Gordon's 3-Pointer Lifts Huskies to 83-81 OT Win

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MIDLAND, Mich. — Dillon Gordon's 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime provided Michigan Tech's game-winning points in an 83-81 victory at Northwood tonight in GLIAC men's basketball. The Huskies survived a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation and another at the overtime buzzer to come away victorious.

Tech (18-6, 15-5 GLIAC) trailed 71-65 with five minutes to play before getting five defensive stops and a pair of 3-pointers from Ben Stelzer. The first came at the 3:58 mark. The second came on a scramble with 1:10 to play after Phil Romback made a tremendous play to save the ball from going out of bounds.

NU's Maurice Jones went one-on-one against Stelzer and was fouled with :36 showing. He split the two free throws for a 72-71 lead. Stelzer then fed a pass to Heller underneath, and he was fouled with 16.6 to go. Heller made 1-of-2 to tie the game. The Huskies defended well for the final seconds, drawing a miss from Jones at the buzzer to go to overtime.

In the extra session, the lead changed hands eight times. Stelzer gave the Black and Gold an 80-78 lead with 42 seconds left, but Jones answered with a three-point play on the other end for a 81-80 margin.

Without a timeout, Stelzer drove down the right side of the lane and drew a triple team. He found Gordon alone in the right corner, and the freshman from Ewen, Mich., buried the trey.

Jones was fouled again with seven ticks remaining, but missed both free throws. Kyle Stankowski was fouled while rebounding the second miss, and had a one-and-one to ice the game. He misfired, but Heller fought for the rebound, wasting precious seconds for the hosts.

Jones eventually raced up the floor and had an open look at a 3-pointer for the win. The shot was on line, but clanked off the back iron as time expired.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," said Tech coach Kevin Luke. "They were 9-1 at home coming into tonight.

"Credit our kids for hanging in there. Ben hit big shots, and made the play to Dillon in overtime. It's a big, big win for us."

Stelzer finished with a team-high 24 points. Romback added 15 with 12 coming in the first half to stake Tech to a 39-33 advantage at the break.

Northwood (13-13, 9-11 GLIAC) grabbed the lead at the 11:32 mark of the second half and held on until Stelzer's 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining.

Heller posted 11 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. He also added five assists and a block. Jordan Chartier posted 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.

With the win, Michigan Tech has clinched a home game in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament. The Huskies have two games left in the regular season, the first coming at Lake Superior State on Saturday (Feb. 21). Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.

Notes: Tech's last overtime game came two seasons ago. It was a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal game in Houghton vs. Northwood that the Huskies won 90-80 … Heller's 12 rebounds were a career high.