Michigan Tech guard Jesse Napgezek attempts a jump shot during a game against Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday at De Simone Arena in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

KENOSHA, Wis. — The No. 14 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men’s basketball team saw an 18-point career high from freshman guard Jesse Napgezek as sophomore guard Ty Fernholz added 16 points, while holding Wisconsin-Parkside to its lowest scoring game, with a 69-54 victory at the De Simone Arena Saturday afternoon.

Napgezek went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe, adding five rebounds and a team-high three steals as Fernholz knocked down four 3-pointers, going 5-for-9 from the field. Redshirt sophomore Gabe Smith neared a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and a steal.

Michigan Tech, winners of six-straight, improved to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC as Wisconsin-Parkside fell to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the loop.

“I liked the resiliency of this team, this is a tough place to play and we’ve been on the road for almost two months,” said Michigan Tech coach Josh Buettner. “I’m proud of how the guys played and it was still a full team effort. We really competed and it’s tough playing on the second day of the road trip and I’m proud of these guys heading into finals week.”

Michigan Tech held the Rangers to a season-low 54 points after entering the game averaging over 70 points per game. Additionally, the Huskies dominated the glass (41-29), corralling nine offensive boards, as senior guard Nate Abel and senior guard Josh Terrian led the team with nine apiece.

The Rangers had momentum through the first five minutes of the contest, with a 9-6 lead before the Huskies’ depth was showcased with back-to-back 3-pointers by Fernholz, a block by Napgezek and a 3-pointer by junior guard Matt Schmainda flipped the score to 16-9 in favor of the road dogs.

The duo of Napgezek and Fernholz scored the next seven points, with steals from Schmainda and Napgezek translating into a 22-11 lead with 9:09 to play in the first half, forcing Wisconsin-Parkside to call a timeout.

Senior guard Marcus Tomashek and Napgezek scored the final four points for the Huskies in the final 3:02 of the half to head into halftime ahead 31-25.

Transfer Luka Mateski had a game-high 12 points through 20 minutes of action as Fernholz had a team-high 11, followed by eight points from Napgezek.

Michigan Tech held a sizable lead in the second half, with a trey by Abel at the 14:39 mark making it a 42-30 affair. Josiah Palmer scored 12-straight points for the Rangers, threatening a comeback after making it a six-point game (48-42) with 10:31 to play. However, the Huskies gained momentum back with a jumper by Tomashek, and four-straight points, including an emphatic steal and slam to put Michigan Tech ahead by nine points with 8:46 remaining.

The Huskies deflated the Rangers with a 9-0 run with four different players contributing to the cause, making it 65-59 with 2:38 to play.

Napgezek had two free-throws down the stretch as Fernholz added a layup before coming up with a steal with eight seconds to play sealed the game at 69-54 for the largest lead of the game.

Palmer led three Rangers in double-digit scoring with 19 points as Paxton Ward and Mateski added 15 and points, respectively. Mateski produced a team-high nine boards.

Up next

Michigan Tech will play its second home game of the season, playing host to Wisconsin-Stout on Saturday, slated for a 5 p.m. tip.