Michigan Tech guard Adam Hobson drives around a Lake Superior State defender during a game Saturday at the SDC Gym. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With 6:22 left in the contest, the Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball team had turned a 14-point deficit in the first half into a four-point one, 67-63. Then, disaster struck as junior guard Marcus Tomashek fouled out, severely hindering their chances of completing the comeback.

Over those final minutes, the Huskies scored 15 points, taking the lead for good just over two minutes later, and holding on for an 80-75 win.

Huskies coach Josh Buettner was proud of the way his team turned an 11-point deficit at halftime, 42-31, into the win by chipping away throughout the second half, which helped the Huskies improve to 18-6 overall, 13-3 in GLIAC play, and remain unbeaten at home, 11-0.

“That’s a really good team,” he said. “To play without Marcus that much, the way things started, the way they went in half, all the above. Our guys just kept fighting. I probably got distracted there for a bit, and got too worried about some other things. The guys just kept playing, made plays, and just kept working.

“We did talk a little bit. That’s Lake State’s fourth road game in a row. That second half on those trips is tough. Our guys just kept battling and kept defending, made them earn everything. I thought the second half, we did a better job with our defensive setup. Credit to Lake State, they made a lot of plays in the first half, but they got to some places, and some players got to do some things that we were trying to take away. In the second half, we made them get out of their comfort zone a little bit more, and, obviously, they were still scoring relatively well, but it wasn’t as comfortable for them.”

While the Huskies played better defensively, what also helped was the play of senior guard Adam Hobson, who looked unstoppable in the second half. He finished the game 7-of-10 from the field, which was impressive enough, but even bigger were his five 3-pointers, four of which came from right in front of the Huskies’ bench in the half.

He finished his day with a season-high 24 points.

“I don’t think I necessarily did anything different in my own head to prepare for it or anything,” he said. “When Marcus went out, I knew I just had to play my game. Sure, we had a little bit different actions once he went out. We play a little bit different style offensively, but no different for me. Just staying confident, taking the shots when they’re there, finding ‘Dodge’ (Dawson Nordgaard) inside when he has a guy on his back.

“More often than not, it was just getting it done on defense. We had to clean up the defense, we had to clean up the boards. We knew that if we got those stops, we could get out and run, play at our pace, and play confidently, move the ball, and we did a great job of that.”

One of the biggest plays Hobson made over the final 70 seconds was a pass to junior guard Nate Abel at the top of the key. With the shot clock nearing zero, Hobson flung the pass to Abel, who launched a 3-point shot attempt. The ball hit the rim, bounced up and then in, giving the Huskies a four-point advantage at 77-73.

“It’s so rewarding because, ‘Hobbs’ has been a super Husky for five years, and there’s been a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” Buettner said. “It’s tough, because I know how much he cares. There’s times when he wasn’t playing well, and times when he’s starting, and we’re not starting him. You know what? He’s just always wanted to do what’s best for the team. To see him rewarded in a game like this on Senior Day is awesome. He’ll be missed here, and I’m just really happy for him. I mean, all the work he’s put in the last five years, to be rewarded on a day like today, is sweet.”

Along with Hobson, Nordgaard, a junior forward, had a big impact in the second half. He finished with 11 points in the game, but he also drew a lot of attention, which created time and space for Hobson to find his rhythm. The other thing Nordgaard did was draw fouls, which sent him to the line twice, and he made three out of his four attempts, which also helped the Huskies create some separation in the late stages.

Buettner also pointed out a pair of key 3-pointers hit by sophomore guard Matt Schmainda in the first half that kept the Huskies within striking distance. Schmainda found the basket in the first half for the second straight game, and his coach felt that without his timely shots, the game could have ended very differently.

“It keeps you in it,” said Buettner. “Obviously, at 14, we’re getting into that double digits. If you don’t make those threes, it starts stretching to 20. You’re not going to be able to come back. So, those baskets are huge early. That’s the spark we need off the guys on the bench, and that’s awesome.”

UP NEXT

The Huskies, have one more home game left in the regular season against the Northern Michigan Wildcats Thursday. Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.