Wildcats defeat Huskies in Marquette

MARQUETTE, Mich. – Michigan Tech men's basketball suffered defeat 90-65 to Northern Michigan Saturday afternoon at Berry Events Center in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Dylan Kuehl had a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Max Bjorklund led the attack with 22 points to help the Wildcats to their eighth straight victory.

"We didn't execute today on either end," said head coach Josh Buettner. "There were too many guys trying to do it all themselves on offense. We have competitors on our team that want to make things happen when it's not going well out there, but you still have to trust the team in those situations. Five assists are just not enough for the way we have to play on the road to win."

The Huskies made a positive start, with a 5-0 run but Kuehl and Sam Schultz injected offense for the Wildcats, resulting in a 12-0 run and 20-8 lead for NMU. Tech answered with an 11-0 run but 50-percent shooting and late mistakes by the Huskies swung the momentum back as Northern Michigan went to the locker room leading 40-29.

An 11-2 run after the break helped Northern Michigan put the game out of reach and Tech struggled to contain Keuhl, who connected 8 of 10 from the field. Max Weisbrod made a difference with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting. 

The Wildcats won the board battle 36-28 and notched a 17-5 assist to turnover ratio. Dan Gherezgher led the Huskies with 14 points and five rebounds. Tyler Robarge was effective in the post with 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

"Dan is a dynamic scorer," Buettner said. "He's going to continue to improve as a point guard. He's got a ton of ability. It was good to see Rob get in and make a couple of strong baskets. He's continuing to work to be more consistent."

Michigan Tech (4-12, 1-6 GLIAC) returns to Houghton to host Davenport on Thursday, January 19. Northern Michigan (14-3, 6-1) stays home to face Grand Valley State next