SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball team (21-8, 13-5 GLIAC) fell to the Wayne State Warriors in the opening round of the 2024 GLIAC Quarterfinals by a final score of 87-78 on Wednesday.

Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) opened up the scoring as both teams battled early on with a three from Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) tying up the score at 7-7. The Warriors were able to keep pushing, but the Lakers continued to keep the score close with multiple buckets from Perkins, then, after Wayne State managed to take a ten point lead, Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) ended the half with back to back and-ones, with Okerlund having raced the length of the floor to throw up a layup with one second left on the clock for his, as LSSU cut the lead down to four going into the halftime break. 

Womack wasted no time finding Edmondson for three to cut the lead to one to open the second half, but the Warriors were able to pull back ahead by nine before a three from Womack halted the run. Womack and Edmondson continued to let it fly, but Wayne State always seemed to have an answer. The Lakers would still keep fighting, even while trailing by as many as 15 points. Then, they would find their momentum, storming back with a 10-0 run to get back to within four that featured a pair of buckets from Perkins and a dunk from Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) after Nino Carter-Smith (Warren, Mich.) grabbed a rebound and threw it ahead. However, Wayne State was able to close out the game at the free throw line, ending the Lakers run in the GLIAC Tournament. 

All five LSSU starters finished the game in double figures, led by Womack with 17. Edmondson finished with 15 points while Perkins added 14 of his own. Soper finished the night with 10 points and one rebound shy of a double double, and Okerlund scored 11 to round out the starting lineup.

The Lakers will now await the NCAA DII men's basketball selection show on Sunday, March 10 at 11 p.m.