Tech Men Fight to Stay in Postseason Hunt

THIS WEEK'S NOTES

STAT OF THE WEEK
92.6 • Bryan Heath's free throw percentage this season. He's less than a tenth of a percent from being the national leader in NCAA Division II.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT STANKOWSKI
Senior Kyle Stankowski is one of five players in the Midwest Region to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. The 6-9 forward is coming off his best game of the year with 16 points, five rebounds and four blocks at Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Feb. 13). His season scoring average is 6.9 points per game, but he has six games in double figures. Stankowski is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and has a team-high 23 blocked shots on the year.

MONROE AVERAGING 22.6 OVER LAST FIVE GAMES
Kyle Monroe has scored 113 points over the last five games (22.6 per game) to improve his season scoring average to 18.7—sixth best in the GLIAC. A big part of the freshman forward's scoring bump has been a drastic improvement at the foul line. He made just 36-of-56 (64.3 percent) free throws in the first 14 games of the season. Over the last nine games, Monroe has made 50-of-54 (92.6 percent). For the season, he has shooting percentages of 52.1 from the field (sixth best in the GLIAC), 43.7 from 3-point range and 78.2 from the foul line.

HELLER STARTS 9-FOR-9 VS. HILLSDALE
Luke Heller scored a season-high 19 points at Hillsdale last Thursday (Feb. 11) by making 9-of-10 field goals and his only free throw attempt. The 6-6 forward made his first nine shots of the game before missing one on a scramble at the end of the game. Heller has made 18 of his last 23 shots over the last four games to improve his season shooting percentage to 61.6. He would rank second in the GLIAC and 17th nationally, but he does not have the five made field goals per game required to enter the rankings. He has 98 in 23 games.  

VYING FOR A GLIAC TOURNAMENT SPOT
Eight GLIAC teams (the top three in each division plus the next two best records) will make the GLIAC Tournament which begins Mar. 1. The Huskies will likely have to win all of their final three games to earn a spot. Thursday's (Feb. 18) matchup vs. Northwood (one of the teams Tech needs to surpass in the standings) will be a do-or-die contest for Tech if it has hopes of a postseason berth.

HUSKIES BITES
Michigan Tech will honor its three seniors—Luke Heller, Conner McLeod and Kyle Stankowski—in a ceremony prior to Saturday's game vs. Lake Superior State … Tech was 9-of-18 from 3-point range at Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Feb. 13), marking the first time the Huskies made 50 percent from behind the arc and lost … Six of the Huskies' 14 losses this season have come by six points or fewer … Tech is 2-12 when being outrebounded and 7-2 with more or equal rebounds that its opponent.

THE SERIES VS. NORTHWOOD
Michigan Tech has had Northwood's number over the last five years with 11 straight wins. The Huskies own a 50-16 all-time series lead including a 61-60 victory at the Bennett Center last month.

THE SERIES VS. LAKE SUPERIOR
Lake Superior State owns a 54-51 all-time series advantage over Michigan Tech in the rivalry that began in 1968. The Lakers have won five straight against the Huskies, but Tech won the five previous games. LSSU used a 23-0 second half run earlier this season (Jan. 30) to earn a 72-56 victory.

COACH LUKE
Head coach Kevin Luke has coached in more than 600 career games as Michigan Tech's skipper, with a 389-241 record (.617 winning percentage).  Luke is in his 22nd season on the bench for the Huskies and has led Tech to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and six GLIAC Titles. He is a four-time GLIAC Coach of the Year and was the 2002-03 NABC National Coach of the Year. The Huskies have had seven 20-win seasons under Luke.

LOOKING AHEAD
Michigan Tech wraps up the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 25, vs. Northern Michigan. The rivalry game will televised on Fox UP.