Huskies Fall 77-73 at Minnesota State

MANKATO, Minn. — No. 16-ranked Michigan Tech suffered its second straight road loss with a 77-73 setback at Minnesota State in non-conference women's basketball today at the Taylor Center.

Tech led for 35 of the 40 minutes of the game, but couldn't hold off the Mavericks, who out-rebounded the Huskies 39-29 (21-10 in the second half).

Kerry Gardner's 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining put Tech up 71-68, and Danielle Blake's free throws extended the margin to 73-69 with 2:06 to go.

MSU answered with a jumper off the glass with 1:51. After a Huskies' miss, the hosts took the lead 74-73 on Brittney Scherber's step-back 3-pointer with 1:06 showing.

Morgan Anderson misfired on a drive with 39 ticks left, and an offensive rebound by MSU led to two free throws with :09 remaining. A potential game-tying 3-pointer by Tech was blocked, and the Mavericks added one free throw for the final margin.

"We can't expect a different result by doing the same things," said Tech coach Kim Cameron. "It was a lot like our game against Concordia. We had a big lead and didn't hold onto it. We need to be tougher."

Tech led by as many as 18 (42-24) in the opening half. The hosts had only seven made field goals through the first 18 minutes of the game but closed the half on a 6-0 run to pull within 42-30 at halftime. 

MSU outscored the Black and Gold 25-12 in the third quarter to grab a 55-54 advantage. The margin was never greater than four the rest of the way.

Blake finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for her first double-double of the season. Kelli Guy tied for team-high scoring honors with 16 points. Anderson and Kylie Moxley joined them in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Michigan Tech has wrapped up its 2015-16 regular season non-conference schedule. The Huskies will open GLIAC play next week with a pair of home games. First up is Malone on Thursday (Dec. 3) for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at the SDC Gym.