Huskies falls short of Pride in overtime

HAMMOND, Ind. - Ellie Mackay scored 27 points but Michigan Tech fell short at Purdue Northwest, 93-89 in overtime Thursday night at John Friend Court. The Huskies led by as many as 11 and Isabella Lenz marked a career-high 17 points in the loss. The Huskies fell to 12-7 (7-4 GLIAC) while the Pride improved to 7-13 (4-9). 

The Huskies scored the first nine points in the game but the Pride marched back to a 14-14 tie by the end of the first quarter. Tech led by eight at the half and was efficient from the free throw line but the Pride cut the deficit with 24 points in the third quarter. The score stayed within one possession for a substantial portion of the final ten minutes and Dash Shaw hit a critical free throw with 13 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Mackay helped the Huskies score the first five points in the extra session, but the Pride assembled a 13-4 run to the finish. Free throws to tie the game with 0.9 seconds remaining evaded the Huskies and Shaw made a pair of free throws as time expired to help seal the win for Purdue Northwest.

"Another tough overtime loss where I felt we played well and we played hard," said head coach Sam Clayton. "In the end, it comes down to making a few more stops on defense. We gave up just a few too many baskets but full credit to Purdue Northwest for coming with a ton of energy. They made it difficult for us. It was nice to see Bella continue to step up for us as well."

Mackay finished 7-for-14 overall, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line. The Huskies shot 53-percent (31-58), including 57-percent (8-14) from beyond the arc. Along with Mackay and Lenz, Daisy Ansel (15 pts), Sara Dax (13 pts), and Katelyn Meister (12 pts) also made it to double-figures.

Shaw totaled 32 points and four rebounds off the bench for Purdue Northwest. Kylie Schmidt scored 20 points with eight rebounds and went 8-for-8 at the line. Both teams limited turnovers to 10 apiece and the Pride held a narrow rebound advantage 33-29.

Michigan Tech continues its five-game road trip Saturday afternoon at Wisconsin-Parkside (10-11, 7-6 GLIAC) at 2 p.m.