HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Michigan Tech men's basketball team played a close game today against No. 11-ranked Grand Valley State but couldn't get over the hump. The Huskies (9-2, 4-1 GLIAC) were within five of the Lakers (9-1, 5-0 GLIAC) five times in the final five minutes before GVSU claimed a 70-61 victory.

"Our execution was not as sharp as it needed to be to beat a good team," said head coach Kevin Luke. "We had our opportunities down the stretch but didn't convert."

Tech jumped out of the gate quickly, building an 11-point lead in the first eight minutes. The visitors were able to get within a point before Alex Culy's third 3-pointer of the half pushed the gap back to 26-18 in favor of the Huskies.

Grand Valley State finished the half on a 15-2 run. Jordan Reetz's free throws were Tech's only points in the final four minutes of the frame. The Lakers entered the locker room up 33-28.

GVSU's lead climbed to as many as 10 in the second half on four different occasions. The margin was 56-46 with 6:13 to play before Culy scored five straight points to cut the gap to five. Tech got a defensive stop, then had Ali Haidar at the foul line for a one-and-one and a chance to cut it to three. The free throw misfired and GVSU made the lead six on the ensuing possession.

The Black and Gold were within five points four more times down the stretch, but Grand Valley hit clutch shots and free throws to add to the lead each time.

GVSU used a 33-22 rebounding advantage to get 10 more field goal attempts in the game. The Lakers also had a 32-3 edge in bench points. Shooting percentages and turnovers were nearly identical.

Culy and Mike Hojnacki each finished with a game-high 20 points for Tech. Haidar added 12 points.

Michigan Tech will have 10 days off before playing a non-conference game in Indiana. The Huskies face St. Joseph's in Rensselaer on Dec. 30.