SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team fell to the Northern Michigan Wildcats by a final score of 102-69 on Thursday, Feb. 24 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Following the game, the Lakers overall record sits at 16-9 while the team holds a 11-8 in conference play.
First Half:
The Wildcats came out strong in the first half, scoring 13 of the first 14 points in the game. NMU made three consecutive three-pointers in the stretch as they held a 13-1 lead through four minutes of play.
David Wren made a layup for the Lakers at 15:19 and Xander Okerlund followed with a three-pointer to bring the Lakers within seven points of the Wildcats (13-6) through five minutes of action. However, the Wildcats offense would continue to control play as the team went on an eight-point scoring run to lead 21-6 with 14:00 left in the opening half.
Malek Adams made a three-pointer with 12:01 left on the clock to cut the team's deficit to 10 points (21-11). Northern Michigan maintained the lead as the half played on as the visitors led by 18 points (33-15) with 8:17 left.
In the final five minutes of the half, the Lakers would close the gap against the Michigan Wildcats. After C.J. Robinson made a jump shot with 4:58 to play, the Lakers would score nine of the game's next 12 points. Tyson Edmondson and Robinson both made three-pointers for the Lakers in the stretch. With 2:29 left in the half, the Lakers cut the Wildcats lead to 12 points (42-30).
The first half closed with Northern Michigan holding a 48-34 lead over the Lakers.
Second Half:
Lake State opened the second half with a seven point scoring run, thanks to a pair of jump shots by Adams and a three-pointer by Wren. The seven-point rally pulled the Lakers within seven points of the Wildcats (48-41).
NMU responded with a three-pointer to regain a double-digit lead (51-41) but the Lakers followed with two layups to come within six points (51-45) of tying the game. The Wildcats would regain the double-digit lead after an eight-point run, to go ahead by 15 points (62-47) with 14:06 left in the game.
Thanks to a pair of threes from freshmen Hunter Soper and Edmondson, the Lakers once again pulled within single-digits of the Wildcats (62-53) with 12:42 to play.
By the midpoint of the second half, Northern Michigan maintained a 13-point lead (70-57) as the visitors scored eight of the game's last 12 points. The Wildcats would take a 16-point lead with 9:16 left in the game but Kemon Bassett followed with five straight points. With eight minutes left on the clock, the Lakers were down by 11 (73-62).
The Wildcats would hold off the Lakers and extend the lead in the final eight minutes of the game. The game ended in a final score of 102-69 with the Wildcats taking the conference win.
Breaking Down the Game: Adams led the team with 14 points in the game while also adding three assists and two rebounds for the Lakers. Wren followed with 13 points against the Wildcats as he went 6-for-7 from the field. Bassett rounded out the team's top three scorers as he posted 12 points in the game. Bassett was tied with Kingsley Perkins for the team-lead in rebounds with five.
The Lakers finished the game with a 44.3 shooting percentage, going 27-for-61 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Wildcats went 32-for-60 in the game to total a 53.3 shooting percentage. Northern Michigan outrebounded Lake Superior State, 40-23, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers will close the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 26 in a home game against the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. Prior to the game, the Lakers will hold a pre-game ceremony to honor the team's graduating seniors.
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