SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Michigan Tech Huskies by a final score of 79-74 on Friday, Jan. 22 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in the first game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series.
First Half:
The Lakers grabbed an early lead over the Huskies with David Wren and Kemon Bassett scoring back-to-back three pointers to go ahead by six points. In the next stretch of play, Michigan Tech would respond as the Huskies outscored the Lakers by a 10-3 margin to take a two point lead (10-8) with 16:19 to play in the half.
Lake Superior State's strong shooting from the three point line would continue in the first ten minutes of play as Nigel Colvin, Justin Fischer and C.J. Robinson each netted a shot from outside the arc to regain the lead (17-12).
With 11:24 remaining in the first half, the game would be tied at 22 between the two Upper Peninsula rivals. Laker guard Brandon Allen would tie the game at 25 minutes later with a three pointer.
Michigan Tech held a six point lead over the Lakers with just under three minutes remaining in the half (38-32) and the half would close with the Lakers trailing by three points (40-37).
Colvin led the Lakers in the half with 10 points as he went 4-for-5 including 2-for-3 on three point attempts.
Second Half:
Wren opened the scoring in the second half with a jump shot to bring the Lakers within a point of the Huskies (40-39). Bassett followed with a layup less than a minute later to put the Lakers back in front by a point (41-40).
After the two teams traded points for the next few minutes of action, the Lakers would then string a run together of seven straight points to build a six point lead over Michigan Tech (60-54). But, the Huskies would respond. With nine minutes remaining in the game, the score was 60-59 in favor of the Lakers.
Michigan Tech's Dawson Bilski would make a three-point jump shot with 8:02 left in the game to regain the lead, and the Huskies were able to hold onto the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Lakers would try to rally in the closing minutes of play, narrowing the Husky lead to four points with a minute left on the clock after Malek Adams made a jump shot from behind the three point line (76-72) and would add a pair of points with :37 seconds left when Colvin made a layup.
A three-pointer from Michigan Tech's Eric Carl with five seconds left would clinch the win for the Huskies by a final score of 79-74.
Breaking Down the Game:
Colvin led the Lakers with 16 points against the Huskies, as he went 7-for-13 in the game in 21 minutes on the floor. Adams, Bassett and Wren all posted 13 points for the Lakers to rank second in the game. Justin Fischer led the team with seven rebounds, five on the defensive end of the court.
The Lakers finished the game with a 53.7 shooting percentage, going 29-for-54 in the game. On the other end of the court, the Huskies went 32-for-59 in the game to total a 54.2 shooting percentage. Michigan Tech outrebounded Lake Superior, 25-22, in the game.
What's Next:
The Lakers and the Huskies will wrap up the series season tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie.
Follow the Lakers:
Due to State of Michigan, GLIAC and Lake Superior State University mandates, fans are not currently permitted to attend any Laker sporting events. Even though spectators cannot currently attend Laker home games, there are still a number of ways that fans will be able to follow the game action. All Laker home games during the 2021 season will be available to watch live on Stretch TV. For more information or to sign up for a subscription, visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lssu/. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast on ESPN 1400, the official radio station of Laker basketball.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
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