Huskies evade Panthers 86-75
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Davenport (1-16,0-9 GLIAC) | 11 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 75 |
|
Michigan Tech (11-5,6-2 GLIAC) | 17 | 21 | 26 | 22 | 86 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Ellie Mackay picked up her first double-double of the season with 21 points, 10 rebounds to help Michigan Tech over Davenport University 86-75 Saturday afternoon on Alumni Day at the SDC Gymnasium. The Huskies led by as many as 31 points in the third quarter before a comeback effort by the Panthers fell short.
Alex Rondorf was effective with 20 points (7-for-10). Sara Dax (12 points, six rebounds) and Daisy Ansel (11 points, two blocks) also made it to double figures.
Tech shot an efficient 54.8-percent from the field to move to 6-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and 11-5 overall. Davenport remained winless in the GLIAC at 0-9 and dropped to 1-16 overall.
The Huskies held Davenport to 27-percent shooting to take a 17-11 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter. Sloane Zenner was visible with a block and Katelyn Meister tallied six points. Tech continued to shoot better than 50-percent through the second quarter. Mackay started the team off from beyond the arc and the Huskies led 38-23 at halftime.
Dax and Rondorf earned back-to-back 3-point play opportunities in the lane to begin the third quarter and Mackay improved her shooting efficiency from downtown to 4-for-6. After extending the lead to 29 with 3:41 to play in the third, Davenport began the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run to cut the deficit back to 10. Rondorf stopped DU's momentum with a 4-point play falling away on the right-wing. She hit another three on the following offensive possession and the teams exchanged baskets with under five minutes on the clock, but the Huskies stayed in front 86-75.
"The first half I was really happy with how we came out with defensive urgency in response to Thursday night's loss," said head coach Sam Clayton. "I thought we were sharp offensively and got the ball inside to Kate and Sara which was great. In the second half, we looked like a different team. All credit to Davenport for playing hard and playing with fire. We didn't match it and gave up way too many points early in the fourth quarter. It shows we definitely have things to learn in addition to the things we did well."
Michigan Tech went 10-for-27 (37-percent) from long range and Mackay finished 5-for-7. Each team gathered 37 rebounds and the Huskies collected 36 points in the paint compared to 30 for Davenport.
Toni Grace led the Panthers with 25 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Ajai Simmons posted 16 points and five boards and Scout Nelson had nine points. Davenport shot just 28-percent in the first quarter but ascended to 37.5-percent for the game (27-for-72). The Panthers made 8 of 27 shots from downtown (29.6-percent) and outscored MTU 32-22 in the fourth quarter.
Katelyn Meister passed five assists with eight rebounds, and six points for the Huskies. Tech committed 15 turnovers and forced 12 by DU.
"The first half we executed well on defense on help side," Dax said. "We did a good job containing their top point guard who is quick and can get to the rim. Then the second half we started slow but we were able to finish the game strong."
Michigan Tech (11-5, 6-2) plays Northwood at home on Thursday, January 27 at 5:30 p.m. before heading to Marquette to face Northern Michigan next Monday. The Huskies stayed in second place in the GLIAC North Division behind Ferris State.
Davenport (1-16, 0-9) returns home to play Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin-Parkside next week.
