ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 6 in Rochester, Mich. by a final score of 91-81.
First Half:
The Lakers held an early lead (5-2) as redshirt senior Malek Adams scored his first three-pointer of the game to put his team ahead. Justin Fischer followed with a three-pointer to extend the Laker lead to five points (8-3).
At 12:27 of the first half, the Lakers regained the lead (14-13) as freshman Hunter Soper, who played in his first collegiate game, netted a layup. By the halfway mark of the opening half, the Lakers were holding their own against the Division I opponent as they held a 23-19 lead after Xander Okerlund made a layup.
Okerlund followed on the next possession with a three-pointer to give the Lakers a 26-19 lead but the Golden Grizzlies tied the game at 26 with 7:59 left in the half. Oakland's offense began to take over the game as the home squad built a 46-29 lead over the Lakers with 3:31 left in the first 20 minutes.
At the end of the first half, the Lakers trailed 58-32.
Second Half:
The Golden Grizzlies extended their lead to 30 points (62-32) within the first minute of the half. Lake Superior State would respond and spent the rest of the half rallying to even the score.
Redshirt senior Caden Ebeling added two layups while C.J. Robinson and Fischer each scored from beyond the arc as the Lakers cut the deficit to 24 points (68-44). With 10 minutes left in the half, the Lakers trailed 77-48.
With 9:47 left in the second half, Adams scored a three-pointer and less than two minutes later Okerlund added another three for the Lakers. Adams, who had an impressive second half for the Lakers, added a pair of threes as the visiting Lakers chipped away at the Golden Grizzlies lead (81-62).
Okerlund, who also played a strong game for the Lakers, added a pair of three-pointers as the Lakers closed the gap to 15 points (86-71) with 3:45 left in regulation. The Lakers rally ran out of time as the game ended in a final score of 91-81 with Oakland securing the exhibition win.
What's Next:
The Lakers will travel to Rolla, Mo. to compete in the Missouri S&T Crossover tournament next weekend. Lake Superior State will open with a game against Southwest Baptist at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12 and play the host, Missouri S&T, on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
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