LAKELAND, Fla. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball team (2-0) came away with an emphatic 107-87 victory over the No. 7 ranked Gannon Golden Knights (0-2) in their second and final game at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Sunday.

"It feels great," said LSSU Head Coach Steve Hettinga. "We validated our win from yesterday. Right from the jump I thought our guys really played well and under control. They are a really tough team."

"The big key was just to play hard," said Laker senior Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.). "They press, and they are a tough team. We knew we had to come in off a back to back and play Lake State basketball like coach [Hettinga] always preaches."

The Lakers got off to an early 8-2 lead as Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Adam Harakow (Edmonton, Alta.) let it fly from beyond the arc. Gannon was able to get back within two, but Edmondson stole the ball away and got it ahead to Soper for the jam to kick-start an 8-0 LSSU run. Soper and Harakow would then continue to push the pace with a put back dunk and a fast break layup to extend the lead to 25-13, and threes from Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Edmondson extended their advantage to an 18-point margin. The Golden Knights were able to make their way to the free throw line to try and crawl their way back into the game, but the Lakers continued to press the attack, leading by as many as 25 points before going into halftime leading 55-31. 

Gannon started off the second half strong, forcing multiple turnovers and trimming the lead back down to 13, but Edmondson was able to steady the ship with multiple threes to hold the Golden Knights at bay. Both teams continued to battle throughout the second half, but after a steal from Womack, Soper was able to find Edmondson for another three ball to put LSSU back up by 20. Soper and Womack would then each hit one more three before the clock struck zero to close out a dominant victory over a top-10 opponent. 

Five Lakers finished the game in double figures, led by 24 from Edmondson who was named to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team following the event. Womack and Soper each added 19 points of their own with Soper also notching 10 rebounds for the double-double, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) had another strong outing with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Harakow rounded out the starting lineup with 12 points of his own. 

The Lakers will now turn their attention to the annual GLIAC/G-MAC crossover where they will face Lake Erie and Northwood in Big Rapids, Mich. with tipoff against Lake Erie scheduled for Friday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.