HOUGHTON, Mich. – After a pair of decisive non-conference wins over the Thanksgiving weekend, Michigan Tech enters conference play with a 6-1 record and an opportunity to stay hot on the road Thursday against Wisconsin Parkside at 6:30 p.m. The Huskies will also play at Purdue Northwest on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Both games can be heard on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ.
LAST TIME OUT
- A defensive shutout and 17 points by Ellie Mackay made the difference for Michigan Tech women’s basketball as they picked up their sixth win of the season Saturday over Minnesota Duluth 61-46 at SDC Gymnasium.
- Tech limited UMD to 33 percent shooting and leading scorer Brooke Olson (18.2 ppg) to four points. MTU also grabbed eight steals and 33 rebounds in the Cross Great Lake non-conference game.
- Isabella Lenz paced the Huskies with 14 points (6-13) and three assists, while Alex Rondorf had a 12-point effort. Mackay, Lenz, Rondorf and Sara Dax shared the team lead in rebounds with six each.
- The Huskies shot 41 percent (26-63) overall and went 7-for-22 (32 percent) from beyond the arc. MTU balanced its offense with 24 points in the paint and committed 11 turnovers to UMD’s 14.
CORRECT LANE
- Michigan Tech sophomore and GLIAC Freshman of the Year defender Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wis.) may be the best bench option for any team in the conference. Depth and health have been a strength so far for MTU, and Lenz is averaging 13.0 points per game (second) in 24.1 minutes for the Huskies.
- In the two games last week, Lenz totaled 27 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks and six assists. With five games in double figures, she shows no signs of slowing down as a sophomore and has proven to be effective in the lane and beyond the arc.
- As a true freshman, Lenz made five starts and scored a career-high 17 points at Purdue Northwest.
Captain KATELYN
- With much of the spotlight rightfully shining on Alex Rondorf, who is averaging close to a double-double a night (12 points, nine rebounds), senior Katelyn Meister has quietly put together another good start at guard in seven games .
- Meister is averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
- She had a game-high 16 points in a win over Lewis and scored 15 in a win over Minnesota Crookston, shooting 6-of-10 from the field.
- Last time out, Meister played a game-high 31 minutes with four points at UMD.
GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Kaitlyn Zarycki led the Cardinals to a 2-0 showing on the week that included two 20+ point performances.
- He was three steals short of a double-double in a 61-54 win over Walsh on the first day of the Wayne State Warrior Holiday Tournament.
- Zarycki had four assists to go with a triple-double in a 72-55 win over Carson-Newman on the final day of the tournament.
- The senior from Niles, Michigan shot 52.6 percent from the floor (20-38) with 13 rebounds and nine steals in two games.
SCOUTING THE RANGERS (2-4, 0-0)
- Winning or losing to the Rangers depends on whether or not teams can stop 2022 GLIAC Player of the Year Alyssa Nelson (knitting senior guard).
- With 21.8 points per game, Nelson leads the conference again this season.
- The Rangers were sent to finish fifth in the GLIAC preseason coaches poll.
- Last season, UWP held a 15-14 overall record, 12-9 in conference play.
- Fifth-year head coach Jen Conoly welcomed assistant coach Eric Gruber and graduate assistant coach Jordan Fierst to the bench this fall.
- Nelson scored a GLIAC-leading 20.2 points per game and averaged an impressive .514 shooting percentage, .415 from 3-point range and .908 from the free throw line.
- Other returners include Maja Leidefors, Lamija Coric, Courtney Schoenback, Paty Gallasova, Kayla Bohr and Sheridan Flauger.
- The Rangers fell 80-71 to No. 11 Minnesota State in Kenosha on Saturday after the Mavericks pulled away late.
- Nelson scored 22 points with six rebounds and two assists.
- Coric had 13 points, two rebounds and four assists.
- Gallasova finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE (4-3, 0-0)
- Reagan Courier leads the GLIAC in 3-point percentage (6-for-7).
- Tadrianna Heard leads the team and ranks third in the conference in scoring (20.3 ppg).
- PNW faces Northern Michigan on Thursday before hosting the Huskies on Saturday.
- Last season, PNW had the most wins in program history since joining Division II.
- Courtney Locke is in her fourth season as head coach.
- Leading returning scorer Dash Shaw has 15.3 points per game in seven starts to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 23 assists (second).
- Shaw had 14.5 points per game and 2.8 rebounds in 26 games last year (10 starts).
- The Pride dropped a pair of games in the Nova Southeastern Tournament last weekend at Palm Beach Atlantic (L, 65-52) and Nova Southeastern (L, 74-72).
- Shaw led the offense in the last with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and seven boards.
- Heard added 15 points and four assists.
- Sophomore Antreese Shelton scored 11 points off the bench with four rebounds.