Hannah Hobson taking a jump shot Play Video
Posted: Jan 18, 2020

Huskies Fall to Ferris State in Overtime

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women's basketball team suffered a tough 80-73 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss in overtime to Ferris State Saturday afternoon at the SDC Gym. The Huskies rallied from a 10-point deficit at halftime to tie the game late and force overtime, but the Bulldogs recorded 13 of the 19 total points in the extra frame to escape with the win.

"It was a frustrating first half, giving up 45 points on our home floor," Michigan Tech Head Coach Sam Hoyt said. "We have to take more pride in our defense and be more disciplined on that end of the floor. Credit to Ferris State, they are a really good team and we knew that coming into the game today. We did a much better job in the second half executing the game plan, but our team is learning that you have to play 40 minutes in this league to win games. I thought Abbie Botz did a phenomenal job today and played her heart out. I also thought Hannah Hobson hit some big shots for us in the game as well.

"It doesn't get any easier as we get set to play one of the top teams in the country at Grand Valley State. They are strong in the post and on the perimeter and we are going to have to bounce back. The good thing is that our team is resilient and they are going to take today's loss to heart and learn from it."

Both offenses were clicking in the first quarter as each side traded baskets in the first few possessions. Trailing 5-4, Michigan Tech (7-9, 5-4 GLIAC) secured back-to-back layups from senior Hannah Hobson and senior Ellie Welsh to grab an 8-5 edge with 7:46 on the clock. Junior Cassidy Trotter helped the Huskies to maintain the four-point lead at the 5:35 mark of the first when she came up with a steal and took it to the rim for a layup, making it a 12-8 score.

Ferris State (12-5, 6-3 GLIAC) countered with a 7-0 scoring run to go back in front 15-12 on a layup by Mallory McCartney with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame. The Huskies took the lead again at 23-22 on a jumper in the paint from senior Abbie Botz at the 1:21 mark and then Welsh hit a triple in the final minute of the quarter to give Tech a 26-24 advantage with 10 minutes in the books Saturday.

The Bulldogs dropped in the first two buckets of the second quarter to move on top again 28-26, but Trotter quickly knotted the score at 28-28 on a jumper with 8:53 to play until the intermission. The Bulldogs then established a foothold on the scoreboard with a 9-0 run during the next two minutes, culminating on an Adrienne Anderson jump shot which resulted in a 37-28 lead.

Ferris State increased the gap to 15 points at 45-30 on an Anderson layup before the Huskies sliced the deficit to 45-35 with the final five points off the half. Three free throws from Trotter and a jumper by sophomore Ellie Mackay produced the points for the Huskies.

Tech's run continued into the third quarter when Welsh found the bottom of the net from three-point land followed by a Hobson jumper to trim Ferris State's lead to 45-40 with 8:29 to play in the third. Mackay then cut it to two at 46-44 on a triple, but the Bulldogs regrouped in the later stages of the third quarter and established a 10-point lead again at 58-48 going into the fourth.

The Huskies continued to battle and remain within striking distance. Trailing 66-60 with 3:32 to play in the contest, Tech engineered a 7-0 run to retake the lead 67-66 on a pair of Botz free throws with 1:44 left in regulation. Riley Blair even things up at the charity stripe for Ferris State and the game went into overtime deadlocked at 67-67. Unfortunately, the Huskies weren't able to overcome a quick start by the Bulldogs in overtime. Ferris State began the extra period with a 9-2 run and Tech wasn't able to recover.

Botz powered the Huskies with 17 points and 15 rebounds for another double-double in Saturday's contest. Mackay followed with 15 points, Hobson tossed in 12 points, and Trotter chipped in 10 points and six assists. The Huskies made 30 of 79 shots from the field (38.0%), were 6 of 27 from three-point range (22.2%), and 7 of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). Tech posted 27 points off of 18 Ferris State turnovers and recorded 42 points in the paint.

Ferris State was paced by Blair who poured in a game high 30 points while also leading the Bulldogs on the glass with 11 rebounds. McCartney added 18 points and 11 rebounds of her own while Anderson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 points and seven steals. The Bulldogs had success on 29 of 63 shots from the field (46.0%), were 4 of 15 from behind the arc (26.7%), and 18 of 26 at the free throw line (69.2%). Ferris State had a slight edge in rebounds at 45-42.

The Huskies return to the court on Thursday when they travel to Grand Valley State University to face the fourth ranked Lakers. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. eastern time.