Huskies sail past Lakers 76-63
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lake Superior State | 9 | 21 | 14 | 19 | 63 |
|
Michigan Tech | 24 | 7 | 29 | 16 | 76 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Sara Dax came alive in the third quarter and finished with 18 points to help Michigan Tech over Lake Superior State 76-63 Friday night at SDC Gymnasium. Ellie Mackay (15 points) and Isabella Lenz (14 points) also made it to double figures and Alex Rondorf collected 11 rebounds.
The Huskies (8-2, 2-1 GLIAC) have won five of their previous six outings. Lake Superior State (2-7, 1-2 GLIAC) dropped their second straight. Both teams will be in conference action again Sunday against new opponents.
"I think our defense leads to more offense so when we started getting stops in the third quarter, we could get up the court in transition and find open teammates more often," Dax said. "We just need to make sure on Sunday we play a full 40 minutes."
The Huskies connected 10 of 13 shots from the field to start the game and seized a 15-point lead nearing the end of the first quarter. The Lakers countered with an 11-2 run to draw within five 27-24. Katelyn Meister rushed into the paint for an offensive rebound and putback to keep the Huskies in front but LSSU tied the game for the first time 29-29 at the two minute mark.
Sara Dax helped the Huskies create third quarter separation in the paint as MTU outscored the Lakers 29-14 over the ten-minute span. Ellie Mackay's three at the midpoint of the fourth gave the Huskies a 66-56 edge and the team never looked back, with 38 points in the paint and a 40-33 advantage in rebounds.
"Defensively, giving up 21 in the second quarter was uncharacteristic of our team so we have to keep taking steps to improve in that area," said head coach Sam Clayton. "It was good to see us come out strong in the second half and just take away easy layups. We have to do that if we want to be successful on Sunday."
Michigan Tech shot 44-percent (29-for-65) overall, including 35-percent from beyond the arc. MTU also limited turnovers to six while propagating 13 from LSSU.
GLIAC leading rebounder Mattison Rayman and Grace Bradford tallied 16 points apiece to lead the Lakers. Bradford pulled in 10 rebounds for a double-double while Rayman finished with seven.
Mackay added a pair of steals for the Huskies and Dax notched two of Tech's four blocks. Soraya Timms contributed eight points off the bench.
"Balancing our scoring and having multiple players come in and contribute has been something we've been fortunate to have all season," Clayton said. "We have capable scorers so I'm confident I can trust anyone to come in and make a big shot when needed."
The Huskies return to SDC Gymnasium Sunday at 1 p.m. when they host No. 19 ranked Ferris State.
