Michigan Tech guard Soraya Timms works to keep the ball away from a Ferris State defender during a game Saturday, Jan. 10, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With losses last week to Davenport Thursday and No. 1 Grand Valley State Saturday, the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team has dropped three of their last four games and have fallen to 12-8 overall this season and 6-6 in GLIAC play.

Of the two losses, Huskies coach Sam Clayton was more disappointed with the first one to the Panthers, a team Michigan Tech beat at home earlier this season.

“I thought Thursday was pretty disappointing,” she said, “just the energy there, the urgency. We came out and missed a lot of shots, and I thought that affected then how we were defending, and our urgency, on that end, which can happen. It’s got to be our defense leading to that offense, because you can control so much more on that end with the urgency and things like that. Credit to Davenport, they came out ready to go. They made some tough shots.”

While the Huskies lost by 14 to the Lakers Saturday, Clayton was much more enthusiastic about how her team performed.

“I thought we responded well, Saturday,” she said. “Again, not a win, so that still kind of stinks. But, we competed better. We came out with better fire and urgency, so that was good to see.”

Clayton pointed out two young players who really stepped up their games against the Lakers, sophomore guard Kendall Standfest and freshman guard Bella Hanna.

“I think when we did move the ball, we got some great back cuts, we got some great looks, and it was good to see players come off the bench and play well,” Clayton said. “I thought Bella Hanna was really good for us. When I’ve given her significant minutes, she’s been great. She’s made great passes. She made a couple big shots against them, defended well. So proud of her.

“Then Kendall’s been playing well, I feel like, the past couple weeks, really aggressive, really confident. I thought both games she showed up with a good fire and urgency.”

Clayton praised Standfest for picking up her game while senior forward Janie Tormanen is out injured.

“That’s good to see kind of her stepping into that role, which we needed with Janie being out,” said Clayton. “We needed someone to step up (and be) that kind of a vocal, that fire, that Janie brings. (We are) kind of missing that from a senior perspective.”

Since scoring 20 points against Wayne State on Thursday, Jan. 22, Standfest has racked up four straight games in double figures, her longest such streak this season.

“It is exciting because Kendall has such a high upside,” Clayton said. “To see her start stepping back into kind of who she was last year, and then hopefully even growing on that, even looking for her three, shooting that more confidently and shooting it well, where people got to come out and respect that.

“(She is) another player that can create for others as well, great passer. She rebounds really well. So, those are the things we need her to do, and what we told her to focus on, too. The defensive side of things, which she has been doing, and then her offense has kind of come along. Continuing to defend, use her length, use her athleticism, and just continue to play confident will be huge for us.”

Hanna, playing in just her sixth game of her career Saturday, saw 25 minutes of action against the Lakers and even scored her first five career points in the process.

“I feel like freshman year is always a tough adjustment, and for her being six hours from home, I think that was tough,” said Clayton. “She’s a triplet, so missing her sisters and her family. I think it’s just kind of taking her a minute to settle in, to get used to what we do offensively, what we used to do defensively, getting used to all of that. But, I think she’s pretty comfortable now in what we’re doing, and in how she can help us, which she gives us a threat at the rim. She can attack off the bounce and finish in a variety of ways. We can post her up against small guards.

“She has grown a ton, and I think a lot of it has been that mental side of, OK, settling into what we do, getting that confidence of, yes, she can play here. Yes, she can contribute. Getting used to playing with her teammates, everything like that. But, it’s been great to see, and I’m super excited just to kind of see where she goes in the next few weeks, too.”

Scouting the Lakers

The Lake Superior State Lakers come into this weekend 5-15 on the season overall and 2-10 in conference play after a weekend that saw them drop both games to Roosevelt and Wisconsin-Parkside. The Huskies beat them back on Saturday, Jan. 17, 68-57, on the road.

The Lakers are led by senior forward Grace Bradford, who is averaging 14.9 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game as well. Redshirt junior guard Dara Capaldi is having a strong season as well, averaging 12.2 points per game.

Scouting the Cardinals

The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals are 5-15 on the season and 3-9 in GLIAC play after a weekend that saw them split, losing to Wisconsin-Parkside Thursday and then defeating Roosevelt Saturday. The Huskies beat them on the road earlier this season 59-40.

Junior forward Megan McCalla leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. Senior guard Lydia Meredith has been good, averaging 11.7 points per game. Freshman guard Kaitlyn Geurink is also off to a great start to her career, averaging 10.3 points per game.

Game times

The Huskies and Lakers will battle Thursday, with the opening tip set for 5:30 p.m. at the SDC Gym. Saturday, the Huskies and Cardinals are set to start at 12 p.m.