After dropping two at home last weekend, the Northern Michigan women's basketball team will look to bounce back as the team hits the road to face Ferris State and Lake Superior State. 

While Northern (11-5, 5-3) is coming off a two-game losing streak against Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State, the Wildcats are eager to get back in the win column and will face Ferris State (13-4, 7-1) on Thursday, January 23, at 5:30 p.m., and then compete against Lake Superior State (5-11, 2-6) on Saturday, January 25, at 1 p.m.

The games can be watched on the FloSports app, or you can listen on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call.


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

Thursday, January 23 - vs. Ferris State at 5:30 p.m. 
Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen

Saturday, January 25 - vs. Lake Superior State at 1 p.m.
Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen


About the 'Cats
At 5-3 in conference play, the Wildcats are now placed 4th in the GLIAC, with Parkside (6-2), Ferris State (7-1), and top-seeded Grand Valley State (8-0) all above them.

Most recently, NMU fell 61-60 to Wayne State and 67-51 to Saginaw Valley State. 

The Green and Gold ranks inside the top-35 in the nation in several categories: 21st in turnovers per game (13.5), 29th in fewest fouls per game (14.5), 30th in assist/turnover ratio (1.06), and 32nd in defensive rebounds per game (28.8). 

Jacy Weisbrod is 4th in the conference averaging 14.3 points per game. She has scored in double figures in all but four games, and has made multiple triples in all but three games. Her 3.0 made threes per game puts her at 4th in the nation. Alyssa Nimz (9.3) is second on the team in scoring with seven games in double figures. She is also 8th in the league averaging 7.1 rebounds. 

Sarah Newcomer is third on the team at 9.1 points per game while ranking 9th in the league at 2.9 assists per game and 3rd with a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio. 
NMU's defense has been a key to the early season success, as its 60.3 points per game allowed is second fewest to Grand Valley State. The Wildcats also allow opponents to shoot only 28.2% from three, the second-best mark across the league. 

Casey Thousand guided NMU to an 8-0 start this season, the Wildcats best start since 1998-99, when the program established its best start ever with 16 straight wins. In her first 3+ seasons guiding the Green and Gold, head coach Casey Thousand accrued a record of 48-28 (.632), including a 22-10 clip last season in which NMU made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan to make the Round of 32. 


A Look at Ferris State
Ranked second in the league, the Bulldogs hold a 7-1 conference record and 13-4 record overall. With a 9-2 record at home, FSU is on a three-game winning streak, defeating Purdue Northwest 95-70 most recently last weekend. 

With an offense averaging 80.1 points per game, Ferris is ranked second in the league and tenth in the nation. In addition to points per game, Ferris ranks inside the top-10 in the nation in the following categories: 5th in assists per game (18.8), 5th in three-pointers per game (9.6), and 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.27). 

Senior Kadyn Blanchard leads the league in points per game with 17.5. Blanchard's also paces the league and is 12th in the nation for free-throw percentage (89.58). Mia Riley (13.7) and Mya Hiram (11.7) fall in line behind Blanchard in points per game. 

Ferris State is also 11th in the nation for completion of free-throws (78.91%), 12th in the nation for three-point attempts per game (27.2), and 23rd for three-point percentage (35.21%). 

FSU leads the GLIAC in three-point percentage (35.2%) and follow behind Grand Valley in field-goal percentage at 43.2%. 

Northern is 54-38 all-time against Ferris State, winning the last matchup, 63-56, in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals last season. Prior to that, the Bulldogs won seven in a row over the 'Cats.


A Look At Lake Superior State
The Lakers are 5-11 overall, with a 2-6 conference record. LSSU is coming off of two losses, one against Purdue Northwest (70-60) and one the other vs. Parkside (74-62). 

Lake Superior State averages 56.0 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 70.4 points per game. The Lakers are 36.1% from the field and 29.0% beyond the arc. 

Grace Bradford leads the LSSU efforts, averaging 14.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She also has an 84.4% completion rate at the charity stripe. Breah Golden follows closely behind, as she averages 13.7 points per game and has an 84.6% completion rate at the foul line. 

NMU is 68-38 all-time versus LSSU. Northern has won the last eight, including a 73-50 victory in Sault Ste. Marie and another 76-49 win in Marquette last season.