Northern Michigan University’s Addison Pytleski, left, drives the lane against Wayne State defender Taylor Thompson during their GLIAC women’s basketball game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — The women’s basketball team at Northern Michigan University gets one final chance to make a stab at the conference regular-season title when it travels to undefeated and national No. 1 Grand Valley State this afternoon.

Currently tied for second place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Wildcats play in Allendale at 5:30 p.m. before taking the short trek to Grand Rapids to face seventh-place Davenport at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Both games will be video streamed online at Flo College and will be available on Marquette radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point.

Fans can follow @NMU_WBBall on Instagram and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter) for updates leading up to and during games, or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the women’s basketball schedule for links to live video, live statistics and a preview.

Northern, ranked No. 12 in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II poll, is 8-2 in league games and 17-3 overall, two games behind the top-rated Lakers (10-0 GLIAC, 18-3).

NMU needs this win not only to have a shot at the top spot, but to protect its position in second place it shares with Wayne State and Ferris State. NMU Sports Information noted that the Wildcats do have a tiebreaker advantage currently over both the Warriors and Bulldogs.

Wayne State and Ferris also have a game yet to play vs. GVSU as the Lakers have beaten everyone in the GLIAC in the league’s first go-around on the schedule.

This might be a good time for the Wildcats to face the nation’s top team as they have won four in a row, including dominating wins at home last week over Purdue Northwest, 94-54, and Wayne State, 91-71.

Northern senior Jacy Weisbrod is the reigning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after she scored 21 points in both victories, shooting 11 of 17 (65%) on 3-pointers over the two games.

She leads the GLIAC at 17.3 points per game and is second by making 43.1% of her 3s and fifth at 44.9% overall shooting. And Weisbrod leads not just the conference, but the nation, with 3.6 triples per contest and 72 overall makes of those long-range shots.

She’s also made 26 steals and nine blocked shots, both Wildcat highs for the campaign.

Despite Weisbrod’s hot shooting and conference honor, by the way her second this season, teammate Sarah Newcomer was actually hotter than Weisbrod on Saturday, scoring 22 points and making 6 of 7 on 3s — Weisbrod made 5 of 7 that day.

Newcomer averages 10.7 ppg, the only other NMU player in double figures, while shooting 43.1% on 3s and 40.9% overall from the field.

The pair leads NMU in shooting 37.5% on triples, fifth-best in the country.

CJ Romero, while averaging just 4.7 ppg, is by far Northern’s top assist producer with 88, or 4.4 per game, including 11 vs. Wayne State.

And teammate and Negaunee product Alyssa Hill has 148 rebounds, a GLIAC fifth-best 7.4 per game, while Jordyn Schmittdiel grabs 5.1 a contest despite averaging only 12.2 minutes per game.

Grand Valley is a stat-packing unit when it comes to scoring, No. 1 in the GLIAC on offense at 80.3 ppg, No. 1 in defense at 53.9 ppg and, not at all surprisingly, No. 1 in scoring margin at plus-26.4 ppg. The scoring defense is fourth nationally, while its plus-9.2 turnover margin is sixth, plus-11.7 rebound margin seventh and 17.2 offensive rebounds per game eighth.

NMU is No. 2 in conference defense at 60.9 ppg and No. 2 in margin at plus-13.4 ppg.

The first time these teams met was on Jan. 3 in Marquette, a 78-66 Lakers’ victory, when Northern’s Addison Pytleski led her team with 18 points as Weisbrod was held to four points. Grand Valley built a 39-29 halftime lead that ballooned to 58-40 after three quarters. NMU was outrebounded 45-33.

Davenport is 3-7 in league and 5-13 overall, with the league’s No. 8 scoring offense at 59.8 ppg and No. 4 defense at 65.1 ppg.

When the Wildcats and Panthers first met on Jan. 2 at the Berry Events Center, NMU won 73-46 with Weisbrod putting up 15 points even as she only made 3 of 13 triples. Northern had a big 51-30 advantage on the boards that day, led by Baraga product Reide Osterman grabbing eight rebounds in just 18 minutes court time.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.