SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team will begin Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this week as the team hosts the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. and follows with a conference game against the Purdue Northwest Pride on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 p.m. Both games are set to take place in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
Last Time Out
On Sunday afternoon, the Lakers played a single nonconference game against the Hillsdale College Chargers, and fell by a final score of 89-55. The Lakers were led by senior forward Makenzie Bray, who scored 14 points against the Chargers. Bray went 7-for-13 in the game, and recorded four rebounds for the Lakers.
Junior forward Kelly Olthof had a career-game as she posted her first collegiate double-double with 12 points against the Chargers and a team-leading 13 rebounds in the game. It marked new single-game career-highs in both points (12) and rebounds (13) for Olthof.
The Lakers
The Lakers are led by Brandon Lokken, is in his fifth season in the role, while assistant coach Allison Todd begins her third season with the Lakers. Lake Superior State will look to open conference play strong, as the team looks to improve on its 1-3 overall record to open the season. Through the first four games of the season, the Lakers average 55.5 points per game on a 37.2 shooting percentage and 34.8 rebounds per game.
The team will look to a number of upperclassmen to help lead the Lakers after coming off a challenging 2020-21 season as the team felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Junior forward Mattison Rayman, who was named Second Team All-GLIAC last season, will be the driving force behind the Lakers after coming off a great sophomore season. Senior forward Makenzie Bray will be looked upon by Coach Lokken after a solid season for the Lakers last year while junior guard Margot Woughter will play a big role for the Lakers after missing most of last season with an injury.
Lake Superior State will also look for contributions from junior forward Kelly Olthof, sophomore guard Jaden Wilder, sophomore guard Jozie Bontrager, and junior guard Carson Nitz. The team will have one newcomer this season, CeCe Hacker, a freshman guard from Omaha, Neb.
Leading the Lakers
Through the first four games of the 2021-22 season, senior Makenzie Bray has been leading the way offensively for the Lakers, as she averages 12.8 points per game. Bray ranks near the top in numerous offensive categories in the GLIAC this season. The senior sits in 12th place among all conference players in points per game (12.8) and ranks third in both field goal percentage (64.5%) and three point percentage (54.5%).
Mattison Rayman leads the Lakers in rebounds per game with 9.5, which is second-best among all GLIAC players this season. Rayman also ranks second in the GLIAC in blocks per game this season with 1.8 as she also leads the Lakers in the category.
The Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers
The Rangers will be opening their conference schedule against the Lakers on Thursday night. Through five games this season, Parkside has totaled a 3-2 overall record, which includes a win against No. 23 Truman State and a loss against No. 15 Minnesota- Duluth. The Rangers average 70.5 points per game and boast an impressive 34.6 rebounds per contest. Leading the Rangers in scoring this season is Alyssa Nelson, who was named the GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year. Nelson ranks third in the GLIAC with 18.0 points per game this season. The Rangers are led in rebounds by Hannah Plockelman with 7.8 per game. The Rangers are coached by Jen Conely who is in her third season as head coach.
The Purdue Northwest Pride
The Pride will match up against the Lakers on Saturday afternoon after the team opens its conference schedule on Thursday at Ferris State. Purdue Northwest has posted a 2-3 overall record heading into the opening weekend of GLIAC play with the team winning its most recent game, against Tiffin, by a final score of 73-60. Through five games, the Pride are led by junior guard Savaya Brockington who ranks second among all GLIAC players with 18.2 points per game. Brockington, who recorded 33 points in the team's win over Tiffin, also leads the Pride in rebounds per game with 6.4 this season. Purdue Northwest averages 70.0 points per game this season on a 44.0 shooting percentage and 35.6 rebounds per game. The Pride are coached by Courtney Locke who is in her third season in the role at PNW.
Up Next
The Lakers will continue GLIAC play on the road next weekend as the team travels across the Upper Peninsula to take on Michigan Tech at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 and Northern Michigan at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.
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