Tech WBB Begins GLIAC Play Hosting Cardinals & Warriors

• Sam Clayton Press Conference | 12.5.23

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech women's basketball is back in the SDC Gymnasium to open conference play against Saginaw Valley and Wayne State. The Huskies face SVSU on Thursday (Dec. 7) at 5:30 p.m. and WSU Saturday (Dec. 9) at 1 p.m.

Watch the Huskies 

All home and GLIAC games will be streamed on FloSports. With one subscription, Michigan Tech fans can watch all home and conference games in volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, and hockey. FloSports provides each subscriber access to all content and events by purchasing a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscriptions are offered in two different billing packages - monthly and annual. Discounts are available for students enrolled at GLIAC member and associate member institutions. You must subscribe with a .edu email address to be eligible. FloSports is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Chromecast. 

About the Cardinals

Saginaw Valley enters the week with an overall record of 3-3 and is on a three-game win streak. Most recently, the Cardinals bested GMAC foe Hillsdale 55-45 on Tuesday (Nov. 28). 

Makayla Mau led the Cardinals with 10 points, while Aleshia Jones grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Saginaw Valley saw 26 points from the bench and posted 30 points in the paint.

Aleisha Jones is the heart of the Cardinals' offense, averaging 15.2 points per game, which is top-five in the GLIAC. She has attempted 90 field goals at a clip of 38.9 percent. She joins Lydia Meredith as the two best active hands on the team as Meredith has 19 steals this season while Jones has 13. The Cardinals average 12 steals per game, ranking 32nd nationally. Meredith also chips in 8.2 points per game, shooting 43.2 percent from the field.

SVSU gets second-chance opportunities from Tyler Scheid, who produces four offensive rebounds per game and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per outing. Her efforts on the offensive glass rank her first in the conference and 27th nationally.

Jenny Pruett is in her fifth season at the helm of the Cardinals.

About the Warriors

Wayne State enters the conference opening week with a 6-1 overall standing and a six-game win streak, most recently besting D'Youville 86-67 Sunday (Dec. 3). The Warriors' lone loss came against a familiar foe in No. 1 Ashland on Nov. 10.

Wayne State saw Becca Fugate earn GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades following her efforts in the wins against D'Youville and Edinboro, 78-67 on Tuesday (Nov. 18). She averaged 17.5 points through the two games with her 20-point game against the Saints showcasing 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Offensively, WSU sees three players averaging double-figure scoring with 13 points from Shea Tripp leading the way. She also averages a team-leading 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. Joining her in double-digit scoring are Gabi Lutchka (11.2) and Fugate (11.0). 

Kate McArthur facilitates the Warriors offense, accounting for 4.6 of the Warriors 15.9 assists per game. Tripp also chips in 3.1 assists per game for WSU.

The Warriors produce 77.6 points per game while shooting a notable 46.2 percent from the field, which ranks third in the league, while also connecting on 7.1 3-pointers per outing at a clip of 35.7 percent.

Carrie Lohr is in her 13th season at the helm of the Warriors.

About the Huskies 

Michigan Tech returns to competition following a three-game road trip in Minnesota, showing an overall record of 4-3. The Huskies went 1-2 in three games over four days, with a 74-68 victory on Nov. 26 at St. Cloud State. The losses came against No. 25 Minnesota Duluth 69-59 on Saturday (Nov. 25) and Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday (Nov. 28) 71-62.

Despite three losses in four games, MTU boasts the fourth-best field goal percentage in the country, shooting 49.1 percent and the eighth-best 3-point percentage at 40.2 percent from beyond the arc through seven games. Additionally, the Huskies hold the best free-throw percentage in the country, shooting 86.7 percent from the charity stripe. 

Alyssa Wypych has scored in double-figures in six games this season, scoring a career-high 20 points in the win over St. Cloud State. She leads the team with 14.7 points in over 31 minutes a game while chipping in two rebounds and 1.7 assists. 

Isabella Lenz quarterbacks the offense, logging 32 minutes a game with a team-leading 4.4 assists to go with 13.7 points per game and 3.4 rebounds. Lenz is also 20th nationally in free-throw percentage–shooting 22-of-24 from the foul line. 

Alex Rondorf and Katelyn Meister provide 11.1 points per game, with Rondorf grabbing a team-high 6.1 rebounds as Meister chips in 5.3 rebounds per outing. Rondorf is also shooting a team-best 54.5 percent from long range on 12-of-22. Meister is also a threat on the defensive end, with 1.14 blocks per game.

Wypych has also found success from beyond the arc, averaging 2.57 3-pointers per game while ranking first in the league with 18 3-pointers made.