No. 19 Huskies outlast Wildcats 63-49

MARQUETTE, Mich. – Using gritty defense and strong play in the fourth quarter, No. 19 Michigan Tech outlasted Northern Michigan 63-49 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball Tuesday evening at Berry Events Center. The Huskies have won nine straight head-to-head meetings against the Wildcats, including a two-game sweep this season. Tech also extended its overall win streak to 11 straight games going back to January 15.

Jordan Ludescher led the offense with 21 points and three rebounds. Ludescher shot 7-for-14 from the floor with seven free throws on 10 attempts. Baillie McGirk also played well with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Despite hitting just 2 of 15 three-point attempts, the Huskies made up the difference on defense. MTU caused 20 NMU turnovers and nabbed 10 steals. Northern Michigan top-scorer Makaylee Kuhn shot just 2 of 18 from the field for five points.

“I thought our team executed down the stretch and came up with big plays on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter,” commented head coach Sam Hoyt. “We didn’t have a great shooting night but we were able to rely on our tough defense to pull us through. Cassidy (Trotter) and Kylie (Mogen) did a great job guarding Kuhn which was a huge key. Jordan had another great game for us offensively and Baillie really led us by making great decisions off ball screens, hitting shots, and finding open teammates. I am very proud of this team and the grit they showed tonight.”

The Huskies led most of the game, but Northern Michigan forced a 33-33 tie with three minutes left in the third quarter. Tech responded with a quick six points and never looked back. MTU outscored NMU 22-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Michigan Tech shot 23-for-59 (39-percent) overall with 28 rebounds. Elena Alaix led Northern Michigan with 15 points and Kayla Tierney also made it to double-figures with 12. The Wildcats shot 36-percent (18-for-50) from the field and 6-for-19 (31.6-percent) from beyond the arc. NMU took in 33 rebounds.

Michigan Tech (13-1) maintained their first place standing in the GLIAC North Division. The Huskies travel to play Grand Valley State Saturday February 20 and Sunday, February 21. Game times are 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively. The regular season ends the following week at home against Wisconsin-Parkside. Northern Michigan (7-7) lost its third straight game. The Wildcats play Davenport in a pair of road games beginning Friday.