Unable to complete the Valentine’s Day sweep against Purdue Northwest, Northern Michigan couldn’t quite keep the wheels on for the second half against the Pride. The Wildcats held a razor slim lead after 20 minutes, keeping PNW in check 40-38.  Most notably, the ‘Cats could not connect from deep in frame two, going just 1-8 as a team from three. Northern was also run up and down the court, outscored 24-5 on fastbreak points.

“We’re making more mistakes. We’re not making as many good plays on offense,” said Wildcats’ head coach Matt Majkrzak. “How do we get out of it? That’s the key. Honestly, this is where you talk about leading, you talk about leadership, you talk about all those things. This is where we really need that out of me, but also out of our older guys.”

Dylan Keuhl continued his All-GLIAC level season, commanding the ‘Cats with 27 points on 12-18 shooting. Bennett Basich furthered a much improved 2026 as opposed to the start of the 2025-26 campaign, chipping in 15 points and four rebounds in 28 minutes of action. While the Wildcats’ starting five combined to go 21-42 from the field, Keuhl was the only member of the Green and Gold to attempt more than three shots and go over 50%.

The Pride took pride in the glass war, outrebounding the ‘Cats 34-27, and remained cool and calm from the charity stripe in the second half, converting 18 of 20 free throws. PNW also made the most of opportunities deep into the second half, ending the night with a 12-0 run to seal the deal after NMU pulled within two points.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, just one road game remains on the schedule, a Feb. 21 tilt with the Ferris State Bulldogs in Big Rapids. For now, a huge contest is on the table for Thursday, Feb. 19. The ever-rare ranked rivalry will hit the Vandament Arena, the No. 22 Wildcats vs the No. 12 Michigan Tech Huskies. Assuming Grand Valley State goes down against Saginaw Valley State the same night, there will be a three-way tie for first place at the top of the GLIAC. With fourth place Lake Superior State and Wayne State both at 8-8, it’s nothing but a bloodbath at the top of the conference. The war will be decided in the final stretch of the season, with the Wildcats having just four games left before the conference tournament.