MARQUETTE, Mich. – Michigan Tech women's basketball sophomore guard Ella Mason netted a career-high 30 points, although it was not enough to overcome No. 21 nationally-ranked Northern Michigan, falling 74-66 in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal at Vandament Arena on Wednesday evening.
The sophomore class accounted for 51 of the team's 66 points as Kendall Standfest added 14 points to join Mason in double-figure scoring and Kloe Zentkowski added seven points and a team-best three steals. Soraya Timms and Alyssa Wypych finished with a team-high four assists, respectively.
"It was a heartbreaking loss," said Michigan Tech head coach Sam Clayton. "I thought we competed hard and showed once again we're right there with one of the top teams in the nation. We have a promising future if we keep working and we're grateful for our seniors for their dedication to this program."
Michigan Tech (16-13, 10-10 GLIAC) earned 22 points off of 14 turnovers from Northern Michigan (25-6, 15-5 GLIAC) in the game as the Huskies won the turnover battle, with just five turnovers on the day—the fewest for a game this season.
The Huskies came out with authority to start the game and jumped out to a 10-3 lead by the 6:16 mark with Standfest hitting two early 3-pointers as Zentkowski and Mason each contributed fastbreak layups in the opening minutes.
Standfest led all scorers with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in the quarter to hold a 16-13 advantage over the home team.
Northern Michigan controlled the second quarter, backed by a 53.8 percent performance from the field while knocking down 4-of-7 triples to outscore the Black & Gold 22-12 in the period. The Wildcats used a 10-0 scoring run capped by a 3-pointer by Jacy Weisbrod with 2:46 to go in the half to give NMU a 25-23 edge, before four-straight points by Whitehouse to make it 35-28 heading into halftime.
The Huskies trailed most of the third quarter aside from an offensive rebound and putback by Maja Kozlowska putting the Huskies back ahead by a point (38-37) at the 6:16 mark. Mason went 4-of-9 in the quarter to lead all scorers with 11 points, although the Black & Gold trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter.
An early 3-pointer by Whitehouse to start the quarter gave the home team its largest lead of the day (57-43). However, the Huskies did not back down and saw 15 points by Mason in the final period, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and going a period 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Mason splashed a 3-pointer to make it a two-point affair with 1:31 to play, but the two teams had timely shots fall down the stretch as CJ Romero knocked down a triple for the home team on the next trip down the floor to make it a five-point advantage.
Free throws by Whitehouse made it a seven-point game before Mason cashed in another 3-pointer to cut the lead back to four with 46 seconds to go. The Huskies had a chance off a Wildcat turnover to make it a one-possession game, but the layup attempt by Mason did not fall and Michigan Tech was forced to foul, ultimately deciding the game after four foul shots by Northern Michigan, for a final score of 74-66.
The Wildcats had three players reach double-figure scoring, led by a career-high 25 points from Whitehouse, who shot 7-of-9 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Weisbrod added 17 points and Newcomer added 16 points and three assists.
