Huskies Edge NMU 73-69 for GLIAC Tournament Title!

HOUGHTON, Mich. - It was a picture-perfect night for the No. 5-ranked Michigan Tech women's basketball team: winning the GLIAC Tournament Championship over arch rival Northern Michigan in front of 2,253 fans at the SDC Gym. Senior Katie Wysocky, who Thursday was named GLIAC Player of the Year, became Tech's all-time leading scorer in the second half and was named tournament most valuable player. The game featured 16 lead changes, and the Huskies' seniors made the plays down the stretch to come away with a 73-69 victory.

"It was an incredible game," said head coach John Barnes. "Every possession was a war. Northern's really well-coached, and they have some great players.

"I thought our seniors stepped up, and we were able to make just enough plays down the stretch."

The score was tied at 39, 41, 45, 48, 50, 56 and finally 58 when Wysocky made a layup at the 6:39 mark. That bucket gave her 19 points in the game and Tech's career scoring record surpassing Jenny Postlewaite's (1989-93) total of 1,856.

Tara Ferris' split two free throws on the next trip down to give the Huskies the lead for good, although it was far from over. Northern Michigan stayed within a possession for most of the final six minutes.

Sarah Stream got the bounce on a pull-up jumper in the paint at the 3:25 mark that left the score 65-61. NMU answered a minute later with a Christa Erickson jumper. After a Tech miss, the Wildcats had two short shots to tie the game with under two minutes left and missed both.

Michigan Tech didn't attempt another field goal in the game, and the nation's leading free throw shooting team won it at the line. Wysocky, Stream and Ferris all made two foul shots to keep the Black and Gold on top. NMU's Steffani Stoeger buried a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to cut the margin to 71-69.

Tech inbounded to Lindsey Lindstrom, who was fouled with :10 showing. The 6-0 sophomore buried both free throws of a 1-and-1 to seal the win.

Wysocky, who is also Tech's all-time leading rebounder, finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Her GLIAC Tournament totals were 62 points, 31 rebounds and nine assists.

"I owe so much to my teammates," said Wysocky in regards to the scoring record. "They get me the ball in great position to score.

"I'm more happy that we won the game. If we had lost, the record would have meant nothing tonight."

Three other Huskies scored in double figures. Ferris bombed in 4-of-5 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points. Stream (14 points) and Danae Danen (13) also reached twin figures.

NMU (21-9) was paced with a game-high 24 points from Stoeger and 23 more from Mariah Dunham, who hit eight of her final 12 shots to keep the Wildcats in contention.

Wysocky, Ferris, Stream, Stoeger, Dunham and Findlay's Laura Bardall comprised the GLIAC All-Tournament Team.

The final stats for each team couldn't have been more identical. Both squads went 24-of-54 (44 percent) from the floor. Rebounds and turnovers with within two. Northern Michigan made three more 3-pointers, and the Huskies hit seven more free throws for the difference.

Michigan Tech (28-2) is virtually assured of being the host of the NCAA Midwest Regional next week. First round play begins Friday (Mar. 12). The pairings will be announced tomorrow (Mar. 7) night via a webcast on NCAA.com at 9 p.m.

Notes: NMU led at halftime 36-33 … Stream had one assist in the game to move within one of the school's all-time record of 439 … The crowd of 2,253 was the fifth-largest in women's basketball history and the largest since a Tech-Northern matchup in the 2001 NCAA Great Lakes Regional.