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Men's Basketball Splits Road Series with Northern after Sunday Loss

Men's Basketball Splits Road Series with Northern after Sunday Loss

MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team dropped a game to the Northern Michigan Wildcats by a final score of 91-70 on Sunday, Jan. 31 in the PEIF Gymnasium in Marquette, Mich. in the second game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series this weekend.

Following the first twenty minutes of play, the Lakers trailed the Wildcats, 56-39.

The Wildcats grabbed an early 5-0 lead over the Lakers but Malek Adams would respond with a jump shot to get the Lakers on the board in the first minute of play. Adams would make his first three pointer of the game a few minutes later to bring the Lakers within a pair of points of the Wildcats (9-7). 

Northern Michigan would take over the game in the next stretch of action as the Wildcats would go on to score 13 of the next 15 points to take a 22-9 lead over the Lakers. 

Kemon Bassett, who led the Lakers with 14 points in the first half, made a pair of layups right around the halfway point of the opening twenty minutes of play. With 7:17 left in the first half, Adams scored his second shot from behind the arc to bring the Lakers back within single digits of the Wildcats (34-26). 

Bassett would make three straight jump shots for the Lakers in the next few minutes of play, with the final basket coming off of a steal. 

In the final five minutes of the half, both teams traded points but the Lakers were unable to erase the deficit, and the first twenty minutes of play ended with LSSU trailing by 17 points. 

The Lakers were not able to overcome the deficit in the second half as the Wildcat defense held off Lake Superior's offense from finding a way back into the game. In the second half, the Lakers scored 31 points, including 11 points by Bassett and a three pointer by freshman Blake Cassidy late in the game.

The two Upper Peninsula rivals would finish the game with Northern Michigan securing the win by a final score of 91-70. 

Breaking Down the Game

Despite the loss, Bassett scored a season-high 25 points in the game for the Lakers as he went 12-for-20 in the game. The junior forward added five rebounds and two assists for the Lakers. Adams and David Wren joined Bassett with double-digit point totals in the game. Adams finished the game with 15 points, including a team best three three-pointers in the game. Wren totaled 12 points in the game as well as a team-best six rebounds. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 42.9 shooting percentage, going 27-for-63 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Wildcats went 32-for-62 in the game to total a 51.6 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State was outrebounded by NMU, 35-27, in the game.

What's Next

The Lakers will return home next weekend to take on the Davenport Panthers in a two game GLIAC series in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The opening game is set for a 3:00 p.m. start on Friday, Feb. 5 while the contest on Saturday, Feb. 6 is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m.

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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