SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - Led by junior guard Akaemji Williams' fifth game with at least 30 points and eight assists, Lake Superior State men's basketball rolled to a 99-73 victory over Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division opponents Walsh on Saturday (Dec. 17).
Williams now has five games with at least 30 points and eight assists, while also recording at least eight assists in all eight games this season.
The Lakers (6-2, 4-1 GLIAC), the highest scoring average team in the GLIAC, raced out to a 64-28 lead at halftime, after opening the game with a 23-to-four run. The 36-point margin was the largest halftime lead for the Lakers this season and 64 first-half points were also a season high.
LSSU shooters hit 23-of-40 (57.5 percent) shots from the field in the first half, including eight-of-15 (53.3 percent) from three-point range. Conversely, the Lakers held the GLIAC's second-highest scoring team to 28.1 percent (9-32) from the field and allowed just one-of-13 (7.7 percent) shooting from behind the arc.
Williams paced all scorers during the first half with 19 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the floor and five assists. Sophomore forward Blake Marquardt also chipped in 11 points for the Lakers, while the Cavaliers (8-3, 3-3 GLIAC) were paced by Trey Fletcher's 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
Fletcher finished with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the only double-double in the contest. Zac Carter led the Cavaliers with a game-high 33 points.
The Cavaliers improved their shooting in the second half but still ended the game shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from behind the arc overall. While LSSU rested key players through long stretches of the second half, Walsh was able to outscore the Lakers 45-35, however the LSSU bench outscored the Cavaliers 28-9 in the game.
Marquardt finished with 17 points, followed by sophomore guard Carson Manger's 13 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three assists. Freshman forward Ke'Montrece Collins led LSSU off-the-bench with a season-high 10 points.
The Lakers wrap up the 2016 portion of the schedule on Monday against Algoma University at 5 p.m.
