SAULT STE. MARIE - The 19th-ranked Lake Superior State men's basketball team controlled its own destiny by beating Michigan Tech 74-72 Saturday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium.

The final regular-season home-court win, coupled with Ferris State's 78-72 victory over Saginaw Valley State, secured the Lakers' second straight outright Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title. Before the game they celebrated Senior Day with Alex Williams, Tony Harris and their families, and cut down the Cooper Gym nets to conclude the afternoon.

LSSU is 23-4 overall and 18-3 in the GLIAC heading into its regular-season finale Thursday at Northwood. The Lakers will host a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal game on Wednesday, March 4, and are scheduled to host the semifinal and final rounds March 7-8 as long as they win the quarterfinal contest.

Lake Superior State relied on its defensive play to beat Michigan Tech in Houghton on Jan. 31. This time the Lakers made the most of timely three-pointers and a 17-5 advantage on second-chance points. Senior Tony Harris led LSSU with and season-high 22 points and five assists. Harris and freshman Akaemji Williams, who finished with 14 points, were both 3-for-5 from three-point range. Sophomore Jordan Dasuqi followed with 12 points.

The crowd of 752 erupted when Mike Smutny capped a Harris offensive rebound and feed with an assertive dunk early in the game. Alex Williams followed with a three-pointer for a 15-2 LSSU lead. Michigan Tech (18-7 overall, 15-6 GLIAC) cut it to six points, 24-18, but the Lakers took a 36-25 lead into halftime.

MTU quieted the crowd by scoring the first 11 points of the second half and tying it, 36-36. LSSU regained an eight-point lead, but relinquished it during a four-minute stretch. The Huskies claimed their first lead of the game, 50-48, with 6:34 remaining on a three-pointer by Kyle Stankowski.

LSSU's Jordan Dasqui energized his team and the fans with back-to-back three-pointers at 6:04 and 5:18, lifting the Lakers to a 54-50 lead. LSSU held the lead during the final five minutes, but the Huskies continued to threaten.

Harris answered a Ben Stelzer triple with 1:02 remaining and scored eight points during the final 1:43. MTU's Jordan Chartier and Stelzer made three-pointers during the final four seconds to erase most of the eight-point Laker lead.

LSSU shot 42 percent from the field, including 11-of-25 from three-point range, and made 21-of-28 free throws. The Lakers out-rebounded MTU, 35-28.

Stelzer led Michigan Tech with 22 points, and Phil Romback followed with 15. MTU shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 7-of-22 from behind the arc, and made 23-of-29 free throws.