Cullen Maksimowski, LSSULakers.com
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.— The No.18-ranked Lake Superior State men's basketball team pulled off a, 79-74, upset over No.5-ranked and undefeated Ferris State Saturday in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference battle inside the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
"It was an exciting game and I'm very happy with how we competed," said Lakers Superior coach Steve Hettinga. "The little things that we did within the game are what I was the most pleased with.
"I'm really pleased with how we battled especially when they made their run. We hung in there and answered with a couple runs of our own. To Ferris's credit, they never gave up, as all good teams do and they pushed us all the way to the end."
With the win, the Lakers move 10-1 overall on the season and 5-0 in GLIAC play. The Bulldogs move to 12-1, 4-1
Lake Superior shot 54.7 percent from the field in the win with a 57.1 percent mark from behind the arc. Ferris State finished at 52.5 and 33.3 percent.
FSU won the battle in the post holding a, 26-24 rebounding advantage but turned the ball over 12 times compared to the nine committed by LSSU.
Senior guard Akaemji Williams paced the Lakers offensively with 26 points and 10 assists for his first double-double of the season. Williams went 8-of-18 from the field with a pair of triples and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
"Akaemji has always been there for us in big games and certainly was again today," Hettinga said. "At half time, he has eight assists and no turnovers; you can't ask much more out of your point guard than that. That's what seniors are supposed to do and he certainly stepped up us and showed why he's one of the best players in the country"
Junior Blake Marquardt matched a season-high15 points and was 5-of-7 on triple attempts. Rog Stein finished with 11 points off the bench in the win.
Drew Cushingberry led the FSU scoring column with 11 points on the afternoon. Peter Firlik and Jaylin McFadden each posted 10 points.
The Lakers will take a break from GLIAC competition as they return to action on Monday (Dec.18) to host Algoma (Ontario) at 5 p.m. LSSU's return to conference play Jan.4 (7 p.m.) as Davenport comes to town.
The LSSU Athletics After Christmas Sale will take place online Dec.26-Jan.2 allowing fans to purchase up to four tickets for one dollar each to any one of the remaining home hockey games or basketball double-headers. For more information, visit lssulakers.com.