Michigan Tech guard Kloe Zentkowski extends for a layup in a game against Saginaw Valley State Saturday, Feb. 7, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Winning two games on the road in the GLIAC is a tall task on any weekend, and the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team gave it a valiant effort this past weekend, defeating Purdue Northwest Thursday before battling back against Wayne State before falling just one point short.

The two games were similar in some ways, but not in others.

“I thought Thursday we had a bit of a slow start, but, overall, it was just a one of those ugly games where you have to grind it out,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton. “Dani (Nuest) was a great spark off the bench, especially defensively, kind of changed the game for us, and then we had players step up down the stretch. So, great to get that win on the road. That’s a tough place to play, and I thought they played well.

“Then Saturday (was) a heartbreaking one. Obviously, it’s tough to lose like that, a one-point game, but I think Wayne is playing the best in the conference right now. I know record-wise they’re third, but they’re playing really well. So, for us to compete like that, I thought we came out with a ton of fight, a ton of energy. I thought every possession, we responded. Did we do things perfectly? No. But, I thought throughout the game overall, we responded to every punch they threw, every shot they hit, every stop they got.”

There was plenty, Clayton felt, for the Huskies to build on.

“I think it’s exciting, it’s encouraging, if we can keep that rolling moving forward,” she said. “I think Kloe (Zentkowski)’s starting to play really confident for us, which is huge. She got thrown into that starting role, and now she’s really feeling comfortable there, being more aggressive, looking to score. She hit a huge three late in that Wayne game. She’s playing well, and I thought we fought hard.

“Tough to come up short. Heartbreaking, but it’s always about how we respond.”

Zentkowski had nine points in the win over Purdue Northwest, and added 11 more against Wayne State Saturday.

“I think she came in without that pressure to have to score, because we had a lot of guards putting up numbers,” said Clayton. “But now, for her to know, yeah, she can (score), we can go to her a little bit, I think, is good. It just makes us that much tougher to guard. Now that she’s settled in OK, now it’s that time. Yeah, maybe we do go to her for some big plays, but when we need a basket and feel confident, she feels confident in that.”

At the same time, sophomore guard Kendall Standfest and junior guard Alyssa Wypych are both consistently around the team lead in scoring night in and night out since the injury to senior forward Janie Tormanen.

“I think it’s exciting, with the rivalry coming up, to be playing well, a lot of players stepping up,” Clayton said. “I think we have to come in with that mindset of, ‘Hey, it is a rivalry game, so you have to come with all that fire, all that urgency, all that energy stuff, start to finish, making things difficult for them, and just knowing it’s going to be a battle the whole time.’

“Kendall and Alyssa playing well helps. If we get everybody playing confident, aggressive, it should be a great night.”

Scouting the Wildcats

The No. 20 Northern Michigan Wildcats come into Thursday 21-5 overall and 12-4 in GLIAC play after a weekend that saw them split, losing to Wayne State Thursday, but beating Purdue Northwest Saturday. They topped the Huskies earlier this season, 74-46, on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Senior guard Jacy Weisbrod leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. The Huskies kept her to just three in Houghton.

Senior guard Sarah Newcomer averages 11.5 points per game as the only other Wildcats player averaging in double figures. She posted a career-high 27 against the Huskies the first time around.

Game time

The Huskies and Wildcats will battle Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Vandement Arena in Marquette.