Detroit – Nate Abel gave the Huskies the lead with 4 seconds left in regulation, but Antonio Marshall answered with a triple of his own on the final horn and Wayne State drew a separation in overtime to win 72–65 Did.
Michigan Tech led 31-24 at halftime. Freshman Dan Gelezger provided an offensive spark and Abel received two charges on defense. Tyler Robarge scored his 3-point play opportunity in the lane to lead Tech to his 11-point advantage. Marshall then scored a basket on his three consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to his three.
The margin remained within five for the remaining 16 minutes of the second half, with the teams taking the lead in turns. Wayne State was back on top, 58-55, after Avery Lewis laid up at the 2:06 mark, but Marcus Tomashek once again tied the score on the Huskies’ next possession.
A Pete Calcaterra steal allowed Abel a three-point attempt in four ticks of the clock from across the left wing, and the Warriors called a timeout following the make. Marshall pulled up from the right side of the space and he clattered at three as time expired.
Gherezgher hit a jump shot to take the lead in overtime. Multiple sales then slowed down. He had 54 seconds left on Marshall’s he 3 to make him 67-65 Wayne State, and the Warriors capped it off with his five free throws.
Head coach Josh Buttner commented, “This hurts. We played enough to win. I’m proud of the effort and urgency we played.” “The responsibility falls on my shoulders to ensure that the young team is better prepared in late-game situations.”
Lewis led all players with 25 points (8-14) and Antonio Marshall finished with 18, including a 4-6 from across the arc. Marcus Masek led the Huskies with his 17 points (7-15), while Gelezger (14 points) and Abel (11 points) also scored in double figures.
WSU outplayed Tech 11-4 in overtime to improve to 5-7, 2-3 GLIAC. Michigan Tech fell to 3-11, 1-5 GLIAC as they continued to look for a first road victory.
The Huskies shot 35% (26-74) from the field, including 36% (9-25) from range. Wayne State won the board battle, 47-45, but Tech committed his nine turnovers compared to WSU’s 11 turnovers. Abel played his best of the season in 52 minutes off the bench, with 5 rebounds and he was an efficient shooter (4-7) with 2 assists.
The Warriors scored 32 points in a paint with an MTU of 28. Wayne State moved to the free-throw line his 34 times and scored 22 (65%). The Huskies made 4 of his 6 free throws.
Michigan Tech will return to Houghton to play Finlandia on Wednesday, January 11th at 6pm. Wayne State will play Thursday at Arendelle’s Grand He Valley State University.