SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team will host the Ursuline College Arrows on Sunday, Nov. 21 for a single nonconference game in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium at 3:00 p.m. in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Through the first two games of the 2021-22 season, the Lakers hold a 1-1 overall record.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Lakers competed in Cedarville University's Midwest Region Crossover and played against Cedarville and Ohio Dominican. The Lakers dropped the opening game of the weekend to the host team but responded with a 68-64 win over the Ohio Dominican Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Junior forward Mattison Rayman led the team with a combined 32 points and 24 rebounds in the pair of games. Rayman posted 15 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's loss to Cedarville and followed with 17 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's win.
Senior Makenzie Bray had a career game against the Panthers on Saturday with a team-leading 24 points as she went 9-for-10 in the game, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Junior Margot Woughter rounded out the top three Laker scorers in the game as she recorded 16 points against the Panthers.
Team Leaders
Through the first two games of the 2021-22 season, the Lakers are led offensively by the duo of Rayman and Bray as both average double digit point per game totals. Rayman leads the team with 16.0 points per game while Bray ranks second with 14.5 points per game. Woughter rounds out the team's top three in the category with 9.0 points per game. Bray has posted an impressive 73.3 shooting percentage through the opening pair of games and a 80.0% mark from three to lead the Lakers in each stat. Rayman's 12.0 rebounds per game leads the Lakers and ranks second among all GLIAC players in the category this season.
2020-21 Recap
Last season, the Lakers played a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the abbreviated schedule, the Lakers combined for an 1-18 record, which led the team to a 12th place finish in the GLIAC. LSSU averaged 57.3 points per game on a 36.6 field goal percentage. The team finished the season with 27.2 three-point percentage, and averaged 31.1 rebounds per game during the 19 game season.
For her play during the 2020-21 season, sophomore forward Mattison Rayman was named Second Team All-GLIAC. Rayman led the Lakers in her second season with the team with 13.3 points per game on a 47.0 shooting percentage. At the close of the GLIAC regular season, Rayman ranked ninth in the conference in points per game. Her 7.4 rebounds per game, which included 5.1 defensive rebounds per game, led the Lakers and was fourth best in the GLIAC.
Preparing for the New Season
The Lakers are led by Brandon Lokken, who enters his fifth season in the role, while assistant coach Allison Todd begins her third season with the Lakers.
The team will look to a number of upperclassmen to help lead the Lakers after coming off a challenging 2020-21 season as the team felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Junior forward Mattison Rayman will be the driving force behind the Lakers after coming off a great sophomore season. Senior forward Makenzie Bray will be looked upon by Coach Lokken after a solid season for the Lakers last year while junior guard Margot Woughter will play a big role for the Lakers after missing most of last season with an injury.
Lake Superior State will also look for contributions from sophomore guard Jaden Wilder, sophomore guard Jozie Bontrager, and junior guard Carson Nitz. The team will have one newcomer this season, CeCe Hacker, a freshman guard from Omaha, Neb. Hacker is coming off a senior season where she averaged 15.3 points per game on a 42.0 shooting percentage and received Second Team All-State honors.
Ursuline College Arrows
The Ursuline College Arrows, a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) based in Pepper Pike, Ohio, are coming off a 9-12 showing during the conference-only 2020-21 season. Through the first three games of the 2021-22 season, the Arrows have posted a 2-1 overall record after earning wins over Quincy University and then-ranked #23 Truman State University. The Arrows are led by sophomore guard Michaela Cloonan, who is averaging 24.3 points per game through the first three games of the season. Senior guard Rebekah Green (17.3 ppg) and sophomore guard Madison Cloonan (15.3 ppg) have both had strong starts for the Arrows. Junior guard Alyssa Evans also averages a double digit point per game total for the Arrows through three games this season (14.0). Madison Cloonan ranks first on the team in rebounds per game with 10.7. Ursuline is led by head coach Shannon Sword, who begins her ninth season in the role.
Up Next
The Lakers will travel to Hillsdale, Mich. to take on the Hillsdale College Chargers in the team's final nonconference game of the season on Sunday, Nov. 28. The game, which is set for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff, will be held at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on the Hillsdale campus.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
To purchase tickets, click here.
Follow Laker Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for news, updates & more!