SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team will return home this weekend to take on the Davenport Panthers in a two game series in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The opening game is set for a 3:00 p.m. start on Friday, Feb. 5 while the contest on Saturday, Feb. 6 is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m.
Due to COVID-19 related changes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) scheduling process for the 2021 season, teams will play a pair of games against the same opponent each weekend.
The Lakers
Lake Superior State has totaled a 4-5 overall record through the first nine games of GLIAC play this season. Last weekend, the Lakers played a road series against Northern Michigan and split the series with the Wildcats. LSSU opened the pair of games with a 70-60 win and the Wildcats responded with a 91-70 win on Sunday afternoon.
Following the first month of the 2021 season, the Lakers have been led by a mix of returning players and new faces. Three Lakers are averaging 10 or more points per game. Forward Kemon Bassett, a junior transfer from Schoolcraft Community College, leads the team with 18.2 points per game as well as in rebounds per game with 7.4. Bassett, the reigning GLIAC North Division Player of the Week, ranks fourth among all GLIAC players in points per game, sixth in rebounds and sixth in field goal percentage (56.7%).
David Wren, a junior guard who also played two seasons at Schoolcraft, has also made an impact with his new team this season as he has averaged 13.1 points per game. Through the first nine games, Wren has recorded a team-best 53.7 shooting percentage from three, which ranks first among all GLIAC players this season.
Redshirt senior Malek Adams has averaged 11.6 points per game for the Lakers, coming off a 15 point game against the Wildcats last Sunday. Junior Justin Fischer (8.4 points per game) has been a heavily relied on player by Coach Hettinga this season with 30.1 minutes on the floor per game and 6.9 rebounds, both of which rank second on the team.
As a team, the Lakers offense is combining for 75.1 points per game this season, which ranks second among all GLIAC teams, on a conference-best 46.9 shooting percentage and a 36.4 percentage from three. Lake Superior has recorded an average of 32.1 rebounds per game this season.
GLIAC North Player of the Week
Kemon Bassett earned his second GLIAC North Player of the Week award of the season as the junior transfer led the Lakers to a pair of wins in the team's three games played this week against Ferris State and Northern Michigan. Bassett, who previously played for Schoolcraft CC, started all three games this week for the Lakers and totaled 65 points in the trio of games. Bassett posted his second double-double of the season in LSSU's 80-69 win over Ferris State on Tuesday with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Against NMU on Saturday, Bassett recorded another double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Lakers 70-60 win over the Wildcats. The Pre-Nursing major closed out the strong week of play with a season-high 25 points in the Lakers 91-70 loss against Northern Michigan.
Last Season's Series
The Lakers and Panthers met once during the 2019-20 season with LSSU securing a 60-57 win in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium on Jan. 2, 2020.
Scouting the Panthers
Davenport will travel to Sault Ste. Marie to play the Lakers in the lone series between the two GLIAC opponents this season. The Panthers are led by head coach Burt Paddock, who is in his 13th season in the role at Davenport. Last season, DU posted a 19-12 overall record (11-9 GLIAC) and was voted to finish third in the GLIAC South Division standings in the Preseason Poll.
Most recently, the Panthers played Ashland in a home series and dropped both games by final scores of 76-57 and 82-66. With the pair of losses, the Wildcats have totaled a 2-7 overall record this season.
The Panthers are led by redshirt-senior guard Chris Rollins who leads the team with 17.0 points per game this season to rank fifth among his GLIAC peers. Rollins, who received first team all-GLIAC honors and all-defensive team honors last season, ranks first on the Panthers in time on the floor with 35.3 minutes per game. The guard, who is coming off a 25 point game, has totaled a 36.8 shooting percentage and a 32.7 percentage from three this season while also recording a team-leading 29 steals.
Scott Ulaneo, a redshirt-senior center, ranks second on the Panthers with 14.7 points per game this season and first on his team with 7.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Elijah Bell rounds out Davenport's top three scorers as he has averaged 10.0 points per game this season on a 50.0% shooting percentage and 51.7% from three.
As a team, the Wildcats offense is combining for 67.3 points per game this season on a 39.7 shooting percentage and a 30.6 percentage from three. Northern Michigan has recorded an average of 33.2 rebounds per game this season.
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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