SAULT STE. MARIE - It hardly seems possible that the 22nd-ranked Lake Superior State men's basketball team could set the defensive intensity bar any higher, but the Lakers found another gear during Saturday's 70-56 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal victory over Saginaw Valley State.

The Lakers (25-5), who were 0-2 against SVSU (21-9) during the regular season, limited the Cardinals to 15 field goals and a season-low 31.3 percent from the field, led the boards 37-32 and out-scored its opponent 13-4 in points off turnovers. It was quite a contrast from LSSU's five-point loss to SVSU in Cooper Gym on Jan. 15 when the Cardinals shot a GLIAC season-high 61.2 percent from the field.

LSSU earned its third-ever berth in the GLIAC Tournament Championship and first on its home court. The Lakers play host to Ferris State at 2 p.m. Sunday in the final game. FSU (22-8) defeated Walsh during Saturday's other semifinal, 81-65.

Despite struggling with foul trouble, reserve forward Devin Daly set the defensive pace for the Lakers. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals while playing only 21 minutes.

LSSU dominated the opening 10 minutes of the game, cruising to a 22-8 lead. Saginaw Valley State, led by Garrett Hall with 16 points, closed within five points with 1:33 remaining in the first half and trailed 35-30 at halftime. LSSU held Hall to two points during the second half.

SVSU was the first to score during the second half, but LSSU answered with layups by Mike Nicholson and Alex Williams and inched to a seven-point lead. The Lakers stretched the lead to 11 points with 9:11 remaining. SVSU was scoreless during a five-minute stretch late in the half and trailed 66-49 with 4:22 to go.

Tony Harris totaled 14 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead Lake Superior State in scoring and rebounding. Alex Williams and Daly scored 11 each, and Akaemji Williams had nine. Jake Blake added five rebounds. Freshman Josh Goldschmidt came off the bench and totaled a season-high tying four assists.

LSSU shot 42.3 percent from the field, including 8-of-21 from three-point range, and made 18-of-21 free throws. SVSU was 6-of-22 from behind the arc and 20-of-26 at the free-throw line. Damon Bozeman was the Cardinals' second-leading scorer with 10 points.

LSSU last played in a GLIAC Tournament final in 2013 and lost to Findlay, 75-69. The Lakers won the 1996 title by beating Oakland 106-102. They have an all-time record of 8-5 in the GLIAC Tournament.