PREVIEW: No. 23 Huskies cross into Timberwolves territory Saturday

HOUGHTON, Mich. – With five wins in their first six games, No. 23 Michigan Tech women's basketball hits the road Saturday to play Northwood at 1 p.m. Eastern at Riepma Arena. It will be their first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup this season. The Huskies are fresh off a pair of victories in the Dakotah Bank Classic over Minnesota State Moorhead (W, 65-53) and Northern State (W, 81-69). MTU and NU split a pair of regular-season games in Houghton in 2020-21.

LAST TIME OUT

Five players made it to double figures and Michigan Tech shot over 55-percent to snap Northern State's four-game win streak with an 81-69 victory in the Dakotah Bank Classic Saturday night at Wachs Arena. Daisy Ansel posted 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists to lead the way for the Huskies. Ellie Mackay (14 pts, three rebounds, three assists), Alex Rondorf (12 pts, four rebounds), Katelyn Meister (11 pts, five rebounds), and Clara Johnson (10 points) also contributed to MTU's highest point total so far this season. 

"I was really happy with our overall performance, especially our transition offense," commented head coach Sam Clayton on Saturday. "Anytime you can get five players 10 or more points is a good thing. I thought Daisy stepped up for us in all aspects of the game. She really scored it efficiently, rebounded well, and distributed the ball to her teammates."

Mackay downed 6 of 11 shots and went 2 of 4 from the 3-point arc. Meister was an efficient 5-7 and Rondorf made 5-8 with a pair of free throws for 12 points in the game and 28 points over the weekend. Ten MTU players appeared on the offensive stat sheet, including Sara Dax (nine points), and Isabella Lenz (seven points) off the bench. The Huskies also connected on 50-percent of shots from downtown (8-19).

SCOUTING THE TIMBERWOLVES

• Northwood suffered its first defeat Saturday to No. 14 Tampa 61-49 at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invite in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Timberwolves shot 18-for-57 (32-percent) and 5-for-22 (23-percent) from downtown. Ava DiMilia led NU with 14 points, five rebounds. Ellie Taylor compiled 10 points, six rebounds.
• Northwood contends with Northern Michigan prior to hosting Michigan Tech on Thursday, December 2 at 6 p.m.
• The team was picked to finish second in the GLIAC South Division after posting an 11-9 record last season. Northwood fell to Ashland 67-58 in the GLIAC Quarterfinals, then was upended in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament 55-42 by Truman State.
• Junior guard Makenzie Todd averaged 11.3 points and earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors last season.  Todd is off to a solid start, shooting 38.8-percent with 15.3 points per game through six starts.
• The Timberwolves can also get the basketball inside the paint with senior center Jayla Strickland and sophomore Alana Nelson.
• Northwood lost GLIAC All-Defensive performer Kenzie Seeley. Alli Keyser will look to pick up the slack after she led the team in steals a year ago.
• The Timberwolves played Michigan State to a 95-49 loss in an exhibition to lead off the year.
• Autumn Haggadone was named head coach in the summer of 2021, replacing Jeff Curtis who resigned to take the job of Northwood Athletics Director. Haggadone has four seasons of experience as an assistant coach for NU. She earned her first career win as head coach on November 12 versus Findlay (W, 84-74).
• Northwood ranks fourth in the GLIAC in points per game (71.8), eighth in shooting percentage (38.9-percent), second in free throw percentage (77.7-percent), third in rebounding (39.2 rpg), and fifth in assists (14.7 apg).

MACKAY LEADS THE WAY

• Junior guard Ellie Mackay averages a team-high 13.0 points per game in 30.0 minutes for the Huskies. Mackay is shooting 39.4-percent overall and 26.3-percent from the 3-point line. With Jordan Ludescher out of the lineup, Mackay also leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest to go with 1.4 assists, and 0.5 steals. 
• Last year, Mackay (Junior – Guard) earned WBCA Division II Honorable Mention All-America as well as GLIAC Player of the Year, GLIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and GLIAC Player of the Week. She started all 22 games and averaged 15.0 points per game with a career-high 31 points at Ferris State on January 30. She also scored the winning basket as time expired to help the Huskies overcome No. 9 Grand Valley State on the road. This is Mackay's fourth season with the Huskies after she began as the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
• Mackay reached 1,000 career points at home against Minnesota Crookston on Friday, November 19, becoming the 27th player in program history to reach the milestone.

