Tech WBB Drop Hard-Fought Battle At Concordia-St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Michigan Tech women's basketball team nearly pulled off a comeback after trailing by eight points with 3:22 remaining in regulation before ultimately slipping up at Concordia-St. Paul, 71-62, inside the Gangelhoff Hall on Tuesday night.

"I thought Sara came out really aggressive and confident for us," head coach Sam Clayton said. "But, it was another game with too many turnovers. We really have to learn to value every possession if we want to play like we're capable. We also gave up too many offensive rebounds. The only option is to respond and bounce back in conference play next week." 

Michigan Tech (4-3, 0-0 GLIAC) shot 55.6 percent from the field in the opening half, with Sara Dax leading the way with 10 points, seeing the Huskies lead from the jump. However, Concordia-St. Paul (5-1, 1-0 NSIC) poured on 23 points in the second quarter and a timely 14-2 run in the final 3:11 to close out the half trailing the Huskies by two at 38-36.

Both teams sputtered offensively to start the third quarter, producing 10 points total with almost four minutes played. Minutes later, Concordia-St. Paul took its first lead of the game off a Huskies turnover, allowing a fast break layup with 3:12 remaining in the frame. 

Isabella Lenz hit a jumper at the 1:04 mark to cut the lead to one point at 52-51 before the Golden Bears closed out the quarter with a 3-pointer to sustain a 55-51 advantage with one quarter to play.

The fourth quarter showed both teams going 5-for-14 from the field and three turnovers. Although the difference maker was the Golden Bears Ally Gietzel going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Michigan Tech's core produced down the stretch with a 3-pointer from Lenz and a layup by Alex Rondorf on the next possession, cutting the lead to three at 65-62 with 1:47 to go, although the Golden Bears free-throws would keep the Huskies out of reach, for a final score of 71-62.

Lenz led the Huskies with 17 points and posted her second-straight seven assist outing. Meister had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Sara Dax joined the duo in double-figure scoring with 12 points, 10 of which came through the first half. 

The Golden Bears sustained a balanced attack, with four players in double-figure scoring as Ally Gietzel and Leah Dengerud each had 15 points. Gietzel was vital for CSP down the stretch, going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. Mikayla Kanenwisher had a team-leading seven rebounds.

Up Next

The Huskies will take a brief hiatus from competition before opening GLIAC play, welcoming Saginaw Valley Thursday (Dec. 7) and Wayne State Saturday.