David Archambeau/For the Gazette Michigan Tech guard Kendall Standfest attempts a jump shot during a game against Saginaw Valley State Thursday night at the SDC Gym.

By DAVER KARNOSKY

dkarnosky@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball coach Sam Clayton has been waiting for a game like the one she saw Thursday night at the SDC Gym. The Huskies had four players in double figures, none of them named Isabella Lenz, and the Black and Gold cruised to an 84-46 win over the visiting Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.

For Clayton, the win came down to a simple factor.

“I think our whole mindset was different from start to finish, offensively and defensively,” she said. “Our urgency, the heart that we played with, there were just so many things it was great to see, and we needed to see it. We stayed aggressive against their pressure, and got good looks. We got a ton of paint touches, 46 points in the paint, so you’re getting those high percentage shots. So, a lot of good things.”

The Cardinals were aggressive throughout the game with their full-court press. Clayton liked how her team dealt with the pressure.

“Saginaw makes you play that way,” she said. “They make you play fast, and they’re going to pressure you the whole time, so you’ve got to go attack it. But, we did a great job against that.”

“It was great to see all of our players be able to go against that pressure, and keep some composure, be able to break it. We had some silly stuff here and there, but when they make you play like that for the whole game, you’re going to have some moments like that.”

In recent games, the Huskies have had scoring lulls that have led to them chasing games in the fourth quarter. Against the Cardinals, the Huskies (6-9 overall, 3-4 GLIAC) did not suffer through those types of situations, scoring 17 points in the opening 10 minutes, 24 in the second, 18 in the third, and another 25 in the fourth.

“What I was really proud of, even when we had two turnovers in a row, or they made a little bit of a run, okay, that didn’t turn into our big spiral like it has in the past,” said Clayton. “We were able to flip it, take care of it the next possession, get a high percentage shot. Great experience for all of our players to go against that (press), because they’re going to press you harder than just about anybody.”

The Huskies were led offensively by freshman guard Kendall Standfest and sophomore guard Alyssa Wypych, both of whom scored 16 points. Add to those totals 15 points by junior forward Maja Kozlowska and 10 by senior forward Emma Anderson, and the Huskies had depth in their scoring, even with just eight points by Lenz.

“It’s always nice when you have a bunch of different players you can go to,” said Clayton. “We had four in double figures, and Bella didn’t score in double figures, which is crazy, and Janie (Tormanen) didn’t. They’re both usually consistently up there. So, we can have six in double figures any given night. It is really nice to have different options when we need a bucket, when we haven’t scored in a while. Just having all these players that I know I can go to, is exciting.”

Clayton felt earlier in the week that she could scheme more plays through Standfest, and Thursday night, that proved to work out well.

“I think it was just all the confidence that my teammates and coaches have in me,” Standfest said. “(They were) just telling me all week I need to be aggressive, be aggressive, be aggressive, and look for my shot, which opens up everything for everyone else. So, I think just being aggressive and having confidence, that was really big for me.

“I think it just shows the trust they have in me, which is awesome. It’s awesome for me to be able to take that role on the team, and everyone have confidence in me. It just makes me that much better of a player when I have confidence and everyone has confidence in me.”

Wypych went 7-for-7 from the floor in the game as she tied her second-highest scoring total of the season. Clayton admitted after the contest that she was not aware of how hot Wypych was.

“I did not realize that in the game, but to get her going is huge, because she’s another versatile player that can really shoot it,” Clayton said. “We saw her post up and finish at the basket. She posted up their best post player, went and finished. If she protects it, and she’s strong with it, she can be really good. She also had to take it out against the press a lot, so (she) had to make some tough decisions in there and be able to really initiate us breaking that press, too. (She also) defended No. 2 (Aleshia Jones), who is their second-leading scorer, 15 points a game, and did a phenomenal job on her as well.”

The Huskies scored 46 points in the paint while holding the Cardinals to just 26. A big part of that was the play of Kozlowska, who used her size and strength to go 7-of-12 from the floor. Anderson went 4-for-7 from the floor as well.

UP NEXT

The Huskies return to action Saturday, when they host the Wayne State Warriors at 12 p.m. at the SDC Gym.