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Huskies knock off NMU in showdown for GLIAC North women’s title

Michigan Tech's Cassidy Trotter, left, and Northern Michigan University's Erin Honkala, right, vie for a rebound along with the Wildcats' Sydney Dillinger, back, during their GLIAC women's basketball game played at the Huskies' gym on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette photo by David Archambeau)

By EDDIE O’NEILL

Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

HOUGHTON — With a big smile on her face, Michigan Tech women’s basketball coach Sam Hoyt stood at the top of the ladder and gingerly snipped though the last two strands on net at the south end basket at the Wood Gym.

The first-year head coach turned to her team below and waved the tattered trophy implying that it belong to them, and it did Thursday night.

Hoyt and her team had just clinched the GLIAC North Division with a 60-55 victory over their Upper Peninsula rival, the Northern Michigan University Wildcats.

“I am so happy for our girls. They have worked so hard all season and have grown so much. I think it showed tonight,” Hoyt said. “For our team to win the GLIAC North on Senior Night is pretty incredible.”

The teams were tied in the GLIAC standings headed into Thursday. The Huskies were 19-8 overall and Northern 20-7 as each was 15-4 in the GLIAC.

Tech also secured the No. 3 seed in next week’s GLIAC tournament and a chance to play at home on Tuesday. The Wildcats kept hold of the fourth and final home seed.

Thursday’s game started out slow. Both squads traded buckets in the first 10 minutes and came to a 13-13 tie at the end of one quarter. In the second, shots started to fall more easily for both teams.

An ability to penetrate one of the best defenses in NCAA Division II basketball helped the Huskies as they outscored the Wildcats 24-18 in the paint. Senior Elizabeth Kelliher had numerous shots off the glass. Cassidy Trotter and Ellie Mackay were able to fight their way in and put in layups. The team drew three offensive fouls from NMU trying to cut to the hoop.

The Huskies pulled away to a 33-25 lead at halftime.

Northern coach Troy Mattson noted that his team was without their second-best shooter in Lexi Smith, who was out with a concussion. He thought it made a difference, particularly as the game became close in the fourth.

“Other girls stepped up and played well,” he said. “They put in a great effort.”

He noted in particular the play of sophomore guard Amber Huebner, a Marquette Senior High School graduate who led all scorers with 17 points. He was also pleased with the work of senior post-player Darby Youngstrom. In the third quarter, she hit the 1,000-point mark with a turnaround shot off the glass.

With that score, she became the 26th player in Northern women’s history to accomplish such the feat.

She ended the night with 16 points and nine rebounds.

As the third wound down to under two minutes, Michigan Tech had moved the lead to 44-34.

The Wildcats were not going down easy. In the fourth, they battled hard to put together an 8-0 run thanks to Huebner and Youngstrom to take a 53-51 lead with 3:07 left.

Cassidy Trotter became the Huskies’ heroine as she came down and hit a 3 from the top of the key just 30 seconds later as the Huskies rode that shot to victory.

“That 3 from her absolutely changed the momentum of the game,” Hoyt said. “For her to step up and to take that shot as a sophomore was awesome.”

Trotter had just seven points but added four steals as she hustled at both ends of the court.

While it was a game he thought his team should have had one more shot here or there go in before the final buzzer, Mattson said the focus now is on the tournament.

“We have to get back to work and get Lexi (Smith) and Taylor (Hodell) well and work this weekend on getting ready to play,” he said.

Four Huskies scored in double figures. Abbie Botz and Mackay each had 12 points. Kelliher had 11 points, and Welsh poured in 10.

The Wildcats host Ferris State at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Berry Events Center.

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