SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team earned a 118-57 win over the Finlandia University Lions in a Tuesday night game in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. With the win, the Lakers improve to 3-0 to open the season.
The Lakers got on the board first in the game as junior guard Xander Okerlund made a three-point shot at 19:34 of the half. After the first three minutes of play, the Lakers held a three point lead over the Lions (7-4).
David Wren's layup at 16:32 of the half began a seven point run by the Lakers, leading the team to a 10-point lead over Finlandia (14-4). Sophomore Andy Soma recorded his first three points of the game at 14:54 when he hit a shot from beyond the arc to make it a 17-6 game in favor of LSSU. Three consecutive layups for the Lakers by Caden Ebeling extended the team's advantage to 14 points (24-10) with just under 12 minutes left on the clock.
Okerlund netted his second three-pointer of the game just before the halfway mark of the first half as the Lakers pulled ahead by 19 points (29-10).
As the first half went on, the Lakers held onto the lead. With 5:16 left on the clock, freshman guard Tyson Edmondson made back-to-back three pointers for the Lakers to give his team a 25-point lead (47-22).
Sophomore Blake Cassidy led the Lakers in the final minutes of the first half as he totaled nine points in the span, including a pair of threes. The first half ended with the Lakers holding a 61-27 lead over the Lions.
The two teams traded points early in the second half but back-to-back threes for the Lakers by Malek Adams and Ebeling started a 14-point run for the Lakers. After the first five minutes of the half was played, the Lakers lead sat at 41 points (77-36).
Finlandia responded by going on a run of eight straight points, led by freshman guard Rae'quan Funches who scored five points in the stretch (81-45).
The Lakers finished the game strong to post an impressive 118-57 win over the Lions, improving to a 3-0 record to start the season.
Breaking Down the Win:
Cassidy led the team in points in the win as he posted a career-high 17 points in the game. The sophomore guard went 6-for-11 from the field and scored a team-high four three pointers in the game. Ebeling ranked second on the team in points with 15 as the senior was a perfect 5-for-5 in field goals and made all four free throw attempts in the game. Ebeling also recorded a team-best six rebounds against the Lions.
Freshman Devin Womack was tied for the team lead in rebounds with six, while also scoring a career-best 12 points in the win.
The win over the Lions was a full-team effort for the Lakers as 14 different players registered points in the game.
The Lakers finished the game with a 55.8 shooting percentage, going 43-for-77 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Lions went 23-for-60 in the game to total a 38.3 shooting percentage. Both teams recorded 36 rebounds in the contest.
What's Next
The Lakers will host the Lewis University Flyers for a nonconference game on Saturday, Nov. 27 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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