Huskies suffer Saginaw setback

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - Michigan Tech battled back in the second half but succumbed 69-58 to Saginaw Valley State in men's basketball Thursday night at James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena. Back in conference play in their first action since December 19, the Huskies committed 24 turnovers as they fell to 3-10 overall, 1-4 in GLIAC play.

Tre Garrett led the Cardinals with 17 points and Freddie McIntosh posted 15 points to help SVSU to their fourth straight win. Adam Hobson (12 points) and Dan Gherezgher (10 points) made it to double figures in the loss for Tech.

The Huskies shot 31-percent from the field (19-for-61) but grabbed 43 rebounds, compared to 30 for SVSU. Trailing 37-27 at the half, Michigan Tech rallied back to a two-possession margin 48-44 with eight minutes remaining. Josh Terrian sparked the team when he received a pair of charges and Tyler Robarge laid a basket off the glass but the Huskies' momentum shift ended with a series of 3-point misses as the Cardinals pulled away late.

"I thought we played hard and fought the whole game," said head coach Josh Buettner. "You just can't win on the road with that many turnovers in this league. Credit to Saginaw for speeding us up with the full-court press early. We didn't execute our offense especially well. Some of it comes down to experience but the bottom line is we have to take care of the basketball. It's been a point of emphasis in practice for over a month but we clearly still have work to do. We will give ourselves a chance to win when we make better decisions and eliminate those losing plays."

Tech shot 19-percent from beyond the arc (19-36) and held the Cardinals to 23-percent (3-13) shooting from downtown. Kevonne Taylor assisted SVSU on defense with five blocks and Chansey Willis Jr. nabbed four steals.

Michigan Tech (3-10, 1-4) continues Saturday in Detroit against Wayne State at 3 p.m. Saginaw Valley State (8-6, 3-1) hosts Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.