SAULT STE. MARIE - Senior Alex Williams got the ball rolling for the 19th-ranked Lake Superior State men's basketball team, then his teammates picked up where he left off as the Lakers beat Northern Michigan 71-55 Thursday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium.

Williams scored 13 of his game-leading 20 points during the first half as the Lakers (22-4 overall, 17-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) took off to an 11-0 lead. They led at halftime, 35-29.

Williams also scored the first basket of the second half, but Northern Michigan (9-17 overall, 7-13 GLIAC) quickly cut the lead to two points by hitting back-to-back three-pointers.

It was a four-point game midway through the second half when freshman Mike Nicholson scored six straight points for LSSU, including four off offensive rebounds.

Jordan Dasuqi made a layup at 6:14 and a three-pointer at 4:55 to protect a 10-point Laker lead. Then it was Akaemji Williams scoring seven of the Lakers' final 10 points.

Not to be outdone, Mike Smutny splattered in four three-pointers and scored a career-high 15 points. It was his fourth double-figure outing of the season. Akaemji Williams scored 10 points, and Jake Blake added nine. Devin Daly led the Lakers in rebounds with seven, and Blake followed with six.

Alex Williams totaled five assists, and Akaemji Williams contributed four assists and four steals as LSSU enjoyed a well-balanced team effort. The Lakers, who rank second in the GLIAC in steals, out-scored the Wildcats 22-8 in points off turnovers.

Marcus Hall scored 15 points and Jordan Perez 14 for NMU. The Wildcats shot 40.8 percent from the field, including 10-of-22 from three-point range, and made 5-of-7 free throws.

LSSU shot a season-high 62.2 percent from the field, including 10-of-17 from three-point range, and made 5-of-9 free throws. The Lakers held a 25-24 rebounding edge.

Lake Superior State plays its final regular-season home game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Michigan Tech. The Lakers will pay tribute to seniors Alex Williams and Tony Harris prior to their team's warmup.

Elsewhere Thursday, Michigan Tech came from behind to edge Northwood in overtime, 83-81. Hillsdale defeated Ferris State, 74-71, and Grand Valley State upset Saginaw Valley State, 71-70. The Lakers head into Saturday in sole possession of first place in the GLIAC North Division, leading SVSU by one game and MTU by two.