SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team dropped a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game to the Wayne State Warriors by a final score of 75-50 on Thursday, Jan. 27 in Detroit, Mich.
First Half:
Through the first two minutes of the game, the Warriors held a 6-4 lead over the Lakers. Ella Bontrager and Carson Nitz each added jump shots in the stretch for the Lakers. Wayne State would respond by scoring five straight points, including a three-pointer by Shea Tripp to extend the team's lead to seven points (11-4).
Just before the halfway mark of the first quarter, Makenzie Bray pulled the Lakers within two points of the Warriors (12-10) as she made a three-point jump shot. However, the Warriors once again would not let the Lakers come any closer to evening the score and scored the next nine points. With a minute left in the first half, Wayne State held a 21-10 lead.
Before the end of the first quarter, senior Mackenzie Kalchik added a three-point jump shot to bring the Lakers back within single digits of the Warriors (21-13). Wayne State would close out the quarter by scoring four of the final five points to hold a 25-14 lead after 10 minutes.
The Lakers had a solid start to the second quarter as the team traded field goals with the Warriors before Bray made her second jump shot of the second half at the 6:32 mark to cut the Lakers deficit to nine points (29-20).
As the quarter played on, the Warriors would continue to build their lead over the Lakers. After Bray's field goal, Wayne State scored seven of the game's next eight points (36-21) as the home team extended their lead to 15 points. In the final two minutes of the first half, Bray added five more points for the Lakers with a layup and a three-pointer but the Warriors held a 14-point lead after 20 minutes of play (40-26).
Second Half:
Within the first three minutes of the second half, Bray and Mattison Rayman combined for three layups for the Lakers. Rayman's second layup in the opening minutes set the score at 47-32 with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
Wayne State followed by scoring back-to-back three point jump shots as the team's lead reached 21 points (53-32) with 6:19 left on the clock. However, the Lakers answered with consecutive three pointers of their own. Nitz and Bray each made baskets from beyond the arc on the next two scoring plays as the Lakers cut the lead to 15 points (53-38).
In the final minutes of the third quarter, the Lakers were unable to pull any closer to the Warriors lead. Wayne State led 59-42 at the end of thirty minutes of action.
Bray scored the first points for the Lakers in the fourth quarter as she hit her fourth three-pointer of the game with 8:54 left in the game. Rayman added a layup in the same minute of play as the Lakers tried to start a fourth quarter comeback against the Warriors (63-47).
Wayne State's offense would take control of the game after Rayman's layup as the team scored the next 12 points. With under a minute left to play, the Warriors led 75-47. Bray capped off the game's scoring with her fifth three-pointer of the night as the Lakers fell by a final score of 75-50.
Breaking Down the Game: Bray had a career game in the loss as the forward scored 24 points against the Warriors. The senior went 9-for-17 from the field as tied her previous single game career-high in field goals. In addition, Bray set a new career-high in three pointers with five. Bray finished the game tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven.
The Lakers finished the game with a 40.4 shooting percentage, going 19-for-47 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Warriors went 25-for-59 in the game to total a 42.4 shooting percentage. Wayne State outrebounded Lake State, 33-31, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers will continue their road trip with a game at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 29. The game against the Cardinals is set for a 1:00 p.m. tip off.
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