SAULT STE. MARIE - Malone found an answer for Lake Superior State's 12-4 first-half run, but had no answer to the Lakers' offensive and defensive intensity during the second half of Thursday's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Bud Cooper Gym.

LSSU (6-1 overall, 3-0 GLIAC), winners of six straight, beat the Pioneers decisively, 71-52.

Malone (3-4 overall, 1-2 GLIAC) regained its composure during the first half and trimmed a 14-point deficit to 26-24 with 2:31 remaining. The Lakers led 32-27 at halftime.

Lake Superior State senior Alex Williams, who led all scorers with 21 points, made a three-pointer with 16:09 remaining in the second half to ignite a 17-2 Laker run from which Malone never recovered. Williams followed his triple with a steal and assist on a Jake Blake dunk. He made another three-pointer at the 12:46 mark before Tony Harris closed out the run with a layup and two free throws.

LSSU's lead ballooned to 52-36 with 11:41 remaining and extended to 21 points, 65-44, with 6:01 to go.

Harris finished with 15 points and a school-record tying seven steals. He scrapped for five steals during the second half. LSSU out-scored Malone in points off turnovers, 26-4.

Harris joins an elite list of Laker defenders in the record book: Joe Spicer (1983), Tony Avant (1987), John Gilbert (1988), Chris Wooley (1989), David Greenwood (1990) and Derek Billing (2010). All recorded seven single-game steals.

Blake led Laker rebounders with seven, and Jordan Dasuqi had six assists. LSSU shot 42.1 percent from the field, including 7-of-21 from three-point range, and made 16-of-19 free throws.

Neil Gingerich, Stephen O'Daniel and Nate Sheppard led Malone with 12 points each. The Pioneers shot 35.1 percent from the field, including 4-of-19 from three-point range, and made 8-of-11 free throws. They out-rebounded LSSU, 40-33.

The Lakers plays host to Walsh at 3 p.m. Saturday.

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