Three Huskies score 17 points
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After trailing by 22 points early in the second half, the No. 6 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men’s basketball team orchestrated a 17-0 run to take a one-point lead with 43 seconds to play, but ultimately fell shy of victory to Davenport in a 72-69 decision at the Davenport Student Center on Thursday evening.
Michigan Tech (18-3, 9-2 GLIAC) outscored Davenport (12-7, 6-5 GLIAC) 44-29 in the second half, with Ty Fernholz (15) and Marcus Tomashek (12) combined for 27 points in the second half. Fernholz went 5-10 from three in the second half as Tomashek went 4-10 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Nate Abel also accounted for 17 points and had a team-leading 11 points through the first half.
“We didn’t have a single player come ready to play tonight,” said Tech head coach Josh Buettner. “I’m happy we made a run at the end–we took the lead and they came back and hit one. They were missing one of their best players and came out and played free and dominated us in pretty much every aspect of the game.”
Abel opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to take an early 3-0 lead before the Panthers doubled up the Huskies 12-6 at the 12:37 mark as Curtis Jackson went 1-2 from the free throw line.
The Huskies trailed the remainder of the half, with a Jackson 3-pointer with 6:47 remaining giving Davenport its first double-digit lead of the game (26-15).
The Black & Gold had eight costly turnovers in the first half, which translated into 12 points for the Panthers, who got up to their largest lead of the day, heading into halftime from a deep 3-pointer by Jackson with time expiring, making it a 43-25 affair after 20 minutes of play.
Ken Walker (14) and Jackson (13) combined for 27 points as Marshaun Flakes added nine points as part of the Panthers 53.3 percent shooting performance in the first half.
Two baskets to start the second half gave the Panthers their largest lead of the game at 22 points with 17:52 to play off of jumpshots by Jackson and Flakes.
Fernholz hit back-to-back 3-pointers with 9:07 to play, cutting Davenport’s lead to 12 points, although the Panthers maintained a double-digit lead, swelling back up to 16 points off a jumper by Walker with 4:19 to play.
From there, the Huskies held the Panthers scoreless for over three minutes while putting together a 17-point run. Tomashek accounted for six points, while Gabe Smith and Matt Schmainda added four points, respectively, as Fernholz cashed in on a 3-pointer to give the Huskies their first lead since the 19:30 mark of the first half.
After a timeout, Walker hit a timely midrange jumper to retake a one-point lead (70-69) and with seven seconds left, the Huskies had a chance to complete the comeback with a 3-pointer by Fernholz. Although the shot didn’t go in and the Panthers got the defensive rebound and Jackson capitalized on two free throws, ultimately deciding the game after a missed trey by Tomashek before the buzzer sounded.
Abel neared a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds to go with four assists and four steals.
Walker led three Panthers in double-figure scoring with 24 points on 11-19 from the field. Jackson had 19 points and a team-leading eight rebounds as Flakes added 11 points on 4-9 shooting.
Up Next
The Huskies will conclude the road weekend with a Saturday tilt at No. 23 Grand Valley State for a 3:00 p.m. start.
