In the battle of contrasting styles, the Tiffin University men's basketball team continued to flex their muscle on the boards, and withstood the Michigan Tech Huskies three point barrage in a 71-64 victory.
The Dragons, having won 4 of their last 5 games, fired the opening salvo with an Alex Brown jumper to take a 2-0 lead. Tiffin continued to cling to an early lead, but the Michigan Tech Huskies kept pace with a steady diet of 3-point jumpers. Tiffin, holding a slim 14-10 lead, saw their lead slip away as the Huskies took an 18-17 lead at the 09:21 mark of the 1st half. Tiffin fired back with a 7-1 run to regain control at 24-19 with 03:56 left before the half. Michigan Tech ended the half with an 11-6 run to cut Tiffin's lead to 32-30 at the break.
At the half, Tiffin was led in scoring by Austin Adams with 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting. Adams also led the charge on the boards, snagging seven. TU was efficient on the inside, scoring 18 of their 32 points in the paint, thanks to an 18-14 advantage in the rebounding category.
Tiffin faced a motivated Michigan Tech team after the half, as the Huskies blitzed the Dragons with a 10-4 run to take a 40-36 lead with 15:49 to play in the game. TU survived the Huskies' early charge and countered with an 11-2 run to take a 47-42 lead. Tiffin continued to showcase their power in the low post, pushing their lead to 12 with five minutes remaining. The Huskies kept the heat on Tiffin, pulling within four points before the Dragons leaned on their free throw shooting down the stretch. In the final minute of the game, Tiffin hit 5 of 7 free throw attempts to stymie the Huskies' hopes of a comeback, sealing a 71-64 victory.
Austin Adams was the monster in the middle for Tiffin, scoring 25 points, and grabbing 15 rebounds. Of the 15 boards, seven were of the offensive variety. Khaleal McCormick added 14 points and five rebounds, and Juwan Johnson chipped in with 11 points and 8 rebounds. As a team, Tiffin dominated on the boards, holding a 43-31 advantage. TU turned 14 offensive rebounds into 14 2nd chance points. Of the Dragons' 71 points scored, 51% came in the paint, and the bench outscored the Huskies 15-1.
The Dragons have won three in a row, and 5 of their last 6 games. Tiffin sits at 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the GLIAC. The Dragons will be back in action on January 12, hosting the Lake Erie College Storm.