PREVIEW: Huskies home to host Cards and Warriors

HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Huskies defeated Davenport, then fell to #5 Grand Valley State on the road last week. Michigan Tech women's basketball returns to Houghton Thursday night to face Saginaw Valley State (13-8, 8-6), followed by Wayne State (10-5, 14-6) Saturday afternoon with five regular season matchups remaining. 

Tech is currently seventh in the GLIAC points standings. Junior guard Ellie Mackay ranks third in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg) and MTU holds a 6-4 record inside SDC Gymnasium. Both games can be heard on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ with the voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake.

LAST TIME OUT

• Michigan Tech women's basketball held the lead in the first half but fell to No. 5 Grand Valley State 61-45 Saturday afternoon at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers notched their 16th straight victory and swept the season series against the Huskies. 
• Ellie Droste led GVSU with 19 points but Grand Valley State's country-leading defense proved pivotal as they held Tech to just seven fourth-quarter points to pull away. Alex Rondorf helped the Huskies with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Michigan Tech fell to 2-3 to conclude a five-game road trip and is 13-9 overall (8-6 GLIAC). 
• Michigan Tech shot 16-for-46 (34-percent) in the game but connected just 3 of 12 from the field in the fourth quarter. The Huskies also went 3-for-13 (23-percent) from beyond the arc. Ellie Mackay scored eight points while Isabella Lenz and Sara Dax posted six apiece. Dax added a team-high six rebounds, but the Lakers won the category 39-29.

TECH GLIAC RANKS

• Points - 72.4 (3rd)
• Rebounds - 34.5 (8th)
• Free Throw Percentage - 78.9 (2nd) [13th in NCAA Division II]
• Field Goal Percentage - 46.1 (1st) [8th in NCAA Division II]
• Assists - 15.0 (4th) 
• Steals - 7.8 (3rd)
• Blocks - 3.2 (5th)
• Defense - 67.6 (6th)

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

• Saginaw Valley State is an efficient shooting team that started the season hot in non-conference play but has recently lost four out of the last five games to GLIAC opponents. Monday, the Cardinals made up a postponed game with Northern Michigan and fell 59-39, their lowest scoring game of the season so far.
• Junior guard Kaitlyn Zarycki (Niles, Michigan) leads the team and ranks third in the GLIAC scoring 19.8 points per game. Zarycki scored 36 points and 39 points three days later against Truman State in November. She also nabs 5.7 rebounds and passes 3.6 assists for the Cardinals.
• Last year, Zarycki started all 20 games and posted 14 ppg with a season-high 29 points against Michigan Tech.
• Junior forward Tori DePerry (11.2 ppg) and senior guard Maddie Maloney (10.7 ppg) also average double figures.
• Jenny Pruett is in her third season as head coach at SVSU. Under her guidance, the Cardinals went 10-10 (9-9 GLIAC) last season and advanced to the GLIAC tournament for the second straight year.
• Michigan Tech took down the Cardinals in the semifinals in Westville, Indiana. Maloney was named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team and earned All-GLIAC second team honors. Zarycki landed on the first team and all-defensive team.

SVSU RANKS:

• Points - 67.0 (6th)
• Rebounds - 34.8 (7th)
• Assists - 13.8 (7th)
• Steals - 6.1 (10th)
• Turnovers - 13.8 (5th)
• Blocks - 3.3 (4th)
• Shooting Percentage - 44.5 (2nd)
• Defense - 62.0 (5th)

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

• Alex Rondorf scored 21 points to help Michigan Tech over Wayne State 66-60 on January 13 at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The Huskies took a 30-29 lead at halftime and held on, shooting 41-percent from the field. Sloane Zenner made three blocks and the Huskies went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
• The Warriors come to town Saturday after winning three of their last four. Last time out, the Warriors fell to Wisconsin Parkside 64-55 in Detroit. WSU plays Lake Superior State Tuesday night in Sault Ste. Marie. Senior guard Kate Sherwood (Canton, Michigan) leads the team with 12.4 points per game. Two players average 11 rebounds, including Senior forward Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Michigan) and Senior forward Grace George (DeWitt, Michigan).
• Head coach Carrie Lohr is in her 11th season and is Wayne State's all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Warriors tied for third place in the 2020-21 regular season GLIAC standings with an 11-7 record.
• Sherwood was selected as All-GLIAC second team and Cherney was named to the GLIAC all-defensive team.

NORTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hannah Plockelman - Parkside

• Hannah Plockelman (New Berlin, Wis.) played a pivotal role in two major wins for the Rangers at Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State. The senior averaged 22.5 points and 10 rebounds this weekend.
• She scored a career high 26 points against Wayne State while also tying her career high with 13 rebounds.

SOUTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rylie Bisballe - Grand Valley State

• Rylie Bisballe (Lake City, Mich.) helped lead the Lakers to a 50-42 win over Northern Michigan and a 61-45 win over Michigan Tech this week.
• Bisballe finished with back-to-back double-double performances.
• The sophomore forward scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on Thursday and scored 17 points and grabbed another 11 boards on Saturday. Bisballe scored 31 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, resulting in an average of 15.5 points and 11 rebounds per game this week.
• She also dished out four assists, blocked three shots, and finished with four steals.

HONORABLE MENTION 

• NORTH:Kadyn Blanchard (FSU), Ellie Mackay (MTU), Dash Shaw (PNW)
• SOUTH: Alana Nelson (NU), Kaitlyn Zarycki (SVSU), Grace George (WSU)

ELLIE MACKAY SCORES 20 AGAIN

• Thursday night, junior guard Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan) scored 25 points in a 71-51 win over Davenport, marking the eighth time since season she has eclipsed 20 points.
• Against the Panthers, Mackay shot 8-for-15 and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.
• She is also shooting better than 90-percent from the free throw line. She posted a season-high 36 points against Wisconsin Parkside in Houghton on January 6.

SENIOR JORDAN LUDESCHER'S CAREER CELEBRATED SATURDAY

• Senior forward Jordan Ludescher (Glen Flora, Wisconsin) will be honored for Senior prior to Saturday's tipoff. Ludescher has been unlucky in her Husky career with injuries.
• She appeared in six games in 2018-19 and scored 8.3 points per game. She was out of the lineup for the entirety of 2019-20, but made a comeback last season and was an integral member of the team which made a run to the NCAA Midwest Region Semifinals. 
• In 2020-21, Ludescher started 22 games and scored 13.4 points per game, shooting better than 50-percent in the post along the way. She also peaked in the postseason after putting up 20 points in the GLIAC Semifinals against Saginaw Valley State and 22 points in the GLIAC Championship against Ashland, which Tech won.
• She was named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team, All-GLIAC Second Team, and GLIAC All-Academic Team.
• Ludescher returned to play two games this season before another injury forced her out of the lineup. In her final game on November 13, she scored eight points and played 22 minutes against Lewis.
• At her best, Ludescher is a force in the post and is among the best rebounders in the conference. She will graduate with a degree in human biology with minors in pre-health professions & psychology.

HUSKIES SIGN RECRUIT MAJA KOZLOWSKA

• Michigan Tech women's basketball has announced Maja Kozlowska (Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland) has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the program for the 2022-23 season.
• Kozlowska is a capable forward/center and has competed for the Polish National Team since the under-16 level. Last season, she averaged 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds and helped the under-19 Polish National Team to the finals of the National Championship Tournament. 
• "I'm really excited for Maja to join our Husky team next season," said head coach Sam Clayton. "She's a great fit academically and as a person. She plays with a lot of heart and will give us some versatility and length in the post."
• Kozlowska plans to major in Engineering at Michigan Tech.
• She has been a member of National Championship teams twice at the under-16 level (Club: AZS AJP Gorzow) and once at under-18. In 2019, she was named Most Valuable Player of the National Championship Tournament.
• In 2020-21, she averaged 12 points and 7.9 rebounds. One year prior, she posted 15.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

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.