Laker men get first win of the season

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team earned its first win of the season by a final score of 75-64 against the Wayne State Warriors  in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game on Saturday, Jan. 9 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 

First Half:

After the Warriors scored a layup on the game’s first scoring play, the Lakers would answer with seven straight points to take a 7-2 lead. Justin Fischer, who had three of those points, would make a three point jumper at the 15:16 mark of the half to give the Lakers a five point lead (10-5). Kemon Bassett would also score his first two points of the game in the span as he added a layup for the Lakers. 

When Darian Owens-White brought the Warriors back within four points at 13:43, sophomore forward Dan Few added a layup to spark a Lakers run that would end in the team holding a double digit lead. Sophomore guard Nigel Colvin, who scored 24 points in yesterday’s game against Wayne State, would shoot a three pointer and David Wren followed with a layup to put the Lakers ahead by 11 points (20-9). 

Wren’s three point jumper with 8:12 in the half would give the Lakers a 14 point lead, their biggest of the game. However, the Warriors offense would use the reminder of the half to erase the Lakers lead. Wayne State outscored the Lakers by a 14-2 margin to come within two points of tying the game with 3:17 left in the half. 

Bassett would put the Lakers back up by four points with 3:01 left in the half with a layup. Bassett’s strong first half ended with him leading the team with 10 points and three rebounds. 

The Warriors closed out the half strong to hold a 36-33 lead over the Lakers at the end of the first half.

Second Half: 

Malek Adams, who would lead the team in the second half, scored his first two points of the half to bring the Lakers within one point of tying the game. The Lakers would even the score at 40 when Wren scored on a layup with 16:59 left in the half. 

Three straight free throws made by C.J. Robinson brought the Lakers in front of the Warriors on the scoreboard for the first time in the half (43-42). 

With 10:46 left in the game, Bassett would continue his strong game with another layup. 

In the final ten minutes of the half, Adams began to find his rhythm after missing the entire 2019-20 season. The senior made a layup to ignite a nine point scoring streak for the Lakers, which included his first three pointer of the season. A dunk by Bassett would widen the Lakers lead and sparked the bench to close out the final minutes of the game. 

Adams added a second three pointer with 5:31 left in the game to bring the Lakers lead up to 11 points (66-55).

Wayne State’s Antonio Marshall brought his team within six points when he scored on a three-point jump shot with 4:44 left (66-60). 

The Lakers would hold off the Warriors push late in the game to keep their GLIAC rival from sweeping the opening weekend series. Bassett added six more points in the final four minutes to finish with a team-high 23 points. In only his second game as a Laker, Bassett recorded a double-double as he also led the team with 11 rebounds (2 offensive, 9 defensive). 

Adams finished the game with 16 points, all coming in the second half as he went 6-for-9 in the game including 2-for-3 from the three. 

Breaking Down the Scoresheet:

The Lakers finished the game with a 50.0% shooting percentage (27-for-54) and a 37.5% from three (6-for-16) compared to the Warriors 40.7% shooting percentage (22-for-54) and 23.8% from three (5-for-21). 

Lake Superior State out rebounded the Warriors 32-27 in the game.

Leaders: 

Kemon Bassett, 23 points (10-17 FG, 0-2 3PT, 3-7 FT)

Malek Adams, 16 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT)

Justin Fischer, 10 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT) 

Back in Action

The Lakers will travel for the first time this season to face the Purdue Northwest Pride in a weekend series on Friday, Jan. 15 at 4:00 p.m. EST and Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2:00 p.m. EST. 

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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