Michigan Tech downs Davenport 80-58
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Davenport | 11 | 20 | 11 | 16 | 58 |
|
Michigan Tech | 27 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 80 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Alex Rondorf made all six of her 3-point attempts helping Michigan Tech women's basketball to an 80-58 victory over Davenport Friday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium. Rondorf finished with a career high 18 points and the Huskies used an 18-0 run in the first half to draw separation for their ninth straight win. Baillie McGirk was noticeable on both ends of the floor. The senior managed 13 points, three assists, two steals, and five rebounds in the game.
The No. 23 ranked Huskies improved to 11-1 in the GLIAC, 5-1 at home. Meanwhile Davenport fell to 4-8 after winning a pair of games last weekend.
"We did a lot of things well and I especially liked our defensive urgency in the first quarter," said head coach Sam Hoyt. "We got some good looks in transition and Alex really shot the ball well, which kick started our offense. I think everyone on the bench was excited for her because she's such an unselfish player. We knew she was capable of having this kind of day from watching her practice every day. Baillie was also really aggressive and helped create some of those chances."
Tech jumped out to a 16-11 advantage early in the first quarter, then prevented Davenport from scoring for a span of six minutes, one second. Simultaneously, they piled up 17 unanswered points. Rondorf made three triples during the run while Ellie Mackay supplemented the offense with a 3-pointer and a coast-to-coast layup for a 3-point play. Davenport recovered and narrowly outscored Tech in the second quarter. Leading scorer Toni Grace played exceptional over the final four minutes leading into halftime.
"The second quarter was our toughest and we really had to regroup at halftime and make sure we came out ready in the third," Hoyt said. "They didn't make it easy. Davenport is a good team that is well coached and they play hard."
The Huskies continued to pound the paint in the third quarter and extended the lead to 65-42 heading down the stretch. Davenport outscored MTU over the final two minutes 16-15 but the margin was far too great to overcome.
Michigan Tech shot 29-for-60 (42-percent) from the floor and 9-for-20 (45-percent) from the 3-point arc. The Huskies out-rebounded the Panthers 42-37, including 14 on the offensive glass. Ellie Mackay made an impact on defense with three steals. Mackay and Cassidy Trotter finished with eight points apiece and Trotter also passed seven assists. Sara Dax came off the bench to score 11 points and nab five rebounds.
Rondorf tied the Michigan Tech school record for 3-point percentage in a single game (100-percent) after making 6 of 6 attempts. Rondorf added four rebounds, two steals, and one assist to her stat sheet. Her previous career high point total was 13 (January 8 at Purdue Northwest).
The Huskies connected on 13 of 15 free throws (86.7-percent) compared to Davenport's 14 of 22 (63.6-percent). Grace led the Panthers with 20 points. Scout Nelson had eight points, three rebounds, and Emily Lange played 20 minutes off the bench and scored seven.
No. 23 Michigan Tech (11-1) is back at SDC Gymnasium Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Davenport for the series finale. The last time the Huskies won 10 games in a row was during the 2014-2015 season. Their streak was halted at 13 straight on February 14 against Saginaw Valley State. That year, Tech won the GLIAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal.
