Huskies advance to GLIAC Championship with 65-59 win over Lakers

• Postgame Interviews with Coach Luke, Trent Bell, and Eric Carl

HAMMOND, Ind. – Balanced scoring and clutch shooting helped Michigan Tech over Grand Valley State 65-59 in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Friday night at PNW Fitness Center. The Huskies will face Ashland in the Championship Sunday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Bell led Tech with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a double-double. Owen White reached 1,000 career points with 17 against the Lakers. Eric Carl was effective with 13 points, including 3 of 5 shooting from the 3-point arc.

"It's a great feeling after a typical hard fought GLIAC semifinal," said head coach Kevin Luke. "Both teams played their hearts out and made it tough on each other, so I feel very fortunate to come out on top tonight. We made some 3-point shots and then gave a couple back but that's just how this league goes. I'm super proud of our guys defensively. To hold Grand Valley State to 59 was just an exceptional effort."

"We played team basketball," said Trent Bell. "We aren't as athletic as a lot of our opponents, but we work together as a team to get a positive result. It's really great to be back in the Championship."

The teams traded the lead early, both shooting over 50-percent in the first half. The Huskies led 34-30 at the break, then created more separation in the opening minutes of the second half and gained their largest lead yet with 16:21 left 43-33. Over the 10-3 run, Carl and Carter Johnston made threes on back-to-back possessions 

Grand Valley State came back to within three points of a tie after Ethan Alderink made a long-range jumper 51-48, and the Lakers trailed by just six heading into the final minute. Trent Bell made a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to give the Huskies a 61-55 margin. Christian Negron countered with a dunk for Grand Valley State and Carl hit two more free throws on the ensuing Tech possession to seal the win with 8 seconds left.

The Huskies shot 41.8-percent (23-for-55) from the field and 37.5-percent (9-for-24) from the 3-point arc. Michigan Tech shot zero free throws in the first half but finished 10 of 12 from the line by the final buzzer. The Huskies relied on their starters for all but six points. After an impressive offensive day in the GLIAC quarterfinals Thursday, Dawson Bilski had seven points and shot 3-for-10 against Grand Valley State.

Michigan Tech (14-6) has won five straight games dating back to the regular season. They advanced to the conference championship for the second year in a row and have a chance to defend their title, which they earned last season over Northwood.