Big day for Tech’s starters
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – The Michigan Tech women’s basketball earned its first win of the season, backed by 54 points by the starting five to handle Thomas More, 73-59, at the Justagame Fieldhouse in the Wisconsin Dells on Saturday.
Michigan Tech wraps the D2 Midwest Region Tip-Off with a 1-1 record, while Thomas More falls to 0-2 to start the year.
In total, the Black & Gold saw four starters in double-figure, scoring led by sophomore guard Alyssa Wypych with a new career-high 21 points. Senior guard Isabella Lenz scored 15, while sophomore Dani Nuest recorded a new career-high 13 points and three assists.
Freshman Kendall Standfest scored 12 points for the second-straight game but added a team-leading 10 rebounds to mark her first double-double in her second career game for the Black & Gold.
I’m so proud of our team. Thomas More executes well so it was a good win for us,” said Tech women’s basketball head coach Sam Clayton. “Alyssa had a huge game for us with her offensive efficiency. But I also think Dani did a great job taking care of the ball for us and attacking their pressure. Kendall controlled the boards for us and hit big shots. It was a great weekend for us to learn and get better.”
Michigan Tech led from wire-to-wire and had a 10-point lead nearly halfway through the first quarter thanks to a jumper by Nuest. Wypych scored a layup and a 3-pointer to close the quarter leading 19-9. Thomas More struggled early with six turnovers in the opening period.
The Huskies hit four triples in the second quarter to outpace the Saints 20-14, with Wypych accounting for two 3-pointers. Nuest was productive down the stretch, connecting on two layups in the final 90 seconds of the half, completing the old-fashioned three-point play on her first make, helping MTU hold a 39-23 lead entering halftime.
After not connecting from long range in the first half, Thomas More began to find the triple with two 3-pointers in each quarter during the second half–outscoring the Huskies by one point in both quarters, although the first-half lead would be too much for the Saints to recover from.
Isabella Lenz scored five unanswered points to conclude the third quarter with a 3-pointer and a jumper in the paint with under 1:04 to play to push the Black & Gold’s lead back to 15 points with 10 minutes to play.
The Huskies starters did not relent in the final frame, scoring all 18 of Tech’s points, shooting 53.7 percent from the field on seven-of-13. Lenz recorded seven points down the stretch with an and-one with 5:10 to play, marking the largest lead of the game at 64-47. Wypych put the game away on a layup with 31 seconds to play, with the final buzzer seeing Michigan Tech win 73-59.
Laney Baker was the Saints’ leading scorer off the bench for 12 points, while Rylee Turner posted a team-high seven rebounds.
Up Next
The Huskies continue the nonconference slate next week, welcoming NSIC foes Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston to the SDC Gymnasium. Michigan Tech plays the Beavers Friday at 5 p.m. and the Golden Eagles on Saturday at 3 p.m.
