Huskies rebound in second half to beat Warriors
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wayne State | 17 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 70 |
|
Michigan Tech | 17 | 12 | 23 | 28 | 80 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Sara Dax poured in 22 points and Isabella Lenz chipped in late to help Michigan Tech overcome a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Wayne State 80-70 Thursday night at SDC Gymnasium.
"It was a mindset change at halftime for us," said head coach Sam Clayton. "We turned around pretty much everything, from rebounding to taking high-percentage shots, to getting looks at the rim. We have to find a better way to get out of that early funk that we've had several games this year. Still, It was great to see how we responded and came back in the second half; when we played our brand of basketball."
The Huskies also improved to 9-0 on their home court and Ellie Mackay tied the women's basketball career games played record after appearing for the 130th time in a Husky black and gold jersey.
The teams tied 17-17 after ten minutes. Then the Warriors went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the second quarter to create separation. Tech came out of the locker room with a renewed defensive effort. Dax and Alex Rondorf nabbed steals to open the third quarter and Lenz helped close the gap with a 3-pointer. Mackay tied it at 60-60 at the 6:19 mark of the fourth with a smooth reverse layup.
Katelyn Meister, who scored 13 points off the bench kept it tied with a corner three with 4:37 to play and Lenz's long-range jumper helped the Huskies pull away late. Meister added a layup through the right side of the paint and Rondorf received a charge after Tech went ahead 77-67. Dax's layup with 37 seconds left snuffed out any potential late-game opportunity for the Warriors.
"In the first half, things weren't really flowing the way we wanted them to," Meister said. "We talked in the locker room about our need to get stops defensively, to be strong with the ball offensively, and to make good decisions. It was vital in the third quarter we did those things."
Michigan Tech (18-4, 10-2 GLIAC) swept the season series with Wayne State after an 86-71 final in Detroit in January. The Huskies shot 50.9 percent overall (29-57), including 40 percent (10-25) from beyond the arc. Dax was an efficient 9-for-10 from the field and added five rebounds to her 22-point total. Rondorf finished with a team-high eight rebounds and the Huskies held a narrow edge in total rebounds 33-32.
Maxine Moore led the Warriors with 20 points (9-13). Rebecca Fugate added 19 points and Shea Tripp posted 15 points and a team-best five assists.
The Huskies have won eight of their last nine games and host Saginaw Valley State (12-9, 7-4 GLIAC) Saturday at 1 p.m. at the SDC Gymnasium with six games to play in the regular season. Grand Valley State remains one game ahead of MTU with a win Thursday over Wisconsin Parkside.
