SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team will take part in Cedarville University's 2021 Midwest Region Crossover this weekend with games against the host university and the Ohio Dominican Panthers. The Lakers will open the weekend with a game against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7:45 p.m. ET and match up against Ohio Dominican on Saturday, Nov. 13 with a 2:00 p.m. ET tipoff. Both games will be played at Cedarville University's Callan Athletic Center in Cedarville, Ohio.
The pair of nonconference games for the Lakers mark the team's first official contests of the 2021-22 season. On Oct. 31, the Lakers took on Alma College in an exhibition game. The Lakers, playing with a shortened bench, dropped the game by a final score of 79-70. Junior guard Margot Woughter led the team with 17 points in the game while junior forward Mattison Rayman had a strong showing with 16 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds against the Scots.
2020-21 Recap
Last season, the Lakers played a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the abbreviated schedule, the Lakers combined for an 1-18 record, which led the team to a 12th place finish in the GLIAC. LSSU averaged 57.3 points per game on a 36.6 field goal percentage. The team finished the season with 27.2 three-point percentage, and averaged 31.1 rebounds per game during the 19 game season.
For her play during the 2020-21 season, sophomore forward Mattison Rayman was named Second Team All-GLIAC. Rayman led the Lakers in her second season with the team with 13.3 points per game on a 47.0 shooting percentage. At the close of the GLIAC regular season, Rayman ranked ninth in the conference in points per game. Her 7.4 rebounds per game, which included 5.1 defensive rebounds per game, led the Lakers and was fourth best in the GLIAC.
Preparing for the New Season
The Lakers are led by Brandon Lokken, who enters his fifth season in the role, while assistant coach Allison Todd begins her third season with the Lakers.
The team will look to a number of upperclassmen to help lead the Lakers after coming off a challenging 2020-21 season as the team felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Junior forward Mattison Rayman will be the driving force behind the Lakers after coming off a great sophomore season. Senior forward Makenzie Bray will be looked upon by Coach Lokken after a solid season for the Lakers last year while junior guard Margot Woughter will play a big role for the Lakers after missing most of last season with an injury.
Lake Superior State will also look for contributions from sophomore guard Jaden Wilder, sophomore guard Jozie Bontrager, and junior guard Carson Nitz. The team will have one newcomer this season, CeCe Hacker, a freshman guard from Omaha, Neb. Hacker is coming off a senior season where she averaged 15.3 points per game on a 42.0 shooting percentage and received Second Team All-State honors.
Cedarville University Yellow Jackets
The tournament host, Cedarville University, will look to build on the team's success from last season this weekend. The Yellow Jackets posted a 19-6 overall record last season and qualified for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Four of the team's starters from last season will return to the lineup for Cedarville this year, including senior guards Emily Chapman and Isabelle Bolender. Chapman and Bolender were both named to the All-GMAC First Team last season. Cedarville was picked to finish fourth in the GMAC in the preseason poll and will be led by first-year Head Coach Jason Smith.
Ohio Dominican Panthers
The Ohio Dominican Panthers look to build off last year's 15-7 overall record as the team was projected to finish seventh in the GMAC this season in the preseason coaches poll. The Panthers are led by head coach Lynsey Warren who begins her 10th season in the role at ODU. Ohio Dominican will return seven players from last year's teams, including three of its four top scorers from the 2020-21 season. Kennedy Schlabach will be looked upon to drive the team's offense as the senior guard averaged 19.0 points per game last season for the Panthers. Ohio Dominican will also return the reigning GMAC Freshman of the Year in Gabby Stare as the guard totaled 14.8 ppg and 5.2 rebounds per game in her first collegiate season.
Up Next
LSSU will return to the Bud Cooper Gymnasium for the team's next game as the Lakers will host Ursuline College on Sunday, Nov. 21 in a 3:00 p.m. nonconference game.
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