Michigan Tech Athletics photo, story posted here.

SATURDAY GAME RECAP

HOUGHTON, Mich. – For the second straight day, the Huskies had a chance on the last possession but came up short, 56-54 to Ferris State in men's basketball Saturday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium. The Bulldogs limited their turnovers to 10 and the Huskies struggled from the free throw line as they lost two straight games for the first time this season.

"We are clearly disappointed this weekend," said head coach Kevin Luke. "There is no doubt Ferris State deserves credit but I also think we did not take care of the basketball well enough and we let them rebound at will. We played a little bit better today, but I felt missed free throws were ultimately what cost us the game."

Tech trailed Ferris State 31-30 at halftime. Adam Hobson opened MTU's scoring with an open 3-pointer to make the score 12-8. Both teams were responsible with the basketball and turnovers narrowly favored FSU 4-2 after 20 minutes. The Huskies made it into the double bonus with just under four minutes remaining before the break but were unable to take advantage, making just 5 of 10 free throws.

Michigan Tech appeared poised to seize momentum in the second half after Eric Carl and Owen White knocked down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions out of the gate, but the Bulldogs regrouped and re-took the advantage 50-42. Down by five with one minute, four seconds left, Dawson Bilski swished a 3-pointer to bring the Huskies to a 56-54 margin.

Following a timeout, Reng Deng missed a floater in the lane for Ferris State but Carter Johnston failed to muster a 3-point basket on the opposite end. The Huskies kept the basketball on a scramble for the rebound with 4.1 seconds left and in-bounded to Bilski on the sideline with two defenders in his face. Bilski attempted a shot through traffic, but Vejas Grazulis made the block to end the game.

Walt Kelser led all players with 21 points (8-for-18) and shot 1-for-4 from long range. Ferris state out-rebounded Michigan Tech 37-28.

"We did take better care of the basketball today versus yesterday but overall, we just aren't shooting well," Luke said. "We held our opponents 60 points or less both days, which should win us a lot of games, but we just cannot score in the fifties, especially in our own gym and expect to win. That's the bottom line."

Trent Bell collected 17 points (7-for-14) for MTU and had four rebounds. Owen White posted 16 points, eight rebounds and Adam Hobson was efficient with 10 points (4-for-6), five rebounds, and a pair of made 3-pointers. The Huskies shot 19-for-48 overall (39.6-percent), including 7-for-27 (25.9-percent) from beyond the arc. Tech made just 9 of 19 free throw attempts (47.4-percent).

Ferris State finished 23-for-50 (46-percent) and 2 of 9 (22.2-percent) from downtown. The Bulldogs cashed in on 8 of 12 free throws. Grazulis made an impact with 10 points, two blocks, and four rebounds. Neither team led by double-figures and Ferris State led by a game high eight at 7:58 of the second half. Ferris State scored 36 points in the paint compared to 24 for Tech.

Michigan Tech (6-3, 6-3 GLIAC) finished its torrid stretch of five games in eight days Saturday.

They will return to action Friday, February 5 for the first of two contests against Saginaw Valley State at SDC Gymnasium. Ferris State (6-6, 5-4 GLIAC) hosts Grand Valley State next weekend for a pair of games.

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Shooting woes and turnovers proved costly as Michigan Tech fell 60-57 to Ferris State in men's basketball Friday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium. The Huskies clawed their way back to a one possession game with 46 seconds remaining but failed to summon a final 3-point basket and fell for the first time in six outings. Despite the loss, Michigan Tech featured both top scorers for either team. Dawson Bilski posted 24 points and hauled in 10 rebounds while Owen White managed 18 points, 10 rebounds.

"Ferris State deserves credit," said head coach Kevin Luke. "They played much more aggressively than we did at the start, which kind of set the tempo for the rest of the game. About half way through the second half we felt the urgency we needed and then we had a lot less trouble."

Tech got off to a poor start and trailed 13-5 with just under 13 minutes left in the first half. The team shot just 5-for-19 (26.3-percent) through the opening 20 minutes, 1-for-8 from long range with 10 turnovers. Ferris State also struggled to score and after shooting just 22.2-percent, the Bulldogs led by just five (23-18) at the break.

After a quick second half start by the Bulldogs, the Huskies tried to build momentum and closed the gap back to five after consecutive makes by Eric Carl and Owen White. Mason Pline kept MTU at bay with a 3-pointer and the Bulldogs extended their advantage to 12 at 39-27.

Keeping a striking margin of seven heading into the final three minutes, Trent Bell committed his fifth personal foul. Michael Peterson fouled out two minutes later for Ferris State, putting the Bulldogs in the double bonus. With 46 seconds remaining, Dawson Bilski cut to the basket for a reverse layup and completed the three-point play as the score favored FSU 54-51.

Fouls by Bilski and Johnston on subsequent Ferris State possessions helped the Bulldogs gain a 60-54 advantage. Then White shocked with a 3-pointer with 11 ticks on the clock. Johnston picked off a steal and Owen White found an off-balance 3-point try as the buzzer sounded but it came up well short of its intended target.

Bilski was the Huskies most effective shooter and made 9 of 18 field goals with 4 of 8 makes from beyond the arc. Tech took care of the basketball in the second half and committed just six turnovers. The Huskies pulled down 37 rebounds compared to 36 for Ferris State in the contest. 

Kelser led the Bulldogs with 16 points, three rebounds. Kelser also made 7 of 9 free throws. Vejas Grazulis contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and Deng Reng posted eight points for FSU. The Bulldogs shot 34-percent (18-for-53) overall and 28.6-percent (4-for-14) from 3-point range. Ferris State benefitted from 22 fouls charged to Tech and made 20 of 29 free throw attempts (69-percent). The teams combined for 22 fouls in the first half alone. Michigan Tech downed 12 of 18 free throws.

Michigan Tech (6-2) and Ferris State (4-4) play again Saturday (January 30) at SDC Gymnasium at 3 p.m. 

"I expect it's going to be the same type of game tomorrow," Luke said. "We didn't shoot the ball particularly well today or swing the ball side to side but we still had a chance at the final buzzer despite not playing that well. That's the positive thing we can take into the next one. We are going to need to show that urgency right from the start in order to be successful."