Michigan Tech guard Ella Mason drives around a Saginaw Valley State defender during a game Thursday at the James E. O’Neill Arena in Saginaw. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

SAGINAW — The Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team bounced back from a pair of a losses last weekend with a 59-40 victory Thursday over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals at the James E. O’Neill Arena.

The Huskies’ defense was stifling, holding Saginaw Valley State to under 30% from the field and 13.6 from 3-point land (3-of-22).

The Huskies’ starting five accounted for almost all of the scoring, 55 of the team’s total points, led by senior forward Janie Tormanen’s 16 points, shooting 50% from the field (8-of-16) and eight rebounds. Junior guard Alyssa Wypych netted 14 points, going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Ella Mason added 13 points and a team-high three 3-pointers.

“I was surprised we didn’t see more doubles inside and Janie did a great job in the post,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton. “I knew we were going to have to play inside-out–that was our goal and scoring 40 points, I think we did a great job. Once we were able to get past that pressure, we got good looks and that’s somewhere we’ll have to take a step.”

Michigan Tech improved to 10-5 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC, while Saginaw Valley State dropped to 4-11 overall and 2-5 in conference play.

The Huskies’ defense was a problem all night for the Cardinals, who were held to under 10 points in the first two quarters while committing 11 turnovers through the first half, helping the Huskies hold a 28-17 lead heading into halftime.

Tormanen set the tone for the game, scoring six points in the first quarter as senior guard Soraya Timms had four assists and sophomore guard Kendall Standfest converted an and-one.

Mason had three 3-pointers in the first half and led the Huskies in scoring in the second quarter with six points, while Wypych chipped in four points from the free-throw line. A layup by Tormenan with 3:03 to play in the first half gave Michigan Tech its largest lead (26-12) before heading into the break ahead by 11 points.

After six assists in the first half, Timms scored five points in the third quarter while Tormanen added six points, four rebounds and two steals.

Saginaw Valley’s Lydia Meredith shot 4-7 from the field in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points after being held to just two points through the first three quarters, including the last six points for the Cardinals. Although the Huskies were out of reach, earning a 19-point lead off a steal by Mason and a jumper by Wypych, deciding the game at 59-40.

The two teams each recorded 36 rebounds. However, the Cardinals won the battle on the offensive glass, with half of their rebounds coming on offense.

Meredith and Borsenik recorded a team-high 11 points as Lainey Yater led the way with nine rebounds.

Up next

The Huskies conclude the first road weekend of 2026 on Saturday, trekking to Lake Superior State, slated for a 1 p.m. tipoff.