DETROIT — The Wayne State University men's basketball team (11-11 overall, 8-8 GLIAC) missed 16 free throws (21-of-37) and 13th-ranked Michigan Tech (22-4 overall, 13-3 GLIAC) cashed in on 14 three-pointers (14-of-33).  Those were the differences on Saturday afternoon as the Warriors were defeated by a score of 77-73.

Wayne State played without junior guard and leading scorer Jordan Briggs (Muskegon, Mich.) due to injury.  Briggs, who missed the first game of his career, averages 17.5 points per game, good for fifth in the GLIAC.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Michigan Tech scored the game's first six points and 11 of its initial 14 in a stretch that lasted nearly eight minutes of game time.

From there until the end of the first half, the back-and-forth was much more balanced, but still favored the Huskies by two (23-21).  That meant MTU carried a seven-point advantage into halftime, 31-24.

Neither team shot the ball at a high percentage through the first 20 minutes, including 37.9 percent (11-of-29) for Michigan Tech and 29.6 percent (8-of-27) for Wayne State.  The Huskies cashed in seven three-pointers (7-of-18, 38.9 percent) to the Warriors' one triple (1-of-8, 12.5 percent).  MTU shot just two free throws, but made both, while WSU was 7-of-14 at the free throw line.

Second Half
Out of the break, Michigan Tech scored 12 points to Wayne State's six for its biggest advantage of the day at 13, 43-30.

The Warriors countered with a 14-7 spurt of their own that slimmed the deficit to five, 49-44.  In that span alone, Devin Belle (Lyndhurst, Ohio / Pepper Pike Orange [Lincoln Trail C.C. / Lakeland C.C.]) accounted for six points while Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) added four and Jalen Jenkins (Belleville, Mich. [Macomb C.C.]) tacked on two.

WSU would pull within five three more times (51-46, 53-48, 55-50) before finally breaking through at the 8:33 mark.  Paul III converted a layup and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions, and the hosts were within one, 58-57.

Wayne State managed to tie the score up on three separate occasions, 63-63, 66-66 and 68-68, but was never able to take the lead.  Following that final deadlock, Michigan Tech outscored the home team 9-5 and went 7-of-8 at the free throw line while the Warriors were 1-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-10 at the charity stripe.

TEAM STATS
As mentioned earlier, Michigan Tech finished with 14 triples to Wayne State's four (4-of-16).  The Warriors went 21-of-37 (56.8 percent) at the free throw line while the Huskies were 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) at the charity stripe.  From the field overall, it was nearly even, including 46.4 percent (26-of-56) for MTU and 46.2 percent (24-of-52) for WSU.  The home team controlled points in the paint (36-20) and the rebounding department (39-29).

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Carlos Paul III led four Warriors in double-figures with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 3-of-5 free throws.  He was joined in the double-digit scoring department by JaKobie Boose (13), Devin Belle (13) and Marshall Thorn (season-high 12).  Thorn garnered his 13th career double-double, but first at Wayne State, thanks to a game-high 11 rebounds.  Lastly on offense, Jalen Jenkins dished out four of WSU's 10 assists.  Defensively, Jenkins also notched three steals while three different Warriors blocked one shot attempt apiece.

LEADING THE HUSKIES
The GLIAC's second-leading scorer Marcus Tomashek paced everyone with 23 points along with 16 from Nate Abel and 10 by Jesse Napgezek.  Tomashek was also the team leader for boards with four and dimes with four.  On the other side of the court, the Huskies' efforts were spearheaded by Josh Terrian's two steals and two different players (Napgezek and Gabe Smith) with one block each.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will hit the road to face Roosevelt on Thursday night for an 8:30 p.m. eastern time tip in Chicago.