MARQUETTE, Mich. – With just three weekends of regular season play remaining, the No. 12 Northern Michigan Wildcats will gear up for road matches against Wayne State and Purdue Northwest. 

The Wildcats will play Wayne State on Thursday, February 12, at 5:30 p.m., followed by a trip to Purdue Northwest on Saturday, February 14, at 2 p.m.

Heading into the weekend, the 'Cats have an overall record of 20-4, and are 11-3 in conference play. The Wayne State Warriors are coming off a huge upset win over No. 1 Grand Valley State,  handing the Lakers their first loss of the season (78-77).


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About the 'Cats
The Wildcats are coming off a home sweep in which they defeated Saginaw Valley State, 80-69, and Lake Superior State, 76-49. The wins improved Northern's record to 20-4 overall and 11-3 in GLIAC play. The Wildcats are averaging 74.3 points per game and hold a +13.2 scoring margin over opponents.

In Saturday's matchup against LSSU, Sarah Newcomer led all scorers with 25 points, knocking down seven three-pointers. As a team, the Wildcats shot 28-of-74 (37.8%) from the field. Despite the shooting percentage, Northern dominated the glass with 16 offensive rebounds and capitalized on turnovers, scoring 19 points off LSSU miscues.

Following the weekend sweep, Northern stands at 20-4 on the season. This marks the third consecutive year under head coach Casey Thousand that the Wildcats have reached at least 20 wins.

The Wildcats recorded a season-high 24 assists in their 91-71 win over Wayne State on January 24. CJ Romero led the effort with a career-best 11 assists.

Jacy Weisbrod continues to lead the nation in three-pointers per game at 3.54. She is shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc and 44% from the field, while also pacing the GLIAC at 17.0 points per game.


A Look at the Opponents
Wayne State
The Warriors are 11-3 in conference and 16-6 overall. The team has the third-highest performing offense in the GLIAC, averaging 75.5 PPG with a +7.0 scoring margin. The Warriors fell to the Wildcats 91-71 in the most recent meeting earlier this season, but are coming off arguably the biggest win for any team this season, a 78-77 upset over No. 1 Grand Valley State. Wayne State is being led by McKenna Ferguson, averaging 16.1 PPG. She is shooting 44.4% from the three-point line and 47.7% overall.

Purdue Northwest
The Pride have an overall record of 3-19 and one of 1-13 in conference play. Purdue Northwest saw its only conference win against the Lake Superior State Lakers (70-66). The team has been on an 11-game losing streak since. The Pride are led by Alyssa Cole at 13.8 PPG.