Conference break: Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team plays two games against GLIAC in next four days | News, Sports, Jobs

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MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team will have two games off before Christmas and will play a pair of non-conference opponents over the next four days.

The Wildcats will travel to Wisconsin Dells, Wis., to play a neutral field game at Justagame Fieldhouse in Quincy, Ill., starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, before returning home and hosting former GLIAC members at PEIF Gym at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Welcome to Northwood. .

After the break, NMU returns to conference action for the final 16 games through early March.

Northern Michigan University’s Mackenzie Holzwart (left) drives to the basket while being guarded by Ashland University’s Lexi Howe during a nonconference women’s basketball game Nov. 21 at PEIF Gym in Marquette. . (Photo provided by Carla Kamps)

Both upcoming games will be broadcast on radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point. Fans can follow @NMU_WBBall and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter) for pregame and in-game updates. Or, visit her NMU Athletics website (nmuwildcats.com) and check out links to live stats, live video, and live audio under the women’s basketball schedule.

The Wildcats opened the GLIAC season with two home wins last week, an 81-66 win over Wayne State University and a 65-41 win over Saginaw Valley State University.

In NMU vs. WSU, Makaylee Kuhn led the way with 30 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Mackenzie Holzwart with 17 points and Kayla Tierney with 14 points, each setting a season high for points.

Northern made more than half of their shots (31-of-60, 52%), while the Warriors made barely a third (22-of-64, 34%). And NMU dominated the glass with a 42-28 rebound margin.

Against SVSU, the Wildcats were led by Sarah Newcomer who scored a career-high 23 points, scoring 9 of 12 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. NMU’s Alyssa Nims was the team’s runner-up with his eight points, making him the only player on either team to reach his double-digit points tally.

Sunday’s opponent, Quincy, is on a two-game losing streak, 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. But the Hawks are 3-0 from their home court. Quincy is shooting 36 percent from the field, 24 percent from triples, and averages 8.4 rebounds per game while leading junior Saimira Williams with 11.6 points per game and 46 percent shooting.

Sophomore Achiampomah Danso averaged 10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds on 55 percent shooting from the field.

This is Hawks coach Carey Lohr’s first year on the job, and NMU and Quincy haven’t played each other since 2016, when the Wildcats won 59-46 in the GLVC-GLIAC Challenge.

Here are some notes about the Wildcats:

• Kuhn leads the league in points with 17.3 points per game and is fifth in rebounds with 7.2. She also makes 85 percent of her free throws (51 of 60), which ranks eighth in the GLIAC.

• Kuhn also has 1,626 career points and is 73 points shy of Lisa Jamra’s NMU all-time record of 1,699 points. Kuhn is a three-time All-GLIAC First Team selection and was named to the league’s Preseason First Team this year.

• Holzwart was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week on November 20 after averaging 8.0 points, 3.6 assists, 5.9 rebounds and a team-leading 14 steals.

• NMU has the fewest turnovers in the GLIAC at 12.4 per game and is third in free throw percentage at 76.6%. He averages 5.5 more rebounds per game than his opponents, and the Wildcats are shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from three.

• Northern ranks second in the conference with 13.5 free throws made and 17.6 free throws attempted per game.

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NMU’s balanced scoring is evidenced by eight players scoring at least nine points per game this season.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.