Michigan Tech guard Dani Nuest looks to get past a Concordia-St. Paul defender during a game Saturday at the SDC Gym in Houghton.

By DAVER KARNOSKY

dkarnosky@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON — With a win over Winona State on Sunday, the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team had a chance to bounce back after losing their previous two games by a combined seven points. With the split, the Huskies are 3-5 overall as they prepare to open GLIAC play this weekend by hosting Wisconsin-Parkside and Purdue Northwest.

Coach Sam Clayton felt that it was valuable for the Huskies to figure out how to dig deep on Sunday after trailing at halftime.

“I think it was super important for us to get a win Sunday,” she said. “For us to come back from being down, for us to bounce back after losing two close games, the weekend before that, we lost a close game. So, for us to be able to win a close game, for us to be able to really flip the switch at half time and play like we were capable, and then also just to be able to bounce back after a super tough loss on Saturday, where we were competing with one of the top teams.

“Maybe that’s part of why we came out so flat Sunday. Not an excuse, but, devastating loss. So, huge for us to be able to do that.”

The Huskies held the lead against then-No. 21 Concordia-St. Paul Saturday until the final 150 seconds, which made their fifth loss of the season hurt even worse than it needed to.

At the same time, the Huskies are a young team at multiple positions.

“We are a super young team,” she said. “We have freshmen and sophomores playing a ton, but also, we have freshmen and sophomores stepping up. I think it is huge for them to be able to see, ‘OK, yeah, maybe we are inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come out on top in these close games. It doesn’t mean we can’t come out and compete with some of the best teams in the nation, Concordia being No. 21.’

“I do think that was critical for our team to see. I think it’s been great just for our younger players to be getting all this experience. We’ve had lots of close games. We’ve been up and lost, we’ve been down and won. So, there’s a ton that we’re gaining, and (we) will only continue to grow every single game we get.”

The Huskies have recently welcomed back to their lineup junior forward Maja Kozlowska, fifth-year guard Kaitlyn Maxwell, and senior forward Emma Anderson, but also lost fifth-year forward Janie Tormanen to an injury, so they are still working their way through lineups. Kozlowska proved vital for the Huskies over the weekend, as she put up 14 points against the Golden Bears and followed that up with 15 against the Winona State Warriors.

“I think getting Maja back is huge for us in all aspects of the game,” said Clayton. “She put up 15 points, 14 points, Sunday and Saturday, and yeah, she can score it. She has that post presence, offensively, where she can finish, but I think almost more so, she gives us a defensive presence at the rim. She’s so long. For people to have to finish over the top of her posts or guards when they’re driving, really helps us. She can rebound outside of her area, so she can go get offensive rebounds, she can go get defensive rebounds, and move and go get those so she can clean up the glass. (She) affects the game in a lot of ways.”

As the Huskies hit the GLIAC season starting Thursday, Clayton knows that her team still has a ways to go with how they defend, which is continues to be an issue as they work to get injured players back into the lineup.

“I want to be pedal to the floor, but (with) limited numbers, and back-to-back games Saturday (and) Sunday, it’s a lot of mental preparation, a lot of film, a lot of skill work,” she said. “Yes, we’re going to have to work on defending. Parkside, they have an incredible offense. Every year they score it like crazy. I love the way they move and screen. So, we’re going to be drilling some things live, but we also have to be smart just with where we’re at, where we’ve been at, about how much we go hard, and how much we go smart.”

SCOUTING THE

RANGERS

The Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers are 4-2 on the season after defeating St. Cloud State on Saturday, 69-63.

The Rangers rely on four guards who can cover a ton of floor space. It starts with sophomore Cassidy Arni, who averages 16 points per game. Junior Peighton Nelson (13.7), senior Sheridan Flauger (12.7) and senior Chloe Van Zeeland (10.8) all average in double figures as well.

SCOUTING THE PRIDE

The Purdue Northwest Pride are 3-3 on the season after dropping a 66-56 decision to Missouri-St. Louis last Tuesday at home.

A pair of senior guards led the Pride offensively. Akyia Baker is averaging 16.5 points per game while Cherrelle Newsom is putting up 11.2 points per game.

Senior guard Kaylen Evans, who averages 8.5 points per game, is the Pride’s deadliest shooter from beyond the arc, where she is hitting 43.5% of her shots taken.

GAME TIMES

The Huskies and Rangers are set to tip-off Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the SDC Gym. Saturday, the Huskies and Pride are set to start at noon.