SAULT STE. MARIE – Patience paid off for the Lake Superior State women's basketball team, which displayed late-game poise to beat Lake Erie 51-44 Saturday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium.

LSSU (3-8 overall, 2-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) courageously worked the shot clock down to the final seconds in order to get a high-percentage shot while leading only 41-40 with three minutes to go. Megan Manninen fed a pass to a wide-open Tamara Novic, who made an easy layup with 2:54 remaining.

After a Lake Erie miss, Manninen was fouled while trying to beat the Storm's press and made two free throws at 2:24, extending the Lakers' lead to 45-40. Alexis Rowe canned a three-pointer at 1:50 to cap a tide-turning 7-0 LSSU run.

Mannininen put the game out of reach by making two more free throws for a 49-42 LSSU lead with 30 seconds left. She finished with five points and GLIAC season-high tying seven assists.

Mackenzie Edwards totaled 11 points and seven rebounds to lead the Lakers in scoring. Novic survived foul trouble to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds. Valerie Meissner added 10 points and six rebounds as Lake Superior State dominated the boards, 44-33.

LSSU shot 36.5 percent from the field, including 6-of-26 from three-point range, and made 7-of-9 free throws.

Kaeding Skelton finished with 22 points and five rebounds to lead Lake Erie (4-7 overall, 1-4 GLIAC). The Storm shot a season-low 28.3 percent from the field, including 3-of-20 from three-point range, and also made 7-of-9 free throws. They scored 17 points off 20 LSSU turnovers.

Lake Superior State plays host to Ashland at 2 p.m. Sunday.