PREVIEW: Tech out of town this week

HOUGHTON, Mich. - With a six-game win streak in hand, Michigan Tech women's basketball received Top-25 national votes this week and continues conference play Thursday at Ferris State (5:30 p.m.), followed by Lake Superior State Saturday (1 p.m.). Both games will be on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ in the Houghton area and online at pasty.net. 

The Huskies have two wins over Top-25 ranked opponents this season and are 7-3 on the road. 

LAST TIME OUT

• MTU remained undefeated at home Saturday (8-0) after defeating No. 4 Grand Valley State 57-56.
• Sophomore Isabella Lenz hit the game-winning jump shot as time expired.
• The Huskies trailed by as many as 14 points in the game.
• Lenz led the offense with 15 points and shot 6-for-14 from the field with a team-high four assists.
• Alex Rondorf also notched double-figures with 10 and Katelyn Meister came off the bench for eight.

WHERE THEY RANK

• Sophomore Isabella Lenz ranks fifth in the GLIAC in 3-point percentage and assists and Alex Rondorf checks in fifth in rebounds per game. 
• The Huskies ranked third in Monday's week 10 D2SIDA Midwest Region Rankings poll, behind Ashland (20-0) and Drury (18-1).
• The Huskies rank seventh in Division II free throw percentage (79.5 percent), ninth in turnovers per game (12.4 tpg), 11th in 3-point percentage (37.3 percent), and 24th in field goal percentage (44.5 percent).

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BULLDOGS

• Lenz posted her first 20-point game of the season on December 11 and the Huskies downed Ferris State 67-52 at home.
• The Bulldogs were then ranked No. 19 in Division II.
• Tech outscored FSU 20-8 in the third quarter and held Ferris State to 24 percent overall shooting. 
• Dax was successful in the paint with 16 points, nine rebounds and Rondorf contributed a season-high 15 rebounds along with six points.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LAKERS

• Dax came alive in the third quarter and finished with 18 points to help Michigan tech over LSSU 76-63 on December 9 at SDC Gymnasium.
• Mackay (15 points) and Lenz (14 points) also added to the offense while Rondorf led the team in rebounds (11).
• The Huskies made 10 of 13 shots from the field to start the game.
• The Huskies shot 44-percent overall, including 35-percent from beyond the arc and limited turnovers to six.
• Soraya Timms had eight points off the bench.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS (11-7, 4-5)

• Ferris State started the season with five straight wins, but has since struggled in GLIAC play.
• The Bulldogs fell at Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State last week. 
• FSU scored just four points in the opening quarter Saturday and despite a late comeback, fell short 58-55 to the Warriors. 
• Freshman Elle Irwin led the team with 14 points.
• Senior Chloe Idoni added 11 points and six rebounds but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
• Idoni is currently fifth in the conference in scoring (17.4 ppg).
• Idoni and senior point guard Mallory McCartney were selected preseason second team All-GLIAC. 
• McCartney was All-Defensive defensive team last season.
• The Bulldogs captured both the GLIAC North Division Regular-Season Championship and also the GLIAC Tournament Championship last season. 
• The postseason tournament title was the Bulldogs' first in school history. The Bulldogs' 22 wins fell one shy of matching the school single-season mark for victories in a campaign.
• Ferris State was selected to finish second in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll this fall.
• Head coach Kurt Westendorp took over as head coach in 2013 after serving two years as the top assistant coach on the staff. 
• He has also been head coach at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California for four seasons.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS (5-12, 2-7)

• The Lakers fell 70-50 at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday. The Cards started on a 9-0 run and never looked back. 
• Mattison Rayman led the Lakers with 17 points and eight rebounds. 
• She also shot 73-percent from the field.
• The Lakers dropped a a 53-52 decision at Wayne State last Thursday and have lost four of their previous five.
• LSSU was selected to finish 10th in this year's GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after holding a 4-20 record last winter under sixth year head coach Brandon Lokken.
• Rayman (Otsego, Michigan) averaged a double-double last season.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• SVSU senior guard Kaitlyn Zarycki was named women's basketball player of the week for the third time this season on Monday afternoon.
• Zarycki had an incredible performance this past week for the Cardinals as she shot 60.5% from the floor in a 2-0 week.
• She started with a Thursday-night performance that ended four points shy of matching her career-high in points and earned a win over Ferris State.
• She followed that up by leading SVSU to a victory over Lake Superior State.
• She had 59 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and six steals in two games.
• This is the sixth conference player of the week award in her career.

D2SIDA MIDWEST REGION RANKINGS

RV: Lewis, Maryville

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 fourth on the Michigan Tech all-time list for career points (1,700), behind Andrea Novak(1,710), 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 is tied for second in all-time games played (127). Angela Guisfredi holds the record with 130 games between 2007-11.

LISTEN TO THE HUSKIES

• The exclusive radio carrier of Michigan Tech athletics is Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and its partner station AM 920 WMPL.
• Fans can listen to every conference game and a selection of non-conference action all season long on local radio and online at pasty.net.
• Long-time play-by-play voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake will be on the call for all Tech men's and women's basketball home contests.

OFF-SEASON NEWS

• Elisa Jurmu was promoted to Assistant Head Coach with the Michigan Tech women's basketball team, Head Coach Sam Clayton announced on Wednesday (August 3).
• Jurmu served as Assistant Coach for each of the past four seasons.
• Over that period, the Huskies posted a 70-39 overall record (.642), including two GLIAC North Division regular season championships, two conference tournament semifinal appearances, and one GLIAC tournament championship (2020-21).
• The Michigan Tech women's basketball team held the 15th highest grade point average in NCAA Division II in 2021-22 and was included in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 award. The Huskies improved their GPA to 3.734 and were one of two GLIAC schools honored (Wayne State - No. 18). Tech has been in the Top-25 for 14 of the past 15 years. Ten players earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors and one more was a GLIAC All-Academic honoree.
• Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Famer Dawn Plitzuweit was named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at West Virginia on March 31.
• Plitzuweit was an All-American for the Huskies, playing from 1990-95, and was an assistant coach for the Black and Gold from 1995-98.