PREVIEW: Huskies continue road trip

HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Huskies have won five of their last six outings and remain on the road this week to face Saginaw Valley State (7-6, 2-1) and Wayne State (8-3, 1-2) in conference play. Tech plays against the conference's top scorer Thursday at 6 p.m. with the Warriors in Detroit Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed on FloSports and broadcast on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ in the Keweenaw.

LAST TIME OUT

• Sophomore Isabella Lenz scored 20 points and Michigan Tech used a big second quarter to vault past Walsh University 63-47 Saturday afternoon at Cecchini Center in non-conference action.
• Lenz shot 5-for-12 from the field and added four rebounds and four assists. The Huskies assembled a 12-0 run in the second quarter, en route to a 22-3 edge over the ten-minute span.
• The Huskies shot 42-percent (24-for-57) overall, including 31-percent (8-for-26) from downtown with 29 rebounds.
• After posting 15 points Thursday night, Katelyn Meister pitched in eight against Walsh on an efficient 4-for-7.
• Sara Dax also recorded eight points off the bench.

FOR THE HUSKIES

• Lenz and Ellie Mackay continued to trade places as the team's scoring leader last week. Lenz's 20-point performance at Walsh was her second of the season.
• As a freshman, Lenz earned five starts and scored a season high 17 points at Purdue Northwest, leading to her selection as GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
• Mackay has 10 games in double figures this season, including a season best 23 points in a win over Lewis on November 12. Look for the senior to break out of a recent shooting slump against Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State this week.
• Though Mackay has connected on just 26-percent of shots over her previous four games, she has scored 12 or more points against Wayne State in each of their last four meetings.
• All were wins for Michigan Tech.

GLIAC RANKS

• Forward Sara Dax ranks second in field goal percentage (54.4 percent).
• Guard Alex Rondorf ranks fifth in rebounds per game (8.4). 
• Tech leads the conference in turnovers per game (12.9), 16th best in Division II.
• MTU ranks second in 3-point percentage (37 percent), 21st in Division II.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

• With mixed non-conference results Saturday, the GLIAC saw its first shakeup at the top. No. 1 Grand Valley State fell 69-63 to Lewis at home.
• Undefeated Ashland is expected to rise to No. 1 in the country as a result. 
• After a 2-4 start, the Parkside Rangers have recently won four straight, including a 91-65 drubbing of Missouri-St. Louis over the weekend to improve to 7-6.
• Ferris State took Indianapolis to overtime, but came up short 65-62 Saturday afternoon. the Bulldogs (9-3) remained at No. 5 in the region in Monday's rankings poll.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS (7-6, 2-1)

• Projected to finish fourth in the GLIAC this season, Saginaw Valley State has played well in the first half of the 2022-23 schedule.
• Head coach Jenny Pruett is in her fourth season and returned several key contributors.
• Senior Kaitlyn Zarycki is the conference's top scorer. She has been an All-GLIAC performer three years running and is six points clear of her career average of 15.4 points per game coming into the fall.
• Senior Tori DePerry recorded 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. She ranks third in the GLIAC at 17.8 points per contest and is fourth in rebounds (7.9 rpg).
• Non-conference play has not been kind to the Cards lately, and SVSU has lost three straight by five points or less.
• Last time out, the Cardinals surrendered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to suffer a setback to Cedarville 71-66. DePerry led the team with 23 points with nine rebounds.
• Tyler Sheid tallied 14 points and nine rebounds and Emma Dziezgowski posted 13 points.
• SVSU fell in the GLIAC quarterfinals to Ferris State (82-68) last season.
• Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley each won in their home gym last season in the regular season.
• The Huskies won at SDC Gymnasium 65-54 but fell five nights later at James E. O'Neill Arena 79-70. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (8-3, 1-2)

• Wayne State was picked to finish sixth in the GLIAC preseason coaches' poll after posting an 18-10 (13-7 GLIAC) record in 2021-22.
• The Warriors bowed out of the GLIAC Tournament in the semifinals with a 62-60 loss to Ferris State.
• Wayne State returned just one starter this season under 12th year head coach Carrie Lohr. WSU added six newcomers, including two transfers and four freshmen.
• Despite losing one of their best senior classes in program history (Sam Cherney, Alexis Miller, Kate Sherwood, Grace George, Tori Perez, and Anna Ruhstorfer), the Warriors are playing good basketball, with a 75-44 win over Michigan Dearborn last time out.
• Wayne State was ranked seventh in the D2SIDA Midwest Region Rankings poll, released on Monday. WSU has one win over a ranked opponent, No. 17 Carson Newman (Nov. 22).
• Wayne State hosts Northern Michigan on Thursday, January 5 before welcoming the Huskies.
• Leading scorer Becca Fugate (13.9 ppg) ranks third in the GLIAC in 3-point percentage (44.9).
• The Huskies swept the season series against the Warriors last season, including a 72-69 overtime win in Houghton on February 19.
• Mackay led Tech with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Sara Dax scored 19 with eight boards.

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 (1,627), 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 9th in all-time games played (122). Angela Guisfredi holds the record with 130 games between 2007-11.