Huskies take down Cardinals 65-54
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saginaw Valley State (13-9,8-7 GLIAC) | 17 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 54 |
|
Michigan Tech (14-9,9-6 GLIAC) | 8 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 65 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Sloane Zenner posted a career-high 16 points and Michigan Tech held off Saginaw Valley State 65-54 for a critical conference win Thursday night at SDC Gymnasium. The Huskies had a slow start but charged into the lead in the second quarter and never looked back to improve to 14-9 overall (9-6 GLIAC). Saginaw Valley State dropped to 13-9 overall (8-7 GLIAC). MTU plays Wayne State at home on Saturday before a rematch with the Cardinals on the road Tuesday night.
"It was a big win for us," said head coach Sam Clayton. "Saginaw is a phenomenal team. Even though we had a really slow start, we still controlled the game on defense and then trusted that our offense would pick up. Then we hit some threes later on. Sara (Dax) and Katelyn (Meister) were really aggressive looking for their shot and Sloane was the most confident I've seen her play all together."
The Huskies made just one of their first 10 basket attempts and did not score in the opening 6:40 of the first quarter. Zenner connected on a 3-pointer to draw Tech back to a 7-5 deficit but a late corner three enabled Saginaw Valley State to lead 17-8 heading into the second quarter. SVSU also opened with a 15-5 edge in rebounds.
The Huskies host Wayne State for Senior Day on Saturday, before heading to Saginaw Valley State for a Tuesday night rematch.
Meister downed back-to-back 3-pointers for a positive start to the second quarter. Daisy Ansel scored in transition and followed with a smooth assist underneath to Alex Rondorf to tie the score 24-24 with one minute to play. The Cardinals scored once more before the half to go ahead 26-24.
Dax scored eight points and the Huskies shot 32-percent (9-28) through the opening 20 minutes. Katelyn Zariycki posted 13 for SVSU, which shot 39-percent (10-26).
Michigan Tech began the third quarter with a 14-5 run to seize its largest lead of the game, seven points. Victoria Stafford helped cut the margin back to three with a layup in transition, but late free throws by Ellie Mackay and a steal by Rondorf helped the Huskies to lead 45-39 at the end of the third.
Mackay and Zenner kept the Huskies ahead by around a dozen in the fourth quarter and Rondorf closed the door from beyond the arc with under two minutes to play, drawing the score up to 63-54.
"Defensively, Sloane helped us protect the basket with blocks, and then offensively, she showed she is just a great shooter," Clayton said. "It was good to see her using her athleticism and length to attack the basket. To come back and get back to her regular self out there after going through so much with injuries the past two years was so impressive."
Zenner shot 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc with five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. Dax finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Rondorf and Meister also made it to 12 points. The Huskies shot 40.7-percent overall (22-for-54), including 47.4-percent (47.4-percent) from downtown.
"We had a few lapses early on in the game but we were able to stick to our keys defensively and turn things around quickly," Zenner said. "We have a lot of people who can both score and defend which is important."
Michigan Tech was effective at the free throw line, making 12 of 13 attempts (92.3-percent). Ellie Mackay went 5-for-5 and totaled seven points. Tech passed 13 assists with 11 turnovers but SVSU took the boards battle 35-31.
The Cardinals committed 17 turnovers and shot 41.1-percent as a team (23-56). SVSU struggled from long range (5-for-18) and made three of seven free throws. Zarycki led all players with 23 points and shot 10-for-15 from the field with eight rebounds. Maddie Maloney also notched double-figures with 11 points.
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Huskies are currently fifth in the GLIAC standings and have won three of their last six. Next up is Wayne State on Senior Day Saturday, February 19 at 12 p.m. at SDC Gymnasium. The GLIAC quarterfinals are set to begin on Wednesday, March 2. Top seeds will host.
