HOUGHTON, Mich. â€Ã‚“ The NMU menâ€Ã‚™s basketball team endedtheir season on Friday night in the semifinals of the GLIAC Menâ€Ã‚™s BasketballTournament against their U.P. rival Michigan Tech.  The game was played at Michigan Tech.  The Huskies had beaten the â€Ã‚˜Cats twice during the regularseason.  Tech made it three times forthe 2002-03 season as they defeated the â€Ã‚˜Cats 68-59.  NMU ends the season with a 15-14 overall mark.  Tech, 27-2, will play Findlay tomorrow forthe GLIAC Menâ€Ã‚™s Basketball Championship. The Oilers defeated Gannon in the second game 70-67.

NMU was down by seven points at the intermission(35-28).  For the first nine minutes ofthe game the â€Ã‚˜Cats and Huskies were going back and forth as neither team hadmore than a three point lead. The Huskies went on an 11-0 tear over a fourminute span about half way through the first half to extend the lead to28-14.  Keder Hyppolite made a lay upwith 1:26 left in the first half to cut the Tech lead to five points (33-28).  MTU would add a basket right before thebuzzer.  For the first half Tech shot ablazing 61.9 percent from the floor (13-21) as NMU was 12-26 (46.2percent). 

NMU held MTU to one basket the first three minutes of thesecond half as they closed the gap to 37-34 when Antwuan Holt made athree-point play at 16:57 of the second half. For the next eight minutes of the half, Tech would never have a leadover five points.  When Steve Watts madea three-pointer with 8:01 left in the half the â€Ã‚˜Cats were down by two. Ã‚  David Noel made a three-point play with abasket and a made free throw at 4:35 of the second half to have the â€Ã‚˜Catswithin reach at 53-52.  That was asclose as the â€Ã‚˜Cats would get on the evening. The Huskies made nine of 10 free throws in the last 1:17 of the game toseal the win.

NMU was 21-52 from the floor for the game (40.4 percent) asTech was 21-44 (47.7 percent).  Neitherteam shot that well from three-point range as NMU was 5-15 (33.3 percent) andTech was 4-16 (25 percent).  MTU had 26trips to the free throw line and made 22 of their throws (84.6 percent).  While NMU had 14 free throws and made 12(85.7 percent).  The rebounds werealmost even as MTU had a two rebound advantage over NMU at 30-28.

Milan Azanjac led the â€Ã‚˜Cats on the night with 11points.  Billy Hill and Watts both had10 points for NMU in the loss.  Wattshad a team-high eight rebounds.  J.T.Luginski led the Huskies with 28 points and 12 rebounds.