Huskies hurt Pride 65-44

HAMMOND, Ind. - Owen White and Trent Bell notched double-doubles but it was stout defense that contributed the most to Michigan Tech's 65-44 win over Purdue Northwest Thursday night at John Friend Court in men's basketball. The Huskies contested jumpers all night and contained the Pride to 26-percent shooting on their home court. It was the fourth straight win for Tech, which improved to 14-5 (10-3 GLIAC). The team improved to 6-1 away from Houghton this season.

"The one number that matters to me in this one is 44 points against," said head coach Josh Buettner. "We came in and executed our defensive game plan perfectly. Purdue Northwest is a team that I feel is much better than their record has shown and we did a heck of a job guarding them. I thought everybody that got in there was sharp and focused. We wanted to take away the three, which we did for the most part and then our bigs really battled in there and made it tough to score."

Both teams got off to a slow start, and neither side scored until the 16:12 mark of the first half. Michigan Tech rallied for a 25-22 halftime lead as Bell reached double figure rebounds. 

After trading baskets over the first stanza of the second half, MTU broke away with a 27-10 run over the final 10:14 to close out the victory. Owen White shot 9-for-16 from the field for 19 points. He also hauled in 13 rebounds, with three assists, two steals, and five blocks over 32 minutes.

"We ran our offense through Owen to start the second half," Buettner said. "He got the buckets early and then started to find guys for open looks. He is an All-American for a reason."

Bell totaled 15 rebounds (three offensive) and 11 points with a pair of steals. He shot an efficient 5-for-8 overall. Adam Hobson created 10 points and Carter Johnston passed a team-high seven assists.

The Huskies were responsible with the basketball, with 11 turnovers 19 assists. The team shot 42-percent, including 30-percent from long range, with 45 rebounds. Purdue Northwest made just 14 baskets on 53 attempts with 16 turnovers and 38 rebounds. Mikell Cooper scored 16 points.

"This was a really great one as a coach because they went out there and did exactly what we told them to do and played hard the entire game," Buettner said. "That is all you can ask for."

Michigan Tech marked four straight wins for the third time this season. The Huskies continue their five-game road trip Saturday afternoon at Wisconsin-Parkside (11-5, 8-5 GLIAC) at 4 p.m. Purdue Northwest (5-16, 2-11) continues Saturday when it hosts Northern Michigan.