Michigan Tech guard Kloe Zentkowski attempts a layup during a game against Northern Michigan Thursday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Some nights don’t go according to plan. That appeared to be what Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball coach Sam Clayton was feeling after her team dropped a game at home Thursday night to the No. 14 Northern MIchigan Wildcats, 74-46, at the SDC Gym.

“Disappointing,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton, when asked for her thoughts. “I know Northern’s a really good team. I thought they got to do exactly what they wanted. We have to come out and execute better to start offensively and defensively. Ultimately, it’s on me. We weren’t physically ready, mentally ready, anything. So, just pretty disappointing.”

The Huskies had no answers for the efforts of senior guard Sarah Newcomer, who led all scorers with 27 points, 21 of which came on 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. She finished 10-of-16 from the field in the game.

“She hit rhythm threes early,” Clayton said. “I thought she was going to have a good night. I mean, some of the threes she made were so tough. Like, you have to live with those. It’s like, ‘Oh, OK,’ on some of them.

“When you let them get going early, and then they’re feeling it, I think that contributes to it. But some of her (success is) she’s a senior, and she had the mindset, ‘I’m not losing this game.’ She played like it. So, good for her.”

Add to Newcomer’s totals 16 points from senior forward Alyssa Hill and 13 from senior guard C.J. Romero, and that was a recipe for disaster for the Huskies’ defense.

Newcomer got her night started just 19 seconds after Weisbrod’s game-opening triple. She drove through the Huskies’ defense for a layup. Then, a little over a minute later, she had a pair of 3-pointers under her belt. She hit a third with 80 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Two and a half minutes into the second, she had two more threes, and a layup

The Wildcats jumped out 11-2 leads in each of the first three quarters, while simultaneously holding the Huskies (9-4 overall, 3-2 GLIAC) to just 10 points in each of the first three quarters as well. Northern Michigan led 19-10 after one, 44-20 at half, and 64-30 after three.

If there was a silver lining for the Huskies, it was that they held the Wildcats’ top scorer, senior guard Jacy Weisbrod to just a 3-pointer, which opened the scoring just 15 seconds in.

From there, Northern Michigan finished 12-of-28 from beyond the arc, for 42.9% for the game. By comparison, the Huskies hit just one, by sophomore guard Kendall Standfest, in the fourth quarter with 6:15 remaining.

The Huskies shot just 31.4% for the game on 16-of-51 from the floor.

“I don’t feel good about our offense,” said Clayton. “It’s not that we’re not capable offensively. We didn’t move the ball at all. We all tried to go 1-on-1. We dribbled, dribbled, dribbled. That’s not our offense. We didn’t play inside out.

“So, yeah, we need a total reset going into Saturday. When we hit screens, we were open, but weren’t finding people, because we were dribbling and looking down. So, we’re going to have to learn from it and move on.”

If there was a positive from Michigan Tech’s perspective, it was the way they closed the final quarter. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats, 16-10, and that included Standfest’s 3-pointer, as well as a three-point play by freshman guard Aubrey Johnson with 3:30 left when she drove the baseline, made the layup and made the and-1 as well.

With the loss, the Huskies have to find a way to bounce back in time to face another Top-25 opponent in No. 22 Ferris State Saturday.

“I told the girls, they get five minutes. Think about it, what you need to work on, what you did,” Clayton said. “But, then we’re done with this game and onto Saturday.

“We’ve been playing well. I think we got to focus on that and keep our confidence in.”

Up next

The Huskies host another nationally-ranked opponent in No. 22 Ferris State Saturday at the SDC Gym. Opening tip is set for 12 p.m.