Michigan Tech guard Aubrey Johnson attempts a layup during a game against Wisconsin-Parkside Thursday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — For the second straight game, the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball did half of their job really well. They held the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers to just 61 points Thursday evening at the SDC Gym.

The only problem they had? The Huskies scored just 46 points, tying their lowest output of the season, in a 61-46 loss. With the loss, the Huskies fell to 15-12 overall and 9-10 in GLIAC play.

“Obviously, a rough offensive night again,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton. “(We were) what, 2-for-16 from three. I think our league is too good. You can’t have shooting nights at 10%.

“We defended them pretty well to hold them to 61. They’re a good offensive team. So, kind of similar to Monday. We defended well enough. We have to find a way to get in a rhythm offensively, and create some easier shots. Both teams switched a lot of screens against us, which has hurt us, because we’re not taking advantage of mismatches, per se.”

The numbers get even worse when considering the third quarter, where the Rangers outscored the Huskies, 24-6. Michigan Tech was just 1-for-12 shooting in the 10-minute span.

Sophomore guard Ella Mason led the Huskies with 11 points.

Junior guard Alyssa Wypych finished with 10, but was held to just 17:30 of playing time as she was consistently in foul trouble.

“She just had to keep coming out because of foul trouble,” Clayton said. “She had two early in the first half, and then picked up her third in the third quarter, and then her fourth. So, just tough to get her in a rhythm. She was playing great offensively, but kept getting fouls.”

Clayton lamented the missed shots as they seemed, in her eyes, to drain the confidence of her shooters.

“I think part of it is a confidence piece,” she said. “When we miss a couple shots, and then they get them, we’re less aggressive. I think part of it is just the pace of our offense. I feel like we’re not sprinting into screens, sprinting out of screens. So, we’re not making the defense chase a ton.

“I think (there could be) a few different factors. There could be some fatigue, (we’re) getting (to) that point in the season.”

The Huskies did receive a boost from freshman guard Aubrey Johnson and junior guard Brittney Mislivecek. Johnson played 13 minutes and scored two points, but also showed her ability to play defense. Mislivecek had four points in 10 minutes of action.

“We played people a lot of minutes, and I thought our bench was phenomenal,” Clayton said. “They seemed fresh and ready, and their cuts were sharp. They got good looks when they came in. So, shout out to them. I feel like they earned more minutes moving forward.

“I thought Aubrey and Brittney just brought energy. They had pace on their cuts. They attacked the basket hard to score, (they) were decisive. They defended hard. They had some tie ups. They had great ball pressure. So, really, they did everything.”

Wisconsin-Parkside hit six of its first eight shots to jump out to an 11-4 lead in the first 4:16, forcing a Michigan Tech timeout. Lexi Bugajski accounted for seven points on 3-of-3 shooting as Lillie Peterson added four points and Cassidy Arni splashed in a triple.

The Huskies outscored the Rangers 8-7 to end the quarter, trailing 18-12. Wypych converted an and-one and Mason connected on a triple for the Huskies to be the team’s leading scorers.

Wypych opened the second quarter with four-straight points to help diminish the Rangers’ lead to just four points, 24-20, by the under-five media time out. But, the visitors closed out the quarter strong to head into the locker room pacing Michigan Tech by eight points, 31-23.

The trio of Arni (10), Peterson (8) and Bugajski (7) totaled 25 of the Rangers’ 31 points in the first half as part of the team’s 37.9 percent shooting from the field.

Wisconsin-Parkside came out red-hot to start the second half, putting together a 10-0 run to force a Michigan Tech timeout, as the visitors got out to their largest lead of the day, 41-23, with 7:14 to play in the third.

The Huskies won the final period 17-6, but it was not enough to overcome the low-scoring third quarter, as the Rangers cruised to the victory.

Peterson and Bugajski finished with 15 points, respectively, to lead the Rangers. Peterson and Arni also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

Up next

The Huskies conclude the regular season on Saturday, welcoming Roosevelt to the SDC Gym for Senior Day. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m.