MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan women's basketball team is ready to begin a four-game homestand, starting with a clash against rival Michigan Tech on Thursday, January 9, at 5:30 p.m.
NMU (9-3, 3-1) will look to continue its hot start against the Huskies (5-7, 2-2), who are coming off of a 68-60 victory at Davenport.
The game can be watched on Fox-UP, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call. You can also watch the action on FloHoops or 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 9 - vs. Michigan Tech at 5:30 p.m.
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Hear from Casey Thousand
About the 'Cats
At 9-3, the Wildcats sit behind the Grand Valley State Lakers (14-1, 4-0) and Ferris State Bulldogs (10-3, 4-0).
The Green and Gold rank inside the top-25 in the nation in three categories: 12th in turnovers per game (12.8), 23rd in defensive rebounds per game (29.4), and 24th in assist/turnover ratio (1.10).
Jacy Weisbrod is 5th in the conference averaging 15.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures and made multiple triples in all but two games. Her 3.2 made threes per game is the second best mark in the nation and only .01 off the Division II lead.
Sarah Newcomer follows at 9.4 points per game while ranking 7th in the league at 3.1 assists per game and 2nd with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio.
On the glass,
Alyssa Nimz ranks 6th in the GLIAC at 7.7 rebounds per game (3rd in GLIAC games at 8.3 per game) while
Alyssa Hill is 13th overall with 6.3.
NMU's defense has been its calling card, as its 59.8 points per game allowed is second to Grand Valley State. The Wildcats also allow opponents to shoot only 27.8% from three, the third-best mark across the league.
Casey Thousand at the Helm
Thousand guided NMU to an 8-0 start this season, the Wildcats had its best start since 1998-99, when the program established its best start ever with 16 straight wins.
In her first two seasons guiding the Green and Gold, head coach
Casey Thousand accrued a record of 37-23 (.617), 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.
The Wildcats also hosted a game in the GLIAC Quarterfinals after finishing in third and made a run all the way to the conference title game. Thousand led a team that was top-two in the conference in defensive rebounding (28.0) and turnover margin (12.6) a year ago. The Wildcats averaged 66.4 points/game while allowing 60.1.
A Look at Michigan Tech
The Huskies are 5-7 overall and 2-2 in GLIAC play, alternating wins and losses in its last six games. Away from home, Michigan Tech is 1-3, with its lone win coming in the last game, a 68-60 win at Davenport. Tech is averaging 67.6 points per game while allowing 70.1. The Huskies are shooting 42.4% from the field and 34.5% from three.
Senior guard Isabella Lenz leads the way for the Huskies, averaging 15.8 points per game. She has scored in double figures in every game this season. Lenz is also 44.9% (22-49) from three and has made multiple in each of her last four games. Freshman Kendall Standfest (11.8) and graduate Janie Tormanen (10.8) are also averaging in double figures.
Sam Clayton is in her 7th season as head coach of the Huskies. Clayton was also a standout player for Tech, holding an all-time record of 103-22 record with 1,434 career points.
Northern is 53-56 all-time vs. the Huskies, ending a 14-game losing streak in the most recent matchup last season, a 70-45 victory for the Wildcats in Houghton.
