SAULT STE, MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's basketball team fell to the Wayne State Warriors by a score of 80-44 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The game was previously scheduled to be play on Saturday, Jan. 8 but was postponed and reschduled due to COVID-19 protocols. 

Wayne State took an early 4-0 lead in the game but the Lakers responded to take a 5-4 lead at 7:21 of the first quarter. Ella Bontrager made a layup and Carson Nitz made a three pointer for LSSU to give her team a one-point advantage. 

Wayne State's offense would control play for the remainder of the quarter as the Warriors scored 15 straight points to close out the first 10 minutes of play. 

The Warriors opened the second quarter with a nine-point scoring run to take a 28-5 lead over the Lakers with 7:28 left in the first half. Mackenzie Bray made a layup and a free throw for the Lakers with 6:48 to play (28-8). Later in the quarter, Brittany Bowman tallied a three-pointer for the Lakers but the Warriors would take a 47-12 lead into the second half of the GLIAC game. 

The Lakers had a strong third quarter, outscoring the Warriors, 20-19. Mattison Rayman opened the scoring in the second half as she made a layup and a free throw in the first minute. Bray followed with back-to-back three pointers to bring the score to 49-21 with 8:20 left on the clock. 

At the 5:36 mark, Bray made her third three-pointer of the game, and freshman CeCe Hacker added another three for the Lakers with 4:47 of the third quarter to make it a 59-27 game. The Warriors held a 66-32 lead at the close of the third quarter. 

In the final quarter, the Lakers were unable to come back against the Warriors and dropped the conference game by an 80-44 final score. 

Breaking Down the Game: Bray led the Lakers with 16 points in the game, which included a team-best three three-pointers. 11 of Bray's 16 points came in the third quarter and she also added five rebounds and a team-high three steals against the Warriors. Rayman ranked second on the team in points with nine and led her teammates in rebounds with six. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 30.8 shooting percentage, going 16-for-52 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Warriors went 29-for-57 in the game to total a 50.9 shooting percentage. Wayne State outrebounded Lake State, 41-18, in the game. 

What's Next

The Lakers will be back on the road this weekend for a pair of conference games against Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin-Parkside. The Lakers will take on the Purdue Northwest Pride on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6:00 p.m. EST and the Wisconsin Parkside Rangers on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

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