No. 19 Huskies steal 54-52 win from No. 9 Lakers on final shot

ALLENDALE, Mich. – Following an improbable comeback late in the fourth quarter, Ellie Mackay swished a jump shot through traffic at the final buzzer to propel No. 19 Michigan Tech over No. 9 Grand Valley State 54-52 at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena Saturday afternoon. It was the 12^th victory in a row for the Huskies and the first win over a top-25 Nationally ranked opponent since February 1, 2018 (W, 68-61 vs. Grand Valley State).

"I was so proud of our team," said head coach Sam Hoyt. "We just didn't give up. Our whole mindset this year has been about continuing to believe in ourselves. On the last play we had a couple of options and we were able to get the ball in to Ellie. She took it with confidence and we knew it was going in."

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. The comeback began when Mackay drove the lane for a smooth layup and drew a foul against Emily Spitzley. 

After completing a three-point play, Brooke McKinsley missed both free throws on the ensuing GVSU possession and Kylie Mogen knocked down a 3-pointer with 27 seconds on the clock. Again, the Lakers made it to the line on the next drive but Miller went 0-for-2. Mackay assisted on Jordan Ludescher's layup to erase the 2-point deficit and GVSU's Qay Stanton missed a jump shot, which allowed Tech to retrieve the basketball. The Huskies advanced the ball to half court and in-bounded to Mackay, who dribbled to near the top of the arc and made the shot near two defenders as time expired.

The Huskies held Grand Valley State to under 55 points for just the second time this season and snapped the Lakers' nine game win streak.

"I felt our commitment to playing good defense was the difference again today," Hoyt said. "It was difficult for us to score as well and Grand Valley made it difficult to get high percentage shots. We felt the momentum shift after Ellie's and-one opportunity."

Ludescher led the Huskies with 12 points (5-for-8) and four rebounds. Mackay finished with 11 points (4-for-11), four rebounds, a block, and a steal. Baillie McGirk had eight points and Sara Dax came off the bench for seven points. Rylie Bisballe scored 17 points for the Lakers on 6 of 12 shooting. Stanton made it to double-figures with 10 points, four rebounds. Hannah Kulas and Emily Spitzley posted seven points apiece.

Michigan Tech connected on 22 of 52 (42.3-percent) of shot attempts overall, including 4 of 11 (34.4-percent) from beyond the arc. The Lakers out-rebounded MTU 41-31 and nabbed eight steals compared to Tech's six. A close game throughout, the lead changed hands 22 times and was tied on 10 occasions. Grand Valley State led at halftime 23-22, but the Huskies outscored the Lakers 18-13 in the fourth quarter. GVSU committed 16 turnovers compared to 17 for MTU.

Following an 8-0 run by the Lakers, the Huskies trailed 51-40 with 3:04 to play. MTU held GVSU without a field goal the rest of the game.

No. 19 Michigan Tech (14-1) and No. 9 Grand Valley State (13-2) do battle again Sunday at 2 p.m. at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale. The last time the Huskies won 12 straight games was in 2014-15. Their streak ended at 13 in a row.