MARQUETTE, Mich. -- Michigan Tech sprinted out to an 11-point lead in the first seven minutes and held on for a 78-69 victory over Northern Michigan in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball game that saw 49 fouls called and 67 free throws attempted. Kris Alpers tallied a team-high 19 points and was one of four Huskies in double figures.

Tech executed its offense well in the first half, shooting 52 percent from the floor and building a 40-27 halftime advantage despite leading scorer Tim Strom only playing five minutes because of foul trouble. Radayl Richardson tallied 13 first-half points with the aid of three three-pointers.

The Wildcats committed seven team fouls in the first six minutes of the second half, sending Strom to the foul line for a one-and-one where he converted for a 46-35 Tech advantage with 14:05 to play. A Strom three-pointer at the midway point of the second stanza made it a 14-point margin.

The whistles continued to come at a high rate in the final 10 minutes. Northern Michigan went to the free throw line on six straight trips down the floor and had the gap cut to six points with seven minutes to play. Five more consecutive points from Strom had the difference back to 65-55 at the 5:27 mark. The Huskies' lead was not less than eight the rest of the way and the visitors drained eight-of-10 free throws down the stretch for the win.

"We beat a good basketball team on their floor tonight," said head coach Kevin Luke. "It's a good win to open up the conference season. We had pretty good balance with four players in double figures and I though we handled the first half very well considering Strom had to sit with foul trouble."

Alpers had 11 of his 19 points in the second half and was nine-of-11 at the free throw line. Richardson added 17 points. Robby Springborn, who was questionable to play because of an elbow injury, match his career high with 16 points and also had a career-high four steals. Strom added 14 points -- all in the second half.