MARQUETTE, Mich. - After a 2-0 roadtrip last weekend, the Northern Michigan women's basketball team will look to defend its home court against Lake Superior State and Ferris State, while also celebrating its seniors and hosting a Play4Kay fundraiser on Saturday.
Northern (16-6, 10-4) brought home two crucial wins versus Saginaw Valley (69-59) and Wayne State (66-61) last time out. Now winners of three straight, the Wildcats will face Lake Superior State (5-17, 2-12) on Thursday, February 13, at 5:30 p.m. Then in the final home game of the regular season, the 'Cats will then host Ferris State (16-7, 10-4) on Saturday, February 15, at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. NMU's senior group will be honored before the game.
Both games can be watched on the FloSports app, or you can listen on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call.
Play4Kay
Saturday's game against Ferris State will also mark a GLIAC-wide Play4Kay fundraiser. Across the league on Saturday, all teams will come together in support of a greater cause—raising funds for life-saving cancer research, expanding access to quality cancer care for under-resourced programs, and uniting communities in the fight against all cancers affecting women.
In 2024, the GLIAC's Play4Kay fundraiser saw tremendous success, raising over $6,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund—a campaign that was recognized as a finalist for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence spearheaded by former Purdue Northwest women's basketball coach Courtney Locke and former GLIAC intern Stasha Warchock. This year, the conference and its member institutions are setting an even bigger goal: raising $10,000 to continue the fight against cancer.
On Saturday, we will be raising money and celebrating female cancer survivors, thrivers, and warriors! At the game, you can:
- Register to win a gift basket
- Contribute to donation buckets
- Hear from cancer survivors
To donate directly to the Play4Kay initiative or to learn more, please visit the
Play4Kay Page on the GLIAC Website.
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, February 13 - vs. Lake Superior State at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets |
Watch on Flo |
Live Stats |
Listen
Saturday, February 15 - vs. Ferris State at 1 p.m.
Tickets |
Watch on Flo |
Live Stats |
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Hear from Casey Thousand
"The GLIAC doesn't stop… It's a fun week to celebrate our seniors but also to hopefully get two more home wins."
About the 'Cats
At 10-4 in conference play, the Wildcats have moved up in the GLIAC rankings, now in a deadlock with Ferris State (10-4) in second place behind leader Grand Valley (14-0). Northern has clinched a postseason berth and will now look to clinch home court.
Last weekend, the Wildcats avenged earlier season home losses to both Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State, defeating SVSU 69-59 followed by a 66-61 win at WSU.
The Green and Gold rank inside the top-50 in the nation in several categories: 27th in defensive rebounds per game (29.0), 37th in assist/turnover ratio (1.02), 42nd in fewest fouls (14.8), 45th in turnovers per game (14.2), and 48th in fewest opponent points averaging 58.4 per game.
Jacy Weisbrod is coming off of her second GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after averaging 17.5 points on 13-24 (54.2%) shooting. She is 7th in the conference and leads the 'Cats averaging 13.7 points per game. Weisbrod has been the most lethal threat across the conference from beyond the arc, as her 2.78 made threes per game puts her 11th in the nation.
Sarah Newcomer (9.2) is second on the team in scoring. She ranks 11th in the conference with 2.8 assists per game and
CJ Romero ranks 10th with 2.9.
Alyssa Nimz is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game with nine games scoring in double figures. She is also 9th in the conference averaging 6.9 rebounds.
NMU's defense has been a key to this season's success, as its 58.4 points per game allowed is second fewest to Grand Valley State. The Wildcats also allow opponents to shoot only 27.8% from the three, proving to be second best in the GLIAC.
A Look at Lake Superior State
The Lakers are 5-17 overall, with a 2-12 conference record. LSSU is coming off of two losses last weekend, one against No. 1 Grand Valley (83-41) and the other vs. Davenport (64-44). LSSU enters on a nine-game skid.
Lake Superior State averages 53.7 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 73.2 points per game. The Lakers are 35.5% from the field and 27.8% beyond the arc.
Grace Bradford leads the LSSU efforts, averaging 15.0 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. She also has a 79.8% completion rate from the charity stripe. Breah Golden (12.1) comes in second best in points per game, and has a 77.1% completion rate at the foul line.
NMU is 69-38 all-time versus LSSU. Northern has won the last nine, including a commanding 75-37 win in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this season.
A Look at Ferris State
The Bulldogs hold the same conference record as NMU (10-4), and a 16-7 overall record. With a 6-2 record on the road, FSU won their first game last weekend against Davenport (87-50), but lost against No. 1 Grand Valley (78-57).
With an offense averaging 77.4 points per game, Ferris is ranked second in the league and 13th in the nation. In addition to points per game, Ferris ranks inside the top-10 in the nation in the following categories: 3rd in three-pointers per game (9.4), 4th in free-throw percentage (79.82), 5th in assists per game (18.3), 7th in assist/turnover ratio (1.27), and 9th in three-point attempts per game (27.0).
Junior Mia Riley leads FSU in points per game with 14.3. She ranks 4th in the league and 44th in the nation in free-throw percentage (84.8). Mya Hiram (12.6) follows closely behind Riley in points per game.
Ferris State leads the GLIAC in three-point percentage (34.6%) and comes second behind Grand Valley in field-goal percentage at 42.9%.
Northern is 55-38 all-time against FSU, winning the last matchup 78-48 on Ferris' home court. The 'Cats also defeated the Bulldogs in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals last season (63-56).
