PREVIEW: Huskies meet Lions before break

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech (9-2) hosts cross-town rival Finlandia (4-7) on Saturday, December 17 at 6 p.m. The teams last met on November 1, 2019 with the Huskies winning 98-49 in exhibition play. The Huskies' last regular season matchup was a 62-26 victory over the Lions in 2011-12.

Michigan Tech has won three straight and remained unbeaten at home (5-0) with a 67-52 win over No. 19 ranked Ferris State on Sunday. Tech does not play again in Houghton until January 19 (Davenport). 

LENZ LEADS

• Leading the Huskies this season is sophomore Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wisconsin). Lenz scored 20 points on Sunday and averages a team-high 14.1 points per game.
• She ranks fourth in the GLIAC in 3-point percentage at 46 percent and was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year in 2021-22.

RONDORF REMAINS EFFICIENT 

• Against Ferris State, senior Alex Rondorf (West Bend, Wisconsin) became the first Tech player to nab 15 or more rebounds in a game since Abbie Botz did so against Ferris State on January 18, 2020. 
• Rondorf ranks third in the conference with a 55-percent shooting percentage, just behind teammate and league leader, Sara Dax (56-percent). 

DAX SHOWS VERSATILITY

• Dax (Kewaunee, Wisconsin) posted 16 points and shot 7-for-14 on Sunday with a pair of threes.
• She totaled a season-high 26 points at Wisconsin Parkside on December 1.
• After averaging 11.2 points per game last season, Dax is up to 10.4 points per game through 11 starts, along with five rebounds per outing.

MACKAY CLIMBS ALL-TIME CHARTS

• Senior guard Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan) started as GLIAC Freshman of the year in 2018-19, earned GLIAC Player of the Year in 2020-21, and was again First Team All-GLIAC last season. 
• She currently ranks third on the Michigan Tech all-time list for career points (1,596), behind only Jenny Postlewaite (1,856) and Katie Wysocky (1,943). 
• After setting a single-season record for free throw percentage last year, Mackay remains on pace to surpass Mary Fisher for best career free throw percentage (.853) set in 1987.
• Mackay also ranks 11th in all-time games played (119). Angela Guisfredi holds the record with 130 games between 2007-11.
• With 11 starts this year, Mackay is averaging 14.0 points and a team-high 27.3 minutes per game.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Alyssa Nelson averaged 21.0 points per game this week, leading the Rangers to a pair of major conference road wins at Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State.
• Scoring 22 at SVSU and 26 at Wayne State, she is currently on track to break her Parkside single-season record for scoring average (20.2 points per game in the 2021-22 season) with a current average sitting at 20.5 points per game for the 2022-23 campaign.
• Nelson also tied Parkside hall of famer Jadee Rooney for the program's all-time three-point scoring record with her 248th career three-point field goal during Sunday's win against Wayne State.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

• The Lions went 14-9 last season and fell in the opening round of the Coast to Coast Conference Championships (NCAA Division III) to Mary Washington 66-53.
• Finlandia promoted Brandi Hainault to head coach this season after three seasons as assistant coach. Hainault was the varsity girl's basketball head coach at Chassell High School (2012-18), where she guided the Panthers to the 2017-18 Class D State Championship game.
• Hainault played three seasons of basketball at Finlandia (2000-02).
• The Lions brought in Division I transfer Natalie Bartle (Nebraska-Omaha) at guard this year. Bartle played her high school basketball at Negaunee. She appeared in 19 games with one start for the Mavericks last year, averaging 6.4 points per game and shooting 35 percent.
• Bartle leads Finlandia with 17.0 points per game, along with 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 41 steals. She marked a season-high 26 points against Lakeland on November 15.
• The Lions picked up a 70-57 exhibition win over Lake Superior State to open the year.
• Finlandia lost to Northern Michigan in Marquette last season 70-42.
• Finlandia returned five of its 13 players, led by senior Katie Lundeen (All-C2C second team) and sophomore Maija Rice (C2C rookie of the year).
• The Lions were picked to finish sixth of eight teams in the Coast to Coast Conference preseason.
• Conference teams do not play one another until the postseason.
• Other teams in the C2C include Christopher Newport (Newport News, Virginia), UC Santa Cruz (California), Salisbury (Maryland), Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Virginia), Pratt Institute (Brookyn, New York), Warren Wilson (Swannanoa, North Carolina), and Mount Mary (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). 

D2SIDA MIDWEST REGION RANKINGS (WEEK 5)

• Also receiving votes: Malone, Northern Michigan, Lewis
• The Huskies did not receive votes this week in the WBCA National Rankings Poll
• Tech was ranked No. 24 in this week's D2SIDA Division II National Rankings Poll