Huskies couldn’t overcome slow start
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – The No. 13 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men’s basketball shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half, but were unable to overcome a 42-23 first half deficit, falling to Missouri-St. Louis 79-57 on Friday at the D2 Midwest Region Tipoff hosted at the JustAGame Fieldhouse in the Wisconsin Dells on Friday afternoon.
“We completely no-showed today, credit UMSL for having the urgency that I hoped we would have,” said Michigan Tech head coach Josh Buettner. “It’s on me for not doing and saying the right things to have us ready to go.”
Michigan Tech (2-1) fell behind early in the first half as Missouri-St. Louis (1-2) shot 55.2 percent from the field while winning the rebounding battle 23-9, including six offensive boards. The Tritons led from the opening minutes and saw their lead grow to as much as 19-points with 34 seconds remaining in the half.
UMSL also took advantage of the free throw line, cashing in on nine-of-11 attempts compared to one-of-five for the Black & Gold.
Sophomore guard Ty Fernholz provided a spark off the bench as the Black & Gold endured multiple scoring droughts in the opening period, shooting 32.1 percent from the field and 4-for-13 from deep, with Fernholz going two-for-four to add six points while veteran Marcus Tomashek led the Black & Gold with eight-points heading into halftime down 42-23.
Fernholz chipped away at the Tritons’ lead midway through the second half with back-to-back triples with Josh Terrian assisting, cutting the deficit to 18 (62-44) with 11:34 to go.
UMSL maintained a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half, with a jumper by Tomashek with 10:09 to play making it a 14-point game, the closest the Huskies would get before Missouri-St. Louis would claim the game by a score of 78-57.
The Tritons won the rebounding battle 36-18 with 11 offensive boards on the day to go with 13 steals that translated into 20 points.
Tomashek and Fernholz scored in double-figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Gabe Smith had a team-high three steals and seven rebounds to go with five points, as Terrian had a team-leading four assists. Grant Warren amassed three blocks off the bench in 14 minutes of action.
Three Tritons reached double-digit scoring led by Taye Moore’s 27 points, while Jake Hamilton added 18 and Vincent Davis III finished with 12. Davis III and Quenton Parker led the way with eight rebounds, respectively.
Up Next
The Huskies will complete the two-game weekend at the D2 Midwest Region Tipoff Saturday, facing GLVC foe Maryville at 2:00 p.m.
