Panthers track down Huskies 77-71

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Marcedes Leech Jr. posted 23 first half points to help Davenport defeat Michigan Tech 77-71 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball Saturday at DU Student Center.

The Huskies tied the game 51-51 with 11:34 to play in the second half, but Tech struggled to stop James Felton in the post and committed 14 turnovers in the loss. Felton finished with 21 points.

Michigan Tech (7-17, 4-11 GLIAC) was led by Adam Hobson, who had 17 points and went 5-for-9 from the field. Marcus Tomashek (14 points), Eric Carl (12 points), and Dan Gherezgher (11 points) also contributed on offense.

Trailing by eight in the final five minutes, Gherezgher rolled in an athletic layup and Adam Hobson downed a triple to get the Huskies back within four with 2:37 remaining. Following a pair of free throws by Sterling Jordan, Hobson's layup kept Tech within two possessions.

After a defensive stop, Hobson connected one of two free throws but a foul on Pete Calcaterra sent Felton to the line with 30 seconds left. Hobson, Gherezgher, and Calcaterra each had 3-point looks in the final minute, but the Huskies failed to muster a late comeback.

"We had some of the same problems today that we've had all season on the road," said head coach Josh Buettner. "We didn't bring enough urgency from the start. Then turnovers were definitely part of the issue. I thought once we turned it over once or twice against the zone and they deflected those passes, we got hesitant. With (Davenport's) length and athleticism, when the ball isn't poppin' and we aren't hitting guys in rhythm to shoot, that's the result. It all stems from taking care of the ball for us. Hopefully, we can play well in these last three at home and earn a chance to make one more road trip."

Dawson Nordgaard provided a spark off the bench with six points at the rim to begin the second half and Carl went 3-for-4 from downtown.

The Huskies shot 40.7 percent overall (22-54) and 31.4 percent (11-35) from long range. Davenport connected 58.7 percent of shots (27-46), including 50 percent (9-18) outside attempts. Leech entered the afternoon tied for the conference lead in points per game and was an efficient 10-for-16.

Josh Terrian helped limit Leech to six points in the second half but the redshirt sophomore poured in 30 points overall, including six 3-pointers.

Michigan Tech returns home to face Purdue Northwest Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at SDC Gymnasium. The Pride remained a half-game ahead of MTU, tied for seventh place in the standings with three regular season games to play.