Preview: Tech meets Davenport in GLIAC Quarterfinals

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech women's basketball (17-1, 17-1) earned the No. 1 seed in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament and will play No. 8 seed Davenport (6-13, 5-13) in the quarterfinals Thursday at 12 p.m. EST at Dworkin Center in Westville, Indiana. The game will be broadcast by the conference on jedtv.com and can be listened to on Mix 93.5 WKMJ and pasty.net. 

Davenport defeated Northern Michigan 61-45 in the first round of the tournament Tuesday night to earn the right to play the Huskies. Michigan Tech was ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division II this week by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and is on a 15-game win streak, just three victories short of the program record.

The Huskies defeated Davenport in a pair of games at home 80-58 February 12, followed by 83-61 February 13.

FOR THE HUSKIES: Junior guard Ellie Mackay is the team's highest scorer at 14.5 points per game through 18 starts. Mackay marked a season high 31 points on January 30 in a win over Ferris State. She has 11 games in double-figures and is a threat in the paint as well as from the 3-point line. Mackey is slightly ahead of her 12.2 point pace a year ago, which earned her all-GLIAC second team honors.

Senior guard Cassidy Trotter posted three consecutive 10-plus point games for the first time this season last weekend and has been a force on defense all season. The Beaver Dam, Wisconsin native averages 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. She had a season high 19 points against Wisconsin-Parkside last Friday along with seven assists, seven rebounds last time out against the Panthers.

Forward Jordan Ludescher has been a strong presence in the post all season, but Saturday she broke out for 29 points and shot 12-for-16 against Wisconsin-Parkside. Ludescher also notched her first and second double-doubles of the year against the Rangers with a two-game combined rebound total of 21. Ludescher averages 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Senior Baillie McGirk is another reason the Huskies rank No. 10 in NCAA Division II team defense. From Rockford, Illinois, McGirk has 18 starts with 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Katelyn Roster rounds out the starting lineup. Meister has two games with 10-points or more. She scored 12 points in a win over No. 9 Grand Valley State on February 21. Though she is the most inexperienced starter, Meister played in 24 games as a true freshman last fall.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: The Davenport women's basketball team picked up their first-ever GLIAC Tournament win on Tuesday with a 61-45 road victory at Northern Michigan in the first round. The 10th-seeded Panthers used strong first and fourth quarters to win by double digits over the seventh-seeded Wildcats. Scout Nelson led the Panthers with 18 points and leading scorer Toni Grace finished with 16 points. Davenport outscored the seventh seeded Wildcats 18-7 in the first quarter and 23-11 in the fourth quarter.

Grace scores 16.9 points per game (fifth, GLIAC) and has been the team's playmaker for three seasons. The lone senior on the team is Courtney McInerney. She entered the year with 73 games played and 34 starts. This year, she has been a reliable option off the bench.

Head coach Rick Albro is in his fourth season and the team has steadily improved under his leadership. The Panthers are fresh off their first conference playoff victory since 2012.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

• The NCAA Division II women's basketball selection show is scheduled for Sunday, March 7 at 10:00 p.m. via NCAA web stream.
• GLIAC Tournament Information can be found HERE.
• GLIAC Fan Policy and Format can be found HERE.