Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's basketball team is preparing for its home debut at the newly renovated Vandament Arena after starting the season with two wins in Wisconsin Dells. The Wildcats will face Minnesota Crookston on November 15 and Bemidji State on November 16, with both games scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

Fans can listen to Casey Ford's commentary on 94.9 The Bay during each game. Updates will also be available on X (formerly known as Twitter) through @NMU_WBBall and @NMU_Wildcats.

Head coach Casey Thousand expressed a balanced outlook on the team's early performance: "There are a lot of things we can improve on, but there are a lot of things we have gutted out. We were pretty steady and everyone did something for both games."

In their recent matches, NMU secured victories over Thomas More and Lewis, marking the first time since the 2021-22 season that an opponent held Lewis below 50 points. NMU currently ranks sixth nationally in blocks per game, seventh in scoring defense, and 24th in field goal percentage defense.

Key players include Sarah Newcomer, who leads NMU in scoring, Alyssa Hill with an average of seven rebounds per game, and Madison Schroeder with five blocks so far this season. Jacy Weisbrod is expected to take on a leading role following her selection to the GLIAC Preseason Second Team.

The Wildcats face challenges filling positions left by graduates Makaylee Kuhn and Ana Rhude. Coach Thousand has led the team to a record of 39-23 over two-plus seasons, including an NCAA Tournament appearance last year.

Minnesota Crookston enters with a 0-2 record from losses at the NSIC/MIAA Conference Challenge. Emma Miller leads their scoring efforts early this season. Historically, NMU holds a perfect record against Crookston in five matchups.

Bemidji State begins its season facing Michigan Tech before playing NMU. The Beavers were led last year by Alyssa Hill, now part of NMU's roster. Senior Erin Barrette was highlighted as a player to watch this season.

The GLIAC Preseason Poll places Northern Michigan third behind Grand Valley State and Ferris State.