Michigan Tech's Jason Marcotte was a non-factor during the first half against North Dakota State on Saturday.
The junior guard's line:
0-for-5 from the floor, 0-for-5 from the 3-point line, no points.
But it was a different story in the second half.
Marcotte connected on five 3-pointers after halftime, including a trio of treys during a momentum-changing
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14-0 second-half run, to lead Tech to a 68-48 nonconference victory against the Bison in front of 1,925 fans at the US Bank Classic at Bison Sports Arena.
"I don't think I've ever shot that bad in my life," said Marcotte, who was voted the tournament MVP. "When you do hit one, though, it rolls. When you've got 12 guys behind you who are counting on you, you do it for them."
Marcotte, who finished with 15 points, opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give Tech a 24-19 lead.
A few minutes later, he struck again from behind the arc to give the Huskies a 31-30 advantage.
A little more than three minutes later, Tech had pushed its lead to 12 points with a 14-0 run. The Huskies (3-0, 0-0 GLIAC) connected on three-consecutive 3-pointers during the run.
"I thought those three straight 3s really did it to us," Bison coach Tim Miles said. "That was a great run for them. But they're a good team. They make those plays."
The Bison (0-3, 0-0 NCC) connected on just three field goals in the final four minutes.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Huskies.
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Ben Nemmers, CoCo Cofield and Myron Green had nine points each to lead the Bison.
NDSU shot 29 percent from the floor for the game.
Both teams struggled from the offensive end at the outset.
The Bison took a 6-3 lead on a 3-pointer from forward Aaron Green.
Michigan Tech went up 7-6 after a layup from freshman guard Stephen Folson at 11:44 of the first half.
The Huskies held a 17-14 advantage with 5:07 remaining in the first.
Bison guard Ben Nemmers cut Tech's lead to 21-19 with a 3-pointer less than a minute before the intermission.
"That wasn't our best ball," Marcotte said of the first half. "It was ugly."
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The Bison shot 29 percent in the first half.
Four of NDSU's seven first-half baskets were from beyond the 3-point line.
Michigan Tech missed nine of its first 10 3-point attempts.
MICHIGAN TECH (3-0 overall, 0-0 GLIAC): Evans 4-5 5-6 16, Marcotte 5-14 0-0 15, McHenry 4-8 0-2 8, Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Buettner 4-11 4-4 12, Folson 4-10 2-2 10, Richardson 2-6 1-1 5, Maloney 0-0 0-0 0, Maes 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-55 12-15 68.
NDSU (0-3, 0-0 NCC): Nemmers 2-6 4-4 9, Witt 1-2 0-0 3, Cofield 3-17 0-0 9, May 3-5 0-0 6, Kelchen 1-4 0-0 2, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, A. Green 2-5 1-2 6, M. Green 3-8 2-2 9, Banks 1-6 2-2 4, Erbes 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 16-55 9-11 48.
Halftime: MTU 21, NDSU 19. 3-point goals: MTU 8-12 (Evans 3-3, Marcotte 5-14, McHenry 0-1, Buettner 0-1, Folson 0-2); NDSU 7-15 (Nemmers 1-3, Witt 1-1, Cofield 3-6, A. Green 1-2, M. Green 1-3). Total fouls: MTU 14; NDSU 15. Rebounds: MTU 29 (McHenry, Buettner 7); NDSU 42 (M. Green 6). Assists: MTU 11 (Marcotte 6); NDSU 9 (Banks 3). Turnovers: MTU 8 (Marcotte 4); NDSU 18 (Cofield 5). Steals: MTU 10 (Marcotte 3); NDSU 6 (May, Kelchen 2).
Readers can reach Forum reporter Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562
