PREVIEW: Huskies head to Davenport and #5 Grand Valley State

HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Huskies bookend a five-game road trip this week when they travel to Davenport on Thursday, February 10, followed by No. 5 Grand Valley State on Saturday, February 12. Michigan Tech women's basketball has lost four of their last six but defeated rival Northern Michigan last Monday in Marquette. Both of this week's games can be heard on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ.

LAST TIME OUT

• 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.

TECH GLIAC RANKS

• Points - 73.8 (2nd) [33rd in NCAA Division II]
• Rebounds - 34.5 (8th)
• Free Throw Percentage - 78.3 (2nd) [16th in NCAA Division II]
• Field Goal Percentage - 46.6 (1st) [8th in NCAA Division II]
• Assists - 15.2 (3rd) [T-48th in NCAA Division II]
• Steals - 8.1 (2nd)
• Blocks - 3.1 (5th)
• Defense - 68.6 (8th)

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

• The Panthers took Lake Superior State to overtime Saturday night but fell 65-64 in Sault Ste. Marie. Toni Grace paced DU with 24 points and shot 8-for-11 from the floor and 7-for-11 at the free throw line. Scout Nelson also had 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
• The Huskies won the first meeting between the two sides 86-75 in Houghton on January 22. Ellie Mackay picked up a double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and Alex Rondorf posted 20 points and shot 7-for-10. Tech also went 3-0 against the Panthers last year, including a 79-52 win in the GLIAC Quarterfinals.
• Travis Schuba is interim head coach after spending one season as lead assistant in 2020-21. Schuba previously served as head boys basketball coach at Traverse City Central High School from 2017-20.
• Senior guard Toni Grace (Fishers, Indiana) eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark last year and leads the team in points per game (13.2 ppg). She is currently second in Panther history in career minutes per game (30.8), fourth in scoring average (14.0), and fourth in free throw percentage (.795). She was named All-GLIAC second team as a junior.
• The Panthers average 56.4 points per game and allow 73.1 points to opponents. Loni Sales (Senior - guard) scores at a rate of 9.4 points per game and Scout Nelson (Junior - Guard) averages 8.6 to go with 4.9 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE NO. 5 LAKERS

• The Huskies won a pair of tough road battles at Grand Valley State last season and the Lakers are ranked inside the top-10 in Division II again this year. GVSU edged Tech 74-70 in overtime on January 20 in Houghton in their first meeting of 2021-22.
• The Lakers shot 50-percent from the field and 53-percent from beyond the arc and scored 24 points off 17 MTU turnovers. Emily Spitley sent the game to the extra session with a 3-pointer on the final possession. Mackay totaled 25 points and six rebounds in the loss.
• Since then, the Lakers have won five games in a row, bringing their win streak to 14. Most recently GVSU beat Ferris State on the road 75-68. Spitzley finished with 19 points and Rylie Bisballe marked 15.
• Head coach Mike Williams is in his seventh season and has helped the Lakers win at least one game in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in five out of the last six years since taking the reigns, including a run to the NCAA Divison II Final Four in 2015-16.
• Last year, the Lakers were upset in the GLIAC Quarterfinals by Wisconsin Parkside. Ashland University down GVSU in the NCAA Midwest Region quarterfinals.

NORTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alyssa Nelson - Parkside

• Alyssa Nelson (New Berlin, Wis.) of the Parkside women's basketball team had another strong week, leading the Rangers to three wins at home.
• The senior averaged 23 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as the Rangers defeated Purdue Northwest, Northern Michigan, and Michigan Tech. Nelson currently leads the conference in field goal attempts, field goals made, free throws made, free throw percentage, points per game, three-point field goals made, and three-point field goal percentage.

SOUTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sam Cherney - Wayne State

• Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich.) helped lead WSU to an overtime win against then second-place Saginaw Valley (the win coupled with SVSU's loss on Saturday) moved the Warriors into second place. Cherney notched her seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. She also blocked five shots and dished out four assists to just one turnover. She made 3-of-4 foul shots in the final 48 seconds of overtime to secure the victory. Cherney set the tone for overtime with a blocked shot on SVSU's first possession of the extra stanza.
• In the second half and overtime, she totaled 14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and three assists as WSU rallied from a 40-31 halftime deficit. Cherney currently leads the GLIAC in defensive rebounds, total rebounds, rebounds per game, and blocked shots, and is second in offensive rebounds.

LENZ SCORES BIG WEEK

• Freshman Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wisconsin) combined for 42 points in three starts last week. Lenz started her first game of the season at Northern Michigan and put up 13 points in 25 minutes. She followed with another start at Purdue Northwest and excelled for 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting over a season-high 40 minutes. Lenz had scored 66 points combined in her first 17 games of the season. Lenz connected on 15 of 26 shot attempts last week and went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. She is in her first season with the Huskies after averaging 21.0 points per game at Prescott High School as a senior.

DAX ATTACK

• Sophomore forward Sara Dax led the Huskies with 15 points at Wisconsin Parkside on 6 of 11 shooting. Dax has eight games in double-figures this winter, including a breakout 23 points against Northwood on January 27.
• Dax shot 8-for-11 in the game with a pair of triples. Dax increased her minutes with 20 starts in 21 outings. Last season she made three starts and appeared in 22 games. Dax is on pace for 9.8 points per game and is shooting an efficient 52.8-percent from the floor.

REIGNING CHAMPS

• Michigan Tech women's basketball returned 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 by captains Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan), Jordan Ludescher (Glen Flora, Wisconsin), and Katelyn Meister (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin). All three were integral starters and shared a heavy workload this season prior to Ludescher's injury after the departures of 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. Michigan Tech matched a program record with 19 wins in a row during the regular season.
• The Huskies were selected to finish first in the GLIAC North Division in the GLIAC women's basketball preseason coaches' poll with eight first-place votes. The Huskies were followed by Ferris State, Wisconsin Parkside, Northern Michigan, Purdue Northwest, and Lake Superior State. Grand Valley State received nine first-place votes to take the top spot in the South Division.