PREVIEW: Huskies play Friday and Sunday

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech women's basketball returns home this week to play Lake Superior State on Friday, December 9 at 5:30 p.m. followed by Ferris State on Sunday, December 11 at 1 p.m. The Huskies are 7-2 after a split to start GLIAC play on the road last week.

Tech has had no shortage of scoring, ranking third in the GLIAC at 75.8 points per game. Leading scorer Ellie Mackay matched her season average with 15 points on Saturday. Alex Rondorf is averaging nearly a double-double per game and ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point percentage (44-percent). 

The Huskies swept Lake Superior State and split with Ferris State last season. The Bulldogs went on to win the GLIAC Tournament and fell in the NCAA Midwest Region quarterfinals. FSU's only loss this season came at the expense of No. 1 nationally ranked Grand Valley State.

NOTE FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

• Michigan Tech basketball season tickets were issued with some incorrect dates and times. Season ticket holders will gain admission to this week's games Friday and Sunday with incorrect tickets as long as the opponent matches up.
• We apologize for the inconvenience and greatly appreciate your support. Please reach out to the SDC Ticket Office with any questions.

LAST TIME OUT

• Alex Rondorf went 7-for-7 from the field for a team-high 23 points and Michigan Tech used a big third quarter to notch their seventh win of the season 86-83 against Purdue Northwest Saturday afternoon at John Friend Court.
• Katelyn Meister hit a jump shot with 33 seconds to play in the fourth quarter for a four-point lead but Tadrianna Heard struck back with a 3-pointer for PNW.
• Sara Dax and Rondorf both made it to the free throw line and hit three of four in the final 22 seconds and the Huskies held on to win.
• Four MTU players notched double figures, including Rondorf (23), Isabella Lenz (17), Ellie Mackay (15), and Dax (14) in an efficient offensive outing for the visitors.
• Tech shot 30-for-52 (58-percent) overall, including 12-for-21 (57-percent) from beyond the arc.
• Michigan Tech also passed 16 assists and limited turnovers to 11.

FOR THE HUSKIES

• Michigan Tech leads the conference in fewest turnovers per game (12.2), which also ranks 12th best in Division II.
• The Huskies have taken a league high 213 three pointers and connected on 37-percent, second best only to Grand Valley State (40-percent).
• Coach Clayton has made mention this week, she would like her team to improve defensively. The Huskies allow 64 points per game, ranking sixth in the category.
• That average crept up after allowing 86 to Wisconsin Parkside and 83 to Purdue Northwest on the road trip.
• Last season, MTU was stingy guarding the ball as teams put up 67 points against in 2021-22.
• Rondorf earned All-GLIAC defensive team honors for the first time in her career as a sophomore.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Kaitlyn Zarycki led the way in a 2-0 week for SVSU. The senior guard led in scoring and averaged 4.5 steals and 6.0 rebounds as the Cardinals began GLIAC play with a win. 
• She leads the league in scoring with 22.3 points per game and steals with 3.6 per contest.
• The Niles, Michigan product also ranks second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 92.1 and fourth in both three-point percentage at 45.9 and assists per game at 3.9.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS (2-6, 1-1)

• Lake Superior State fell to the No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (7-0, 2-0 GLIAC) 89-48 on Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie.
• LSSU had three players in double-figures, including Mattison Rayman (16 pts, 12 reb.), Margot Woughter (11 pts), and Grace Bradford (10 pts., nine reb.).
• Rayman and Woughter average 14 points per game each. Rayman leads the GLIAC at 12.1 rebounds per game. She has six double-doubles in eight games.
• The Lakers were picked to finish 10th in this season's GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Head coach Brandon Lokken is in his sixth season as head coach. He stepped in as interim head coach in June, 2017 after serving as assistant coach.
• Last season, Michigan Tech swept the Lakers 2-0 in GLIAC matchups. The Huskies won 92-51 in Houghton on December 9 and 78-63 in Sault Ste. Marie on February 26 to close out the regular season.

SCOUTING THE #19 BULLDOGS (6-1, 1-1)

• Ferris State takes on Northern Michigan on Friday night at Berry Events Center before traveling to Houghton Sunday.
• The Bulldogs remained at No. 4 in the D2SIDA Midwest Region Rankings poll this week.
• After a 78-70 home loss to No. 1 Grand Valley State on Thursday, FSU bounced back with a 67-55 win over Davenport Sunday in Big Rapids.
• Senior forward Chloe Idoni tallied 15 points and Sophomore Kenzie Bowers added 13 points in the win.
• The Bulldogs shot 43-percent overall, including 41-percent from long range while limiting the Panthers to 31-percent shooting.
• The Bulldogs were projected to take second in the GLIAC this year, after returning eight members to its opening roster.
• Idoni, junior guard Kadyn Blanchard, and senior point guard Mallory McCartney were all named All-GLIAC Second Team last season. McCartney was also recognized on the All-Defensive Team.
• Kurt Westendorp leads the Bulldogs as head coach.
• Ferris State won the GLIAC Championship 59-51 over Grand Valley State and fell in the NCAA Region quarterfinals to Ashland 76-73.
• Michigan Tech split with the Bulldogs during the regular season, with each team winning on the road.

OFF-SEASON NEWS

• Elisa Jurmu was promoted to Assistant Head Coach with the Michigan Tech women's basketball team, Head Coach Sam Clayton announced on Wednesday (August 3).
• Jurmu served as Assistant Coach for each of the past four seasons.
• Over that period, the Huskies posted a 70-39 overall record (.642), including two GLIAC North Division regular season championships, two conference tournament semifinal appearances, and one GLIAC tournament championship (2020-21)
• The Michigan Tech women's basketball team held the 15th highest grade point average in NCAA Division II in 2021-22 and was included in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 award.
• The Huskies improved their GPA to 3.734 and were one of two GLIAC schools honored (Wayne State - No. 18). Tech has been in the Top-25 for 14 of the past 15 years. Ten players earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors and one more was a GLIAC All-Academic honoree.
• Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Famer Dawn Plitzuweit was named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at West Virginia on March 31.
• Plitzuweit was an All-American for the Huskies, playing from 1990-95, and was an assistant coach for the Black and Gold from 1995-98.

LISTEN TO THE HUSKIES

• The exclusive radio carrier of Michigan Tech athletics is Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and its partner station AM 920 WMPL.
• Fans can listen to every conference game and a selection of non-conference action all season long on local radio and online at pasty.net.
• Long time play-by-play voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake will be on the call for all Tech men's and women's basketball home contests.

D2SIDA MIDWEST REGION RANKINGS (WEEK 4)

Receiving votes: Maryville, Northern Michigan, Walsh