MARQUETTE, Mich. - After closing out the regular season on a three-game winning streak, the Northern Michigan women's basketball team is set to host a GLIAC quarterfinal game for the third straight season. The Wildcats have earned the No. 2 seed for the GLIAC tournament and will host No. 7 Saginaw Valley State on Wednesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Vandament Arena. 

NMU wrapped up the 2025 season at 21-7 overall and 15-5 in conference play. The Cardinals enter the opening round with a record of 15-13 overall and 9-11 in the GLIAC. The teams have split this season, with Northern defeating Saginaw 69-59 in their last matchup. 

The game can be watched on FloHoops or listened to live on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call.


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

Wednesday, March 5 - vs. Saginaw Valley at 5:30 p.m.
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About the 'Cats
Entering the quarterfinals at 15-5 in GLIAC play, the Wildcats were able to clinch second place in the conference behind top-seeded Grand Valley (19-1), after the Wildcats won their last three games of the season. 

Coming off a three-game week on the road, Northern started the roadt rip strong with a 90-52 win against Roosevelt. Their second match ended in a close 69-68 victory over the Parkside Rangers, who defeated GVSU in the regular season and was their only loss in the conference. The 'Cats ended the week in a dominant 81-66 triumph versus Purdue Northwest. 

Head coach Casey Thousand has the Wildcats ranked third in the latest Midwest Region poll, trailing Grand Valley and Ashland. In three seasons under Thousand, NMU has improved each and every year and holds a 58-30 (.659) record. This is the third straight season the Wildcats have earned a home GLIAC quarterfinal game, the second-longest active streak in the conference to Grand Valley (11).

The Green and Gold rank inside the top-50 in the nation in several categories: 18th in defensive rebounds per game (29.3), 31st in assist/turnover ratio (1.07), 44th in field goal percentage defense (36.3) and turnovers per game (14.0), and 48th in rebound margin (5.3) and scoring defense (58.1).

Junior Jacy Weisbrod is 10th in the conference and leads the 'Cats averaging 13.6 points per game. Weisbrod has been the most lethal threat across the conference from beyond the arc, as her 2.83 made threes per game puts her 10th in the nation. 

Sarah Newcomer (9.3), Abi Fraaza (8.9), Alyssa Nimz (8.2), and Hill (7.4) have also played a key role in NMU's offense. Fraaza is averaging 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and shooting 76.9% from the field over her last three. Sarah Newcomer is averaging 11 points per game over the last five. Off the bench, freshman Sydney Whitehouse is averaging 10.3 points over the last three. 


A Look At Saginaw Valley
The Cardinals finished the 2025 GLIAC season at 9-11, claiming 7th place in the conference. SVSU secured their spot as seven with a big 70-67 win over Ferris State in the regular season finale. 

Saginaw Valley averages 63.1 points per game while only allowing their opponents to score 62.7, finishing 3rd in the conference in scoring defense. The Cardinals also ranked 41st nationally with 10.8 steals per game. Leading that effort was junior Lydia Meredith (2.7) and senior Saniaa Walker (2.3). 

Offensively, sophomore forward Megan McCalla led the conference averaging 17.2 points per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Senior guard Aleshia Jones poses a threat as well, as she ranked first in the GLIAC shooting 87.8% from the charity stripe, scoring 14.1 points per game, and averaging 1.6 threes per game, tied for 10th in the conference. 

Northern is 59-34 all-time over the Cardinals. SVSU was victorious 67-51 in Marquette on January 18. NMU bounced back with a 69-59 win over the Cardinals on February 6.


Casey Thousand Preview



GLIAC Tournament

Wednesday, March 5 | Quarterfinals
Campus sites, higher seed is host
Game 1     No. 1 Grand Valley State vs. No. 8 Michigan Tech, 6 p.m.
Game 2     No. 4 Wayne State vs. No. 5 Parkside, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3     No. 3 Ferris State vs. No. 6 Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4     No. 2 Northern Michigan vs. No. 7 Saginaw Valley State, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 8 | Semifinals
Hosted by TBD
Game 5 Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 6 Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

Sunday, March 9 | Championship 
Hosted by TBD
Game 7 Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6