Michigan Tech

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women's basketball season began with an exhibition game at Michigan State on Wednesday. The Spartans defeated the Huskies 100-53 at the Breslin Center.

"I thought it was a great experience for our group," Tech coach Eric Gruber said after his debut on the bench leading the Black and Gold. "I was really happy with some things, and they showed us plenty of things we need to work on. After we settled in a little, we started to compete and made them work—which was the goal. They're a really good team, and we knew that coming in, but overall, we felt like we got better today and took a step in the right direction."
 
Katelyn Maxwell poured in a career-high 16 points for the Huskies. She was 6 for 12 from the field and 4 for 9 from beyond the arc. Soraya Timms was also in double figures with 13 points, hitting 5 of 11 from the field and adding three 3-pointers.
 
MSU jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the game and shot 57 percent in the first quarter, jumping out to a 20-point advantage after 10:00.
 
The Huskies were outscored by only four points in the second quarter, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the frame. Claudia Frances scored four points for the Huskies in the paint.
 
The Spartans shot 67 percent in the third and pushed the margin to 34 points. Kaitlyn Maxwell scored eight points in the fourth, and Jenessa Eagle put in a pair of buckets in the final frame, playing at the Breslin Center for the second straight game of her basketball career.
 
For the game, the Huskies shot 36 percent (20 for 55) from the floor, including 31 percent (9 for 29) from 3-point territory. They were also a perfect 4 for 4 from the free-throw line—all off the fingertips of Abbie Pietila.
 
Claudia Frances and Abbie Pietila each added seven points. Kloe Zentkowski and Jenessa Eagle finished with four, and Brittney Mislevecek had one basket.
 
Monique Bobongie scored a game-high 21 points for the Spartans while Carter McCray added 20.
 
Alyssa Wypych saw 1:35 of court time in a return from injury and faced off against her sister Anna for the Green and White.
 
MSU finished the game shooting 59 percent (37 of 63) from the floor and 30 percent from three.
 
The regular season begins for the Huskies on Monday, Nov. 9, when they host Winona State at the SDC Gym.