Huskies tame Lions 76-44
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Finlandia (4-8) | 7 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 44 |
|
Michigan Tech (10-2) | 28 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 76 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech scored early and often to win comfortably over Finlandia University 76-44 at SDC Gymnasium Saturday evening. The Huskies improved to 10-2 overall and remained undefeated at home (7-0) after facing the Lions in regular season play for just the second time in 10 years.
Three players reached double figures for Tech, including Ellie Mackay and Sloane Zenner with 14 points apiece, and Alex Rondorf with 11. Zenner helped the Huskies to a 28-7 first quarter start from the three point arc and finished 4-for-6 on the day from downtown.
Natalie Bartle had a strong game for the Lions with 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists but the rest of the team combined to shoot just 8-for-46 from the field, resulting in a 24-percent efficiency with zero 3-point makes on 10 tries.
"There are certainly still things we can work on, but I was happy to get the win tonight," said head coach Sam Clayton. "Sloane really used her athleticism and I felt we passed the ball well early in the game which gave us some good looks from outside."
MTU out-rebounded FinnU 48-37, including 10 offensive boards. Finlandia managed 15 turnovers compared to an uncharacteristic 18 committed by Tech.
With a 48-20 advantage at halftime, Clayton mixed a plethora of non-starters in and out of the lineup over the final 20 minutes of play.
Emma Anderson came off the bench for five points and Maryellen Trewhella played nearly 10 minutes and nabbed four rebounds. Lydia Schaible totaled three points.
"We continued to push ourselves, regardless of who was in and out of the lineup," Schaible said. "Paint touches were a focus coming in. When we are able to get the ball in the middle, which opens up our shooters as we saw tonight with Sloane."
With their fourth straight victory and wins in seven of their previous eight, Michigan Tech now has 12 days off for the holidays. The team then hits the road to face No. 2 ranked Ashland (9-0) on Thursday, December 29 at 5:30 p.m. followed by Walsh on Saturday, December 31.
Finlandia fell to 4-8 overall with its third straight defeat. The Lions face UW-River Falls and St. Catherine in Superior, Wisconsin on December 30-31.
