LSSU locks up 20-win season
SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State closed out the regular season with an 81-74 victory over Northern Michigan and secured its first 20-win season since 1995-96.
The Lakers (20-7 overall, 17-5 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) finished as the No. 2 seed in the GLIAC and will play host to No. 7 seed Wayne State in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
Lake Superior State now has seven 20-win seasons during its 63-year men's basketball history. The Lakers were 20-4 in 1964-65, 20-6 in 1971-72, 27-4 in 1975-76, 23-4 in 1977-78, 20-9 in 1986-87 and 20-8 in 1995-96. Under second-year coach Steve Hettinga, this year's LSSU men's basketball team set a school record for GLIAC wins.
LSSU took advantage of balanced scoring and 25-of-33 free-throw shooting to beat the Wildcats (11-16 overall, 6-16 GLIAC). Tim VanOudheusden led the Lakers with 18 points, and Garrett Konuszewski and Scott Perkins scored 11 each. Mike Rader and Mark Morse added 10 points each.
VanOudheusden was 8-for-10 at the free-throw line, and Perkins was 7-of-10. VanOudheusden, Rader and Konuszewski combined to make 8-of-9 three-point attempts, and LSSU was 12-of-21 from behind the arc as a team.
Lake Superior State extended a 44-39 halftime lead to 11 points, 54-43, during the first five minutes of the second half. NMU scrapped its way back, cutting the lead to one point, 61-60, with 9:31 remaining. LSSU's Kyle Hunt went to the line twice during the next 60 seconds and made 3-of-4 free throws to give the Lakers a five-point cushion.
Northern Michigan closed within two points on two occasions during the final six minutes. It was 73-70 with 2:39 to go, and the Lakers held onto the lead thanks to key defensive rebounds by Anthony Gibson and Konuszewski, and a steal by Perkins. Morse, Perkins and Hunt were 6-for-6 at the free-throw line during the final 48 seconds.
LSSU shot 48.9 percent from the field and out-rebounded NMU, 33-28.
Raymont McElroy scored 18 points and Marc Renelique added 17 to lead Northern Michigan, which shot 43.9 percent from the field. The Wildcats were 9-of-23 from three-point range and 15-of-24 at the free-throw line.
