Mackay leads the way

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - Ellie Mackay scored 21 points and Michigan Tech used a strong start to defeat Saginaw Valley State 69-53 Thursday night in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball at James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena. The win propelled the Huskies to 12-3 overall, 4-1 against GLIAC foes.

"After some mistakes early, we were able to stay poised, break the press, keep our eyes up the floor, and get good looks in the half court," said head coach Sam Clayton. "Ellie had a big game for us, especially in the first half but several players stepped up and made big plays. Kate (Meister) and Bella (Lenz) made some strong attacks at the rim. I felt we had too many turnovers but at the same time, it's hard to win on the road in the GLIAC so I was happy with our effort."

The Huskies outscored SVSU 25-11 in the first quarter, shooting 57-percent and knocking down five of nine 3-pointers. Including a 12-0 run, Tech never trailed and Mackay finished the first half with 17 points.

Tori DePerry helped Saginaw Valley to an 8-0 run to cut the deficit back to 12 points by the end of the third quarter. DePerry finished with a game-high 31 points for the Cards, but MTU pulled away late with baskets in transition and 21 points from the bench.

The Huskies out-rebounded SVSU 34-28 and passed 16 assists. Alex Rondorf contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Soraya Timms notched her second 10 point game and shot 4-for-6 in 25 minutes off the bench. Mackay added a pair of steals to her 21 point effort and shot 5-for-13 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line.

The Huskies converted 15 of 18 total tries at the stripe.

Michigan Tech (12-3, 4-1) continues on the road Saturday at 1 p.m. at Wayne State. Saginaw Valley State (7-7, 2-2) hosts Northern Michigan Saturday.