SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team earned a 99-87 victory over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game on Thursday, Jan. 6 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. With the win, the Lakers overall record improves to 8-3 and a 3-2 mark in GLIAC competition.
First Half:
Redshirt senior Malek Adams had a strong first half for the Lakers as he led both teams in scoring with 18 points in the half. Adams opened the scoring with a three point jump shot on the game's first possession to give the Lakers an early 3-0 lead. Adams added a layup at 17:46 of the half to extend the Lakers lead to five points (7-2) over the Cardinals. Adams followed with his second three pointer of the game in the first four minutes of the half to give the Lakers a 10-7 advantage.
After consecutive layups from Kemon Bassett and Adams, the Lakers went up 16-9 over the Cardinals with six minutes played in the opening half.
Saginaw Valley responded with an eight point scoring run in the next two minutes of action to take the lead for the first time in the game. The Cardinals led by a point (17-16) with just over 12 minutes to play.
Adams regained the Laker lead in the next minute with his third three pointer of the game (19-17) and by the midpoint of the half, the score differential was one point with the Lakers leading, 24-23.
The Lakers strong shooting from beyond the arc continued in the second half of the opening twenty as Andy Soma, Adams, and C.J. Robinson each netted baskets to give the Lakers a six-point lead with 5:49 remaining on the clock (34-27). Soma followed with a second three with 4:18 left in the half as the Lakers went up by eight points (39-31).
SVSU scored eight of the final 10 points in the half to pull within two points of the Lakers to make it a 41-39 score at the close of the first twenty minutes.
Second Half:
Back-to-back field goals by Justin Fischer opened the second half as the Lakers extended their lead to six points (45-39) over the Cardinals. The two conference rivals traded three point baskets (Darnell Hoskins Jr. for SVSU and Bassett for the Lakers) in the next minute of play as the score stood at 48-42 after two minutes of play.
Robinson scored on a three-point jumper at the 17:13 mark. Adams followed with a layup to score his first two points of the second half, giving the Lakers an eight point lead (53-45).
After the Cardinals pulled within three points of the Lakers (53-50), the Lakers answered with a 10 point scoring run. Bassett scored the first five points in the stretch and Soma capped it off with his third three-pointer of the game to extend the Laker lead to 13 points (63-50).
As play continued through the second half, the Lakers held onto the double-digit lead as the home team led by 11 points (67-56) with 10 minutes left in the game. The teams once again traded three pointers as Soma hit his fourth three of the night and Robinson responded to a Cardinals three pointer with one of his own. The Lakers held a 12-point advantage on the scoreboard (74-62) with 8:35 left to play.
Saginaw Valley went on a seven-point scoring run to pull within five points of the Lakers (74-69) but the Lakers would not let the Cardinals come any closer. Lake State scored the next six points to regain the double-digit lead.
With less than six minutes left to play, Adams recorded five straight points for the Lakers as the home team held a 14-point lead (85-71). The Lakers would hold on in the final minutes of regulation to secure a 99-87 win over the Cardinals.
Breaking Down the Win:
The Lakers were led by Adams, who had a career-game, scoring a career-high 33 points in the win. Adams finished the game with 11 field goals on 18 attempts, which tied his previous career-high in field goals. The senior guard also recorded a career-best five three-pointers in the win. In addition, Adams added five rebounds and two steals.
Bassett ranked second on the team with 24 points in the victory as he went 5-for-11 from the field, and made an impressive 13-of-16 free throws. Bassett added seven rebounds and four assists against the Cardinals.
Robinson (16 points) and Soma (14 points) rounded out the team's double-digit scorers in the win. Robinson went 5-for-9 in the game, including three three pointers while also recording five rebounds and three assists. Soma set a new career-high in points in the game as all four of his field goals were from beyond the three point line.
Fischer finished the game with a team-leading eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Lakers finished the game with a 54.5 shooting percentage, going 30-for-55 in the game. LSSU finished the night with a 46.4 shooting percentage from three (13-for-28). On the other end of the floor, the Cardinals went 33-for-72 in the game to total a 44.4 shooting percentage. The Cardinals outrebounded Lake Superior State, 35-30, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers will close out the weekend of conference games on Saturday, Jan. 8 as the team hosts the Wayne State Warriors at 3:00 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
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