Huskies grind to 65-62 win over Cardinals
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saginaw Valley State (2-9,2-9 GLIAC) | 34 | 28 | 62 |
|
Michigan Tech (8-3,6-3 GLIAC) | 22 | 43 | 65 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Finding their spark in the second half, the Huskies outlasted Saginaw Valley State in men's basketball 65-62 Saturday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. Michigan Tech tallied a weekend sweep over the Cardinals after turning the momentum of the game and improved to 8-3 overall. Tech attempted 32 shots from the 3-point line, connected on 12, and limited turnovers to 13 in the game.
"There is no question that this was a tail of two halves," said head coach Kevin Luke. "We missed a lot of good open shots in the first half and we weren't as intense defensively to start as we were yesterday. Our second half was much more fluid. We made some shots, took care of the basketball, and were very good defensively."
Owen White led the way on offense with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Eric Carl also pitched in 17 points and Dawson Bilski finished with 14 points. However, it was Carter Johnston who may have made the biggest contribution as he helped turn the tide back in the Huskies favor with his strong play early in the second half. Johnston finished with six points and added four steals, six assists, and four rebounds.
Saginaw Valley grabbed the upper hand early with a 15-5 run to start the game. The Huskies struggled from the field and made just 29-percent of shots taken in the opening 20 minutes. Meanwhile, SVSU shot 38.9-percent and 41-percent from beyond the arc to lead 34-22 at halftime.
After the break, Carl and Bilski wasted little time downing back-to-back three pointers in the same corner to get the Huskies back to a 4-point margin 40-36. Then Carter Johnston snagged a pair of steals and Tech cashed in on the extra possessions to take the lead back 50-49 with 7:49 left to play, including a nifty reverse by Johnston.
"We have a lot of guys that can be our leading scorer on any given day, but I felt that it was Carter's effort to start the second half that really gave us that energy required to start locking down defensively," Luke said. "The things he did to force turnovers are the types of things that take an average team and makes them great."
Michigan Tech extended its advantage to six but Cardinals leading scorer Darnell Hoskins Jr. remained lethal as the teams headed into the final minute separated by just a point.
Both White and Bilski pulled down two crucial rebounds. Bilski dove on defense. Then White hauled in his own rebounds and immediately went back up for the lay in. Bilski subsequently forced a steal to seal the win 65-62.
The Huskies shot 20-for-50 (40-percent) overall and 12-for-32 (37.5-percent) from 3-point range, including eight makes in the second half. Carl made 5 of 10 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 6-for-11 overall.
Michigan Tech collected 31 rebounds, compared to 38 for Saginaw Valley State. Both teams made moderately frequent trips to the free throw line and MTU went 13-for-18 (72.2-percent). SVSU finished 9 of 10 (90-percent) from the stripe.
Hoskins Jr. led the Cardinals with 20 points (7-for-14) and four 3-pointers. Tre Garrett amassed 10 rebounds and seven points in 26 minutes off the bench and Delano Smith nearly missed a double-double with nine points, nine boards.
Saginaw Valley State shot 38.3-percent (23-for-60) in the game and 38.9-percent from downtown. Michigan Tech outscored SVSU 43-28 in the second half.
The Huskies (8-3, 8-3 GLIAC) continue the regular season with two games at Davenport beginning Friday, February 12 at 5 p.m. They currently have sole possession of first place in the North Division. The Cardinals (2-8, 2-8) dropped their fourth straight road game and return home to host Ferris State next weekend.
