FINDLAY, Ohio - The Michigan Tech men's basketball team had chances to end Findlay's 87-game home winning streak. The Huskies held a 55-51 lead with less than six minutes to play, but seven turnovers down the stretch proved costly in a 69-61 loss to the Oilers tonight at Croy Gymnasium.

Tech (8-16 overall and 7-12 GLIAC) led by as many as five in the second half and held a four-point margin with 6:15 left thanks to an Ali Haidar layup. UF missed two free throws on the next possession, giving the Huskies an opportunity to grow the lead. The Black and Gold's next six possessions were five turnovers and a missed a layup, allowing Findlay to go on a 9-0 run.

Nathan Hyde's layup with 1:41 showing left the score 60-55 in favor of UF. Haidar answered with a layup to cut the margin to three at the 1:20 mark. Tech got the ensuing defensive stop, and Haidar grabbed the rebound. The Huskies should have had a chance to tie the game with the game's final possession. Unfortunately, Haidar could not shake free from an Oiler defender and was called for an offensive foul-his fifth.

Tech was forced to foul, and Findlay made 9-of-10 free throws in the final :36 for the win.

"I thought we had a great effort," said head coach Kevin Luke "We executed as well as we can against an awfully good team on their floor. We just didn't get any breaks and hurt ourselves a little bit with turnovers and free throws."

Foul shooting was a clear factor in the game. UF made 25-of-32 from the charity stripe compared to 7-of-15 for the Huskies.

Mike Hojnacki registered a career- and game-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting including 6-of-6 3-point accuracy. His off-balance trey with :30 left kept things interesting. Hojnacki had 21 of his points in the opening half and has scored at least 20 points three times in the last four games.

Haidar added 12 points in 22 minutes before fouling out. Matt Gaedke scored 8 points, and Don Fowler added five points and a game-high five assists. Fowler's defense was strong in holding UF's Hyde to just five field goals.

Hyde finished with team-high 19 points, but eight of them came at the free throw line.

Tech outshot Findlay 49 percent to 45 percent. The Oilers gained a huge advantage in rebounds with a 36-23 mark.

Michigan Tech will play at Hillsdale Saturday (Feb. 20) in its final regular season road game. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.

Notes: Hojnacki tied a school record for 3-point percentage in a game at 6-of-6. The last Husky to do that was Aaron Buckoski on Jan. 2, 1998 … The last team to beat Findlay at Croy Gymnasium was Gannon during the 2003-04 season … Tech held a 33-32 lead at halftime.