SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Michigan Tech Huskies by a final score of 65-56 on Saturday, Feb. 26 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Lakers close out the regular season with an overall record of 16-10 and a 11-9 conference record. The Lakers will take on the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Wednesday, March 2 in Marquette, Mich. in the GLIAC Quarterfinals.
First Half:
At the close of the first half, the Lakers held a 28-23 lead over the Huskies. Malek Adams opened the scoring on the game's first possession with a jumper and followed with a layup at 17:46 of the first half to extend the Lakers lead to six points (6-0) over the Huskies. Kemon Bassett's layup at the 14:46 mark of the first half extended the Lakers lead to eight points (8-0).
The Huskies made a three-pointer and a layup to pull within three points of the Lakers with just over 13 minutes left in the first half (8-5). After Michigan Tech pulled within a point, the Lakers built their lead back to five points (14–9) by the midpoint of the half. Adam's three-pointer at 8:48 extended the team's lead to eight points (17-9).
Michigan Tech followed with six consecutive points to pull within two points (17-15) with 7:22 left in the opening 20 minutes of play. MTU's Trent Bell made a three-point shot to make it a one point game (19-18) but the Lakers once again cushioned their lead, scoring the next five points. Adams added another layup and Justin Fischer made a three pointer with 3:57 left on the clock (24-18).
Adams added two more field goals before the close of the first half, bringing his total to 15 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
Second Half:
After the Lakers scored on the opening possession to take a seven point lead (30-23), the Huskies followed with a three pointer by Bell. However, the home squad would maintain the score advantage as the Lakers added six consecutive points to lead by double-digits (36-26) with 16:52 to play in the game.
Adams' first three-pointer of the second half, which came at the 14:58 mark, extended the Lakers lead to 12 points (41-29). David Wren followed with two made free throws to give the Lakers a 43-29 lead over the Huskies. Michigan Tech's offense began to control play as the team scored seven straight points to pull within seven points (45-38) of the Lakers with just over nine minutes left in the game. Adams' second three of the half regained the double-digit lead for the Lakers with 9:03 on the clock.
Michigan Tech's Adam Hobson made a three-pointer at the 7:51 mark of the second half to bring the visitors within six points of the Lakers (50-44). As the half played on, the Lakers lead remained eight (54-46) with five minutes left in regulation.
The Huskies three-point shooting led the team's late comeback as Hobson and Eric Carl each made baskets for their team. A layup for the Huskies with 3:38 left on the clock tied the game at 54 and Carl's second three-pointer in the stretch gave the Huskies the lead for the first time in the game (57-54).
Michigan Tech made a pair of free throws with under two minutes remaining in the game to build their lead to five points (59-54). The Lakers were unable to put together a late-game rally and dropped the game by a final score of 65-56.
Breaking Down the Game: Adams finished the game with a team-high 28 points in his final game in the Bud Cooper as he went 11-for-18 from the field which included a team-high three pointers. Adams also added four rebounds and three assists for the Lakers in the game. Wren posted 11 points for the Lakers in the game as he ranked second among his teammates. Bassett led the Lakers with seven rebounds.
The Lakers finished the game with a 43.5 shooting percentage, going 20-for-46 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Huskies went 24-for-48 in the game to total a 50.0 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Michigan Tech, 27-25, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the GLIAC standings, which have been determined by a points percentage system. Lake Superior State will travel to Marquette, Mich. to play the No. 3 seeded Northern Michigan Wildcats on Wednesday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the Berry Events Center in the GLIAC Quarterfinals.
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