SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team fell to the Northwood University Timberwolves by a final score of 80-61 on Friday, Feb. 12 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in the first game of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) weekend series.
First Half
Mattison Rayman opened the game's scoring at 8:28 of the first quarter as she was perfect in two free throw attempts to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead. The Timberwolves would respond with a ten point run in the next three minutes to take a 10-2 lead. Rayman, who finished the first quarter with seven points to lead the Lakers, added the next five points for LSSU as she made a layup and a three pointer to bring the Lakers within six points (13-7).
Freshman Jozie Bontrager would ignite a 10-point run by Lakers to end the first quarter when she hit a three pointer (15-10). Makenzie Bray made a pair of free throws, Mackenzie Kalchik scored a layup and Bontrager would add a second three pointer to give the Lakers a 17-15 lead at the end of the first ten minutes of play.
Northwood's offense would have a strong second half as the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers, 22-11 in the quarter. Bray scored the first four points in the quarter for the Lakers as she netted two layups to bring the Lakers within a point (22-21) of the Timberwolves with 6:30 left in the half. Rayman would then follow with a pair of layups to keep the Lakers within three points of the Timberwolves (28-25) with five minutes left in the quarter. Bray would score the final three points of the half for the Lakers as the home team trailed by nine, 37-28, at the close of the first half.
Second Half
In a high scoring third quarter, the Lakers put up 21 points while the Timberwolves scored 28 points. After Northwood scored the first four points of the quarter, Bray made a shot from behind the arc to close the gap to 10 points (41-31).
With 6:02 left in the third quarter, Carson Nitz hit a three pointer (47-37) but the Timberwolves followed with back-to-back threes to extend the lead. In the final 4:36 of the quarter, Kelly Olthof would lead the way for the Lakers as she scored eight points on four layups to close out the scoring in the third quarter.
The teams entered the fourth quarter with the Timberwolves leading 65-49.
Bray would continue her strong game for the Lakers with a three pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter to bring the score to 67-52. The Timberwolves defense was successful in keeping the Lakers from rallying in the final quarter. Senior Rebecca Villaneuva would score a three pointer with 1:20 left but the Lakers would fall by a final score of 80-61.
Breaking Down the Game
Rayman led the team with her third straight game with double figures in points as she posted 16 points in the game. Rayman also added a team-leading seven rebounds against the Timberwolves. Bray followed Rayman with 15 points in 28 minutes on the floor. Olthof rounded out the top three scorers for the Lakers in the game as she finished with 10 points.
The Lakers finished the game with a 39.3 shooting percentage, going 22-for-56 against Northwood On the other end of the floor, the Timberwolves went 33-for-72 in the game to total a 45.8 shooting percentage. Lake Superior was outrebounded by Northwood, 37-32, in the game.
What's Next
The Lakers and Timberwolves will close out the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Follow the Lakers
Due to State of Michigan, GLIAC and Lake Superior State University mandates, fans are not currently permitted to attend any Laker sporting events. Even though spectators cannot currently attend Laker home games, there are still a number of ways that fans will be able to follow the game action. All Laker home games during the 2021 season will be available to watch live on Stretch TV. For more information or to sign up for a subscription, visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lssu/. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast on ESPN 1400, the official radio station of Laker basketball.
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