GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team earned a 74-67 win over the Davenport Panthers on Monday, Jan. 31 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game in Grand Rapids, Mich. With the win, the Lakers overall record improves to 11-7 this season and a 6-6 mark in conference play.
First Half:
Play between the two GLIAC opponents was evenly matched through the first half as three points separated the teams at the end of the first half. Davenport led 40-37.
The Panthers got on the board first to take a 2-0 lead at 19:17 but freshman Tyson Edmondson, the top three-point shooter in the GLIAC this season, scored on a shot from beyond the arc to give the Lakers a 3-2 lead. Davenport answered with a pair of threes to lead by five (8-3) within the first 2:30 of the game.
Redshirt senior Malek Adams tied the game at 10 at 14:49 with his first three pointer of the game. Davenport's three point shooting in the following two minutes of play would give the team a seven point lead (19-12) as the Panthers scored from three on three occasions in the stretch.
Sophomore Andy Soma capped off an eight point scoring run for the Lakers with his first three pointer of the game as the Lakers regained the lead (21-20) with 9:11 left in the first half. The Panthers would quickly grab the lead back as the home team scored the game's next 11 points to go up by double digits over the Lakers. Davenport held a 30-20 lead with 5:47 remaining in the half.
The Lakers would close the margin in the next few minutes of play. Senior forward Kemon Bassett added six points for the Lakers within a :25 second span as the team pulled within seven points of the Panthers (34-27). Adams and freshman Kingsley Perkins each posted field goals for the Lakers to bring LSSU within four points (36-32) with 2:30 left on the clock. Davenport's Jairus Stevens made a layup with :48 seconds left in the half to give the Panthers a six point lead (40-34) but senior guard C.J. Robinson made a three-pointer with seven seconds to play to make it a three point game at the half (40-37).
Second Half:
The Panthers extended their lead to five points after adding a layup on the first scoring play of the second half (42-37) but the Lakers would respond to overtake the lead. Adams made a pair of free throws while Edmondson and David Wren each made layups to give the team a 43-42 lead with 16:46 on the clock. Bassett capped off the Lakers eight point rally with a layup as the team held a three point lead (45-42) with 15:20 to play.
Through the middle stages of the half, the pair of teams traded the lead on multiple occasions. With 11:15 left on the clock, Bassett made a layup to give the Lakers a 51-49 lead but the Panthers would even the game on the next play. Minutes later, Soma put the Lakers ahead 53-51 but a pair of made free throws by Davenport's Luke Maranka tied the game at 53.
The game began to open up in favor of the Lakers after Bassett scored a pair of points on a turnaround shot with 8:22 on the clock. Edmondson followed with another two points for the Lakers as the team built a four point lead (57-53) over the Panther with 7:33 left to play. Edmondson's second three-pointer of the game, which came at 6:13, extended the team's lead to five points (62-57). The freshman added a third three-pointer with 3:29 left in the game to extend the team's advantage on the scoreboard to six points (68-62).
Davenport pulled within four points with :50 seconds left in the game (70-66) but the Lakers would hold off the home team in the final minute to secure the GLIAC win by a final score of 74-67.
Breaking Down the Win: Adams and Bassett were tied for the team lead in points against the Panthers with each player posting 16 points in the win. Nine of Adams' 16 points came from the free throw line as the senior went 9-for-10 in the game. Bassett went 7-for-11 from the field in 18 minutes on the floor as he provided a spark for the Lakers coming off the bench for the team. Edmondson rounded out the team's top three scorers in the game as the freshman finished the contest with 13 points.
Perkins led the Lakers in rebounds against the Panthers with nine while senior guard Justin Fischer led his teammates with five assists in the game.
The Lakers finished the game with a 49.1 shooting percentage, going 27-for-55 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Panthers went 23-for-53 in the game to total a 43.4 shooting percentage. Lake Superior State outrebounded Davenport, 34-28, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers will return home to the Bud Cooper Gymnasium for a pair of GLIAC games this week, starting with a Thursday night game on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. against the Grand Valley State Lakers. The Lakers will then match up against the Davenport Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3:00 p.m.
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