Michigan Tech guard Nate Abel attempts a jump shot during a game against Ferris State Saturday, Jan. 10, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The No. 8 Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games with victories over Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State last week. Both games went down to the wire, which is not ideal, according to coach Josh Buettner.

“Anytime you can go 2-0 on the road, it’s a really good weekend,” he said. “Very happy about that. Two extremely tough places to win with two teams that are very dangerous. Obviously, there’s a lot to learn. There’s some we need to learn to play with the lead and when a game kind of gets to the way it is, where it’s a little bit of a whistle fest, and a little bit of that, we need to learn to handle that better and continue to defend. But, I’m also honestly pretty happy.

“When it was normal basketball and flowing basketball, we were obviously good enough to get pretty big leads in both games. So, in general, I feel like we are playing pretty well.”

Buettner is looking for more dedication to defense, to go along with the Huskies’ increased offensive output.

“Our offense has been, honestly, very good lately,” he said. “The numbers say that, and some of the eye tests say that, defensively, we need to get back to the level we were defending earlier.

“I have a lot of confidence that we can do that. So, we just need to put together both sides of the ball, 40-minute games, and, hopefully, we can get there.”

A big reason for the improved offense for the Huskies has been the play of senior guard Marcus Tomashek, who has scored 22 or more points in seven of his last nine games. He put up 36 against the Lakers Saturday for his fourth 33-plus-point performance of the season.

“It’s been great,” said Buettner. “Honestly, this Marcus we probably haven’t seen since last fall. It’s been more than a year since. He’s moving better than he did the last pretty much two months of last season. He’s playing with some confidence and starting to get his rhythm back. Obviously, teams are going to really try to beat him up here the second time around, and hopefully we can keep him healthy and confident.”

For the second straight week, Tomashek was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week. He scored 63 total points last week to move into fourth all-time in career scoring for the Huskies. He needs just seven to move past Jeff Boinski for third.

What Buettner really likes, however, is how the rest of Tomashek’s game has improved this season.

“His assists are up,” Buettner said. “His usage is actually substantially down in conference play, which I think is helping him understand that. He can still score, he can still have the ball, and he can still do all that stuff without having to (score every time).

“He’s working on being more efficient. Coach (Zach) Flener’s doing a great job of finding that mix, and a lot of that is because Dawson (Nordgaard) has been pretty spectacular inside right now, giving us that inside presence with the outside presence.”

The offensive evolution of Nordgaard, a redshirt senior forward, has been a boon for the Huskies. He scored a career-high 20 points against Saginaw Valley State in a game where he played a season-high 30 minutes. He followed that effort up with nine points against the Lakers.

“He’s doing a better job of staying out of foul trouble,” said Buettner. “It’s easier to get his minutes up, and then obviously the numbers, the more. The longer you’re on the court, the easier it is to score more points in some ways.

“It’s actually been fun. When were talking about it in practice, it almost looks like this is the most fun he’s had playing basketball in a long time. He’s got a joy to it, and he’s kind of getting after it. He’s locked in, and I’m happy that the results are coming.”

While two of the Huskies’ top offensive threats are rolling, Buettner still wants to get more from some of his bench players.

“I still think we have a chance to improve a lot,” he said. “I think in their own ways, the guys on the bench that are coming in, are showing sparks, showing improvement, and showing whatever, but, as a whole, we’re not getting that lift as much as we need yet. I think they can do it.

“I think it’s coming. At home, usually, there’s more confidence. It’s easier for those guys. I mean you kind of look back to last year. That mid-January road trip, we got beat in the Soo, and Marcus went for 45 at Ferris (State), just kind of put us on his back, and, in some ways, Marcus put us on his back a little bit on this trip, which is a good thing.”

Scouting the Warriors

The Wayne State Warriors come into this weekend 8-6 overall and 5-3 in GLIAC play after a weekend sweep of Wisconsin-Parkside and Roosevelt.

They are led offensively by junior guard Jordan Briggs, who averages 16.4 points per game. Senior forward Carlos Paul III has been good, averaging 13.4 points per game.

Junior forward Jotham Nweke, a transfer, has been averaging 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also averages 35.6% from beyond the arc.

Scouting the Pride

The Purdue Northwest Pride are 7-8 overall this season and 3-5 in GLIAC play after splitting last weekend. They lost to Roosevelt Thursday, but bounced back Saturday with a win over Wisconsin-Parkside.

Senior forward Kyle Ross leads the Pride in scoring, averaging 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Fifth-year guard Kevin Taylor is the only other Pride player in double figures at 11.2 points per game. He averages 38.2% from beyond the arc.

Game times

The Huskies and Warriors are set to tip off Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the SDC Gym in Houghton. Saturday, the Huskies and Pride will battle starting at 2 p.m.