St. Louis – Adam Hobson scored 20 points and the Huskies shot 52-percent. Still, Michigan Tech fell short against Maryville University 86-77 at Mark Twain Building on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis Tuesday afternoon.

The Saints used a 31-25 rebound advantage and made 26 trips to the free throw line to gain separation in the second half. Kelvin Swims led Maryville with 19 points on an efficient 8 of 10 shooting. He also passed a game-high seven assists.

Michigan Tech fell to 2-2 in non-conference play and plays host Missouri St. Louis Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in the final game of the UMSL Tournament. The Saints (3-1) collected their third straight win and play Grand Valley State Wednesday.

"Hats off to Maryville," said head coach Josh Buettner. "They were the aggressors. They went one-on-one and we didn't step up to the plate defensively. When we brought help they made their threes. We need to learn the toughness it takes to win on the road."

Maryville shot to an 8-0 lead to open the first half, but Hobson helped the Huskies takeover 14-12 after knocking down baskets on three straight possessions. The teams exchanged short leads to halftime. Marcus Tomashek posted 12 points and connected on all three long range attempts. 

Tech shot an impressive 59-percent from the field and 7-for-10 from 3-point range. Maryville kept pace with 57-percent shooting and six made 3-pointers.

After the break, Maryville put away 30 points in the first ten minutes of the second half vaulting to their largest lead 65-52. Nate Abel came off the Husky bench and provided a spark on both ends of the floor. Abel's 3-pointer with 7:29 to play closed Tech back to a 4-point margin.

It was as close as MTU would get to tying the game as a multitude of free throws in the final two minutes helped Maryville maintain the edge.

Tomashek finished with 19 points and shot 7-for-9 while Brad Simonsen scored 13, adding five rebounds. Michigan Tech downed 13 of 27 from beyond the arc (48-percent). The Saints connected on 12 of 22 from outside (54.5-percent) and made 20 of 26 free throws (77-percent).