Huskies Open 2019-20 Schedule at UW-Green Bay
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Michigan Tech women's basketball team tipped off the 2019-20 season at NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in an exhibition game Thursday night. The Huskies held their own against one of the top teams in division one, holding the Phoenix to just 54 points in a 54-41 loss. Tech will host Finlandia next Friday (Nov. 1) at the SDC Gym for another exhibition before the regular season gets underway November 9th.
"It was a good defensive effort, especially in the second half," Michigan Tech Head Coach Sam Hoyt said. "We weren't able to execute our game plan as much as I would have liked in the first half. It was good to see us adjust and have success following the game plan in the second half. It's inspiring for us to see that we can compete with one of the best teams in the nation at any level. Green Bay is a great team and for us to outscore them in the second half is really exciting for our program moving forward."
Michigan Tech engineered a strong start Thursday night, jumping out to a 10-3 lead before holding a 12-5 advantage in the later stages of the first quarter. UW-Green Bay battled back to close the quarter with a 13-12 lead and then turned the tide of the contest by outscoring the Huskies 25-5 in the second period. The Phoenix held a 38-17 advantage at the intermission Thursday night.
However, the Huskies regrouped at halftime and limited the Phoenix to single digit point totals in both the third and fourth quarters. Tech enjoyed a 14-7 edge in the third and a 10-9 lead in the fourth quarter, slicing the final margin to 54-41. The Huskies kept the Phoenix offense in check, limiting them to just 20 successful field goals in 53 total attempts (37.7%).
Junior Baillie McGirk guided the Huskies' attack with 11 points followed by sophomore Ellie Mackay with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists. Senior Hannah Hobson chipped in eight points while senior Abbie Botz posted two points and a team best eight rebounds. As a team, the Huskies were 14 of 48 from the field (29.2%), 7 of 30 from three-point range (23.3%), and 6 for 9 at the free throw line (66.7%).
Karly Murphy and Hailey Oskey paced the Phoenix with 10 points apiece followed by Frankie Wurtz with nine points. A trio of players had eight rebounds, including Caitlyn Hibner, Mackenzie Wolf, and Madison Wolf. Lyndsey Robson chipped in four points and dished out a team high four assists. UW-Green Bay connected on just one of 10 attempts (10.0%) from behind the three-point arc and were 13 of 29 at the free throw line (44.8%). The Phoenix had an overall rebounding advantage of 47-30.
The Huskies will host Finlandia next Friday night (Nov. 1) in their second exhibition game of the preseason. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. eastern time at the SDC Gym.