Preview: #19 Huskies meet #9 Lakers

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Both teams are Nationally ranked. Both teams bring an impressive win streak. Only one team can prevail as No. 19 Michigan Tech travels to No. 9 Grand Valley State for two games Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Huskies (13-1) boast the eighth best defense in NCAA Division II (53.1 points against) but will be tested against the Lakers (13-1), who have gone unbeaten (5-0) on their home court so far. Both games can be watched on the Grand Valley Sports Network. Tech fans can also tune in on AM 920 Saturday and Mix 93.5 Sunday as well as online at pasty.net.

LAST TIME OUT: Using gritty defense and strong play in the fourth quarter, No. 19 Michigan Tech outlasted Northern Michigan 63-49 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball Tuesday evening at Berry Event Center. The Huskies have won nine straight head-to-head meetings against the Wildcats, including a two-game sweep this season. Tech also extended its overall win streak to 11 straight games dating back to January 15.

Jordan Ludescher led the offense with 21 points and three rebounds. Ludescher shot 7-for-14 from the floor with seven free throws on 10 attempts. Baillie McGirk also played well with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Despite hitting just 2 of 15 three-point attempts, the Huskies made up the difference on defense. MTU caused 20 NMU turnovers and nabbed 10 steals. Northern Michigan top-scorer Makaylee Kuhn shot just 2 of 18 from the field for five points.

STAT LEADERS:

Points: Ellie Mackay, 14.4 PPG (8^th GLIAC)

Rebounds: Jordan Ludescher, 5.5 RPG (17^th GLIAC)

Assists: Baillie McGirk, 3.6 APG (6^th GLIAC)

Steals: Cassidy Trotter, 2.3 APG (3^rd GLIAC)

Blocks: Katelyn Meister, 0.9 BPG (10^th GLIAC)

Minutes: Ellie Mackay, 31.1 MPG (12^th GLIAC)

Assist/Turnover Ratio: Baillie McGirk, 3.3 (1^st GLIAC)

GLIAC FINALIZES BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The 2021 GLIAC Basketball Tournament will allow all 12 institutions for both the men's and women's tournament to participate. The opening round will take place at campus sites, with the advancing teams traveling to Purdue Northwest, who will host the remainder of the Tournament at both their Hammond and Westville campuses. A complete breakdown of the playoff format can be found HERE. 

SCOUTING THE NO. 9 LAKERS: Grand Valley State leads the league in no statistical categories, yet they can be found in the top half of nearly every category. The Lakers score 65.6 points per game (sixth) and allow 53.3 points to opponents (second). They are also sixth in rebounding (36.1 RPG), second in assists (9.6 APG), second in field goal percentage (34.5-percent), and second in 3-pointers (79). GVSU dominated Davenport on Tuesday night 63-43 marking their third straight game outscoring an opponent by 20 points or more.

Grand Valley was selected to take second place in the South Division in the annual GLIAC pre-season coaches' poll. The Lakers finished the 2019-20 season ranked No. 6 in the country with a 28-3 overall record. GVSU has had to replace two top six scorers from last season, but returned seven, including junior guard Emily Spitzley, who missed much of her sophomore season due to injury. Spitzley currently leads the Lakers with 13.6 points per game and 5.6 rebounds. She also has 14 steals and 14 blocks in 14 starts. Junior forward Hannah Kulas is also a threat at 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds for GVSU.

Mike Williams is in his sixth season as head coach. In his five years, he has amassed a 133-32 (.806) record and an NCAA Division II Final Four appearance in 2015-16.