SAULT STE. MARIE - For the second consecutive game, Lake Superior State implemented their brand of hard-nosed defense to suffocate an Upper Peninsula rival and secure a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference victory.
On Saturday the Lakers (15-5, 10-4 GLIAC) cruised past Michigan Tech 72-56 in front of 646 fans packed inside Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
The Huskies (7-11, 6-8 GLIAC) hung with the Lakers through the first half despite shooting just 34.5 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Lakers managed to shoot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from outside of the arc but only managed the slim 32-27 lead at the break.
Following a 7-to-2 run by the Huskies to open the second half and draw the game even at 34, the Lakers found a spark and exploded for a 23-to-0 run. Jordan Dasuqi, who finished with 16 points, hit three triples to lead the Lakers with nine points during the run. The Huskies committed five turnovers and went 0-for-10, including an 0-for-5 mark from behind the arc, during the extended scoring drought.
MTU used an 8-to-0 run to draw within 11 points with 1:34 remaining but the Lakers closed out the victory with sure-shooting from the foul line.
Sophomore guard Akaemji Williams led the Lakers with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, dished out eight assists and registered two steals.
Devin Daly, the Lakers' leading scorer entering the matchup, finished with 10 points, four assists and was a rebound shy of a double-double.
Despite coming off the bench for the second-consecutive game, freshman Carson Manger gave the Lakers eight points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in just 13 minutes.
Starting in place of Manger was Josh Goldschmidt, who struggled to find his shot (1-for-5 from the field) but provided the Lakers with seven assists and six rebounds.
LSSU controlled the rebounds 41-30, including 8-5 on the offensive glass, however the Huskies outscored the Lakers 14-0 in second-chance points.
In the paint, the Lakers earned a 30-16 advantage while forcing the Huskies to attempt 28 shots from beyond the arc, and limiting their success to just nine made threes (32.1 percent).
Tanner Uren played 26 minutes off of the bench and led the Huskies with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-for-4 from long range.
The Lakers travel to Midland on Monday night to face Northwood before returning home next Thursday against Saginaw Valley and Saturday against Hillsdale.
