David Archambeau/For the Gazette Michigan Tech guard Kendall Standfest drives around a Grand Valley State defender during a game Saturday, Feb. 1, at the SDC Gym in Houghton.

HOUGHTON — With a pair of losses last week to the Wayne State Warriors and the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals, the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team have found themselves in a hole, having dropped four of their last five games to fall to 9-13 overall and 6-8 in GLIAC play with six games left in the season.

For weeks, coach Sam Clayton has been focusing in practice and games on improving the Huskies’ aggressiveness defensively, feeling that it was not where the Huskies needed it to be yet. They held the Warriors to 66 points, and the Cardinals to 56, but it was not enough.

“I feel like both games we defended hard, and we have turned a corner on that side,” she said. “Now I feel like offensively we’re struggling more than we were earlier in the year. It’s like we kind of flipped, because I felt like we weren’t defending, but we were scoring it.

“Now I feel like we’re defending better and we’re not scoring it.”

Clayton said she feels it comes down to one simple issue.

“I think a big piece is kind of the confidence, the mindset,” she said. “We’re just kind of hesitant with our decisions, with our shooting. (We are) hoping to get that flow back this weekend and not even, I would say, watching a ton of film, because I almost think our players overthink and can get in their heads a little bit that way, but more just remembering all the work we put in and how good of players we do have, and what we’re capable of. I think that’ll kind of flip things for us.”

At the same time, Clayton admits that just when she thought things were good in one aspect of the Huskies’ game, another issue arose.

“It does feel a little bit like whack-a-mole, but, at the same time, I truly enjoy this team,” she said. “I love every single one of our players. So it’s fun to work with them. We will continue to get better. We’ll continue to grow together.

“One of our core values is unity, and I truly believe our team, we are sticking together, and we’re going to figure this thing out. We have the right people in the locker room.”

One player who seems to be figuring things out all over the court is freshman guard Kendall Standfest, who tied her career high for points Saturday against the Cardinals.

“Kendall, she can do things on the floor that a lot of players can’t, and it comes pretty naturally to her,” Clayton said. “Her ability to shoot it, create for others, and just rebound, man, she can rebound.

“Specifically Saturday, she helped us. I don’t know, we were down 10, 8, and she really helped us go on a run where we ended up on top for a bit there, where she made a ton of plays offensively and defensively, and gave us a huge spark. I feel like even on Thursday, Ella (Mason) and Kendall, both our freshmen, gave us that spark, too. So that’s exciting for the future. Not just the future years, but the future this year, the next few weeks here, how we’re going to finish out.”

Clayton has a lot of respect for how well Standfest has transitioned to the college game.

“Then for Kendall to be able to, I think, step up and take those big shots late in the game, that’s tough,” she said. “That’s tough to do. She has the right mindset, where she still attacked the basket hard and got some decent looks at the rim. I think that’s just huge and speaks volumes about her ability mentally, not just physically, to be able to step up for us.”

While Mason does not garner as much playing time or attention as Standfest, she has impressed Clayton while coming off the bench.

“She comes in and consistently makes plays,” said Clayton. “Earlier in the year, one of the question marks was defense, and she’s consistently doing what she needs to defensively with her rotations and such. So, overall, yes, she has earned minutes and people have to respect her out there, especially offensively.

“You have to take away her three. Then, when you do, her pull up is so tough. And she’s actually a really good passer. I don’t know if we’ve seen a ton of that in games, but as she becomes more confident and more aggressive, we’ll see she’s probably one of our best passers too. When she gets into the paint, she can really find people. So looking forward to that kind of developing in the next few weeks as well.

This week, Standfest and Mason look to lead the Huskies on their home court against Ferris State and Lake Superior State.

“I’m really glad we’re back home,” Clayton said. “I’m really glad we’re back home. Do I think we can shoot well on the road? Yeah, absolutely. We’ve proven we can do that, but I’m glad we’re back home.

“Even if it’s just partially a mindset where we’ve gotten up thousands and thousands and thousands of shots in this gym, made thousands of shots, and just relying on that type of confidence, playing in front of our fans, it makes a difference. They bring such energy. We have the best fans in the conference, for sure, best pep band. So, it’s great to be back home.”

SCOUTING

THE BULLDOGS

The Ferris State Bulldogs come into this weekend 16-7 overall and 10-4 in GLIAC play after defeating Davenport, but losing to No. 1 Grand Valley State this past weekend. They beat the Huskies 75-49 earlier this season in Big Rapids.

Senior guard Kadyn Blanchard leads the Bulldogs offense by averaging 17.5 points per game. Junior guard Mia Riley (14.3), junior forward Mya Hamm (12.6), and senior guard Kenzie Bowers (10.1) also average in double figures.

SCOUTING

THE LAKERS

The Lake Superior State Lakers are not finding a lot of success this season. They are 5-17 overall and 2-12 in conference play after losing to both Grand Valley and Davenport.

They are led offensively by junior forward Grace Bradford, who averages 15.0 points per game. Sophomore forward Breah Golden has also been good, averaging 12.1 points per game.

GAME TIMES

The Huskies and Bulldogs will battle Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the Huskies and Lakers are set to tip at 12 p.m.