Huskies win third straight after big fourth quarter
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southwest Minn. St. | 20 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 65 |
|
Michigan Tech | 21 | 17 | 22 | 18 | 78 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women's basketball team remained undefeated after a 78-65 victory over Southwest Minnesota State Thursday at the SDC Gym. The Huskies outscored the Mustangs 18-3 in the fourth quarter to avenge their loss to SMSU a year ago in Minnesota.
"I'm just so proud of our team and the way that we kept battling after the way they came out on fire in the first half," Tech coach Sam Clayton said. "Our defensive urgency and execution could've and should've been better, but we stayed locked in. A ton of players stepped up today."
The Huskies trailed 44-38 at halftime after the Mustangs hit 10 3-pointers in the opening 20:00. Tech turned to a zone defense out of the locker room and limited the visitors to only one field goal in the fourth quarter.
SMSU scored four straight buckets in the third quarter to take its largest lead of the game at 11 before the Huskies started to chip away. Emma Anderson sparked a 7-0 Michigan Tech rally and the margin was only two after the third.
The only shot the Mustangs hit in the fourth was a three-pointer with 7:34 remaining. The Huskies took the lead for good after a pair of free throws by Alyssa Wypych with 6:49 on the clock. She then nailed a 3-pointer on the next possession for a four-point lead, and Katelyn Meister followed with a three of her own. The Mustangs committed nine second-half turnovers and missed 21 shots.
Alex Rondorf had a game-high 21 points shooting 5-for-6 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. She added eight rebounds, four steals, and two assists.
"I think getting it inside was the key for me today," Rondorf said. "We wanted to make them pay for playing guard heavy on the outside.
"I've been having a lot of fun this year. My success comes from everyone on the team with ball movement and setting screens."
Sara Dax was 7-for-8 from the floor with a season-high 15 points. Alyssa Wypych scored 14 points for the third straight game of her freshman campaign, and Katelyn Meister was also in double figures with 11.
Bri Stoltzman (18), Kenzie Jones (14), and Peyton Blandin (12) scored in double digits for the Mustangs who fell to 0-3.
Tech is 3-0 and wraps up its four-game homestand on Sunday at 1 p.m., hosting No. 1 Ashland. The Eagles play at Saginaw Valley on Friday to begin their trip up through Michigan.
