PREVIEW: Huskies are Back at Home to Battle Purdue Northwest and Parkside

Michigan Tech Game Notes (PDF)
Thurs. Feb. 6 • 7:30 p.m. vs Purdue Northwest • Sat. Feb. 8 • 2 p.m. vs Parkside
Michigan Tech (14-7, 8-5 GLIAC) vs Purdue Northwest (7-14, 2-11 GLIAC) and Parkside (10-11, 6-7 GLIAC)
Radio: Mix93 FM WKMJ (Mitch Lake)
Video Stream: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mtu/
Audio Stream: Pasty.net
Live Stats: https://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule

2019-20 WEEK 12 IN REVIEW
Michigan Tech suffered two tough Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference losses last week at Northwood 68-63 and Saginaw Valley State 73-69. The Huskies return home this week with an overall record of 14-7 and 8-5 in the GLIAC. Tech is currently second in the GLIAC North Division standings, two games behind Ferris State going into Winter Carnival Weekend at the SDC Gym.

In Thursday's game at Northwood, The Timberwolves scored the first 13 points of the night and led by as many as 24 points in the second half before the Huskies clawed back into contention late. Unfortunately, Northwood held off the charge. Junior Isaac Appleby guided the Huskies with 12 points and matched a career high with 12 rebounds in Thursday night's game. Senior Kyle Monroe followed with 11 points and eight rebounds while sophomore Owen White chipped in 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked three shots. White, Monroe, and Appleby paced Tech in the assist category with two apiece.

On Saturday at Saginaw Valley State, the Huskies built a 13-point lead late in the second half, but the Cardinals rallied in the final minutes on their home floor to come out on top. The Huskies were powered by Monroe who collected 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the double-double. Junior Dawson Bilski followed with 16 points and Appleby rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points. Appleby also notched a double-double of his own thanks to a team high 13 rebounds. Bilski and Appleby shared the team lead in assists with four apiece on Saturday at Saginaw Valley State.

BACK TO BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR APPLEBY
Junior Isaac Appleby had back-to-back double doubles last week for the Huskies at Northwood and Saginaw Valley State. Appleby opened the week with a game high 12 points and 12 rebounds versus the Timberwolves and followed that performance up with 13 points and a career high 13 rebounds Saturday against the Cardinals. Appleby's previous career best in rebounds was 12 at home against Lake Superior State on February 17, 2018. Appleby is averaging 6.9 points per game and connecting on over 49 percent of his shots from the field. Appleby is second on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game and in addition dishes out 2.5 assists per contest.

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
Michigan Tech was picked to finish third in the GLIAC North Division for the third consecutive year, pulling in 45 points and one first place vote in the Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Wednesday by the conference office. Ferris State once again sits atop the North Division with 55 points and six first place votes. Parkside checks in just behind the Bulldogs with 51 points and five first place nods. Lake Superior State is slated to finish fourth with 33 points, Purdue Northwest fifth with 17 points, and Northern Michigan sixth with 15 points.

Over in the South Division, defending GLIAC Champion Davenport University is penciled in to the No. 1 spot with 61 points and 11 of the 12 first place votes. Ashland University is second with 50 points and one first place vote while Grand Valley State holds down the No. 3 position with 39 points. Northwood is fourth with 26 points, Saginaw Valley State is fifth with 24 points, and Wayne State is sixth with 16 points to round out the bottom three teams in the poll.

