Huskies Men’s Hoops Outlasted by No. 9 Dragons on Sunday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 9 MSU Moorhead | 47 | 38 | 85 |
|
Michigan Tech | 29 | 48 | 77 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech men's basketball team fought hard against No. 9 nationally-ranked MSU Moorhead, outscoring the Dragons 48-38 in the second half before ultimately falling 85-77 at the SDC Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
"The first half we saw some of the same problems we had yesterday," head coach Josh Buettner said. "We fought–that was an easy enough game to lose by 30 or 40 and we came and thought we had some chances. A couple of things didn't go our way but if you don't put yourself in that big of a hole you have a decent chance. We did a pretty good job taking care of the basketball and I think we did a good job on the offensive glass and that shows the fight."
In a game that saw each team score over 40 points in a half, MSU Moorhead (6-0, 0-0 NSIC) poured on 47 points in the opening half at a clip of 60.7 percent from the field and 10-for-12 from the free throw line.
The Dragons would lead from the jump, climbing to their biggest lead at the 6:40 mark, showing a 24-point advantage (36-12) off a Jamir Price 3-pointer. Despite the poor shooting half for the Huskies, MTU went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe to close the half down 47-29. The game would showcase 48 total personal fouls and 59 free-throw attempts between the two teams.
The Huskies (1-5, 0-0 GLIAC) cut the lead to 10 points at the 13:06 mark as Marcus Tomashek connected on a three-point play after hitting a layup while being fouled to make it 57-47. Minutes later, Michigan Tech would cut the lead to four points for the first time since the opening minute of action, with Pete Calcaterra getting a layup and a 3-pointer with Dawson Nordgaard chipping in four points off the low block to make it 62-58 with 9:13 remaining.
The Dragons quickly extended their lead after going two-for-two from the charity stripe and connecting on a 3-pointer on the following possession to make it a nine-point game again.
Calcaterra and Nordgaard would come up big for the Huskies again, combining for seven points to make it a two-point game following a Nordgaard and-one with under six minutes remaining.
The double-bonus would prove to favor MSU Moorhead, as the Dragons pulled away with six made free-throws down the stretch to decide the game 85-77.
Tomashek continued his offensive dominance, having a team-leading 22 points. Calcaterra neared his career-high, scoring 20 points for a season-best while grabbing six rebounds to lead the Huskies. MTU also saw notable performances from Nordgaard and Tyler Robarge. Nordgaard went 6-for-6 from the field for 14 points to go with two rebounds, while Robarge added 10 points and three rebounds.
MSU Moorhead saw five in double-figure scoring, led by Jacob Beeninga with 19 points. Dane Zimmer accounted for 10 points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
Up Next
Michigan Tech will take a brief hiatus from competition, returning on Thursday, Dec. 7, to open conference play as the Huskies welcome Saginaw Valley State to the SDC Gymnasium slated for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
