Men’s Basketball Secures a Win on the Road over Northwood

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team earned an 80-60 win against the Northwood University Timberwolves on Friday, Feb. 12 at the Riepma Arena in Midland, Mich. in the opening game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series this weekend.

The Lakers had a solid first half over the Timberwolves to hold a 50-28 lead after 20 minutes. 

With constant scoring between the two teams in the early stages of the game, all five of the Lakers starting lineup had points within the first five minutes of the half. David Wren would make a three point jump shot with 16:11 left in the half to put the Lakers ahead 12-8. 

Later in the first half, the Lakers would go on a stretch where they scored eight of 10 points in the contest to hold a 20-12 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining. Sophomore guard Xander Okerlund would cap off that run with a shot from beyond the arc to give the Lakers the eight point advantage. 

With 9:14 left to play in the first half, Justin Fischer made a three pointer to bring the Lakers lead to 14 points over the Timberwolves (29-15). 

The Lakers would go on another run of eight straight points, beginning with Dan Few scoring on a layup at the 7:49 mark. By the end of that run, the Lakers held a 20 point lead (37-17) over Northwood with 5:40 left in the half. 

In the final four minutes of the half, the Lakers would close strong with Brandon Allen leading the way with seven points. 

With a 22 point lead at the start of the second half, the Lakers defense was tasked with keeping the Timberwolves offense from finding a way back into the game. The Lakers would score 30 points in the half while the Timberwolves added 32 points. 

In the first four minutes of play in the second half, only eight points total were scored as the Lakers held onto the lead (54-32). With 11:34 left on the clock, Okerlund added another three point jump shot to extend the Lakers lead to 62-45. 

Malek Adams would record consecutive layups for the Lakers to bring the team’s lead to 66-45 at the halfway point of the second half. 

The Lakers would hold on to the lead in the final ten minutes of the second half to secure the road win by a final score of 80-60 for the team’s sixth win of the season.

Breaking Down the Game

Wren led the Lakers with 17 points in the game as well as four rebounds and five assists. Including Wren, four Lakers finished with double figure point totals in the game. Adams ranked second among his teammates with 14 points while also recording five rebounds and a team-high four steals. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 52.4 shooting percentage, going 33-for-63 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Timberwolves went 23-for-53 in the game to total a 43.4 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Davenport, 40-26, in the game.

What’s Next 

The Lakers and Timberwolves will complete the series tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the Riepma Arena in Midland, Mich.