Men’s Basketball Earns an 80-66 Victory over Davenport (Photos)

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team secured an 80-66 win over the Davenport University Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 6 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in the closing game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series this weekend.

First Half 

After the first twenty minutes of action, the Lakers held a three point lead over the Davenport Panthers, 40-37. 

C.J. Robinson opened the scoring for the Lakers in the game when he capitalized on a layup in the first minute of play to tie the game at two. The Panthers would then go on an eight point scoring run to hold a 10-2 lead over the Lakers in the first four minutes.

Xander Okerlund hit a shot from three to bring the Lakers w ithin five points of the Panthers (10-5). The Lakers would rally in the next few minutes of play, scoring nine straight points, to tie the game at 13 when Justin Fischer made a layup following a defensive rebound by Dan Few and when Brandon Allen scored from beyond the arc with 12:07 left in the half, the Lakers took a 16-13 lead. 

The Lakers strong shooting continued with Malek Adams‘ first three pointer of the game coming at 11:04 of the first half to put the Lakers ahead 19-16 over the Panthers. 

After the Panthers regained the lead, David Wren made a layup for a 24-23 LSSU lead and Allen sunk his second three pointer of the half to put the Lakers ahead, 27-23 with just under seven minutes left. 

The Panthers would work to cut down the deficit but the Lakers found a spark from their freshmen – Blake Cassidy and Andy Soma. Soma made a three pointer with 3:25 left in the half (33-28) and Cassidy would add a three pointer of his own with just over two minutes left to put the Lakers up by eight points (36-28). 

With some back and forth scoring between the two teams in the final two minutes, the half closed with the Lakers leading, 40-37. Adams led the Lakers with nine points but the offense was evenly distributed for the home team, with 10 players posting points in the half. 

Second Half

Within the first two minutes of the second half, Robinson had four points for the Lakers, giving LSSU a five point lead early in the half (44-39). 

Davenport's Scott Ulaneo would bring the Panthers within three points (44-41) but the Lakers would respond with a 10 point run to go up by 13 points (54-41) before four minutes were played in the second.

The Lakers held onto the double digit lead throughout the first twelve minutes of the second half and would hold a 12 point lead with 8:29 left (61-49). Davenport would come back to bring the game with four points when Brackton Miller made a three pointer with 6:32 left (63-59). 

Justin Fischer would not let the Panthers inch any closer as he followed with a three pointer of his own with 5:19 left to play (66-59). 

The game would end with the Lakers clinching the win by a final score of 80-66 to split the weekend series. 

Breaking Down the Win

Adams led the Lakers with 15 points in the game as well as seven rebounds and five assists. Including Adams, five Lakers finished with double figure point totals in the game. Robinson ranked second on the team with 14 points while leading the way in assists with eight. Fischer posted 13 points and was tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine. Wren and Bassett each registered 10 points in the win.

The Lakers finished the game with a 43.9 shooting percentage, going 29-for-66 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Panthers went 24-for-59 in the game to total a 40.7 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Davenport, 41-33, in the game.

What's Next

The Lakers will travel to Midland, Mich. next weekend to play a pair of games against the Northwood University Timberwolves. The first game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12 and the second contest is set for a 3:00 tipoff on Saturday, Feb. 13. 

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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