SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball team (20-7, 12-5 GLIAC) picked up their 20th win of the season and secured the No. 2 seed in the GLIAC Tournament after pulling away in the second half for an 83-65 victory over the Purdue Northwest Pride (13-14, 7-10 GLIAC) on Thursday. 

Both teams battled in the opening half, exchanging the lead five times in the first 20 minutes, but 16 first half points from Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) helped to propel LSSU to a two-point advantage in an opening half that saw them shooting only 1-12 from beyond the arc. 

The Lakers caught fire to open up the second half, erasing their three-point woes from the first half by making their first seven of eight triples in the second, starting with back-to-back threes from Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) as the Lakers exploded with a 22-3 run coming out of the break. The Pride tried to push back with a pair of baskets, but the Lakers kept their foot on the gas with an 11-0 run that featured two more threes from Edmondson, extending the lead to a 27-point advantage. The Pride continued to try and fight back, but it would not be enough as the Lakers closed out their 20th victory of the season, securing their first 20-win season since 2017-18.

Womack led the way offensively with a career-high 24 points while also dishing out a game-high 7 assists. Edmondson finished with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) also ended the night in double-figures with 11 points of his own.

The Lakers will now look to close out the regular season when they host the Rangers of Wisconsin-Parkside in Bud Cooper Gymnasium on Saturday, March 2 with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.