HOUGHTON, Mich. — Michigan Tech's Marcus Tomashek buried a straightaway 3-pointer at the buzzer, his seventh triple of the night, as the Huskies stunned Parkside 68-65 on Thursday inside the SDC Gymnasium.
Parkside trailed for most of the night but finally broke through late in the second half, taking its first lead with 3:47 remaining when Josiah Palmer drilled a 3 to make it 61-60. The Rangers stretched it to a 63-60 edge moments later on a Fawaz Surakat layup, but the Huskies responded and the closing seconds turned into a gut punch.
With Parkside clinging to a 65-64 lead after a Paxton Warden fastbreak layup with 1:13 left, Michigan Tech's Jesse Napgezek tied it at 65-65 by splitting a pair of free throws with 41 seconds remaining. Parkside had a chance to go back in front but came up empty on its final trip, and Tomashek secured the rebound with time winding down before Tech raced the other way. Ty Fernholz found Tomashek off the loose-ball sequence, and the reigning GLIAC Player of the Year rose up at the horn to steal it for the Huskies.
Tomashek finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting, going 7-of-15 from 3-point range while adding four assists. Napgezek added 12 points, and Michigan Tech got 26 bench points, including eight from Matt Schmainda and four from Grant Warren.
Parkside had four players in double figures and got a strong interior effort from Surakat, who posted 13 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Luka Mateski paced the Rangers with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, hitting both of his 3-point attempts and going 5-of-7 at the line. Palmer scored 15 points (5-of-11 FG, 3-of-7 3PT), and Warden finished with 12.
The Rangers were sharp offensively after halftime, shooting 60% in the second half (12-of-20) and 80% from 3-point range after the break (4-of-5), but the difference came on the glass. Michigan Tech owned a 38-24 rebounding edge, including 15 offensive boards that led to 14 second-chance points. Parkside finished with just three offensive rebounds and was outscored in second-chance points, 14-8.
Parkside shot 49% from the floor for the game (23-of-47), 41% from three (7-of-17), and 75% at the line (12-of-16). Michigan Tech finished at 42% shooting (24-of-57), 40% from deep (10-of-25), and 59% at the stripe (10-of-17).
The Rangers close the regular season Saturday, traveling to Marquette, Michigan for a must-win matchup against No. 18 Northern Michigan at 2 p.m. CT.
To keep up with the Rangers, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
