SAULT STE. MARIE - Big defensive plays by two seniors and a junior who was enjoying a milestone night turned the momentum in Lake Superior State's favor during the final 13 minutes of Thursday's 73-68 Laker men's basketball victory over Saginaw Valley State.

LSSU (12-8 overall, 9-7 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) struggled with turnovers and couldn't catch up to SVSU until Laker senior forward Nic Jobe inspired his team with a big block under the basket. Teammate Alex Williams came up with the rebound and hit a three-pointer at the other end, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 54-53 with 12:49 remaining.

Jobe also had a steal that led to a Derek Billing three-pointer that put the Lakers ahead, 58-54. Billing hit another three-pointer at 9:49 for a seven-point cushion, which was LSSU's largest lead of the game.

Saginaw Valley State (8-11 overall, 6-10 GLIAC) pulled ahead 68-63 with 4:10 remaining. LSSU responded with six straight points thanks to a steal and blocked shot by Billing. During the final two minutes, senior forward Derek Kinney intercepted a pass in the paint and Billing blocked another shot.

Billing, a junior guard, led the Lakers with 27 points, four assists and four steals. He surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring milestone with his 16th point of the night, but ended his 10-game streak of perfect free-throw shooting by missing the second of two free throws with two seconds left. He was 9-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-9 from behind the arc.

Kinney finished with 19 points and a team-high six rebounds, while Tony Harris totaled seven assists. LSSU shot a season-high 61.4 percent from the field, including 12-of-17 for 70.6 percent during the second half. The Lakers made 8-of-17 three-point attempts and 11-of-15 free throws. They out-rebounded SVSU, 27-24.

Chris Webb and Brett Beland scored 22 points each to lead Saginaw Valley State. The Cardinals shot 44.4 percent from the field, including 10-of-24 from three-point range, and made 10-of-11 free throws.

Beland made five of his six three-pointers during the first half, which SVSU led, 41-36.

LSSU plays host to Northwood at 1 p.m. Saturday. With the win, the Lakers moved within one game of fourth-place Ferris State and two games of third-place Michigan Tech in the GLIAC North Division standings.

LSSU vs. SVSU Boxscore