HOUGHTON, Mich. — Katie Zimmerman scored a career-high 21 points including Michigan Tech's final six points in a 63-58 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament quarterfinal victory today in front of a raucous crowd of 1,313 at the SDC Gym. The Huskies (21-7) did not make a field goal for the final 5:36, but swished eight straight free throws to advance to the GLIAC Final Four, which they will host thanks to a loss by Hillsdale.

Zimmerman drained her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 5:36 to go to put Tech up, 53-48. Grand Valley scored the next six points to complete a 18-3 run and take a one-point advantage. Danae Danen converted a one-and-one at the foul line on the next possession to put the hosts back in the lead for good, 55-54. After two straight defensive stops, Tara Ferris added to the margin with two makes at the charity stripe.

Kim Wyngaard's layup with 41 seconds left cut the margin back to one. Zimmerman made two more free throws, then Tech's defense got another stop — rebounding a Crystal Zick missed 3-pointer at :06. Zimmerman iced the game at the line.

"Our players showed a lot of poise when they made their run," said head coach John Barnes. "We were aggressive shooting the ball all day and it paid off. We also needed Zimm to have a good shooting day against the their zone. She came through big for us."

Tech overcame a quick, 13-6 start to the game by the Lakers by switching to a zone defense after a timeout at the 12-minute mark. The move paid off as the Huskies went on a 14-2 run to grab a 20-16 advantage. The margin grew to as many as 11 in the first half before Tech entered halftime with a 30-21 edge.

The Black and Gold margin was as many as 14 in the second half before GVSU's spurt.

"I felt pretty good after the first one went in," said Zimmerman of her 3-point shooting. "I just tried to find open areas, and my teammates did a great job of finding me and getting me the ball."

Zimmerman finished 5-of-8 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the foul line in registering her career high. The 5-6 guard played just 22 minutes of the contest and was a huge part of the Huskies' bench outscoring the Lakers', 24-0.

Katie Wysocky tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, while Danen also reached double figures with 10 points.

Shooting percentage from the teams were nearly identical. The Huskies gained advantages with a 28-25 rebounding edge and two fewer turnovers.

Michigan Tech, as the team remaining in the GLIAC Tournament with the best record, will host the GLIAC Final Four Friday and Saturday (March 7-8). The Huskies will take on Wayne State Friday at 6 p.m. The Warriors defeated Hillsdale, 67-64, in their quarterfinal today. The second GLIAC Tournament semifinal be played at the SDC Gym at 8 p.m., with the GLIAC Championship game set for 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Notes: Tech will host the GLIAC Final Four for the first time since 1994-95 ... Michigan Tech is now 4-1 all-time in league tournament games against GVSU ... The Huskies' meeting with Wayne State Friday (March 7) will be their first ever in the GLIAC Tournament.