Opening Tip

Lake Superior State men's basketball returns home to Bud Cooper Gymnasium this week with three games against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division rivals.

The week opens at 7:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 30) with the Lakers (10-7, 7-6 GLIAC) hosting Northwood before welcoming Upper Peninsula rivals Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Thursday's rematch with the Wildcats (6-12, 4-9 GLIAC) is slated for 7:30 p.m. and Saturday's game against the Huskies (11-9, 9-4 GLIAC) is slated for a 3 p.m. start.

The return trip home is a welcomed reprieve after a tough two-week road stretch that saw the Lakers lose three-straight games over the past two weeks and post a 3-5 record in the month of January.

Laker Notes

• LSSU enters the week second behind Ferris State among GLIAC teams in scoring, averaging 87.1 points per game.
• During the three-game losing streak, however, the Lakers failed to score more than 65 points in each game.
• The Lakers have suffered shooting woes over the past two weeks and now enter this week tied for fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (47.8).
• From behind the arc this season, the Lakers rank fourth among GLIAC teams in three-point field goal percentage (38.8) but have shot just 30.4 percent over their last four games.
• Leading the Lakers from deep is the sophomore starting duo of Blake Marquardt and Carson Manger. Marquardt ranks ninth among GLIAC shooters with a 43.5 percent mark from behind the arc, while Manger is hitting on 43.2 percent of his three-point attempts, to rank 11^th in the GLIAC.
• Senior guard Jordan Dasuqi, a key reserve that has made six starts this season, ranks third on the team and 15^th in the GLIAC with a 41.9 percent clip from behind the arc.
• LSSU ranks third in the GLIAC with a team assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.41 with 269 assists and 191 turnovers.
• At 16.4 assists per game, the Lakers rank second among GLIAC teams.
• Defensively, the Lakers rank 13^th among GLIAC teams in points allowed per game (80.5) but limit their opponents to tie for the sixth-lowest field goal percentage (43.2) and the sixth-lowest three-point field percentage against (33.4).
• The Lakers also are tied with Wayne State and Findlay for the conference's most turnovers forced per game, causing their opponents to average 15.1 turnovers per game while ranking fourth in steals with 7.1 steals per game.
• Junior guard Akaemji Williams continues to rank second among GLIAC players at 21.9 points per game.
• Williams also leads the conference in both assists per game (8.2) and steals per game (2.8).
• Williams, a native of Pontiac, Mich., has been named the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week twice this season and the junior guard also notched his 1,000^th career point earlier this season in a 90-85 victory over Findlay (Dec. 10). He currently has 1,223 career points and has averaged 15.5 points per game through his collegiate career.
• This season, Williams has scored at least 30 points on five occasions and at least 20 points in 10 games and has at least eight assists in 13 games.
• Williams has seven double-doubles on the season via points and assists.
• After Williams, Marquardt ranks second on the team at 12.4 points per game, while Manger ranks third at 11.9 points per game and senior center averages 11.6 points per contest.
• A native of Clarkston, Mich., Nicholson also ranks 12^th in the GLIAC in rebounding with 6.6 boards per contest and ranks fourth with 1.5 blocks per game.
• Nicholson also ranks third among GLIAC players with a 60.9 percent mark on field goals this season.

This Week's Matchups

Northwood- Monday at 5:30 p.m.

LSSU and travel partners Northwood meet for the first time this season after splitting the season series last year with a pair of thrilling games decided by three points combined. The Timberwolves (5-17, 3-10 GLIAC) claimed a 112-111 overtime thriller last season in Midland before the Lakers returned the favor with a 96-94 victory at home.

The Timberwolves have averaged just 69.7 points per game on the season while allowing opponents to score 78.5 points per game. Against GLIAC opponents, Northwood allows 82.0 points per game.

Juniors Matt Crowl and Nick Spitzley lead the way for the Timberwolves as the only players averaging double digits in scoring. Crowl holds the high water mark at 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Spitzley averages 10.9 points per contest. Sophomore Zach Allead is averaging 9.1 points per game and senior P.J. Weaver is averaging 9.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Northern Michigan- Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats enter the week 3-3 on the road and will host Michigan Tech on Monday evening before traveling to Sault Ste. Marie for Thursday's contest.

When the teams met two weeks ago, the Lakers' most recent victory, Williams and Nicholson teamed up to carry LSSU through the second half and erase an 11-point halftime deficit to earn the win.

Williams led the with a game-high 26 points, with 16 points in the second half, followed by Nicholson's fourth double-double of the season with 24 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. While the LSSU shooters struggled from the outside, Nicholson went to work in the second half and dominated the paint with 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the final 20 minutes.

Michigan Tech - Saturday at 3 p.m.

A disastrous shooting night for the Lakers when the teams met on Jan. 21, paced the Huskies to an 86-57 victory over LSSU in Houghton.

The Lakers made a season-low 16 field goals on 56 attempts (28.6 percent) and went 7-for-29 from three-point range. The Huskies shot a blistering 51.7 percent from the field and hit 18-of-36 shots from behind the arc.

Kyle Monroe and Jordan Chartier led the way for MTU, with each scoring 21 points and adding four assists. Monroe also logged a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Senior center Michael Smutny led the Lakers with 14 points, followed by freshman forward Ke'Montrece Collins with 12 points. Collins also tied Manger with a team-high five rebounds.

Last Week (Saginaw Valley 69-65, L | Wayne State, 83-59 L)

Late miscues cost LSSU a 69-65 loss on the road against Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 26). The Lakers posted better shooting marks from the field but came up short late in the game with a pair of costly turnovers in the final minute of regulation.

LSSU shot 42.0 percent on field goals (21-50) and 42.1 percent (8-19) on three-point attempts, while the Cardinals (12-7, 5-7 GLIAC) managed just 39.6 percent from the field and a 5-for-21 mark (23.8 percent) from behind the arc. On the strength of strong shooting and tough defense, the Lakers took a one-point lead into the halftime break, 36-35.

Williams led LSSU with 18 points and five assists, followed by sophomore Carson Manger with 16 points. Manger shot a respectable 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 from behind the arc but logged just 10 of his 25 minutes of action in the second half.

Saturday's 83-59 defeat at Wayne State marked the Lakers' third straight loss against a GLIAC North Division rivals as LSSU continued to struggle with their shooting. LSSU posted one of their lowest shooting performances from the field this season, hitting just 22-56 (39.3 percent) on field goals in the game. From three-point range, the Lakers hit just 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) and went cold in the second half, scoring on 2-of-12 shots from behind the arc.

Williams scored 11 points in the second half to finish with a team-high 14 points and six assists. Manger was the only other Laker to reach double digits with 12 points and tied for a team-high seven rebounds with Collins, who also provided six points in 22 minutes of reserve duty.

A Look Ahead

Following the three-game home stretch, the Lakers return to the road next weekend for a pair of rematches with Ferris State (Feb. 9) and Grand Valley (Feb. 11).