ASHLAND, Ohio - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Ashland University Eagles by a final score of 84-73 at the Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game.

First Half: 

At the end of the first half, the Lakers trailed the Eagles, 36-31.

David Wren opened the scoring in the game for the Lakers as he made a three point jump shot to give LSSU an early 3-2 lead. Kemon Bassett gave the Lakers a 6-4 lead at 17:34 of the first half when he added a shot from behind the three point line.

Lake Superior State would score their third consecutive three pointer at 13:24 of the game when Malek Adams scored to bring the Lakers within two points (11-9) of the Eagles. Adams would score the next four points for the Lakers as he scored on a pair of layups to make it 15-13 in favor of Ashland. 

Xander Okerlund and Brandon Allen would make the Lakers fourth and fifth three pointers of the half as LSSU pulled within five points (25-20) with eight minutes left to play in the opening half. 

After Ashland took a 36-24 lead with just under four minutes left on the clock, the Lakers would close out the first half with seven straight points. Bassett had five of the seven points to end the half as the Lakers would trail by five points, 36-31, at the close of the first twenty.

Second Half: 

Within the first four minutes of the second half, the Lakers would pull within two points of the Eagles after C.J. Robinson made a three point jump shot (40-38). 

Wren added another three pointer for the Lakers with 12:09 left on the clock to keep the game within six points (53-47) but the Eagles would respond in the following stretch to build a lead. Ashland would go on a run of eight points to lead 61-47 with ten minutes left. 

However, the Lakers would answer by scoring 12 of the next 15 points in the game. With 8:17 left in regulation, LSSU was back within five points (64-59). 

When Justin Fischer made a layup with six minutes left, the Lakers tightened the Eagles lead to just three points (67-64). Hunter Shedenhelm would make back-to-back three pointers for Ashland to extend the lead back to nine points (73-64) with 4:28 left on the clock.

In the final minutes of the game, the Lakers were not able to overcome the lead built by the Eagles and would fall by a final score of, 84-73.  

Breaking Down the Game:

Adams led the Lakers with 19 points in the game as he went 7-for-15 against the Eagles. Adams scored three baskets from beyond the arc which was tied with Wren for the team lead in the game. Wren finished the game with 18 points as he went 6-for-14 in the game and made three of four free throw attempts. Bassett rounded out the top three scorers for the Lakers with 16 points in the game. Bassett added eight rebounds in the game which was tied with Fischer for the team-lead in the game. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 42.4 shooting percentage, going 25-for-59 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Eagles went 29-for-57 in the game to total a 50.9 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State was outrebounded by Ashland, 35-31, in the game. 

What's Next

The Lakers will await the results in the remaining GLIAC games to find out which team they will be matching up against in the 2021 GLIAC Basketball Tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday, March 2. LSSUlakers.com will have the information as soon as it is released.

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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