SAULT STE. MARIE- Lake Superior State men's basketball was able to quell off a late push by Lake Erie College to defeat their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference counterparts 89-80 on Saturday evening.

The No. 18-ranked Lakers (10-1, 5-0 GLIAC) had six players reach double figures in scoring to chip in a solid game offensively, especially in the first half where the Lakers hit 57.6 percent of their shots from the field and 46.7 percent from behind the three point line.

Overall, the Lakers hit 48.3 percent of their shots in the game, including 12-of-26 (46.2 percent) from behind the arc, despite a slight dip in the shooting numbers during the second half.

Led by sophomores Mike Nicholson and Akaemji Williams with 10 points each and junior Jordan Dasuqi with nine points in the first half, the Lakers took a commanding 51-26 lead into the locker room at halftime. Williams also totaled six of a career-high total 13 assists during the first half.

Williams led the Lakers with 15 points to reach his 500th career point, despite shooting just 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from the field. The sophomore from Rochester, Mich. has also tallied 160 assists and 105 rebounds already in his young career. Williams now ranks fifth in GLIAC scoring at 18.6 points per game, second in assists per game with 6.3, and leads the league in steals with 2.6 per contest.

Nicholson and senior forward Devin Daly each combined to score 14 points while Daly hauled in eight rebounds and Nicholson notched seven.Nicholson also registered two blocks and continues to rank second in the GLIAC with 2.6 blocks per game.

Senior forward Jake Blake led the Lakers with 10 rebounds and contributed eight points in 24 minutes of action off of the bench.

The Storm (5-6, 2-3 GLIAC) returned from the break facing a 25-point deficit, and with the help of a full court press that helped force the Lakers into a season-high 21 turnovers, LEC was able to cut the lead to seven with 25 seconds remaining.

Leading scorer Andy Bosley (18.0 ppg, seventh in the GLIAC) 21 of a game-high 25 points during the second half to lead the Storm.

The victory for the Lakers marks the 153rd career coaching win at LSSU for head coach Steve Hettinga, one shy of LSSU's all-time basketball coaching wins record set by current Kris Dunbar, the Lakers' director of athletics.

The Lakers host 16th-ranked Ashland on Sunday in a battle of nationally ranked programs at 4 p.m. in the Cooper Gymnasium. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for kids (ages 3-18). Children under 3 are free.