Huskies win double overtime thriller over Cardinals

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Huskies required two overtimes to down Saginaw Valley State 80-70 Saturday afternoon. Ellie Mackay put the finishing touches on the win with two cold-blooded 3-point makes in the second extra session. Mackay led Michigan Tech with 22 points and the Huskies extended their win streak to eight straight games with the weekend sweep over the Cardinals at James O'Neill Jr. Arena in GLIAC women's basketball.

"Words cannot describe how incredibly proud I am of this team for their perseverance through a double overtime road game," commented head coach Sam Hoyt. "We showed a lot of poise down the stretch, even when we were down by three with only a minute left. We executed and our defense came up big yet again. Ellie's ability to make two threes in double overtime created the separation we needed, and Katelyn Meister and Jordan Ludescher had some big baskets to get us into overtime." 

The Huskies took a 29-25 lead into halftime and the score stayed close throughout. The Cardinals used the final three minutes of the fourth quarter to close a five-point gap and Tori Deperry made one free throw to tie the game 59-59 with 32 seconds left in regulation. Michigan Tech turned over the basketball with 20 seconds on the clock but breathed a sigh of relief when SVSU's Maddie Barrie found the rim as time expired from the corner.

Both teams missed shots to open overtime but began trading baskets until the one-minute mark, when the Cardinals seized the upper hand 66-62. The Huskies buckled down on defense and both Bailie McGirk and Ludescher made layups to force another tie 66-66.

Ellie Mackay found an opening for 3-points just 14 seconds into double overtime. Ludescher pitched in two points and then Mackay found the long-range jumper again for a decisive 74-68 edge with three minutes, six seconds left. The Cardinals managed just two points the rest of the way.

Michigan Tech (10-1, 10-1 GLIAC) shot 41.2-percent (28-for-68), including 28.6-percent (6-for-21) from 3-point range. Mackay went 7-for-19 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line to tally 22 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Ludescher finished 7-for-13 for 16 points. Ludescher also had seven rebounds and one steal. Katelyn Meister scored 13 points and grabbed seven boards and Alex Rondorf assisted with 10 points and three steals off the bench.

Kaitlyn Zarycki led the Cardinals with 16 points (7-19) and seven assists. Tori DePerry (15 points), Kyndall Spires (11 points), and Maddie Barrie (10) also made it to double-figures. SVSU shot 45.9-percent from the floor with 25-percent of 3-point makes (6-for-24). Saginaw Valley out-rebounded the Huskies 38-27 and passed 16 assists compared to 10 for MTU.

Michigan Tech (10-1, 10-1 GLIAC) holds a three-game lead over second place Northern Michigan (7-4) in the GLIAC North Division standings. Tech has not lost since January 15 against Northwood. Saginaw Valley (4-7, 4-7) lost their third game in four outings but became the first team this year to cross the 60-point threshold against the stingy Tech defense. The Cardinals travel to Ferris State next weekend. Michigan Tech returns home to host Davenport for two games beginning Friday, February 12 at 3:30 p.m.