SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team recorded an 84-82 win against the Ferris State Bulldogs on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game.
First Half
The two GLIAC rivals would play to an identical score of 41-41 following the first twenty minutes of intense play.
Malek Adams would score his first three points of the game 1:13 into play as he gave the Lakers a 3-0 lead after a three-point jump shot. Adams would follow minutes later with his second three pointer of the contest to put the Lakers ahead 6-2.
The Lakers strong three point shooting would continue as Brandon Allen scored on a jump shot to give the Lakers an early 9-2 lead.
At 13:52 of the first half, Adams netted his third basket from behind the arc and less than a minute later would score on a jump shot to record his 1,000th career point as a Laker. Adams became thee 43rd Laker all-time to reach the milestone and the first since Michael Nicholson during the 2017-18 season.
Adams would add another five points for the Lakers before the first 11 minutes of play expired and the Lakers would hold a 27-20 lead with nine minutes left to play in the first half.
The Bulldogs would tie the game with 7:18 left on the clock and would take their first lead of the game with 6:39 left to play when Ben Davidson made a three point jump shot.
Allen would make his second three pointer of the game with under a minute remaining in the first half to even the score at 39 and David Wren would once again tie the game (41-41) in the final seconds of the first half.
Second Half
In a tight second half, the Lakers would outscore the Bulldogs by two points, 43-41, to take the win by a final score of 84-82.
Wren would record the first two scoring plays of the second half for the Lakers as he added two layups within the first two minutes of action.
At 12:40 of the second half, Xander Okerlund would cap off a nine point scoring run for the Lakers when he scored a three point jump shot to give the Lakers a 56-47 lead. Okerlund, a sophomore guard, would the next five points for the Lakers as well to bring the team's lead to 10 points (61-51) with 10:29 left on the clock.
Freshman Blake Cassidy would score his second three pointer of the game with 8:17 remaining to extend the Lakers lead to nine points (66-57). With five minutes left in the game, the Lakers held a 12 point lead (74-62).
Ferris State would go on an eight point scoring run to come within six points of the Lakers (74-68) with less than four minutes remaining. Okerlund would add his third three pointer of the night to put the Lakers back up by nine points (77-68).
The Bulldogs would rally in the final minutes of play but the Lakers would hold on to secure the win by a final score of 84-82.
Breaking Down the Game
In the milestone game, Adams led the Lakers with 23 points in the game as he currently sits in 43rd place all-time on the Lakers career points list with 1,013. The senior guard went 8-for-16 in the game, including 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Adams finished the night with three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Including Adams, four Lakers recorded double-figures in points in the win. Wren finished the game with 14 points while also notching five assists and a team-leading three steals. Okerlund posted 13 points against the Bulldogs.
Justin Fischer totaled 12 points in the game as well as a team-high 15 rebounds in the win to record his second double-double of the season. Fischer also led the Lakers in assists with six against the Bulldogs.
The Lakers finished the game with a 47.5 shooting percentage, going 29-for-61 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Bulldogs went 30-for-65 in the game to total a 46.2 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Ferris State, 38-35, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers will continue their three-game homestand this weekend as the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers will travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. for a pair of GLIAC games. The series, which will be played in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium, will open at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19 and conclude at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20.
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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