MARQUETTE, Mich. -  After a pair of big road wins last weekend over Ferris State and Lake Superior State, the Wildcats look to continue their winning streak against the Lakers of Grand Valley and the Davenport Panthers this weekend at home.

With Northern (13-5, 7-3) coming off two crucial wins against Ferris State and Lake Superior State, the Wildcats are prepared to take on the leader of the league and top team in the nation, Grand Valley State (20-1, 10-0) on Thursday, January 30th, at 5:30 p.m., followed by a matchup with Davenport (4-14, 2-8) on Saturday, February 1st, at 12 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 30 - vs. Grand Valley State at 5:30 p.m. 
Tickets  |  Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen

Saturday, February 1 - vs. Davenport at 12 p.m.
Tickets  |  Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen


Hear from Casey Thousand
"If we can make shots and continue our momentum, it's going to be a crazy game."



About the 'Cats
At 7-3 in conference play, the Wildcats have worked their way back up to 3rd place in the GLIAC, with Ferris State (8-2) and top-seeded Grand Valley State (10-0) above them. 

Last weekend, the 'Cats earned two tremendous road wins against Ferris State (78-48) and Lake Superior State (75-37) to move them up the GLIAC ladder. The two 30+ point wins marked NMU's first by at least that margin in GLIAC play since the 2018-19 season. 

The Green and Gold rank inside the top-30 in the nation in several categories: 24th in assist/turnover ratio (1.10), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (29.2), 26th in fewest fouls (14.3), and 27th in turnovers per game (13.7) and fewest turnovers per game (13.7). 

Jacy Weisbrod is 8th in the conference averaging 13.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures in all but five games, and has made multiple triples in all but four. Her 2.86 made threes per game puts her at 11th in the nation. Sarah Newcomer (9.3) is second on the team in scoring, while also ranking 8th in the league with 3.1 assists per game and 2nd with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio. Alyssa Nimz is third on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game and eight games scoring in double figures. She is also 8th in the conference averaging 6.9 rebounds. 

NMU's defense has been a key to the early season success, as its 58.3 points per game allowed is second fewest to Grand Valley State. The Wildcats also allow opponents to shoot only 27% from three, paving the way for the league. 


A Look at Grand Valley State
Atop the conference at 10-0 and 20-1 overall, the Lakers are ranked first in the WBCA national poll. The team has a 7-0 home record and a 10-1 away record, with their only loss coming against Division I Ohio State (82-57). This past weekend, GVSU defeated Parkside 72-43 and Purdue Northwest 106-47.

Ranking first in almost all categories in the league, the Lakers average 84.1 points per game (putting them 3rd in the nation), and only allow their opponents to score an average of 51.9 points per game (ranking them 8th in the nation). The 32.2 scoring margin is 2nd best across the Division II landscape.

With their impressive play, GVSU ranks above the top-10 in the nation in several other categories: 1st in bench points per game (44.4), 2nd in assists per game (19.3), 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (1.33), 3rd in field-goal percentage (46.84%), 5th in turnover margin (9.52), 8th in rebound margin (10.5), and 9th in steals per game (14.3). 

Redshirt senior Rylie Bisballe leads the Lakers in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game. Underneath her is Abrie Cabana, with a 9.0 points per game average, while Ellie Droste and MacKenzie Bisballe follow closely behind, both scoring 8.9 points per game. MacKenzie Bisballe comes second-best in the league for blocked shots per game (1.3), and earned the past GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. 

Northern is 42-65 against Grand Valley in the history books, losing only by 10 points against the Lakers in their latest matchup in Allendale, 81-71. NMU has lost the last 14 against GVSU, with the last win coming in a low-scoring affair, 47-38 in 2018-19 in Allendale. 


A Look at Davenport 
The Panthers are 4-14 this season and 2-8 in conference play. They most recently won against Parkside (57-51), but were defeated by Purdue Northwest (69-66) two days prior. Davenport is averaging 57.2 points per game and shooting 38.4% from the floor. 

Ellie Toney paces the Panthers in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game, while Lillee Gustafson leads the team in rebounds with 7.9 a game. 

NMU is 15-3 all-time against Davenport. The 'Cats have won the past seven matchups, including a 47-40 triumph on the Panthers home court on January 2. Sarah Newcomer and Mackenzie Holzwart each scored 12 points.