SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Lake Superior State men's basketball continues Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this week with home games against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan.

Lake Superior State (13-8, 9-6 GLIAC) faces Michigan Tech 10-12 (5-10 GLIAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium, before meeting Northern Michigan (14-8, 9-6 GLIAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. 

On Saturday, the Lakers will honor their graduating seniors as part of Senior Day. A ceremony will be held prior to the game with Northern Michigan.

The annual Laker Basketball Alumni Reunion is being held this weekend. On Saturday, the 2008-09 men's basketball team is going to be honored for the 10th anniversary of their GLIAC Championship.

Last Time on the Court

Lake Superior State went 2-0 at home last week — defeating Wayne State 90-66 on Thursday and then-No. 15 Ashland 77-66 on Saturday.

In the win over Wayne State, senior forward Blake Marquardt scored a career-high 29 points for the Lakers.

In the victory over Ashland, senior guard Tim Cairnduff scored 14 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting performance, including 2-of-3 from the behind the three-point line, with two made free throws. Cairnduff was clutch down the stretch — scoring nine points over the final 5:03 of the game. In addition to his scoring, Cairnduff also tallied a team-leading five assists.

GLIAC North Division Player of the Week

Junior guard Malek Adams was named the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week for the first time this season after helping the Lakers to wins over Wayne State and then-No. 15 Ashland. 

Adams averaged 19.5 points on 54.8 percent shooting with 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on the week. Adams began the week with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while tallying four rebounds and two assists, in the Lakers' 90-66 win over Wayne State on Thursday evening at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. He then finished the week with 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while garnering seven rebounds and three assists, in the Lakers' 77-66 home win over Ashland.

NABC NCAA Division II Team of the Week

Lake Superior State was named the NCAA Division II Team of the Week for games played Feb. 4-10, as announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Tuesday.

During the Feb. 4-10 time frame, Lake Superior State, led by head coach Steve Hettinga, picked up two home victories. The Lakers defeated Wayne State 90-66 on Thursday before upsetting then-No. 15 Ashland by a 77-66 final on Saturday, extending the Lakers' win streak to three games. Lake State had a 53.7 percent shooting percentage from the field against Wayne State, and shot 50.8 percent against Ashland.

Team Leaders

Junior guard Malek Adams leads the Lakers in scoring average with 17.9 points per game on 50.2 percent shooting. Adams has scored in double figures in 15 of his 19 games played this season, including 10 games with at least 20 points. Adams scored a career-high 30 points at Ferris State on Jan. 26 in Big Rapids, Michigan. His most recent 20-point game was 21-point performance in the Lakers' 77-66 win over then-No. 15 Ashland on Saturday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. Adams has the fourth-highest scoring average in the GLIAC this season.

Sophomore forward Rog Stein leads the team in rebounds per game (7.9), assists per game (3.3) and steals per game (1.6), while averaging the second-most points per game (14.1). Stein also leads the team with five double-doubles on the season. His most recent double-double was a 22 point and 10 rebound effort in the Lakers' 101-69 win over Purdue Northwest on Jan. 19 inside Bud Cooper Gymnasium. 

Senior guard Tim Cairnduff is third on the team in scoring average with 10.3 points per game, while dishing out the second-most assists per game (3.2) on the team.  

By the Numbers

Lake Superior State is averaging 82.7 points per game of offense, while holding its opponents to 76.8 points per game. LSSU is shooting 49.3 percent from the field, including 40.8 percent from three-point range. Lake State is limiting its opponents to 45.2 percent shooting and 34.6 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Lakers are averaging 17.1 assists per game compared to 12.1 turnovers.

Head Coach Steve Hettinga's Preview 

Scouting Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech 10-12 (5-10 GLIAC) enters Thursday's game with Lake Superior State on a three-game losing streak, including 83-73 and 75-54 home losses to Northwood and Saginaw Valley State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.  

Sophomore guard Dawson Bilski is the Huskies' team leader in points per game (13.4).

Earlier this season, the Lakers defeated the Huskies 75-67 on Jan. 12 in Houghton, Michigan.

Scouting Northern Michigan

Northern Michigan (14-8, 9-6 GLIAC) enters the week on a three-game winning streak, including 87-73 and 72-60 home wins against Saginaw Valley State and Northwood on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Northern Michigan faces Ferris State on Thursday before facing Lake Superior State on Saturday. 

Senior guard Isaiah Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring with 20.8 points per game and senior guard Naba Echols is second with 19 points. 

In their first meeting of the season, the Lakers defeated the Wildcats 86-66 on Jan. 10 in Marquette, Michigan.

Tickets

Tickets for Laker basketball home games can be purchased online or in person at the LSSU ticket office. For additional ticket information, please call (906) 635-2602. Children ages 13 and under are admitted to all Laker basketball home games free of charge. For Thursday's Valentine's Day game, two-for-one tickets are available online in advance, or in person at the ticket office on game day.

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