Nordgaard leads Huskies with 15 points
DULUTH, Minn. — The No. 13 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men’s basketball team gritted out a physical defensive battle in a 57-48 decision over Minnesota Duluth at the 2025 American Family Insurance Classic inside the Ramona Gymnasium on Friday night.
In a game that showed the more physical team would win, veteran forward Dawson Nordgaard led all scorers with 15 points on six-of-nine shooting to go with five boards and two steals. Freshman guard Jesse Napgezek impressed with 14 points on five-of-six from the field while going 4-for-6 from the charity stripe in 21 minutes.
Senior guard Marcus Tomashek had 10 points, including a huge 3-pointer down the stretch to put the game away, as Nate Abel and Josh Terrian recorded a team-high seven rebounds.
The Huskies earned their first win over the Bulldogs on the road since the 2016-17 season, snapping a seven-game losing skid. Michigan Tech elevates to 4-1 overall as Minnesota Duluth drops to 3-1.
“I’m really happy with our effort tonight, winning in that gym is a big-time accomplishment,’ said Tech head coach Josh Buettner. “Outside of a two-minute stretch, I loved our focus. We have another huge challenge tomorrow.”
Both teams struggled to find offensive success in the first half as both teams shot under 20 percent from 3-point range and under 30 percent from the field. Halfway through the opening period, it was a 12-9 affair following a made 3-pointer by the Bulldogs’ Matt Thompson.
Nordgaard got up to six points with a basket with one minute to go and Matt Schmainda and Abel combined for three free throws to close the half ahead 23-21 after five ties and five lead changes in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Although Michigan Tech still struggled from long range in the second half, the Huskies shot 46.2 percent from the field and went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line in both halves. Gabe Smith gave the Black & Gold a boost in the opening minutes, scoring five points with a 3-pointer and a layup to give Michigan Tech its largest lead of the game at 32-24 with 15:59 to go.
By the 11:49 mark, the lead had grown to 10 points with layups by Nordgaard and Napgezek.
The Bulldogs would not go away quietly, finding a 13-point run to erase the sizable lead by the Huskies before a triple by Napgezek made it 40-37 to halt the scoring drought at the 8:12 mark.
UMD made it a one-possession game multiple times down the stretch before the Huskies went on a 7-2 run with two free throws by Tomashek, a layup by Nordgaard and a triple by Tomashek with 49 seconds left, making it 53-46.
The home team would find a layup by Caleb Siweck before being forced to foul the Huskies, translating into two free throws made by Abel and then Tomashek to decide the game at 57-48.
Caleb Siwek led the Bulldogs with 12 points as Jackson Fowlkes added 10 points and Peyton Rogers corralled a team-high six rebounds.
Up Next
The Huskies wrap the 2025 American Family Insurance Classic on Saturday, facing St. Cloud State at 2:30 p.m. (EST).
