Huskies tame Bulldogs 66-51

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Comprehensive defense and support down the lineup helped Michigan Tech defeat Ferris State 66-51 Friday afternoon in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball at Wink Arena. It was the fifth straight win for the Huskies, who play the Bulldogs again Saturday night. Ellie Mackay led the team with 17 points, four assists, and four rebounds and the bench also contributed 26 points.

"I thought it was a great team win for us tonight," said head coach Sam Hoyt. "We defended with urgency and did a great job on their top two guards. We started strong in both halves with good movement but got stagnant in the second and fourth quarters. Our bench stepped up in a major way and sparked out offense, especially Sara (Dax), Alex (Rondorf), and Kylie (Mogen). Ellie did what always does and made big shots. I was proud of how hard we played. We will need to play with the same urgency tomorrow to be successful."

Mackay shot 6-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. Sara Dax, complimented Mackay and played 14 minutes, scoring 10 points off the bench. Alex Rondorf posted seven points and four rebounds for the Huskies and Jordan Ludescher chipped in eight points and seven boards.

The Huskies drew the separation that carried them through the remainder of the game late in the first quarter. They outscored Ferris State 24-13 through the opening ten minutes. Then they extended the lead to as many as 18 in the second frame and staved off a late charge by Ferris State to lead 36-28 at halftime. Cassidy Trotter got the team off to a strong second half start with a steal. Katelyn Meister followed with a layup to push the lead back to double-figures. Tech scored just eight points in the final quarter but smart defense and a wide margin helped them prevail. 

Michigan Tech (7-1) connected on 27 of 67 (40.3-percent) of field goal tries in the game, including shooting 7-for-19 (36.8-percent) from beyond the arc. Trotter nabbed five of MTU's nine steals and the Huskies narrowly out-rebounded the Bulldogs 35-32, with nine off the offensive glass.

The Huskies successfully limited GLIAC leading scorer Kadyn Blanchard to just four baskets and 12 points. Blanchard finished 4-for-17 overall with one three pointer and eight rebounds. DeShonna Day pitched in 11 points for FSU and Mallory McCartney had 10 points.

Ferris State (3-5) made 3 of 14 (21-percent) 3-point tries and shot 34.4-percent overall. Michigan Tech limited turnovers to 10 and forced the Bulldogs to make 15. MTU scored 32 points in the paint compared to 26 for FSU.

The Huskies tip off with the Bulldogs again on Saturday, January 30 at 4 p.m. at Wink Arena.