Dec. 15, 2007

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team defeated Ferris State 85-79 at home on Saturday to post its second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

LSSU (2-7 overall, 2-3 GLIAC) avenged last season's six-point home loss to the Bulldogs (3-5 overall, 1-2 GLIAC). The teams were 1-1 against each other in 2006-07 with both squads winning on the road.

Mark Morse and Garrett Konuszewski scored 17 points each to lead four Lakers in double figures. Micah Hudson added 16 points, and Tim VanOudheusden had 14.

Foul trouble was a factor for both teams. Two FSU players fouled out, and three Bulldog players finished with four fouls. Lake Superior State's VanOudheusden fouled out with 4:50 remaining, and Morse and Ryan Kuhl had four fouls.

LSSU was 31-of-43 at the free-throw line, including 22-of-29 in the second half. FSU finished 13-for-26 at the foul line, but made only 4-of-14 free throws in the first half.

VanOudheusden (6-of-6) and Konuszewski (7-of-8) were the Lakers' top free-throw shooters.

Lake Superior State led throughout most of the game, extending a five-point lead to 12 points, 31-19, with 7:23 remaining in the first half. Ferris State trimmed the deficit to seven points, 39-32, by halftime.

VanOudheusden and Morse made jumpers, and Hudson canned a three-pointer as LSSU opened the second half with a 7-0 run. A Morse three-pointer at 15:20 gave LSSU its biggest lead of the game, 53-36.

Ferris State cut the lead to five points, 67-62, with 4:50 remaining, but LSSU answered with an 8-0 run that included two free throws each by Konuszewski and Morse, and baskets by Morse and Scott Perkins.

Ferris State had another chance to close within five points with approximately two and one-half minutes left, but Konuszewski killed the Bulldogs' threat with an impressive offensive rebound and long baseline jumper for a 77-68 Laker lead. LSSU enjoyed a 10-point lead with 26 seconds to go.

DeJuan Wright scored 18 points to lead four FSU players in double figures.

LSSU shot 43.1 percent from the field and made 4-of-18 three-point attempts. Ferris State shot 38 percent from the field and was 6-for-19 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Lakers, 53-46.

LSSU concludes a five-game homestand with a non-conference game on Friday, Dec. 21, against Central State. The game is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m., but may get moved up one hour.