HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Tim Strom tallied 15 first-half points and the Michigan Tech defense held Northwood to eight points through the first 16 minutes of the game en route to a 70-52 men's basketball victory at the SDC Gym tonight. The Huskies led by as many as 23 in the opening frame and never by less than 13 in the second half to move to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

"This game was won on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with hard work in three great practices," said head coach Kevin Luke. "Our defense was sharp to open the game, and our offense was able to find some flow as well."

A designed play to get 6-9 center Kyle Pullen open for a three-pointer at the 11:38 mark of the first half made it a 16-6 Tech lead. Nine minutes later, a three-ball by Tim Strom gave the hosts a 31-8 advantage and capped a 24-2 run. Northwood whittled the margin back to 34-18 at the intermission.

The Timberwolves scored the first three points of the second half to make it a 13-point game before Tech's Radayl Richardson dropped in back-to-back three-pointers. The Huskies pushed the lead to as many as 32 in the final 10 minutes, and all 14 available MTU players saw action.

"It's really nice getting everyone playing time," said Luke. "Georgio Holt took a big stride tonight. He shot the ball very well and played with composure."

Holt had 10 points on four-of-five field goal shooting, joining Strom and Richardson in double figures. Strom finished with 18 points and four assists. Richardson added 14 points. Sean Geary, a 5-10 guard, had a team-high five rebounds, three assists and a block.

Tech shot a 50 percent clip from the floor while holding the visitors to 35 percent. The Huskies drained nine-of-18 three-pointers as a team with five different players knocking down a trey.

Michigan Tech will remain at home to host Saginaw Valley State Saturday (Dec. 9) at 3 p.m.

Notes: Tech received 26 points from its bench compared to 14 for Northwood ... Holt's 10 points bested his previous career high of seven (at Wayne State on Jan. 19, 2006).