Harrison Morton's winning drive

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Can a debut get any better than this for either a collegiate head coach or a freshman basketball player?

Not if your name is Dave Bezold, who took the Regents Hall sideline Friday night for the first time as the head coach at Northern Kentucky University. And certainly not if your name is Harrison Morton, who put on a memorable performance in his first game with the Norse.

Morton, a 6-foot-4 freshman, scored the final five points of the game as NKU rallied for a 55-53 win over sixth-ranked Michigan Tech in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. He finished with a team-leading 12 points, including a driving, off-balance scoop shot with 1.5 seconds remaining to give NKU a 55-53 lead.

“I was supposed to go to get the ball, and I was supposed to take it to the hole and go off of Derek’s (Smith) pick. I was supposed to kick it out, but I thought I had a way to the basket, so I just took it,” said Morton of the winning shot.

Bezold, to say the least, was pleased with the freshman’s heroics.

“Harrison did great job there. We were really close to taking him out of the ball game just because we wanted a little more experience out on the floor, and then we felt like he would create a good opportunity to generate some offense because we weren’t generating with anything, and he made some great plays,” he said. “He’s won state championships and been in some big games, and when he’s got the ball in his hand, he can make it happen. He’s one of those kids who wants to win the game and will find a way to win it for you.”

Sean Rowland challenges Jason Marcotte

With 1:13 remaining in the game, however, it appeared as if there would be no chance for any late heroics by NKU. Josh Buettner’s basket gave Michigan Tech a 53-48 lead, and the Huskies were in control.

Sean Rowland countered with a layup while being fouled to bring NKU within 53-50 with 51 seconds left, but he missed the free throw and Michigan Tech rebounded. Jason Marcotte missed a three-pointer with 31 seconds left, and Morton grabbed the rebound for NKU.

NKU cleared out for Morton, who scored on a drive as he was fouled by Tim Strom with 16 seconds remaining. Morton converted the free throw to tie the score at 53-53, setting up a key defensive stand by the Norse.

With 10 seconds left and the clock wining down, Marcotte drove to the basket while being guarded by Rowland. Marcotte lost the ball out of bounds with 8.1 seconds remaining to give NKU a chance to win in regulation.

The Norse called a timeout with 5.4 seconds left at midcourt and inbounded the ball to Morton. He drove the middle of the lane, powered his way to the basket and scooped up an off-balance shot that cradled into the net with 1.5 seconds left.

Michigan Tech had a final attempt, but a long inbound pass was knocked away at the buzzer and NKU opened the season - and Bezold’s coaching career - with a victory.

“We were just asking our guys to prove that we can play winning basketball. We’ve been getting accolades and pats on the back for competing against three great teams in Division I, and we weren’t interested in getting patted on the back. We wanted to win a basketball game against a great team and we did,” Bezold said.

Pat Cary defends Josh Buettner

Buettner - a 6-foot-9 senior and the Division II Bulletin’s preseason National Player of the Year - finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds for Michigan Tech, which shot just 36.8 percent from the field.

Smith said of Buettner: “He’s a great player. We knew he was going to come in and battle, and he did just that. He came in and gave everything he had, which he does every game. So, we’re glad to come out of here with a win. We know next time we play him we are going to have to do a much better job defensively on him and the rest of the guys.”

Marcotte added 10 points, but he shot just 4-for-17 from the field.

Pat Cary added 10 points for NKU, which made 41.7 percent of its shots from the field. Michigan Tech held Mike Kelsey - the Norse’s leading scorer last season - to five points on 2-for-8 shooting from the floor.

NKU will conclude the two-day event at 7:45 p.m. Saturday against Northern Michigan. The Wildcats dropped a 66-65 decision to Christian Brothers (Tenn.) in the other first-round game Friday.