Comeback Falls Short For Women’s Basketball Team on Saturday

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The No. 22-ranked Michigan Tech women's basketball team cut a 19-point Minnesota Duluth lead down to one (61-60) with 6:26 remaining but couldn't climb over the hump, falling to the Bulldogs 84-80 at the SDC Gym on Saturday (Nov. 23). The Huskies fall to 1-2 on the season after scoring 56 points in the second half and having four players in double figures.

Down 14 with 10:50 left, the Huskies scored 10 straight points, beginning with three free throws by Jillian Ritchie, after she was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Kerry Gardner buried a 3-pointer and Mackenzie Perttu added two layups while Paige Albi scored another in the run.

The two teams then traded buckets before Perttu added a jumper to cut the lead down to one (59-58). The Bulldogs went up three on a pair of Taylor Dillinger free throws but Perttu answered with a layup to make it 61-60. The visitors then scored 13 of the next 15 points to again take command.

"We could never get that extra stop that was going to put us up one," Tech coach Kim Cameron said. "You think it's going to make all the difference to play with a lead but we just couldn't get that lead."

Tech again drew within 10 with under 2:00 to play but the Bulldogs kept the Huskies out of reach, making four free throws. A Perttu 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the final margin to four.

"We have to make sure that first and foremost we play defense," Cameron added. "We gave up 42 points in the first half. We also need to be able to take care of the basketball. I think we came out nervous and I'm not sure why."

UMD jumped out to an early 10-1 lead after tipoff. Tech's first field goal wasn't until 4:21 into the game on a 3-pointer by Ritchie. Tech battled back to four at 16-12 with 9:57 left but UMD closed the first half on a 19-6 run in the final 6:31 to lead 42-24 at halftime.

"The sparks that we saw in the second half offensively are things that all of our players have," said Cameron. "We're talented offensively but we have to go back to defense. All of our offense was created off our stops. When we got stops we got scores and it all goes together."

Ritchie scored a team-high 18 points—one short of a career-high—on three 3-pointers and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds and three assists.

Gardner, Perttu and Morgan Anderson each scored a dozen. Moxley added eight points and seven rebounds while Blake finished with eight points, five blocks and four rebounds. Albi had six points and six boards.

Tech shot 42 percent (27-for-64) from the field and 38 percent (8-for-21) from beyond the arc.

Three Bulldogs entered double figures led by Hannah Rutten with 24 points. Danielle Flood scored 20 while Katrina Newman added 11. UMD shot 51 percent from the floor and made 22-of-30 from the free throw line to improve to 3-1.

Tech is idle until the GLIAC opener on the first weekend of December. The Huskies host Malone on Dec. 5 and Walsh on Dec. 7.