Lake Superior State vs. Northwood
Opening Tip
Following a victory over Northern Michigan and loss at Michigan Tech on the road last week, Lake Superior State readies for their final home game of the season with a Thursday evening showdown with Northwood. Thursday’s game, slated for 7:30 p.m. ET, will also be the final regular season game before the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off next week.
The Lakers (18-9, 13-8 GLIAC) have already punched their ticket to the GLIAC Tournament next week but will host a Timberwolves (15-12, 11-10 GLIAC) squad still fighting for the last entry into the dance. Currently the Lakers sit in the fifth seed, set to play at Ferris State in the first round. If the Lakers are able to earn a victory over the Timberwolves on Thursday and the Bulldogs fall at Grand Valley State, the Lakers would move into the fourth seed and host a quarterfinal matchup.
Both teams enter Thursday's game having lost their last outing. Northwood had won three games in a row, including a victory at Michigan Tech on Thursday before falling to Northern Michigan on Saturday. The Lakers saw their two game winning streak come to an end with a loss at Tech on Saturday.
The Series with Northwood
LSSU holds a 63-52 all-time series advantage over their travel partners from Midland. Last season the teams met three times, splitting the series 1-1 during the regular season with each team protecting home court. In the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal matchup last season, the Lakers dispatched the Timberwolves 78-65.
This season the teams battled to a wild 112-111 overtime affair. Senior Devin Daly scored a career-high and set a GLIAC regular season scoring record with 49 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 7-for-9 from behind the arc.
Maurice Jones led the Timberwolves to victory with 41 points, seven assists and five rebounds during the earlier meeting.
Jones ranks third overall in the GLIAC for both scoring and assists with 20.8 points and 5.9 assists per game.
Recapping Last Week
The Lakers opened last week’s Western Upper Peninsula road trip with a Thursday contest against Northern Michigan. The Lakers held on throughout a tight game before eventually pulling away during the home-stretch to secure the 83-74 victory over the Wildcats.
Akaemji Williams led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds. Devin Daly and Jordan Dasuqi each chipped in 15 points in the victory.
LSSU has now won nine consecutive games against the Wildcats.
On Saturday the Lakers met Michigan Tech and clawed their way back from a 16-point second half deficit before ultimately falling to the Huskies 91-87.
Daly and Williams led the comeback effort against Tech by combining for 41 of the team’s 50 points in the second half. Daly finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds to collect his team-leading 10th double-double of the season. Williams finished the contest with 25 points and seven assists.
Leading Lakers
As Daly and Williams go, so do the Lakers this season. Daly, a senior forward from Mahogany Heights, Belize leads the team and ranks second in overall scoring among GLIAC players this season with 21.5 points per game and ranks fifth in overall rebounds with 8.2 boards per game.
Williams, a guard from Rochester, Mich., ranks fifth in overall league scoring with 19.2 points per game. Williams leads the conference with 7.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Williams’ assists-to-turnover ratio ranks tied for eighth with Saginaw Valley State’s Kellen Smith with a 2.3 clip.
Offense Firing on All Cylinders
The offense for the Lakers is averaging a league-best 81.4 points per game overall and 80.7 points per game against GLIAC opponents. The Lakers also average the second-most field goals made per game with 28.7 overall and 28.2 against conference opponents.
The Timberwolves rank second behind the Lakers in overall scoring among GLIAC teams with an average of 80.4 points per game. Against GLIAC teams however, the Timberwolves rank fifth with 76.4 points per game.
Northwood enjoys a league-leading 9.3 three-point baskets made per game, while the Lakers rank sixth with 8.1 made from behind the arc per game this season. Junior guard Jordan Dasuqi leads the Lakers and ranks third in the conference with a 43.3 percent success rate from behind the arc.
Dasuqi is tied for seventh among GLIAC outside shooters his season with 58 made three-pointers. Northwood's Nick Spitzley ranks sixth in three-point field goals made with 60 and shoots 41.4 percent from behind the line.
Senior Night
The Lakers will host a special presentation to honor their four seniors Daly, Jake Blake, Marcus Davis and Carlos Eubanks immediately following the women’s game and prior to the men’s game.
Heading the Ship
Head coach Steve Hettinga has coached in 262 career games at LSSU and is the program’s all-time winningest coach with 161 wins. Hettinga is in his ninth season with the Lakers and 15th overall at the collegiate level. Hettinga was named the 2014 and 2015 GLIAC Coach of the Year after leading the Lakers to a school-record tying 27 wins in 2013-14 and 26 wins during the 2014-15 campaign to claim consecutive GLIAC regular-season titles. Last season the Lakers finished 27-6 after falling to Drury in the semifinal round of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Hettinga was also a finalist for the Clarence Gaines Award, which goes to the nation’s top Division II men’s basketball coach.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at http://lssutickets.universitytickets.com, or by calling the Norris Center Ticket Office at (906) 635-2602.
Laker Club
The LSSU Laker Club is the principle fundraising initiative for athletics at Lake Superior State University. With the help of a strong and active membership, the club will work to increase fan support at all LSSU athletic events. Membership also supports athletes in the classroom through Laker Club funded scholarships. LSSU athletes are high achievers inside and outside of the classroom.
Laker Club Membership Form
