Tormanen scores career-high 21 points
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Graduate transfer forward Janie Tormanen scored a career-high 21 points as the Michigan Tech women’s basketball team earned its first GLIAC win of the season, defeating Purdue Northwest 74-63 at the SDC Gymnasium on Saturday.
A trio of Huskies joined Tormanen in double-digit scoring, with veteran guard Isabella Lenz garnering 17 points and a team-high five assists. First-year guard Kendall Standfest was near another double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Alyssa Wypych reached 10 points for the first time in six games.
With the win, the Huskies elevate to 4-6 overall and 1-1 in GLIAC play. Purdue Northwest drops to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in the loop.
“I think Purdue Northwest played with a ton of heart–we got up by 20 points and they battled back in it. I don’t think we played well but I’m happy we got the win,” Tech head coach Sam Clayton said. “It’s great to see Janie finish so well, she was pretty patient in the second half and played well for us. Emma rebounded so well for us today which was huge with Maja being in foul trouble. I’m really glad we get two weeks to just practice and get better. I’m hoping we look like a different team in a couple of weeks.”
The Huskies made four 3-pointers in the opening quarter, with Tormanen scoring the first five points for the Black & Gold. Lenz and Dani Nuest cashed in from downtown in the middle of the quarter and Ella Mason connected on a jumper down the stretch, seeing MTU lead 16-14 at the end of the first.
Lenz produced nine of the Huskies 22 second-quarter points, joined by Wypych connecting on four-for-four from the charity stripe to give MTU a seven-point edge to head into halftime with a 38-31 lead.
Defensive urgency arose to start the second half as the Black & Gold held Purdue Northwest to a quarter-low 10 points while shooting nine-for-16 from the field. Tormanen shot a perfect four-for-four in the quarter, while Emma Anderson recorded five of her career-high 13 rebounds in the stanza. Michigan Tech’s biggest lead came with 1:16 to go with a layup by Wypych, making it 56-40.
Purdue Northwest followed its lowest-scoring quarter with a 22-point final period in hopes of making a comeback. The Pride went on an 11-7 run in the final 3:28, although the Huskies went seven-for-eight from the charity stripe down the stretch to sustain a double-digit lead, ultimately earning the first conference win of the season, 74-63.
“I think our team really needed this win,” Tormanen mentioned. “We came out swinging—we needed to clean it up on defense and I think we were able to turn it around and extend our lead in the second half.”
Nessa Walsh led the Pride with 13 points as three other players reached double-digit scoring. Alyssa Cole recorded a team-leading seven rebounds, adding 12 points.
Up Next
The Huskies will return to action in the New Year, traveling to Allendale, Michigan, for a tilt against Grand Valley State slated for Thursday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m.
