Michigan Tech coach Sam Clayton discusses strategy with her team during a timeout during a game against Grand Valley State Saturday at the GVSU Fieldhouse in Allendale. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

ALLENDALE — The Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team trailed by only six points heading into the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short of victory, in a 76-62 decision at No. 1 Grand Valley State at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena Saturday afternoon.

Senior guard Soraya Timms led Michigan Tech (12-8 overall, 6-6 GLIAC) with 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-7 from three. Sophomore guard Ella Mason added 13 points with a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, and sophomore guard Kendall Standfest tallied 12 points (5-of-10) and tied the team-high with five rebounds and three assists.

“I saw a lot more energy and competitiveness that we didn’t see on Thursday,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton. “I thought there were some bright moments when we took care of the ball. We had 12 turnovers in the first half and in the third quarter, we had zero turnovers. That’s where we outscored them. To start the fourth, we had four turnovers early and Grand Valley State took over.”

Grand Valley (20-0 overall, 12-0 GLIAC) jumped out to a lead with three 3-pointers in the first quarter while translating six Michigan Tech turnovers into six points for a 20-9 advantage after 10 minutes of play.

Standfest accounted for five of the Huskies’ nine points as Escanaba native Nicole Kamin (8) and MacKenzie Bisballe (5) combined for 13 points for Grand Valley.

The Huskies kept pace in the second quarter, shooting 55.6% from the field while going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, as the two teams each scored 16 points before heading into halftime, showing the Lakers ahead by 11, 36-25.

Junior guard Alyssa Wypych went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field through the first half to tie the team lead with Standfest at seven points, respectively.

Freshman guard Bella Hanna added five points in the first half in nearly 13 minutes of action, finishing the game with a team-high five rebounds as well.

The Huskies got a boost from Timms and Mason to start the second half as the duo propelled Michigan Tech to a winning quarter, outscoring the Lakers 23-18. Timms scored seven-straight points to start the third before Mason went on a 10-point outburst with two free throws, two 3-pointers and a layup. Sophomore guard Kloe Zentkowski added a 3-pointer late in the quarter before two long-range shots by Timms made it a six-point game entering the fourth quarter, 54-48.

The Huskies won the turnover battle 5-0 in the third quarter.

The depth of the top-ranked Lakers was on display in the fourth quarter, shooting over 50% from the field to outscore the Huskies 22-14 in the period.

Fifth-year guard Kaitlyn Maxwell netted six points in the quarter as Standfest chipped in five points and Mason connected on her second trey of the day. However, the Lakers got 12 points in the paint and five points off of four turnovers by the Huskies, leading by as much as 20 points, 70-50, midway through the quarter, before a layup by Kelly Kray decided the game at 76-62.

Kamin hit a game-high four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 20 points. Paige Vanstee (17), Bisballe (13) and Lexi Plitzuweit (10) also reached double-figure scoring. Bisballe had a team-high 10 boards as Plitzuweit had eight dimes.

Up next

The Huskies are back at home next week, hosting Lake Superior State Thursday before Alumni Day Saturday against Saginaw Valley State.