HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Five Michigan Tech freshmen made their collegiate debuts, and they combined for 33 points to help the Huskies claim a 73-63 victory over Wisconsin-Parkside in the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge tonight at the SDC Gym. Rookie Danae Danen tallied 10 points and was one of six Tech players who had at least eight points in a balanced team victory to open the season.

"It's good to get the first win in the books, especially against an in-region opponent,"said head coach John Barnes. "We had a good team effort, and I'm really excited about how the freshmen played."

Michigan Tech (1-0) held a 35-29 advantage at halftime after knocking down six three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.

The Huskies switched to a zone defense as Wisconsin-Parkside (1-1) got within 47-43 at the 13:40 mark of the second half. Eight straight MTU points made it a 12-point game with 9:56 to go. Back-to-back layups by Danen with 7:18 to play gave MTU its largest lead of the night at 63-47. The margin remained double digits all the way through the final horn as the hosts converted eight-of-10 free throws.

"The zone really slowed down their ability to drive to the basket and we were able to capitalize," said Barnes.

The Rangers were forced to take perimeter shots, where they were four-of-18 from three-point range in the contest.

Senior Catherine Rottier and sophomore Sarah Stream tied for team-high honors with 11 points apiece. The duo combined for all of their points in the second half. Senior Jenna Bartels added eight points and a game-high six rebounds.

Michigan Tech shot 45 percent from the floor including an eight-for-16 clip from long range. The home team also benefitted from 15-of-18 free throw accuracy.

UWP shot 46 percent for the game, but received just nine points from its bench compared to 33 for the Huskies.

Michigan Tech will host Lewis, which defeated Lake Superior State 72-62 in an earlier game at the SDC Gym, tomorrow in second day action of the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.

Notes: Freshmen Katie Wysocky (six points) and Lisa Staehlin (four points) both started the game. Amy Storer (eight points) and Katie Zimmerman (five points) both saw their first collegiate action as well ... Tech is now 15-1 all-time against Wisconsin-Parkside.