The Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball team (14-13, 11-9 GLIAC) had their heart and soul put to the test, as they had to compete in two overtime games for a total of five straight games going to overtime defeating the Wayne State Warriors (15-10, 13-7 GLIAC) on Thursday 81-78 in overtime, the Huskies unfortunately fell to GLIAC newcomers the Davenport Panthers (13-15, 7-13 GLIAC) 101-99 in overtime.
On Thursday, Feb. 22, the Huskies and Warriors came roaring out of the gate, as MTU led 8-6 just two minutes into the game. The Warriors took a six-point lead, after converting two free throws and a jumper to make it 16-10 with 11 minutes left in the first half. A three by senior Tanner Uren put the Huskies back on top 17-16 with seven and a half minutes left in the first half.
However, the Warriors went back on a hot-streak going on a 13-4 run, to lead the Huskies 29-21 with two minutes left in the first half. A layup by junior Kyle Monroe brought the Huskies to within five going into halftime with the Warriors up 31-26.
The Huskies pulled within two-points on a three by freshman Dawson Bilski to make it 35-33 Tech with 18:32 left in the game. The Warriors went on an 11-4 run to take the 46-37 lead with 14:31 left in the game. A layup by freshman Trent Bell brought the Huskies back within four to make it 49-45 WSU with 11 minutes left in the game.
The Warriors made it an eight-point game once again after converting a layup and a free throw to make it 61-53 with 5:45 left in the game. A 13-4 run by the Huskies tied up the game at 65 apiece, thanks to a tip-in by senior A.J. Grazulis, with 43 seconds left in the game. Nobody scored the rest of the game resulting in overtime.
The Huskies started overtime on a 5-0 run to take a 70-65 lead, just a minute into overtime. Senior Dillon Gordon made it a two-possession game after nailing a three to make it 74-70 with 1:40 left in overtime. Gordon and Monroe each converted a free throw to make it 76-73 Tech with 23 seconds left. Two free throws by Wayne State made it a one-point game at 76-75 with 17 seconds left. Five free-throws down the stretch by junior Bryan Heath put the nail in the coffin for the Warriors, as the Huskies went on to win 81-78.
Monroe led the Huskies with 29 points, followed by Grazulis with 19. Heath finished with 11, while Gordon came off the bench with seven. Bilski knocked down six points, while Bell contributed four. Uren finished with three, while Schuller finished with two. The Huskies were led in rebounds by Bilski, who pulled down eight rebounds. Monroe led the Huskies with five assists, while Bilski and Grazulis each had two blocks.
On Saturday, Feb. 24, Grazluis put the Huskies on the board first with a layup a minute and a half into the game for the early 2-0 lead against the panthers. A three by Gordon put the Huskies up four 11-7 with 14:15 left in the first half. Both teams matched each other basket for basket until a three by Bilski and two free throws by Monroe put the Huskies up 28-20 with 5:43 left in the first half.
The Huskies maintained an eight-point lead after Monroe converted two free throws to make it 37-29 with a minute left in the first half. Grazulis converted a layup right as the buzzer sounded to go into halftime up 41-33.
Two free throws by Monroe put the Huskies up by ten 43-33 just a minute into the second half. Both teams traded basket for basket again, until a three by Davenport made it a two-point game at 54-52 Tech with 13:45 left in the game. However, the Huskies went on an 8-0 run to take a 62-52 lead with 12 minutes left in the game.
A jumper by Heath put the Huskies up 12, 66-54 with 10:51 left in the game. Two free throws by Uren made it 70-56 Tech with nine minutes left in the game. However, the Panthers made a comeback going on a 9-0 run to make it a five-point game 70-65 with seven minutes left in the game. A three by Bilski put the Huskies back up double digits, 75-65 with 6:50 left in the game.
Two free throws and two threes by Davenport made it a one-point game, 77-76 with five minutes left in the game. The Huskies took a six-point lead 82-76 after Monroe converted a free throw. The Panthers took an 84-82 lead following a three with a minute left in the game.
Heath tied up the game for the Huskies with a layup with 44 seconds left. Davenport took an 88-85 lead with 16 seconds left, forcing the Huskies to take a timeout. Following the timeout Heath knocked down a three to tie the game at 88 apiece to force overtime.
A three by Monroe and a free throw by Appleby put the Huskies up 94-92 with two minutes left in the game. The Panthers took the 100-98 lead after a free throw, forcing the Huskies to call a timeout. Unfortunately, the Huskies turned the ball over, giving it to Davenport with 11 seconds left.
Davenport went 1-2 at the free throw line, giving the Huskies a chance to tie up the game, 101-98. Heath got fouled shooting a three and unfortunately went 1-3 at the free throw line, but Kyle Monroe got the offensive rebound, but a missed three by Bilski gave the game to the Panthers.
The Huskies were led in scoring by Monroe with 38, followed closely behind by Heath with 29. Bilski finished with 12, while Appleby contributed eight, and Grazulis finished with five. Uren contributed four, and Gordon contributed three. Grazulis led the Huskies with seven rebounds, while Appleby had seven assists. Monroe, Grazulis, and Bell each contributed a block on the day.
The Huskies also held senior day on Saturday, as seniors Dillon Gordon, Tanner Uren, A.J. Grazulis, and K.C. Borseth were honored for their fantastic careers here at MTU, and the university as a whole, wishes them the best of luck in their futures.
The Huskies will be back in action this Wednesday as they travel to Detroit, Michigan to face the Wayne State Warriors again; tip-off will be roughly at 7:30 p.m. The Warriors took a loss to the Huskies in overtime 81-78, but defeated the Northern Michigan Wildcats 71-70 on Saturday. The Huskies swept the Warriors on the season, defeating Wayne State in Detroit 76-66, and defeated the Warriors in Houghton 81-78 in overtime.
Here’s what the GLIAC tournament looks like: the number one seeded Ferris State Bulldogs (29-1, 19-1 GLIAC) will host the eight seeded Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (12-16, 9-11 GLIAC) in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The number two seeded Lake Superior State Lakers (22-6, 16-4 GLIAC) will take on the number seven seeded Grand Valley State Lakers (14-14, 9-11 GLIAC) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
The number three seeded Wayne State Warriors (15-10, 13-7 GLIAC) will host the number six seeded Michigan Tech Huskies (14-13, 11-9 GLIAC) in Detroit, Michigan.
The number four seeded Ashland Eagles (19-9, 12-8 GLIAC) will host the number five seeded Northern Michigan Wildcats (15-12, 12-8 GLIAC) in Ashland, Ohio.
All games will be winner moves on, with the highest remaining seed hosting the semifinals and finals of the GLIAC tournament.
