Preview: No. 10 Huskies host Rangers on Senior weekend
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Parkside | 18 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 73 |
|
Michigan Tech | 20 | 10 | 31 | 16 | 77 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Parkside | 16 | 18 | 15 | 21 | 70 |
|
Michigan Tech | 10 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 72 |
| No. 9 MICHIGAN TECH vs. Wisconsin-Parkside | |
| Dates | Friday-Saturday, February 26-27, 2021 |
| Times | 3:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | SDC Gymnasium | Houghton, Mich. |
| Radio | Mix 93.5 FM (Mitch Lake) |
| Online Audio | Pasty.net |
| Video Stream | Friday | Saturday - Stretch Portal |
| Game Notes | MTU vs. Wisconsin-Parkside |
| Live Stats | Friday | Saturday |
| Twitter.com/mtuwbb | |
| Facebook.com/michigantechwomensbasketball | |
| Tech's Record | 15-1 | 15-1 GLIAC |
| Parkside's Record | 9-7 | 9-7 GLIAC |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II and carrying a 13-game win streak, Michigan Tech women's basketball hosts Wisconsin-Parkside in two games at SDC Gymnasium to close out the GLIAC regular season. Friday and Saturday, teams tip off at 3 p.m. both Cassidy Trotter and Baillie McGirk will be honored after the final home game of the year for Senior Day.
MOVING UP THE RANKINGS: The Michigan Tech women's basketball team is ranked No. 10 in this week's WBCA National Top 25 Coaches' Poll. The Huskies are 15-1 and 9-0 on the road this season. Tech was ranked No. 19 last week and No. 23 on February 9. They have won 13 games in a row for the first time in five seasons and defeated No. 9 Grand Valley State two straight games on the road over the weekend.
LAST WEEKEND SWEEP: Following an improbable comeback late in the fourth quarter, Ellie Mackay swished a jump shot through traffic at the final buzzer to propel Michigan Tech over No. 9 Grand Valley State 54-52 at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena Saturday afternoon. It was the first win over a top-25 Nationally ranked opponent since February 1, 2018 (W, 68-61 vs. Grand Valley State). The Huskies trailed by seven (51-44) with just 45 seconds remaining, then climbed back to tie the game 52-52 with 3.2 seconds left.
Saturday, Tech completed the sweep over No. 9 Grand Valley State 54-44 in another defensive showcase. The Huskies took care of the basketball with just six turnovers and made free throws late to secure victory. Tech also limited the Lakers to just 29-percent shooting and held GVSU leading scorer Emily Spitzley to three points.
Mackay led the Huskies in scoring with 16 points (7-for-17) and Katelyn Meister finished one point shy of her season high with 12 points (4-for-7). The Huskies shot 38.8-percent overall and went 4-for-19 (21.1-percent) from the 3-point arc. Tech also converted 12 of 16 free throws (75-percent). Forward Jordan Ludescher took in nine rebounds coupled with seven points.
FOR THE HUSKIES: Defense continues to be the primary strength of the team. Michigan Tech ranks No. 6 in NCAA Division II and first in the GLIAC for scoring defense. The Huskies allow opponents to score 52.4 points per game. Tech is also extremely responsible with the basketball and has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.01, 40th best in Division II.
GLIAC TEAM RANKS:
Points: No. 5 (64.9 PPG)
Rebounds: No. 4 (36.6 RPG)
Assists: No. 6 (12.9 APG)
Blocks: No. 2 (4.2 BPG)
Steals: No. 5 (7.7 SPG)
Field Goal Percentage: No. 5 (41.4-percent)
3-Point Percentage: No. 5 (31.5-percent)
Turnovers: No. 2 (12.7 TPG)
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS:
Points: Ellie Mackay, 14.3 PPG
Rebounds: Jordan Ludescher, 5.6 RPG
Assists: Baillie McGirk, 3.4 APG
Blocks: Katelyn Meister: 0.9 BPG
Steals: Cassidy Trotter: 2.3 SPG
SCOUTING THE RANGERS: Wisconsin-Parkside (9-7) leads the GLIAC at 74.6 points per game and shoots 44.6-percent from the floor. Five players average north of 10 points per game individually, including junior guard Alyssa Nelson, who ranks second in the GLIAC and 28th in NCAA Division with 19.4 points per game. Nelson started all 30 games last season and led the team with 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. She also grabbed a team high 39 steals and held the 20th best 3-point percentage in the nation (43.2-percent).
Wisconsin-Parkside is No. 12 in Division II with a 1.22 assist to turnover ratio (306 assists, 251 turnovers). The Rangers are currently on a three-game win streak after sweeping Lake Superior State in a pair of contests last weekend in Kenosha. Saturday, Parkside won 68-54 with a balanced scoring attack and 44 rebounds.
Sunday, junior Claire Jakaitis helped the Rangers to an 88-71 victory with 20 points. Senior Alexis Vaughn (transfer from Grambling State) also had a solid night with 17 points and seven assists.
The Rangers were picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC North Division pre-season coaches' poll. Nelson was a pre-season all-conference selection. The team took second place last season with a 12-8 conference record (16-14 overall) and fell in the GLIAC semifinals to Ashland 95-72. They defeated Northern Michigan at home in the quarterfinals 80-67.
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:
- The NCAA Division II women's basketball selection show is scheduled for Sunday, March 7 at 10 p.m. via NCAA.com web stream.
- The last time the Huskies were ranked a WBCA Top-10 team in the nation was November, 21, 2017.
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament seeding format can be found HERE.
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament Fan Policy and Format can be found HERE.
- The Huskies current win streak is 13. The program record is 18 in a row, set during the 2010-2011 season.
