Lenz 22 points, nine rebounds; Standfest 13 points, 15 rebounds for Huskies
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team played Ferris State tough, leading by as much as six points in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome three offensive rebounds and five turnovers, ultimately falling to the Bulldogs 70-67 at the SDC Gymnasium on Thursday.
“I’m proud of our effort and our fight,” said Tech head coach Sam Clayton “I think we played well in general, our offense flowed better, we defended hard—but I do think overall too many turnovers and offensive rebounds in the second half and kind of made the same defensive mistakes for multiple possessions which we really have to learn from. Bella was great, she leads us in every single way as she always does, hopefully, that propels us Saturday. Kendall sparked us in the first half with her finishes and offensive rebounds, which is great to see from a freshman.”
Veteran guard Isabella Lenz recorded her third 20-point game of the season, playing all 40 minutes, finishing with a game-high 22 points to go with a career-high nine rebounds. Kendall Standfest earned her fourth career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, four on the offensive end. Graduate transfer Janie Tormanen added 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go with five boards.
Ferris State (17-7, 11-4 GLIAC) shot 50% in the opening quarter with its largest lead at the 2:36 mark, following a 9-3 run capped with a layup by Claire Erickson. Michigan Tech (9-14, 6-9 GLIAC) closed the quarter strong with a triple by Alyssa Wypych and an and-one by Lenz to cut FSU’s lead to three points (19-16). Although, the Bulldogs would convert a three-point play of their own to close the quarter ahead 22-16.
The Huskies commanded the second quarter, holding the Bulldogs to just nine points (4-for-17) as MTU earned second-chance opportunities with five offensive rebounds while connecting on five-for-seven from the free-throw line to enter halftime with a 33-31 advantage.
The Black & Gold held Ferris State to just one 3-pointer in the second quarter (1-for-9) as the Huskies outscored the Bulldogs 17-9 in the second 10 minutes of action. First-year guard Kendall Standfest led the way for Michigan Tech with eight points, while Janie Tormanen added two layups with under three minutes in the half to retake the lead.
Michigan Tech led for the majority of the third quarter, with Tormanen recording a team-high six points, followed by five points from Lenz. With under a minute to go in the quarter, Tormanen put the Huskies up by six with a fastbreak layup off an assist by Lenz. However, the Bulldogs would get a 3-pointer to fall before the quarters end to make it a 51-48 affair heading into the final quarter.
Lenz gave the Huskies a six-point edge early in the fourth quarter, but with 4:42 to go, the Bulldogs retook the lead for the final time with a 3-pointer by Ellie Irwin followed by a layup by Ally Schultz 30 seconds later. Lenz hit two free throws with under two minutes to play, but an untimely turnover by the Huskies ultimately forced them to foul down the stretch, deciding the game at 70-67 in favor of the visitors.
Irwin played the entire game for the Bulldogs, leading four players in double-figure scoring with 18 points, including 4-for-8 from 3-point land. Mia Riley recorded a double-double with 12 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Up Next
The Huskies are back in action at the SDC Gymnasium on Saturday for Play4Kay and Senior Day, hosting Lake Superior State at noon.
