No. 12 Lakers drown Huskies in overtime
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#12 Grand Valley State (14-1,7-1 GLIAC) | 25 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 74 |
|
Michigan Tech (10-5,5-2 GLIAC) | 12 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 70 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – A three-pointer at the end of regulation by Grand Valley's Emily Spitzley sent the game to overtime and Michigan Tech came up short in the extra session, falling 74-70 to the No. 12 Lakers in front of the Husky faithful Thursday night at SDC Gymnasium.
A compelling game of first half momentum shifts gave way to clutch shooting late as Michigan Tech fell to 10-5, 5-2 in the GLIAC North Division. Ellie Droste totaled 31 points for the Lakers, who improved to 14-1, 7-1 in the South Division. GVSU also avenged a pair of home losses to Tech last season.
Ellie Mackay posted 25 points and six rebounds for MTU. Katelyn Meister scored 12 points with seven boards, and Sara Dax had nine points, seven rebounds.
"I was extremely proud of how we competed and how much heart we showed today," said head coach Sam Clayton. "There is a reason why Grand Valley State is ranked No. 12 in the nation and I thought we did a lot of things right. It just came down to a couple of possessions in the end. I think we showed a lot of character, especially in the first half coming back after Grand Valley's 13-point run. Saturday, we have another very challenging opponent and we are going to need to play well again if we want to win."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Huskies nabbed three quick steals and connected on four of their first five shot attempts, including a three from the top of the arc by Mackay and a jump hook by Meister. The Lakers answered by making all five first quarter 3-point shots, part of a 13-0 run to conclude the opening 10 minutes ahead 25-12.
Sara Dax helped the Huskies in the second quarter with a layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions and cut the deficit to two on a 12-0 run. Tech outscored the Lakers 20-14 in the second quarter to trail 39-32 at the break.
Ellie Mackay scored 10 points and the Huskies shot 45.8-percent. Spitzley posted 13 points and shot 5-for-6 for the Lakers. GVSU connected on 7 of 10 from long range in the opening half.
Sloane Zenner dropped back-to-back threes in front of the Michigan Tech bench to bring MTU to within one possession 46-44. Meister then knocked down an open three from the corner to draw even 48-48 by the end of the third quarter.
The teams traded baskets in the middle stages of the final quarter. Rondorf's right-hand hook gave the Huskies a 3-point lead 58-55 and the Lakers called timeout with 1:01 to play. Hadley Miller drove the lane for two and with 11 to shoot and 20.3 seconds left, Tech called timeout.
Ellie Droste fouled Rondorf in the lane, giving the Huskies a fresh shot clock with 12.2 ticks left in the game. After the in-bound by Meister, the Lakers had two fouls to give and eventually sent Rondorf to the line with 5.4 seconds remaining. Rondorf converted both free throw attempts.
The Lakers advanced the basketball and Rylie Bisballe dished the ball to Spitzley, who swished a three from the left wing at the buzzer, sending Michigan Tech to overtime for the first time this season.
The Lakers opened the extra session with a pair of baskets and a layup. The Huskies tried to answer at the free throw line, including two by Mackay, who went to 12-for-12 from the stripe to close the gap to three with one minute remaining. Following a quick layup by the Lakers, Daisy Ansel mishandled a pass and fell out of bounds with 38.2 seconds left. Ellie Droste made two free throws to hand Grand Valley State a 71-65 edge. Tech was forced to foul in the final minute but the margin only grew wider.
The Huskies shot 43.9-percent overall (25-for-57) but struggled from beyond the arc (5-for-20, 25-percent). Tech won the boards battle 37-26. Meister hauled in five offensive rebounds. MTU shot an efficient 15-for-16 (94-percent) from the free throw line.
Grand Valley State finished 10-for-19 (53-percent) from downtown and 26-for-52 (50-percent) from the field. Tech committed 17 turnovers and forced 14 by GVSU.
Michigan Tech continues its three-game homestand Saturday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium against Davenport University at 12 p.m. The Huskies are in second place in the GLIAC North Division with 13 games to play in the regular season.
