Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's basketball team is set to face Ferris State in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Semifinals. The match will take place at Grand Valley on Saturday, March 8, at 4:30 p.m., following the first semifinal game between No. 1 Grand Valley and No. 4 Wayne State. Winners from these matches will compete in Sunday's GLIAC Championship game.

Fans can watch the game on FloHoops or listen live on 100.3 The Point with Casey Ford providing commentary.

Recently, NMU secured an impressive 81-60 win against Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC Quarterfinals under challenging weather conditions in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Jacy Weisbrod led NMU's offensive efforts with a standout performance, scoring a game-high of 27 points by hitting seven three-pointers for the second consecutive game.

Under head coach Casey Thousand, NMU has shown consistent improvement over three seasons, holding a record of 59-30 (.663). The Wildcats are currently ranked third in the latest Midwest Region poll.

The Wildcats have been effective in rebounding within the GLIAC, ranking second with a rebounding margin of 5.7 and averaging 29.3 defensive rebounds per game nationally.

Jacy Weisbrod has been one of the most effective three-point shooters nationally, averaging three successful shots per game and ranking third nationwide for this metric. She also ranks eighth in conference scoring for NMU with an average of 14.1 points per game.

Abi Fraaza has contributed significantly to NMU’s offense recently, while Sarah Newcomer and Alyssa Nimz have also played key roles alongside freshman Sydney Whitehouse who has shown promise off the bench.

Ferris State reached this stage after defeating Roosevelt with a scoreline of 67-58 and holds an overall record of 20-10 this season. Their offense is driven by Mia Riley, Mya Hiram, and Kenzie Bowers along with Elle Irwin who leads GLIAC in assist/turnover ratio.

Earlier this season, NMU won both encounters against Ferris State decisively—78-48 on January 23rd and again on February 15th with a scoreline of 75-48.