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Tech women set out to bounce back in Ohio this weekend

David Archambeau/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Tech’s Brenna Heise dribbles to the basket against Walsh Saturday at the Wood Gym. Tech plays at Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican this weekend.

In the first six seasons under Kim Cameron, the Michigan Tech women had lost at the Wood Gym just seven times. That stat alone made Saturday’s 68-65 GLIAC-opening loss to the Walsh Cavaliers all the more surprising.

“I think this area and that gym is a place nobody thinks they can win at, and that’s to our advantage,” Cameron said. “We built it that way, and it makes it that much harder when a team takes you on your own court.

“But that being said, I think this team wants it, and they get it. We’ve been knocked down before, and if there’s anything about this team, it’s that they’re going to get back up.”

Now, the Huskies (4-2, 1-0 GLIAC) will look to move past the rare home loss with a visit to the Lake Erie College Storm (2-5, 0-2 GLIAC) tonight at 5:30 p.m., before playing the Ohio Dominican Panthers (5-3, 1-1 GLIAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Both teams feature offensive weapons. For Lake Erie, junior Kayla Gabor leads the GLIAC in points per game (19.7), while Ohio Dominican averages the second-most points (78.8). The Panthers trail the Ashland Eagles, who not only average the most points in the GLIAC (97.1), but the entire country.

In addition to Gabor — who is 51 percent from beyond the arc —  Lake Erie junior forward Christine Dawson is tied for fourth in points per game (16.6), giving the Storm a formidable scoring duo.

“They have two of the top scorers in the league,” Cameron said. “They really find ways to get them the basketball and as a team, they’re really good at it.”

In years past, Tech had a stalwart defender who they could assign to an opposition’s top scorer. Dani Blake fit the role, with her athleticism and length giving her the ability to guard any player on the floor. However, instead of one lockdown defender, Tech has allowed the matchups to dictate who defends the opposing team’s best player on a given night.

“Sara LewAllen guarded Walsh’s top player, and Morgan Anderson has had that responsibility,” Cameron said. “Kelli Guy has really continued to show improvement and she just proves herself over and over again, every time she’s on the floor as far as winning one-on-one defensive battles. So, it has varied and it will probably continue to vary.”

While Lake Erie — who is on a four-game losing skid — features top-tier scorers, the Panthers do it by committee. Seniors Lauren Bates (12.8) and Madi Rittinger (11.6) are the only two scorers in double digits. But the next eight highest scorers on Ohio Dominican’s roster average at least five points per game.

“Ohio Dominican has very balanced scoring, their post play is really good,” Cameron said. “The offense that they run is very conducive to the players that they have, which makes them pretty hard to stop. This will be a great challenge for us considering how ODU scores the basketball as a team.

“Defensively, we have to make sure that we’re strong throughout the entire weekend. These teams are at home, they’re comfortable in their own gyms. Defense absolutely has to be what we focus on.”

WINTER GETTING BACK

Junior guard Lindsay Winter made her season debut against Walsh after dealing with an injury; she played eight minutes and converted a 3-pointer. Winter played an expanded role last season when Guy went down with a season-ending injury, and now Cameron expects to integrate her more into the team’s rotation.

“Lindsay’s going to make a big difference for us moving forward,” Cameron said. “Just her ability to handle the ball, she can create so much for us. She is the one person on our team who can put her head down and straight-line to the basket — whether she has a layup or whether she kicks it out to somebody else, she is the most comfortable person doing that.

“She’s going to be a huge asset moving forward, and it puts another scorer on the floor… We’re looking forward to having her be ready, and us having that additional player.”

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