SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — Freshman Dan Gherezgher posted 17 points and Michigan Tech held off a late charge to defeat Lake Superior State 76-71 Saturday afternoon at Ronald Cooper Gymnasium. The Huskies picked up their first road win of the season and led by as many as 18 before the Lakers closed the gap in the second half.

Gherezgher finished 7-for-14 from the field and added six rebounds. Adam Hobson also scored 15 points (6-9) and Pete Calcaterra added 12. Michigan Tech (5-14, 2-8 GLIAC) shot 50.9 percent overall (27-53), including 43 percent from beyond the arc.

“The guys kept working and I’m happy they got rewarded against one of the toughest teams in the league today,” said head coach Josh Buettner. “Hopefully it’s something we can build on. Dan did a nice job playing the point guard role and running our offense. Then in crunch time, he made a couple of big time plays for our team.”

Lake Superior State held a five-point edge two minutes into the first half. Hobson helped the Huskies grab the lead back at the 3:32 mark and the Huskies extended it to 18 before LSSU charged back to trail 33-26 at the break.

The Lakers closed to within four but Tech kept the game out of reach with Hobson’s two-hand dunk and Gherezgher’s layup with under two minutes to play. Josh Terrian helped seal the win with four late free throws.

The Huskies split the season series against the Lakers with each team winning on the road. The Huskies passed 16 assists compared to 11 turnovers and Gherezgher marked a team-high five assists. LSSU won the rebound battle 31-29.

Kemon Bassett led Lake Superior State with 14 points and seven rebounds. LSSU finished 40-percent (20-51) from the floor and 32 percent (6-19) from the 3-point line.

Both teams shot frequent free throws. Tech went 13-for-18 (72 percent) and the Lakers converted 25 of 31 (81 percent).

Up next

Michigan Tech (5-15, 2-9) returns to Houghton to play Wayne State on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. MTU has seven regular season games left and is in 10th place in the conference standings.