FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team defeated Lourdes University, 82-73, on Thursday evening in the quarterfinals of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament inside the Schaefer Center.
Dylan Phair scored a game-high 24 points on 9-13 shooting (4-5 from three) while
Josh Kline added 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Mitch Morken scored a season-high 14 points (4-5 from three) while adding five rebounds and four assists.
Max Huber notched his first double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds while adding five assists and two blocks.
Edmond Early, Jr. dished out a game-high eight assists.
Both sides came out of the gates firing with each team scoring 14 points in the first six and a half minutes of the game. A 6-0 run from Lourdes put them ahead 23-16 with 8:52 to play in the first. A three minute and 25 second scoring drought from Tech was broken by a
David Froedge three with 7:29 on the clock that started a 9-2 spurt to tie the game up at 25-25. The Gray Wolves countered with an 8-2 run to go back up by six with 2:42 to play in the half and a triple from Kadeim Jones put the visitors up 38-33 at the half.
After a basket on the Gray Wolves opening possession of the second half, the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to take a 44-42 lead, with Morken hitting a triple on the break to put the hosts back on top. The two teams traded baskets over the next several possessions as the score was knotted up at 48-48 with 13:47 to play in the game. Tech went on a 6-0 run, but the visitors came right back with a 10-2 spurt to retake the lead at 58-56 with 9:27 to play. An and-one play from Kline started an 11-3 run to give the hosts a 67-61 lead with six minutes on the clock.
Lourdes would not back down though, cutting the lead down to two points with 3:57 to play and appeared to get the momentum back on their side, but a three from Phair with 51.9 seconds to go put a dagger in the Gray Wolves hopes as the Orange and Black went up 78-71. Tech went 4-4 from the free throw line in the final 31 seconds of the game and held the visitors to just two points in the final two minutes to ice the game away and send the Warriors to the conference semifinals for the second straight season.
Tech (20-11) advances to the WHAC Tournament Semifinals where they will take on second-seeded and No. 24-ranked Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. from the MU Activities Center.
