Men’s Basketball Doomed by Michigan Tech’s Deep Ball Dominance in Loss
Courtesy: Northern Michigan University Athletics
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought game Tuesday evening at Michigan Technological University, 73-51.
Tre Harvey put the Wildcats on the board first, forcing a steal and making a layup to open the early week contest. MTU answered back with a 12-0 run to take their first lead.
After falling behind 26-8, NMU came to life with 7:30 left in the first. Alec Fruin made a three-pointer for the Wildcats and then an MTU turnover allowed Justin Kuehl to put two points on the board on a jumper. Kuehl, who scored a team-high 10 points, was fouled on the shot and completed the old-fashioned three-point play to pull the Wildcats within 12.
At the end of the first, the Huskies showed their affinity for the deep ball and made four consecutive three-point baskets to build on their lead and take a 49-20 advantage into the half.
The Wildcats came out of the locker room determined to charge back into the game. A 13-2 run cut the MTU lead to 21 with 13:15 left in the game.
The Huskies kept NMU from capitalizing on the run and built up a 69-40 lead, but the Wildcats did not give up the fight. Two made free throws from AJ Makinen and a layup from Carson Smith in the final seconds closed the 73-51 loss for the NMU team.
Despite the loss, there were encouraging positives for the Wildcats. NMU was able to score 17 points off MTU turnovers and the bench provided 30 points for the Wildcats while the Huskies bench only contributed 15. The second half also saw NMU outscore the home team 31-24.
The next game for the men’s team is Saturday, Feb. 20 in the Physical Education Instructional Facility as the Wildcats host Davenport University at 1 p.m. in the first of a two-game weekend series. The second game of the series will tip-off Sunday at 1 p.m.