Tomashek Leads Huskies Past No. 24 Wildcats Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 24 Northern Michigan (19-7,12-2 GLIAC) | 37 | 32 | 69 |
|
Michigan Tech (9-14,6-8 GLIAC) | 32 | 48 | 80 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Michigan Tech men's basketball sophomore guard Marcus Tomashek scored 34 points to propel Michigan Tech over No. 24 Northern Michigan, 80-69, in front of a crowd of 1,300 at the SDC Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies have won three in a row, besting the Wildcats for the first time since Jan. 31, 2022, to elevate to 9-14 overall and 6-8 in the GLIAC. Northern Michigan has now lost its second conference game of the season to fall to 19-7 overall and 10-2 in the loop.
"We didn't know what they were going to do once we found out Max wasn't going to play," head coach Josh Buettner said "The second half we made our bigs guard the perimeter and got some switches. The clash of styles turned in our direction and that was the tale of two halves and how the game turned out. It's fun to see Marcus get hot and he's had stretches in games this year where he's gone off like that–when you have a guy that's hot and is gonna make shots you give him the ball. That's something I learned from Coach Luke a long time ago."
The Huskies went into halftime trailing the No. 24 Wildcats 37-32 with a buzzer-beater by Tomashek making it a five-point game. He shot 50 percent from the field to lead all scorers with 14 points, while Dan Gherezgher added nine points while shooting three-for-five from the field.
The Wildcats led by as much as nine points in the first half, coming at the 5:07 mark, when Dylan Kuehl hit a 3-pointer to make it 28-19.
Michigan Tech opened the second half with an 8-3 run to make it a one possession game in under four minutes played with a 3-pointer from Tomashek making it 42-40, forcing the Wildcats to take a timeout and talk things over.
Tomashek would then begin his takeover, hitting three 3-pointers and a jump shot over two minutes to tie the game at 51-all before giving the Huskies its first lead of the second half with 11:15 to play.
The Huskies would sustain the lead, with Pete Calcaterra adding five points for the Black & Gold on back-to-back possessions to keep the Wildcats behind by two possessions at 65-61 with 6:47 to play.
The crowd erupted with 3:34 to play as Adam Hobson got a steal and pushed the ball upcourt, capped off with a monster fastbreak dunk by Dan Gherezgher to make it 70-65 heading into a media timeout.
Northern Michigan's Sam Privet attempted a comeback, cutting the Huskies lead to three with a 3-pointer at the 2:19 mark, although the 'Cats would not get any closer. Hobson would answer the call on the next possession, knocking down a 3-pointer of his own.
Northern Michigan was forced to foul after missing a 3-pointer with 59 seconds to go, seeing Hobson and Gherezgher go two-for-two from the charity stripe before concluding the game at 80-69.
"We're feeling pretty good about ourselves and we've played a lot better in these last three games than we have most of the season," Tomashek added. "My teammates trust me to make shots and I know that I have four guys around me that are good players too but I had a good matchup that I was able to take advantage of."
Tomashek, for the fifth game this season, scored over 30 points, with his 34 being a game-high. The Green Bay, Wisconsin, native also added nine rebounds. Dan Gherezgher had a notable game with 22 points to be the second-highest scorer in the game. Tech also got vital points from the bench, with Hobson and Calcaterra combining for 17 points.
Carson Smith led four Wildcats in double-figure scoring with 20 points. Sam Privet had a team-leading six rebounds to go with 11 points.
Up Next
The Huskies take to the road for the final time during the regular season, traveling downstate for matchups against Wayne State Thursday and Saginaw Valley Saturday.
