UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals by a final score of 79-67 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game in University Center, Mich. on Saturday, Jan. 29. With the loss, the Lakers overall record sits 10-7 and 5-6 in conference play.
First Half:
After the Cardinals scored the first five points of the game to take a 5-0 lead over the Lakers, LSSU responded by scoring the next six points. Redshirt senior Malek Adams and senior David Wren each scored on layups while senior C.J. Robinson made a pair of free throws as the Lakers went up 6-5.
SVSU's Delano Smith regained the lead at 15:54 of the first half with a three-pointer but Wren would once again even the game with his second layup of the contest. The Cardinals three-point shooting continued to have success as James Toohey made the team's third three-pointer of the game at 13:53 of the half for an 11-8 lead.
By the halfway mark of the first half, the score was tied at 11. Adams added a layup at 8:57 to give Lake State a two point lead (15-13) and Robinson netted the Lakers first three of the game to put the team ahead by five points (18-13) with 7:29 on the clock.
The Cardinals would score the game's next five points as the game was tied at 18 with five minutes left. The Lakers held a four-point lead (22-18) before Freddie McIntosh made a three point jumper with 3:24 left to bring the Cardinals within a point (22-21). Saginaw Valley jumped ahead of the Lakers and extended their lead to five points (29-24) after back-to-back threes with 1:28 left in the half.
Freshman Tyson Edmondson made a pair of free throws followed by a three pointer to tie up the match with :58 seconds left in the game. SVSU finished the half by scoring the final three points to hold a 32-29 lead at the end of 20 minutes.
Second Half:
The Lakers started the second half strong, with Robinson making a jump shot to score the first two points of the half and Edmondson following with his second three-pointer to give the Lakers a 34-32 lead. With four minutes played in the half, the score was tied at 36.
The Cardinals would quickly regain the lead as the team went on a nine-point scoring run to jump ahead 45-36 with 13:36 left in the game. However, the Lakers would score the next six points to come back within three points (45-42).
At 9:40 of the half, Adams made a three-pointer to make it a two-point deficit and Edmondson's three at 9:08 would put the Lakers back up (48-47). The next stretch of play remained evenly matched as the two GLIAC opponents traded points. With six minutes left in regulation, three points separated the teams with the Cardinals leading, 57-54.
SVSU would not allow the Lakers to pull any closer to evening the game as the team combined to go ahead by double digits (65-55) with 4:13 left in the game. Junior Dan Few made back-to-back free throws for the Lakers with just over two minutes left as the Lakers trailed 70-62. In the closing minutes, the Lakers were unable to overcome the deficit and were defeated by a final score of 79-67.
Breaking Down the Game: The Lakers were led by Edmondson, the GLIAC's top three-point shooter this season, who finished the game with a career-high 16 points. The freshman went 4-for-7 from the field which included a team-best three three-pointers. In his 29 minutes on the floor, Edmondson totaled five rebounds. Adams and Robinson were tied for second on the team in scoring during the game as both players posted 11 points. Adams led his teammates in both rebounds (8) and assists (5) against the Cardinals.
The Lakers finished the game with a 42.0 shooting percentage, going 21-for-50 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Cardinals went 27-for-62 in the game to total a 43.5 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Saginaw Valley, 39-34, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers three-game GLIAC road trip will conclude on Monday, Jan. 31 at Davenport University. The game, which was rescheduled following a postponement on Jan. 13, is set for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff in Grand Rapids, Mich.
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