Michigan Tech guard Soraya Timms extends to attempt a layup during a game against Minnesota-Duluth Thursday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

In the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball season opener against Lewis at the D2 Midwest Region Tip-Off in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, the Huskies got a boost from a player who had not seen the floor in three years.

Senior point guard Soraya Timms led the Huskies with 17 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Game Two was less exciting from a points perspective, as she only had two, but coach Sam Clayton was ecstatic with Timms brought all weekend long.

“She’s been through so much the past two years with having to sit out, and different things going on,” said Clayton. “I was excited for her to be able to play, but you never know how that’s going to go when someone’s been out for two years. She came in with just such a great mindset, aggressive, and just leading us vocally with her energy defensively, getting us into stuff offensively. She really just has all those intangibles at the point guard position, and makes a huge difference for us. So, yeah, happy for her.”

In the Huskies’ first two home games, Timms put up 12 in a win over Minnesota-Duluth, along with three rebounds, two steals and one assist. Then, against St. Cloud State, she racked up 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a block.

In the Thursday night game against Duluth, junior guard Alyssa Wypych scored a season-high 20 points.

Wypych played against Timms in high school, and when she made her decision to come to Houghton, she was looking forward to her new teammate. However, Timms’ injury struggles kept that from happening until this season.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for for my whole career here,” said Wypych. “We got a taste of it in the summer and going up and down. It’s different now, but, especially, because we played each other way back in high school. Having to guard her, I was like, ‘Oh, man, it’s going to be great when I can play with her.’

“Not doing that till now has been unfortunate, but now that she’s back, it’s great. She’s just such a big spark with energy, and she cares so much. I feel like it brings everybody up.”

After the game against Duluth, Clayton mentioned that she feels like Timms is a sparkplug that makes everyone else around her better.

“Well, I think everyone plays better around Soraya, and that’s just what a good point guard does,” she said. “She creates for others. She finds open people. She gets us where we need to be in our offense. So, she had 12 points, which is great. She was efficient, 4-for-8. But I think, more than that, it’s just those things you don’t even see on the stat sheet that she does that helps us to be successful.”

Sophomore guard Ella Mason is soaking in the experience as she adjusts to her expanded role with the Huskies this season. After scoring just six points over the first two games of the season, she responded by scoring a career-high 22 Thursday against Duluth, then topped that with 24 against St. Cloud State Friday.

She mentioned how Timms makes everyone around her better.

“It’s amazing,” Mason said. “I mean, she just breathes confidence in all of us, honestly. She makes everyone around her better. She could score a single point, not have some assists, and we’d be better, because she’s on the floor, because she just makes everyone around her better, and everybody around her a lot more confident, I’d say.”

Clayton echoed Mason’s sentiments.

“I love to have Soraya at the point,” she said. “I think she does make everybody better, even if she’s maybe not scoring it, or doesn’t have a ton in the stat line. So, it’s great to see just everyone, I think, come around her, because they’re excited for her. They love her, and she’s been out for two years, and (we) know how hard that’s been on her.

“So, they’re excited for her to be able to play.”

Timms is averaging 11.0 points per game right now, along with 2.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds. She has been a huge reason for why the team has gotten off to a 4-0 start and has confidence. Clayton is excited to see the Huskies, who battled through so much adversity last season, along with their point guard, be rewarded right away this season.

“Oh, my goodness, I am so proud of this team, because last year was honestly unbelievable how bad things were for us,” said Clayton. “I’m not talking record-wise. I’m talking the things that happened off the floor that were uncontrollable, where we literally couldn’t practice, and didn’t have enough players, and couldn’t go 5-on-5. To be able to this year, be healthy, compete in these games, not only compete in these games, win these games, these close games against, I think, really good teams (is huge).”

There is no question that Timms has had a huge hand in helping the Huskies take that big step early this season.