Five Huskies’ starters in double figures
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team earned its first GLIAC weekend sweep of the season following a 76-67 win over Wayne State at the SDC Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies improve to 7-9 overall and 4-4 in the GLIAC, while Wayne State drops to 9-7 overall and 4-4 in the loop.
“I think we’re getting momentum at the right time heading into the rest of the season. I think we’re playing our best basketball right now,” Tech head coach Sam Clayton said. “Today our guards played so well and our posts are doing a phenomenal job creating looks for us—which was great to see. We did a good job responding in the fourth quarter after we didn’t take care of the ball well in the third.”
All five starters for the Black & Gold reached double-digit, scoring led by first-year guard Kendall Standfest (16 points/nine rebounds) for the second consecutive game. The post players in graduate transfer Janie Tormanen (14 points) and junior Maja Kozlowska (12 points) opened the floor for the guard play, as veteran Isabella Lenz (13 points) and sophomore Alyssa Wypych (11 points/nine rebounds) added vital points for the Huskies, who made up 66 of the teams total points.
The Huskies shot well in the opening two quarters with a 25-point second quarter (64.7 percent) and a first-half percentage of 56.7 percent while holding the Warriors to 29 percent from the field and including just one 3-point make (1-for-15). The duo of Standfest and Wypych combined for 16 of the Huskies 39 first-half points, with eight points, respectively. Wypych also had a game-high five rebounds through the opening two quarters.
The Black & Gold amassed 24 points in the paint, with post players Kozlowska and Tormanen getting it done inside with six points apiece, helping Michigan Tech head into halftime with a 39-25 lead.
The Warriors controlled the third quarter with three 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, playing a factor as Wayne State outscored Michigan Tech 23-14 and forcing seven turnovers in the third frame, making it a 53-48 affair with one quarter to play.
The Huskies were able to hold off the pesky Warriors down the stretch, scoring 23 points while shooting 50 percent from the field in the final quarter while also accruing just one turnover.
Tormanen opened the final stanza with an emphatic and-one to put Tech ahead by eight, while Kozlowska had six points with under 4:30 to play to push the advantage to eight points again (66-59) with 2:21 to go.
“It’s very important for us to be playing our best basketball right now,” Tormanen added. “These two games were huge for us to feel confident and to know what it feels like to play the game with intensity.”
A triple by Wypych with 1:28 to play put the game out of reach as the Warriors began to foul with under 40 seconds in the game, showing the Huskies go five-for-six from the charity stripe capped by two free throws from Lenz to decide the game at 76-67.
Taylor Thompson led a trio of Warriors in double-figure scoring with 15 points, while McKenna Ferguson added 11. Shea Tripp recorded a team-leading nine rebounds to go with 13 points.
Up Next
The Huskies take to the road next week, traveling to Lake Superior State Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Ferris State Saturday (1:00 p.m.).
