Preview: Men’s basketball on the road again

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech men's basketball hopes to carry its winning momentum into the weekend with a pair of games at Lake Superior State, followed by a single game Tuesday night against rival Northern Michigan. The Huskies swept their first road series of the season when they downed Northwood February 15-16.

LAST TIME OUT: Owen White posted 26 points in his first game of the season to help the Huskies defeat the Timberwolves 62-49 Friday in Midland. MTU strung together a 17-0 run near the midway point of the game, which offset Northwood's early momentum. Trent Bell picked up eight rebounds and Carter Johnston dished five assists. The Huskies shot 52-percent.

Saturday, efficient shooting and a double-double by White keyed a 68-63 victory at Riepma Arena. Tech shot 52-percent (23-for-44) overall and White finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

WHITE WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michigan Tech Junior Guard Owen White claimed GLIAC Men's Basketball North Division Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.

White scored 26 points to lead the Huskies to a 62-49 victory over Northwood Friday afternoon in Midland, Michigan. It was the first game of the season for White, who shot 10 of 16 from the field and added six rebounds (three offensive) and four assists. White played a team high 36 minutes. 

The following day, White impressed again with 23 points for 49 points on the weekend. White achieved a double-double with 11 rebounds and six assists, all team highs.

"Owen has really stepped up his game and worked really hard on both his 3-point shooting and his inside game," commented MTU head coach Kevin Luke. "I'm really happy for him because he deserves some recognition. I know his goals aren't about individual accolades, but when they come as a result of doing things the right way and making an impact for our team, it's really nice. 

JOHNSTON QUIETLY CONTRIBUTES: Junior guard Carter Johnston leads the team in assists per game and has steadily increased his role this season. The Beaverton, Michigan started one game as a sophomore and averaged 11 minutes, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 points. This year, Johnston is well ahead of that pace with four starts, 32 minutes per game, 1.3 points, and 4.0 assists. The Johnston family has a history of athletic success at Michigan Tech. His father Jeff played basketball for the Huskies and his mother Stephanie excelled in volleyball.

CATEGORY LEADERS:

Points – Owen White, 24.5 PPG

Rebounds – Owen White, 8.5 PPG

Assists – Carter Johnston, 4.0 APG

Blocks – Trent Bell, 1.3 BPG

Steals – Dawson Bilski, 2.0 SPG 

SCOUTING THE LAKERS: Lake Superior State (2-2) split against Purdue Northwest last week in a pair of close contests. The team proved capable on offense and scores 78.0 points per game with a 47.6-percent field goal percentage.

Following a 12-16 overall record during the 2019-20 season, the Lakers are looking to improve their record and challenge for a spot at the top of the GLIAC standings. The Lakers are led by Head Coach Steve Hettinga, the all-time winningest coach in LSSU men's basketball program history. Hettinga is in his 14th season in the role this year.

One key addition to this year's Lakers roster is the return of Malek Adams to the lineup. Adams was named First Team All-Conference as a junior in 2018-19 but missed the entire 2019-20 season due to a knee injury. As a junior, Adams averaged 16.0 points per game with a 49.0 shooting percentage and a 40.9 percentage from outside the circle.

Other key returners for the Lakers this season include junior guard C.J. Robinson, sophomore guard Nigel Colvin, and junior guard Justin Fischer. Robinson is the only returning player to have started all 28 games for the Lakers last season and ranked second on the team in assists (87). Colvin, who was a top freshman in the GLIAC last season, had the most points among all returning players on the Lakers last season with 307 and 11.0 points per game. Fischer led the team last season with a 51.0 shooting percentage, 97 assists and his 124 rebounds is the most among returning players.

The Lakers were picked to finish third in the GLIAC pre-season coaches' poll.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: The Wildcats (2-2) finished 13-17 overall in 2019-20, 9-11 in the GLIAC. Tabbed to take third in the North Division this season, NMU is off to a moderate start this winter with splits against both Wisconsin-Parkside and Saginaw Valley State so far. Northern Michigan scores by committee but Sam Taylor is the team leader at 12.5 points per game.

Matt Majkrzak was named head men's basketball coach in 2019 and guided the team to the GLIAC semifinals following an upset win over top-seed Ferris State. The Wildcats also upset Grand Valley State in Allendale 75-73 during the regular season.