NO. 18 WOMEN BEAT FERRIS 71-53 TO ADVANCE TO GLIAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

HOUGHTON, Mich. — Michigan Tech will play for its second Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship tomorrow after tonight's 71-53 victory over Ferris State. The Huskies (24-5) played a stellar defensive game by holding the Bulldogs (13-15) to just 18 second-half points.

The first frame was a back-and-forth affair until freshman Lynn Giesler came off the bench to score six straight points and start a 9-0 Tech run. Senior Alicia Schneider drained the first of two 3-pointers in the game during the run. The Huskies' largest lead in the stanza was eight under a minute to play before they settled for a 41-35 halftime margin.

Michigan Tech opened the second half by holding FSU to just five points through nine minutes. Giesler's three-point play at the 11:35 mark put the hosts up by 16. The Huskies continued their stingy defense the rest of the game to come away with the victory.

"I was really happy with our defense — especially in the second half," said John Barnes, who was named GLIAC Coach of the Year at Thursday's (March 5) awards banquet. "We rebounded really well, and Lynn played an outstanding game. It gave our whole team a lift."

Giesler finished with career-high 13 points without missing a single shot all night. She was 4-of-4 from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line.

Katie Wysocky, coming off a lackluster performance from Tuesday's (March 3) quarterfinal, totaled game highs of 17 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three assists in a stellar all-around night. Danae Danen (14) and Katie Zimmerman (12) also reached double figures.

Tech shot 47 percent for the game while limiting the Bulldogs to 40 percent (29 in the second half). The Black and Gold also posted a 39-26 rebounding advantage.

No. 18-ranked Michigan Tech, which has now won five straight GLIAC Tournament games, will get a much-anticipated rematch with No. 6-ranked Hillsdale tomorrow in the GLIAC Championship game. The teams split their regular season series with the road team winning each time. The most recent matchup was a 98-91 HC win at the SDC Gym two weeks ago.

Tipoff for tomorrow's GLIAC Championship game is slated for 5 p.m.