Lady Huskies fall to Grand Valley
Courtesy of MTU Athletics
ALLENDALE, Mich.- The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team shot a season-low 31 percent from the field and fell 72-64 at Grand Valley State on Saturday (Feb. 8). The Huskies scored 45 points in the second half and cut the lead to one but couldn’t overcome a 19-point first half.
Tech started to chip away at the 13-point halftime deficit a few minutes into the second half. Mackenzie Perttu scored back-to-back layups to trim the lead to six with 13:00 left.
The two teams traded buckets on three straight possessions with Tech making 3-pointers and GVSU making twos. Two long bombs by Paige Albi and one by Kerry Gardner had the margin down to one (46-45) with 8:15 remaining.
GVSU then scored seven straight to regain control. Emily Harrison ended the streak but Dani Crandall scored back-to-back jumpers for the home team and the lead was back up to 10.
The Huskies kept battling as Perttu scored 13 points in the final 4:00 but the Lakers made 13 free throws down the stretch for the eight-point victory.
“You can’t shoot like that and expect to win on the road,” Tech coach Kim Cameron said. “It’s frustrating. We had open opportunities but just missed a ton of layups.”
Trailing 20-18, Tech scored only one point in the final 6:48 of the first half. The Lakers scored 12 and led 32-19 at the break, holding the Huskies to only seven field goals and 22.6 percent shooting.
Perttu finished one short of a career-high with 29 points. She also added nine rebounds and four assists. Gardner scored nine points on three 3-pointers. Harrison finished with eight while Albi contributed seven.
Jillian Ritchie pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Danielle Blake finished with eight rebounds and four points.
Tech shot 22-for-71 from the floor, 9-for-27 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc and 11-for-15 (73.3 percent) from the free throw line.
GVSU made 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and 12 more (23-11) free throws than Tech.
Crandall finished with 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Kayla Dawson and Jill Steinmetz were also in double figures with a dozen.
“Crandall is the heart and soul of their team,” added Cameron. “She showed it today and came ready to play. We made a run without her in there but it wasn’t enough.”
Tech returns home to host Wayne State on Feb. 13 and Saginaw Valley State on Feb. 15.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier next weekend,” Cameron said. “We’re going to get some rest and get back to some of the basics. We’ll bounce back and be ready to go.”