MARION, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball kicked off their season on Thursday and Friday competing in the annual Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference/Crossroads League Crossover Tournament, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan. On Thursday, the Warriors matched up with the No. 3 ranked Wildcats, falling with a narrow 78-82 final score. On Friday, the Orange and Black bounced back with a 79-66 victory over the Cougars of Spring Arbor University.
 
On Thursday, the Warriors opened their season in Lucky Arena, the home of the No. 3 ranked Wildcats. However, the environment didn't faze the Orange and Black in the early stages, as they came out to grab a lead through the opening six minutes, leading by as much as five off a triple from Blake Davison. The hosts responded with a quick 9-2 run to grab their first lead of the night at 11:42 in the first half. Once the Wildcats' offense got rolling, it was tough to slow them down as they continued to find the bucket and stretched the score to an eighteen-point margin going into the locker room. Like the first half, the Warriors came out firing and quickly found themselves back in the game, cutting the Wildcats lead to five with 12:47 left in the contest. The following eleven minutes were deadlocked, with the hosts refusing to give up any more of their lead despite the Warriors' efforts. Brady Titus cut it to a two-point game with 26 seconds left with a three, but the Orange and Black's comeback effort came up short, falling 84-78.
 
Titus led Tech in scoring with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Crew Gibson, Blake Davison, and Lucas Lyyski also added double-digit points with 16, 11, and 17, respectively.
 
On Friday, the Warriors found themselves in another deadlock through the opening twenty minutes, in which neither team led by more than four. Blake Davison and Max Perez both posted ten points in the first half, but the Warriors still trailed by two headed into the break. The Cougars maintained their grip on the lead out of the break and stretched it to 49-43 at the 15:24 mark. Two minutes later, a jumper from Brady Titus on the break leveled the score at 49 and turned the tides in favor of the Warriors, so much so that the Orange and Black outscored the Cougars 30-17 in the final eleven minutes en route to a 79-66 victory.
 
The Warriors had four players in double figures, led by Blake Davison with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Brady Titus had 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Max Perez also added 13 points with 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Crew Gibson posted 10 points, all in the second half, a team-high 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
 
The Warriors sit at 1-1 on the season and return to action on November 12 as they host Marian University (Ind.) for their home opener at 7:00 p.m.