Tech women defeat Lady Lakers
Courtesy of MTU Athletics
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team got back into the win column with a 72-60 win at Lake Superior State on Saturday (Feb. 22). The Huskies outscored the Lakers by 12 in the first half and had four players in double figures to move to 18-7 and 16-5 in the GLIAC.
Tech is now in a tie with Wayne State for first place in the GLIAC North Division after the Warriors fell at Grand Valley State earlier in the day. The Warriors hold the tiebreaker over the Huskies but both teams have a game remaining. Wayne State hosts LSSU and the Huskies travel to Northern Michigan next week.
The game was initially scheduled for a 1 p.m. tipoff but Tech was stranded in Mackinaw City on Friday and didn’t made it across the Mackinac Bridge until late Saturday morning.
Tech led the whole game after jumping out to an early 13-2 lead in the first six minutes. Paige Albi had five points and Danielle Blake scored four in the early run.
LSSU (5-22, 5-16 GLIAC) cut the lead to four (28-24) late in the half, but the Huskies scored the final eight points before the break, including seven by Mackenzie Perttu.
After the Lakers scored four straight points with 7:14 to go in the game, the Huskies built on an eight-point lead scoring nine of the next 11 for a 15-point lead. The margin didn’t get below double digits the rest of the way, as the Huskies defeated the Lakers for the 13th straight time.
“It was a huge win tonight,” Tech coach Kim Cameron said. “We had a rough game on Thursday and a rough day of travel yesterday. We’ve been through quite a bit with travel, snow and hotels. I’m proud of the fact that we were able to get it done. It gets us one step closer to our goals.”
Albi recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“Paige was very good tonight,” added Cameron. “She played tough and played hard. We can always count on her to come out and set the tone.”
Perttu finished with a game-high 22 points making 8-of-15 shots from the field and all six of her free throws. She also had four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Blake scored 19 points—also making 8-of-15 from the field—and added five rebounds.
Jillian Ritchie was the other Husky in double figures for the second game in a row. Kerry Gardner dished out a career-high six assists and tied a career-high with seven rebounds.
Tech shot 40 percent (26-for-65) from the field and 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Huskies held a 42-37 rebounding advantage, including 13 on the offensive end, and committed only seven turnovers.
“We took care of every possession,” Cameron said. “I’m happy with that. We also gave ourselves second and third opportunities and that was another big key.”
LSSU also shot 40 percent (22-for-55) from the field and had Kelsey Ance (18) and Stephanie Fisher (16) score in double figures.
Tech wraps up the regular season on Feb. 27 at Northern Michigan.
“It’s going to be another very important game,” said Cameron. “The first game was possession for possession and every player for themselves. We’re both fighting for a lot and the stakes are high.”