Davenport upends sixth-ranked MTU Men in close game

Three Huskies score 17 points but rally falls short in 72-69 loss

Jan. 29, 2026 at 11:31pm

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The No. 6 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men's basketball team orchestrated a 17-0 run to take a one-point lead with 43 seconds to play, but ultimately fell 72-69 to Davenport at the Davenport Student Center on Thursday evening. Michigan Tech outscored Davenport 44-29 in the second half, with Ty Fernholz and Marcus Tomashek combining for 27 points, but the comeback effort fell just short.

Why it matters

This loss drops Michigan Tech to 18-3 overall and 9-2 in GLIAC play, putting their hopes of a high NCAA Tournament seed in jeopardy. Davenport, meanwhile, improves to 12-7 and 6-5 in conference, keeping their postseason aspirations alive.

The details

Michigan Tech fell behind by as many as 22 points in the second half before mounting their furious rally. Nate Abel led the Huskies with 17 points, while Fernholz and Tomashek also scored 17 each. Davenport was led by Ken Walker's 24 points and Curtis Jackson's 19.

  • The game was played on Thursday evening, January 30, 2026.
  • Michigan Tech trailed by 22 points early in the second half before their 17-0 run.

The players

Nate Abel

A Michigan Tech player who scored 17 points and had a team-leading 11 rebounds.

Ty Fernholz

A Michigan Tech player who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, going 5-10 from three-point range.

Marcus Tomashek

A Michigan Tech player who scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, going 4-10 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line.

Ken Walker

A Davenport player who led all scorers with 24 points on 11-19 shooting.

Curtis Jackson

A Davenport player who scored 19 points and had a team-high 8 rebounds.

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What they’re saying

“We didn't have a single player come ready to play tonight. I'm happy we made a run at the end–we took the lead and they came back and hit one. They were missing one of their best players and came out and played free and dominated us in pretty much every aspect of the game.”

— Josh Buettner, Michigan Tech head coach

What’s next

The Huskies will conclude the road weekend with a Saturday tilt at No. 23 Grand Valley State for a 3:00 p.m. start.

The takeaway

This loss is a setback for Michigan Tech's hopes of securing a high NCAA Tournament seed, but the Huskies showed resilience in their second-half comeback. Davenport, playing without one of their best players, proved they can compete with a top-ranked opponent and keep their own postseason aspirations alive.