Huskies fall 68-64 in Green Bay exhibition

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Ellie Mackay scored 20 points and Michigan Tech led most of the evening but fell just short at Wisconsin Green Bay 68-64 in exhibition women's basketball Wednesday night at Kress Center. Isabella Lenz and Sloane Zenner also made it to double figures in the Huskies' only tune-up before the regular season begins on November 11 at William Jewell College.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to play here in Green Bay against such a high-level Division I program," said head coach Sam Clayton. "They defend so hard and make it difficult for us, especially in the paint. We had to hit some shots early and then cooled off a bit in the second half so we'll have to learn how to adjust and score in different ways. We turned it over a bit too much in the second half and against the press but overall, I'm so proud of our team. We competed on every possession which was great to see."

Tech started the game on a 9-0 run before the Phoenix cut the deficit to 9-7 and stayed close the rest of the way. The Huskies found early success at the 3-point line and converted 9 of 18 first-half tries for a 36-31 halftime advantage. 

Green Bay tightened its defense in the paint in the second half and applied consistent full-court pressure. Last season's leading scorer Hailey Oskey proved a challenge to contain and finished with 21 points, six assists, and six rebounds for the Phoenix. Bailey Butler was also effective with 23 points on an efficient 8-for-12 from the field. Trailing by four in the final minute, Isabella Lenz hit a short-range jumper to close back to a single possession but time ran out on MTU's upset bid.

Lenz posted 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Alex Rondorf and Sloane Zenner contributed 11 points apiece and Rondorf led the team with seven rebounds. Emma Anderson scored her first two points as a Husky and Soraya Timms put up two points and added four assists in her debut.

Michigan Tech shot 40 percent with 11 made threes and 30 rebounds. Green Bay made 41 percent (24-for-58) of all shot attempts with 35 rebounds and shot 32 percent (6-for-19) from downtown.