The Michigan Tech University women's basketball team, ranked 11th in the nation, hit the Hillsdale College Chargers with a 26-0 run in the first half to pull away with an 88-57 win Thursday night in Houghton.
The loss ends Hillsdale's five-game winning streak and leaves the team at 15-7 overall and 11-7 in the GLIAC. The Chargers will look to get back on track at 11 a.m. Saturday against Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Note the early start time at NMU, which is due to the school having a home hockey game Saturday night.
The Huskies, one of the toughest teams to play in all of Division II on their home court, were hitting on all cylinders in the decisive first half. Hillsdale committed 13 first-half turnovers, which MTU converted into 19 points.
Michigan Tech also did an excellent job of forcing Hillsdale to foul on defense. The Huskies went 32-for-40 from the free throw line, the most attempts by a Charger opponent this season. On the other end, Hillsdale shot just 13 free throws, making 10.
There were some bright spots in the loss for Hillsdale. Senior forward Megan Fogt moved into second place on the college's career rebounds list. She surpassed Katie Cezat's career total of 947. With her four boards Thursday, Fogt now has 950 for her career.
Senior Kadie Lowery was cooking offensively with a team-high 17 points, going 3-for-4 from 3-point land. She got off to a good start early in the first half when Hillsdale had a brief 6-3 lead, and came out in the second half firing, piling up 9 points in the second half's first 6 minutes.
Junior Kelsey Cromer played in her first game since Jan. 29, and responded with 10 points, making a pair of 3-point shots.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech athletics