FRESHMAN IMPRESSION

• Incoming true freshmen include six-foot guard Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wisconsin) and 5-foot-7-inch guard Maryellen Trewhella (Houghton, Michigan).
• Lenz has been a positive addition off the Huskies bench. She notched a season-high 13 points in 22 minutes against William Jewell on Nov. 14 and shot 5-10. Last time out, Lenz posted seven points in 18 minutes against Northern State. She is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 6-12 from 3-point range (50-percent).

MEISTER INCREASES MINUTES

• Junior guard Katelyn Meister has increased her role this season with six starts and 10.3 points per game (second on the team). Meister averages 28.5 minutes and is shooting an effective 52.7-percent, mostly from inside the lane.
• Meister (Junior – Guard) started 18 games last season and averaged five points and five rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 13 points at Saginaw Valley State on February 6. This year, she has been over the 13-point mark on two occasions, with a season-high 19 points in a win over Minnesota Crookston on November 19. Meister has also hit double-figures four times this fall. Her rebounding numbers match her 2020-21 total exactly at 5.0 rpg. 

ANSEL ANSWERS

• Junior Daisy Ansel continues to improve for the Huskies at guard. Ansel posted 11 points Saturday at Northern State and shot 5-12 in 28 minutes overall. Ansel (Comstock, Mich.) appeared in 25 games as a true freshman at Grand Valley State before transferring to Michigan Tech and redshirting last season. She helped the Lakers reach their fifth straight NCAA Tournament and played 88 minutes, averaging 1.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. She posted a career-high 14 points for Tech against Lewis on November 13 and is becoming a reliable ball distributor this season (1.1 assists per game, second on team).

RONDORF FROM DEEP

• Sophomore guard Alex Rondorf was a notable weapon from outside the arc last season after posting 27 made threes on 63 attempts (42.9-percent). Rondorf played 17 games off the bench for the Huskies and scored at a clip of 8.0 points per contest.
• This year, Rondorf has increased her workload from 22.1 minutes to 28.8 minutes and has started all six games. She is also ahead of her 2020-21 points average, going from 8.0 ppg to 9.3 through the early part of the season. Rondorf is currently shooting 33.3-percent from long range.

HUSKIES RANKED NO. 23 IN THE NATION

• Michigan Tech women's basketball was ranked No. 23 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II National Top 25 poll, announced Tuesday.
• Last season, the Huskies topped out at No. 6 in the national rankings and reached the NCAA Division II Midwest Region semifinals. MTU appeared in the WBCA Top 25 Poll six times in 2020-21. 

GLIAC RANKS

• Points - 68.5 (7th)
• Rebounds - 35.3 (8th)
• Shooting Percentage - 46.0% (3rd)
• Three Point Percentage - 35.7% (5th)
• Free Throw Percentage - 76.9% (3rd, 38th in Division II)
• Assists - 13.3 (7th)
• Steals - 7.8 (6th)
• Blocks - 2.2 (8th)
• Points Against - 61.0 (3rd)

REIGNING CHAMPS

• Michigan Tech women's basketball returns in 2021-22 as the reigning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champions. Head coach Sam Clayton begins her fourth season as head coach after capturing the GLIAC Regular Season North Division title and making a trip to the NCAA Midwest Region Semifinals.
• The Huskies bring a mix of experience and youth and are led in part by captains Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan), Jordan Ludescher (Glen Flora, Wisconsin), and Katelyn Meister (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin). All three were integral starters and the Huskies key departures in the off-season included seniors Baillie McGirk and Cassidy Trotter.
• Tech finished 20-2 overall, including 17-1 in the GLIAC and unseated perennial powerhouse Ashland in the conference championship 74-63. The Eagles got their revenge in Springfield, Missouri when they edged the Huskies 74-65 in the NCAA Tournament 

2021-22 GLIAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS

North

1. Michigan Tech 56 (8)

2. Ferris State 44 (3)

     Parkside 44

4. Northern Michigan 42

5. Purdue Northwest 23

6. Lake Superior State 16

South

1. Grand Valley State 44 (9)

2. Northwood 35 (2)

3. Wayne State 33

4. Saginaw Valley State 29

5. Davenport 15