Northern Michigan University’s Max Weisbrod celebrates making a 3-pointer during a GLIAC game played against Michigan Tech at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — The first half of the GLIAC campaign couldn’t have gone better for the Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team. Now they’d like to match that in the second half.

The Wildcats go on the road this week after beginning the conference at 9-0 with nine more games to play, starting in Big Rapids against Ferris State at 7:30 p.m. today, then heading back north to Sault Ste. Marie to face Lake Superior State at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The owners of a 12-game winning streak, NMU just took out Michigan Tech at home 98-66 on Saturday as the Wildcats shot lights out in the second half, scoring 54 points after making 20 of 31 (65%) from the field, including 9 of 14 (64%) on 3-pointers.

Max Weisbrod led the way with a career-high 35 points, shooting 10 of 18 from the floor including 7 of 12 on triples. Carson Smith added 23 points, making 7 of 9 shots and 3 of 3 on treys, while Sam Schultz earned his GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honor by pulling down 13 rebounds to go with 11 points.

NMU remained in the “teens” in its national ranking, settling in at No. 17 this week after improving to 16-5 overall.

This week’s opponents are two of the Wildcats’ top three chasers in the league, Ferris alone in second three games back at 6-3 (16-4 overall) and LSSU tied with Grand Valley State for third at 5-4 (Lake State is 13-6 overall).

“We’re aware of how big this one is,” Northern head coach Matt Majkrzak said about Ferris State in an NMU Sports Information release previewing this week’s games. “We respect Ferris for what they are and what they’ve done in recent history.

“Knowing that we follow up with Lake State and I think that’s the toughest gym to play in.

“This weekend we could either cement our spot up top, or it could get dicey and that’s on us and how we can perform.”

Ferris is seventh in NCAA Division II in 3-point success at 40.7%, with the Lakers actually just ahead of them in sixth at 40.8%.

The 12-game winning streak is the second-longest in the Northern program’s more-than-century history, just one short of the 13-gamer established by the 1984-85 team.

In the last five games, Weisbrod has been a national leader, averaging 24.2 points per game and making 56.4% on 3s (22 of 39). For the season, he’s seventh in GLIAC scoring at 16.3 ppg, second with 4.2 assists per game and second in 3s made with 39.6% (59 of 149).

The Wildcats continue to be the only league team with five players scoring in double figures — Dylan Kuehl leads the way at 16.4 ppg, Weisbrod is at 16.3 ppg, Smith 12.2 ppg, Schultz 10.5 ppg and Brian Parzych 10.3 ppg.

And NMU’s 1.62 assist-to-turnover ration is No. 6 nationally, while their plus-seven rebounding edge is 11th and their 7.1 offensive rebounds allowed average is tops in the GLIAC.

Ferris, right behind the Wildcats at No. 18 in this week’s D2CSC national rankings, leads the league in scoring at 87.8 ppg while allowing 71.0 ppg in conference play. They also shoot a league-best 50.6% from the floor.

And their assist-to-turnover ratio is even better than NMU’s at 1.92, No. 1 in the nation.

Junior Ethan Erickson leads the Bulldogs at 14.3 ppg while making 49.3% on 3s, fourth in the country. Graduate student Ben Davidson is second in FSU scoring at 12.7 ppg.

Lake State, which has lost just one game this season in the Soo, averages 74.6 ppg and allows 65.8 ppg, the defensive number No. 1 in the GLIAC, as they shoot 48.1% from the field themselves.

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