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Through the first 21 games of the season, the Huskies are ranked near the top of the GLIAC statistical rankings in a number of categories. Tech is fifth in the conference in free throw shooting percentage (73.4%) and first in the GLIAC in three-point baskets made per game at 10.4. The Huskies are also first in the GLIAC in overall field goal percentage (48.6%) and first in three-point shooting percentage (41.9%). Tech checks in second in assists per game (18.1) and second in fewest turnovers per game (10.0). The defense is seventh in fewest points allowed per game at 69.9 and are fourth in blocks at 3.7 each time the team takes the floor. The Huskies are second in the GLIAC in scoring at 80.5 points per game. Monroe leads the GLIAC in scoring at 22.2 points per game, ninth in rebounding at 6.7 boards per contest, and ninth in free throw shooting percentage (78.5%). Junior Tommy Lucca is second in the conference in assists per game (6.6) and first in assist to turnover ratio (3.8). Three Tech players are ranked one through three in three-point shooting percentage with Owen White (47.3%, 1st) Eric Carl (46.8%, 2nd), and Dawson Bilski (46.3%, 3rd) landing in that group of players.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Purdue Northwest enters Thursday's game at Tech with an overall record of 7-14 and 2-11 in the GLIAC. The Pride have lost four games in a row, including a 101-71 setback at home against Davenport this past Saturday. Purdue Northwest is ranked second in the GLIAC in field goal attempts per game (64.0) and offensive rebounds thanks to 12.6 per contest in the 2019-20 season. They are also third in overall rebounding (37.0) and third in assists per night as well (16.7). Jyrus Freel powers the offense with a 12.6 points per game scoring average followed by Jordan Doss at 11.0 points per game. Freel is the club's top rebounder as well with a 5.9 boards per game average coming into the week. Thursday's game will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Tech got the best of Purdue Northwest in the first showdown in Westville, Indiana 84-77 on January 11. The Huskies owned the lead for over 38 minutes in the game, but the Pride remained within striking distance until the end. Monroe powered the Huskies' offense with 30 points followed by Bilski with 17 points and White with 15 points to round out the double-digit scorers. White secured a team high eight rebounds and Bell wasn't far behind in that category with seven boards. Freshman Eric Carl had nine key points off the bench while sophomore TeeAaron Powell recorded seven boards as a reserve on Saturday. Junior Tommy Lucca dished out six assists, had four rebounds, and four points.

Parkside owns an overall record of 10-11 and 6-7 in the GLIAC heading into a conference battle Thursday night at Northern Michigan. The Rangers lead the conference in blocked shots per game at 4.4 and are third in limiting opponents to just 68.0 points per night. The Rangers also rank fourth in the conference in assists per game (14.2) and field goal percentage (45.2). Brandon Trimble leads the Parkside attack with a 13.8 points per game scoring average followed by Brandon Hau at 12.2 points per game. Hau and Joey St. Pierre share the team lead in rebounds per game at 5.3 going into this week. Parkside topped the Huskies in the first matchup of the year between the two clubs 69-56. The Huskies got off to a quick start, but the Rangers settled in over the course of the game and made things difficult for Tech on both ends of the floor. White powered the Huskies with 20 points by connecting on 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 chances from behind the arc. White also dished out three assists and grabbed three rebounds. Lucca followed with 10 points and six assists while junior Trent Bell tacked on nine points and had seven rebounds. Monroe chipped in eight points and reeled in a team high nine rebounds.

COACH LUKE
Kevin Luke, the winningest coach in Michigan Tech basketball history is in his 26th season leading the Huskies in 2019-20. He has earned a plethora of accolades since his appointment as the program's 11th head coach in May of 1994. Luke has guided the Huskies to five Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, earned eight NCAA Tournament berths and won his 300th game in a 74-72 victory over Grand Valley State on March 2, 2011. He reached the 400 win mark on January 19th, 2017 with an 83-72 win over Northwood at home. He owns an impressive 433-286 overall record, including a 289-196 mark in conference play. His winning percentage of .602 ranks as the best in Husky hoop annals.

UP NEXT
The Huskies go back on the road next week to play Ferris State and Lake Superior State for the second time this season. The Bulldogs are 21-4 overall and 10-3 in the GLIAC as they get set to host Saginaw Valley State and Northwood. The Lakers are 9-12 overall and 6-7 in the conference as they play host to Northwood and Saginaw Valley State as well.