Lakers outscore Huskies 21-3 at free throw line
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. – The Michigan Tech men’s basketball team fell to a well-rounded No. 14 nationally-ranked Lake Superior State team 82-72 at the Ronald ‘Bud’ Cooper Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
“There was definitely some good from tonight, the guys didn’t stop fighting but we got out-toughed for some stretches in that game and that can’t happen if you’re trying to beat this team,” head coach Josh Buettner said. “Our two biggest keys to the game were rebounding and turnovers and we didn’t do that. If we take care of the boards and take care of the ball I think we’ve got a better chance and those things are correctable.”
Michigan Tech (12-5, 7-2 GLIAC) saw three players reach double-figure scoring, led by junior guard Marcus Tomashek (23 points) but couldn’t overcome Lake Superior State (16-3, 7-2 GLIAC) as the Lakers’ top three scorers produced 52 of the teams 82 total points.
Tyson Edmondson (13 points) and Adam Harakow (seven points) helped propel the Lakers, who entered tonight were 7-0 at home, to a 10-point lead heading into the halftime break after leading from the opening tip and jumping out to a 7-0 start in less than two minutes played.
Veteran guard Adam Hobson provided a spark for the Huskies off the bench, knocking down two 3-pointers in a minute to make it a 17-15 game with 11:57 to go in the half–finishing the opening 20 minutes as Michigan Tech’s leading scorer with eight points.
The Lakers got 17 free throw attempts in the opening frame, connecting on 11 foul shots compared to just 3-for-4 from the charity stripe for the visitors in that time.
The second half showcased both teams scoring 44 points, with Tomashek producing 21 second half points as the Lakers Hunter Soper dropped 19 points, including 5-for-6 from long range as the duo went back-and-forth on multiple possessions trading 3-pointers.
The Black & Gold trailed by as many as 18 points in the final half and made it a single-digit deficit with 7:29 to play on a 3-pointer by Pete Calcaterra (69-6) and then once again with 3:44 to play (72-64). However, the Lakers had an answer every time and ultimately regained the double-digit lead down the stretch to snap a four-game win streak for the Huskies, with the final score showing the Lakers ahead 82-72 at the final buzzer’s sound.
Following Tomashek, Hobson (11 points) and redshirt freshman Gabe Smith (10 points) reached double-digit scoring. Dawson Nordgaard recorded a team-leading six rebounds.
Edmondson’s 21 points led the way for the Lakers, with Soper (19 points) and Harakow (12 points) also reaching double-figures. Soper also added a team-leading eight rebounds.
Up Next
The Huskies continue the road trip traveling downstate to face No. 8 nationally-ranked Ferris State on Saturday, slated for a 3 p.m. start time.
