PREVIEW: Road trip continues in Minnesota

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech continues its stretch of six straight games away from home Saturday at No. 14 Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m. followed by St. Cloud State Sunday at 2 p.m. Fans can follow the action on AM 920 WMPL Saturday and Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT

• Turnovers and a lack of offensive punch contributed to Michigan Tech's 75-57 loss Wednesday afternoon to No. 24 ranked Missouri St. Louis inside the Mark Twain Building.
• The Tritons balanced their scoring and put up 40 points in the paint to pull away in the second half.
• Tyler Robarge scored 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting with four rebounds in the defeat for Tech. 
• "We came out and played really well in the first 19 minutes," said head coach Josh Buettner. "Mental mistakes at the end of the half set us back. Then they really sped us up in the second. We need to continue to grow and trust our offense to get results."
• Tech has dropped two straight games for the first time this season after falling in the first game of the UMSL tourney to Maryville 86-77.

FOR THE HUSKIES

• Spearheading a young team in search of four-quarter consistency, junior Adam Hobson has been a steady hand for the Husky offense. Averaging a team high 32.6 minutes, Hobson was a preseason All-GLIAC First Team selection. He is averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting an efficient 50-percent from the field, including 43-percent from beyond the arc. 
• Just behind Hobson in the scoring category are a duo of freshmen. Dan Gherezgher excelled at home and is currently averaging 12.2 points shooting 40-percent. Gherezgher's break out performance of 27 points against McKendree helped the Huskies to a 77-67 win. In five starts, he has three double-figure performances.
• Another freshman standout whose name pronunciation often befuddles visiting play-by-play analysts is Marcus Tomashek. Tomashek started the season with 14 points against Lewis University. His first start at guard came against McKendree, and he turned in a season-high 19 points against Maryville at the UMSL tournament. 
• Tomashek was hot all afternoon and connected on 7 of 9 from the floor. He was also perfect from downtown (4-4). The following day, Tomashek racked up nine points and shot 4-for-9 against the stingy defense of nationally ranked Missouri St. Louis. It seems only a matter of time before the talented upstart from Ashwabenon finds consistency at the collegiate level.
• In high school, he scored 1,682 career points and was twice recognized All-State.
• The Huskies' two redshirt freshmen, Dawson Nordgaard and Nate Abel have occasionally provided a spark off the bench when called upon.
• Abel made a basket, then took a charge in the second quarter at UMSL on Wednesday. Look for their games to continue to evolve with added experience.

SCOUTING THE #14 BULLDOGS

• UMD men's basketball proved their ranking in St. Cloud Tuesday night, with a 94-89 win over the Huskies in overtime. It was the second extra-time victory for UMD this season as they improved to 4-1 overall.
• Drew Blair was hot in the first half, scoring 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 4 of 7 from three. Despite the individual effort, St. Cloud State led by as many as 14 before the Bulldogs brought it back to a 10-point margin at halftime.
• A second half 13-0 run stretch helped turn the tide and the teams stayed tight on the scoreboard and headed to overtime. UMD established an early lead in OT and held on.
• UMD shot 50.8-percent overall.
• Blair (redshirt senior, guard) was one of the NSIC's top players last year and started every game. He led his team and ranked fifth in the conference at 18.6 points per game. Also responsible on defense, Blair tallied career highs in steals and rebounds leading to his selection as First Team All-Conference and NABC All-Region.
• Blair was also crucial in the Bulldogs run to the conference tournament championship game as he had a game high 29 points in the Bulldogs win over Upper Iowa. 
• Blair helped contribute to the Bulldogs first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003, their highest ever national ranking (No. 5), and the most wins in a season in over 30 years.  
• Head coach Justin Wienk is in his fifth season. Last year, the Bulldogs broke a school record for wins with 18 straight to start the season and ascended to as high as No. 5 in the National Division II rankings.

SCOUTING THE SCSU HUSKIES

• Suffering defeat in their second true test of the season Tuesday night, the Huskies were upended in overtime against NSIC rival Minnesota Duluth.
• One game prior, Tommy Chatman and Tony Dahl each had 19 points in a loss to Minnesota State 86-68 at home.
• The Huskies hired Quincy Henderson to lead as head coach this season, after he spent the last eight seasons as Associate Head Coach at a very successful West Texas A&M program. 
• This year's roster features experience, with two fifth-year seniors, one senior, and four juniors. 
• The Huskies were selected to finish 13th overall in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
• In the north division, the Huskies were selected fifth in a tie with Minot State.