SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team posted a 73-63 win over the Wayne State Warriors in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game on Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. With the victory, the Lakers overall record improves to 9-3 and a 4-2 mark in GLIAC competition this season.
First Half:
The LSSU Lakers got on the board first in the game when Kemon Bassett scored on a layup on the game's first possession to give the team a 2-0 lead. GVSU's Jake Van Tubbergen scored on a three pointer to make it a 3-2 game in the first two minutes. C.J. Robinson and Malek Adams added back-to-back layups for the Lakers to regain the lead (6-3).
Freshman Tyson Edmondson's strong three-point shooting this season continued as he scored from beyond the arc at 14:26 of the half to give LSSU a 12-9 lead. As the half continued, Bassett and David Wren each added field goals for the Lakers as the visiting team held the lead by two points (16-14).
Grand Valley responded with a scoring run of eight straight points to hold a 22-16 over Lake State with 9:50 remaining in the half. GVSU's Blake Verbeek made back-to-back three pointers as the team extended the lead to nine points (28-19) with 6:40 left in the first 20 minutes.
However, LSSU would answer with consecutive three pointers by Adams and Edmondson to pull back within three points of tying up the game (28-25). Adams followed with two more three point jumpers as LSSU pulled within a point (32-31) with 4:17 left in the half.
In the final minutes of the half, Grand Valley scored six of the final 10 points to hold a 38-35 lead heading into the second half.
Second Half:
Grand Valley scored the first five points of the second half as the team extended the lead to eight points within the first two minutes of play (43-35). Adams added a pair of layups with his second coming at 16:28 of the half to pull his team within six points (45-39) of tying the game.
After GVSU responded with a three pointer and a layup to take a double-digit lead over LSSU, Robinson added his second three pointer of the contest. Justin Fischer followed with a layup for the Lakers to cut the team's deficit to six points (50-44).
However, Grand Valley would not let the Lakers come any closer to evening the game as the team built an 11 point lead (57-46) with just over 12 minutes left to play. The GVSU Lakers then added another six consecutive points to lead by 15 points (63-48).
Fischer stopped GVSU's run as he made a three-pointer with 8:45 left in regulation but Grand Valley once again kept Lake Superior State from coming any closer. GVSU finished the game strong as the team clinched the GLIAC win by a final score of 82-59.
Breaking Down the Game:
The Lakers were led by Adams, who continues to lead the team offensively, as he posted 19 points in the game. The senior guard finished the game with a 53.3 shooting percentage while also scoring a team-best three three-pointers. Adams also added four rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Lakers. Bassett ranked second on the team with 16 points against Grand Valley while also adding four rebounds and four assists.
Freshman Kingsley Perkins led the team with six rebounds while Fischer was tied for the team-lead in assists in the game with four.
The LSSU Lakers finished the game with a 40.0 shooting percentage, going 24-for-60 in the game. On the other end of the floor, GVSU Lakers went 27-for-55 in the game to total a 49.1 shooting percentage. Grand Valley outrebounded Lake Superior State, 43-29, in the game.
What's Next
This week, the Lakers will play two conference games beginning with a road game at Ferris State at 7:30 p.m. in Big Rapids, Mich. The Lakers will return home for an afternoon game against Northwood University on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 3:00 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
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