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Ferris State sneaks past Michigan Tech 63-60

Michigan Tech guard Sloane Zenner drives around a Grand Valley State defender during a game Saturday, Jan. 21, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan Tech’s fourth-quarter comeback came up three points short Thursday night in a 63-60 loss to Ferris State at Jim Wink Arena in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball. The Huskies cut the margin to a single possession late, after falling behind by 12 in the final minute of the third quarter.

With six seconds left in the game, Isabella Lenz ran into double coverage on the left wing and never had a clean look at the basket. Michigan Tech (16-4, 8-2 GLIAC) snapped a six-game win streak and split the season series with Ferris State (12-7, 5-5). 

“I was just disappointed in our performance in general,” commented head coach Sam Clayton. “We missed some shots early and then we put too much pressure on ourselves after that. We didn’t get to the foul line often because we weren’t attacking the basket enough. It was a bit of a letdown. When shots weren’t falling, we needed to find other ways to score, and for a variety of reasons, we just didn’t.”

Chloe Idoni was a catalyst for the Bulldogs’ success. She posted a double-double with 34 points and 10 rebounds. Despite the loss, Lenz had another strong game for the Huskies, with a team-high 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Ellie Mackay also provided 15 points along with a pair of steals.

The teams traded one-point leads through the first quarter but Idoni sparked the Bulldogs to a 17-10 margin in the second quarter, leading to a 34-26 advantage at halftime. Tech chipped away at the deficit in the fourth quarter and Sloane Zenner drained back-to-back threes to tie it 58-58 with 1:24 remaining. Kenzie Bowers went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute for Ferris State. 

“We hit some threes and made some stops to get back in the game,” Clayton said. “Then it came down to one offensive rebound that we didn’t get. We had to foul and get the ball back and it just wasn’t good enough. We needed more urgency on that play and others.”

Michigan Tech shot 33.9 percent overall (20-59) and 32 percent (8-25) from beyond the arc. Both teams pulled down 36 rebounds, including eight by Alex Rondorf. The Bulldogs shot 38 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from long range.

Up next

The Huskies continue their road trip at Lake Superior State (5-13, 2-8) Saturday at 1 p.m.

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