Men’s Basketball Opens Road Series with a 75-64 Win over Purdue Northwest

HAMMOND, Ind. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team clinched their second win of the season in a 75-64 win over the Purdue Northwest Pride on Friday, Jan. 15 at the PNW Fitness Center in Hammond, Ind. in the first game of a two game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) series. 

First Half:

The Lakers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over the Pride with David Wren getting the Lakers on the board with a jump shot in the opening minute. Justin Fischer added the next four points for the Lakers with a jump shot and a dunk to give the team an early 6-0 advantage.

With 13:11 remaining in the first half, Kemon Bassett, the GLIAC North Division’s reigning Player of the Week, gave the Lakers a six point lead over the Pride (16-10) with a jump shot. Purdue Northwest responded in the next few minutes to take their first lead of the game when Jyrus Freels made a two-point jump shot to go up, 17-16.

At the halfway point of the half, the two GLIAC rivals were tied at 20 points apiece and with 7:33 left, the score was even at 24. The Lakers would then begin a seven point run that would put them up over the Pride by a 31-24 margin.

In the final minutes of the half, the two teams exchanged scoring opportunities with the opening twenty minutes ending with the Lakers ahead, 38-32. 

Bassett led the Lakers in the first half with 10 points while Freels paced the Pride with 15 points.

Second Half: 

Wren would net a jump shot from the three-point line to score the first basket of the half to give the Lakers a 41-32 lead. Redshirt senior Malek Adams gave the Lakers a double-digit lead for the first time in the game when he made a three pointer in the first three minutes of play.

Fischer would score his first points of the half at 16:23 with a shot from the three point line and would follow with a jump shot a minute later to give the Lakers a 52-38 lead over Purdue Northwest. 

In the final ten minutes of the half, the Pride would try to find a way back into the game but could not solve the Laker defense. The final ten points of the game that the Lakers scored were all on free throw attempts as the team clinched their first road win of the 2021 season by a final score of 75-64. 

Breaking Down the Game:

The Lakers finished the game with a 49.1 shooting percentage, going 28-for-57 in the game. On the other end of the court, the Pride went 25-for-62 in the game to total a 40.3 shooting percentage. Lake Superior outrebounded Purdue Northwest, 41-35, in the game.

What’s Next: 

The Lakers and the Pride will wrap up the series season tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST at the PNW Fitness Center in Hammond, Ind. 

Follow the Lakers

Laker fans looking to watch this weekend’s away series will be able to purchase access to watch both games here. 

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.