ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Lake Superior State men's basketball opened the 2018-19 season with a 85-63 neutral-site win over Alaska as part of the Seawolf Jamboree on Friday at Alaska Airlines Center.
Lake Superior State (1-0) had a balanced attack in the first half that saw nine different players score as the Lakers took a 41-25 lead over Alaska (0-4) going into halftime. After the two teams traded baskets early with the Lakers holding an 8-7 edge with 13:50 remaining in the half, the Lakers went on a 14-5 run to take a 22-12 lead with 8:53 remaining. The Nanooks clawed back to within five points of the Lakers a couple of times, including when the score was 29-24 with 4:40 remaining in the half. However, the Lakers finished out the first half strong — outscoring the Nanooks 12-1 to go into the half up 41-25. Senior guard Carson Manger led the Lakers in scoring in the first 20 minutes with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting.
In the second half, the Lakers withstood an early surge from the Nanooks before pulling away for the 85-63 victory. Alaska started the second half on a 13-6 run that cut the Lake Superior State lead to seven points at 47-40 with 14:26 remaining. However, senior guard Tim Cairnduff answered with a three pointer to push the lead back to double digits and the lead would not drop below double figures for the rest of the game. The Lakers kept adding on and reached their largest lead (22 points) as the game ended. Sophomore forward Rog Stein made a layup and sophomore guard Brandon Allen made two free throws in the final minute to make the final score 85-63.
Ten Lakers scored in the game, including five players with double-digit point totals: Stein (13), Cairnduff (11), Ke'Montrece Collins (11), Justin Fischer (10) and Manger (10).
The Lakers shot 33-of-62 (53.2 percent) from the field, including 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three-point range, while holding the Nanooks to 19-of-57 (33.3 percent) shooting and 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from behind the arc.
Michael Kluting led Alaska with 14 points.
The Lakers return to action at Alaska Anchorage as part of the Seawolf Jamboree at 9 p.m. EST on Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center. Live video can be found here, while live stats are here.
The Lakers will play their first regular-season home game against Saginaw Valley State University on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at lssulakers.com or in-person at the LSSU ticket office. For additional ticket information, call (906) 635-2602.
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