SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball program (15-6, 7-4 GLIAC) closed out a 74-68 victory over the Northern Michigan (NMU) Wildcats (17-6, 10-1 GLIAC) to hand the Wildcats their first loss in conference play and end their 13-game win streak on Saturday. 

Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) proved to be a force in the paint, making the Wildcats pay for switching their guards onto him in the post with the first four Laker buckets in the post, and a three from the top of the key by Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) had LSSU leading by four. Both teams would go back and forth as back-to-back layups from Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) helped LSSU nurse a slim lead, but the Lakers would ultimately find themselves trailing by only two points after a first half that saw them shoot 1-11 from three-point range. 

Perkins wasted no time tying up the score to open the second half, but both teams would trade the lead multiple times with Soper and Okerlund each hitting a three. The lead continued to trade hands several times throughout the half, with neither team able to build a lead greater than three. Then, after Perkins knotted up the score at 68-68, Andy Soma (Traverse City, Mich.) stood tall in the paint to draw a charging foul to earn a pivotal defensive stop. Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) repaid the effort on the other end after driving in four two to give the Lakers the lead in the final minute, and after a stop on the other end, Soper and Okerlund closed out the game at the free throw line to take down the top-ranked team in the GLIAC standings. 

Four Lakers finished the day in double-figures, led by Perkins with 22 points while also securing nine rebounds and blocking two shots defensively. Soper finished with 16 points while also grabbing nine boards, and Okerlund and Womack finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Lakers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 10 when they host the Ferris State Bulldogs with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.