Huskies Silence Screaming Eagles in NCAA Region Semifinal
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southern Indiana (12-5,11-4 GLVC) | 25 | 44 | 69 |
|
Michigan Tech (15-7,10-6 GLIAC) | 38 | 43 | 81 |
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Dominating both ends of the floor, Michigan Tech knocked down No. 3 seed University of Southern Indiana 81-69 Sunday night at Ford Center in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Semifinals. The Huskies advanced to the Midwest Regional Championship game for the first time since 2013-14 and tied the longest post-season run in program history. The No. 2 seeded Huskies (15-7) will play No. 1 seed Truman for the opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight Tuesday night at 8 p.m.
Owen White led the way again with 24 points and shot 7-for-11. Trent Bell picked up a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and Carter Johnston passed seven assists in the victory. Dawson Bilski also hit three 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds to finish with 17 points.
Tech caused 19 Screaming Eagle turnovers, nabbed nine steals, and held USI leading scorer Josh Price to just nine points. Jelani Simmons led Southern Indiana with 23 points and Mateo Rivera had 16.
"We knew going in that Southern Indiana was a very athletic and talented group and we needed to emphasize playing the game at our tempo, "said head coach Kevin Luke. "I give credit to our guys for executing well on both ends. We got separation and for the most part stayed on the game plan. It was a difficult task to guard USI's big guys and keep them off rhythm. When they turned back to the basket we clamped down. It was an exceptional effort. I am happy for Tyler (Robarge) and TeeAaron (Powell) for defending and rebounding so well. Owen was also really good at all three levels and Dawson and Trent gave him a lot of support. Carter set the pace with six assists and zero turnovers before halftime and Eric also hit some big threes for us."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Huskies scored 24 points in the paint and shot 57.1-percent (16-for-28) overall to take a 38-25 halftime lead. White made it to double figures with 10 points and Bilski also had five points. TeeAaron Powell was effective off the bench with four points and a rebound. Bell also started off with four points and three boards.
Tech went ahead 4-3 in the opening minute of the game and stretched the advantage to 13 by the break, their largest to that point. Southern Indiana shot 43.5-percent (10-for-23) through the first 20 minutes, including 27.3-percent (3-for-11) from 3-point range. The Screaming Eagles committed five turnovers and had seven rebounds while the Huskies gave up just two turnovers with nine rebounds.
Southern Indiana immediately struck back to start the second half with a 7-0 run. Price converted a dunk and a layup and Simmons knocked in a 3-pointer, resulting in a Michigan Tech timeout with 17:19 to play and a tight 38-36 margin. Bell and Carl nabbed steals to help the Huskies stop the USI's momentum. Tech's offense fired up when Bilski and Bell reached double-figures for a 15-point MTU lead 57-42 by the mid-point of the second half.
Michigan Tech maintained by trading baskets up to the six-minute mark. Then Bilski hit a 3-pointer to put the game permanently out of reach 68-52 with just over five minutes left. Price and Clayton Hughes fouled out in the closing three minutes for USI. No Tech player committed more than three personal fouls.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Huskies shot 29-for-52 (55.8-percent) overall and 7-for-23 (30.4-percent) from beyond the arc. Tech made frequent trips to the free throw line and connected on 16 of 23 (69.6-percent). MTU passed 18 assists with 12 turnovers and nine steals.
Southern Indiana shot 48.1-percent (26-for-54) including 28.6-percent (6-for-21) from the 3-point arc. The Screaming Eagles went 11-for-17 from the free throw line (64.7-percent), hauled in 24 rebounds with nine assists and eight steals.
UP NEXT: The Huskies next opponent, Truman (19-2) defeated Ashland University 82-63 at Ford Center earlier in the day Sunday. Senior guard Scott Turner led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
"Truman is an outstanding program," Luke said. "They have Great balance and shooters. We watched them play an excellent game against Ashland so they we know they will be extremely difficult to contain. We are going to have to execute at a high level again on Tuesday. It's going to be a good battle and we have to shoot well."
