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Lewis pulls away from Tech late, wins 65-51

HOUGHTON — Despite a tough loss against the No. 20-ranked team, Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball coach Sam Hoyt was pleased with the way her team competed against Lewis University on Saturday at the Wood Gym.

“I was proud of our defense and the way we battled,” she said in regards to her team’s 65-51 loss.

While the Huskies lost by 14, the score does not tell the whole story. With 56 seconds left in the third quarter, freshman guard Ellie Mackay tied the game at 42-42.

However, Lewis pulled away heartily in the final quarter. In the final 10 minutes, Lewis outscored the Huskies 18-7 to put the game out of reach.

From the start, the game was a back-and-forth battle with the Huskies dropping a three-pointer and then Lewis countering with their own.

Leading Michigan Tech in scoring was Ellie Welsh with 15 points. She was followed by Cassidy Trotter who had 12 points. Welsh was 4-for-4 past the three-point mark.

“I was happy for both girls,” said Hoyt. “I liked the way Trotter handled pressure and got to the rim.”

The game featured a sibling rivalry between the Kelliher sisters, Elizabeth, who plays for Tech, and Jessica, who plays forward for Lewis. The two battled it out in the paint for much of the game. Jessica led the Flyers scoring 23 points as compared to only four points for Elizabeth.

The Huskies continue to be plagued by turnovers as they gave up nine in the opening period.

“We have to control the ball better,” said Hoyt. “We cannot continue to turn it over like that. It’s too many.”

At halftime, Lewis led 33-24.

The third quarter was the Huskies’ best as they outscored the Flyers 20-14. For the game, Lewis shot 43.9 percent as compared to the Huskies 35.7.

The Huskies will have one more game before the break as they take on Minnesota-Duluth of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference on the road Wednesday afternoon.

“They are a tough team,” said Hoyt. “They’re similar to Lewis. It will be interesting to see how we have grown from this loss today.”

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