Men’s Basketball Split Weekend Series With Parkside.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team split their weekend series against the Wisconsin-Parkdale Rangers with a close 82-75 loss on Friday, but closed out their regular season home action with a 72-68 win in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game. 

Friday night action:

First Half

At the end of the first half, the Lakers and Rangers were tied at 37. 

Parkside took an early 4-0 lead over the Lakers in the first two minutes of play before Kemon Bassett got the Lakers on the board with a layup (4-2). The Rangers would continue to come out strong to open the game and would hold a seven point lead over the Lakers after four minutes (11-4). 

With 12:53 remaining in the first half, Parkside would hold a double digit lead over the Lakers after Vinson Sigmon made a three pointer to go up 18-8. The Lakers would respond with a 13 point run to regain the game’s lead and go ahead, 21-18 with just over nine minutes left in the half. 

The two GLIAC rivals would trade points through the rest of the half and with 1:38 left, Malek Adams would hit a three pointer to bring the Lakers within three points of the Rangers (35-32). Trailing by three points in the final seconds, C.J. Robinson made a three pointer to tie the game with one second left on the clock. 

Second Half

After the Rangers scored the first three points of the second half, Adams would tie the game at 40 when he made a three pointer in the first minute of play. Less than a minute later, Adams would score another three to give the Lakers a 43-40 lead. 

With 14:36 left to play in the half, Xander Okerlund would continue the Lakers strong shooting with a three pointer of his own to bring the Lakers within a point of Parkside (47-46). 

By the halfway point of the second half, the Lakers trailed by a point, 56-55 and Bassett would make a layup to regain the LSSU lead, 57-56. 

Bassett made another layup with exactly three minutes left on the clock to tie the game at 67 but Ranger freshman Josiah Palmer hit two three pointers in the next minute to give the Parkside a six point lead (75-69). 

Parkside would finish the game strong and would clinch the win by a final score of 82-73. 

Breaking Down the Game

Kemon Bassett led the way for the Lakers with 24 points in the game, as he played 33 minutes off the bench. Bassett went 10-for-16 in the game while also adding a team-best 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Bassett would also lead the Lakers in the assist category with six in the game. 

Malek Adams finished the game with 14 points for the Lakers as he scored a team-leading three baskets from beyond the arc in the game. Adams, who now has 1,027 points, became the 43rd Laker all-time to reach the 1,000 point mark in Tuesday’s win over Ferris State. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 43.5 shooting percentage, going 27-for-62 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Rangers went 29-for-56 in the game to total a 51.8 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State and Parkside each recorded 31 rebounds in the game.

Saturday night action:

First Half

At the end of the first half, the Lakers held an 11 point lead over the Rangers, 36-25. 

Parkside would make a three point jumper in the first seconds of play to take the game’s first lead (3-0) but in the next three minutes, the Lakers would tie the game at five when Kemon Bassett scored his second layup of the game. 

By the halfway point of the first half, the Lakers and Rangers were tied at 17 points each, as senior guard Brandon Allen scored on a jump shot to even the score. Allen would score on a shot from beyond the arc with 8:20 left on the clock after a steal by C.J. Robinson started the play. 

With just over seven minutes left in the first half, Justin Fischer would net the Lakers second three pointer of the game to bring the Lakers lead to four points (25-21). Bassett’s layup in the next minute would build the Lakers lead to six points. 

Malek Adams would score on a shot from past the three point line with 1:29 left in the opening half to put the Lakers up by nine points and Justin Fischer would cap off the first half scoring with a layup to give the Lakers a double-digit advantage after the first twenty minutes of play (36-25). 

Second Half

David Wren made a three pointer early in the second half to bring the Lakers lead to 42-28 with 18:39 left in the game and the Lakers would hold onto the double-digit lead through the first eight minutes of the half. Dan Few made a layup with 11:54 left on the clock to give the Lakers a 51-39 lead over the Rangers. 

After Adams made consecutive three pointers to bring the Lakers lead up to 61-48 with 7:18 left in the game, Parkside would begin a rally in the final minutes. Freshman Josiah Palmer would make a three pointer with 4:21 left on the clock to bring the Rangers within six points (65-59) but C.J. Robinson would answer with a three pointer to regain a nine point Laker lead. 

With 1:10 left on the clock, the Rangers were within two points of the Lakers but Adams would score a layup and make two free throws to secure the 72-68 win. 

Breaking Down the Game

Four Lakers finished the game with double-digit point totals with Justin Fischer leading the way with a season-high 18 points in the game. Fischer, who went 7-for-8 in the game, would lead the Lakers with seven assists and also added two rebounds. Malek Adams finished the game with 15 points in 36 minutes on the floor and a team-leading three three pointers. Adams also ranked second on the  Lakers with five rebounds. 

Bassett finished the game with his 14th double-figure point total of the season as he scored 13 points for the Lakers while also leading the way with eight rebounds. David Wren rounded out the top four scorers for LSSU as he added 12 points in the win. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 52.7 shooting percentage, going 29-for-55 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Rangers went 26-for-53 in the game to total a 49.1 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State was outrebounded by Parkside, 24-20, in the game.

What’s Next

The Lakers and Rangers will wrap up the regulat season next weekend against the Ashland University Eagles with a road series. The GLIAC contests will be played on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27 in the Kates Gymnasium in Ashland Ohio. Both games are set for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff.