Huskies fall short at Wisconsin Parkside

KENOSHA, Wis. - Alyssa Nelson scored 25 points to help Wisconsin Parkside defeat Michigan Tech 81-67 Saturday night at De Simone Arena. The Huskies were constrained to eight points in the second quarter and the Rangers out-rebounded Tech 42-23 to keep a stranglehold on the lead. 

Michigan Tech (12-8, 7-5 GLIAC) split the season series with the Rangers and fell to 1-2 on their current road trip. After a slow start to the game, Tech fell behind 38-19 by halftime. The Huskies rallied to start the third quarter to cut the deficit back to 12 before Parkside pulled away for the final time.

Sara Dax led MTU with 15 points and four rebounds while Katelyn Meister posted 13 points and was an efficient 6-for-9 from the field in the loss. Freshman Isabella Lenz notched her third straight game in double figures with 12.

 "I was happy with our effort in the second half," said head coach Sam Clayton. "I thought Sara and Kate were aggressive for us inside. We still have a lot to shore up defensively moving forward."

The Rangers totaled 44 points in the paint and shot 49-percent overall (30-61). Nelson, the GLIAC's top-scoring guard made 8 of 14 shots from the floor and all seven of her free throw attempts for 25 points, six rebounds, and one steal. Forward Hannah Plockelman found room in the lane for 19 points (7-for-12) with nine rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Meanwhile, Michigan Tech struggled to score early, but bounced back in the second half to shoot 39-percent overall (23-for-58), including 48-percent (8-for-21) from beyond the arc. The Huskies committed just seven turnovers and caused 13 but were unable to overcome the first quarter momentum lost to the Rangers.

The Huskies travel to Davenport on Thursday, February 10 before taking on No. 8 Grand Valley State next Saturday. Tech lost two straight games for the second time this season. Wisconsin Parkside improved to 8-6 in the conference with its fourth straight win. The Rangers are 11-11 overall.