Lake Superior State began its basketball season with a pair of high-scoring duels at the GLIAC/GLVC Crossover this weekend. On Friday, the Lakers (1-1, 0-0 GLIAC) lost a 96-92 result to Lake Erie (2-0, 0-0 GLVC), before taking an 83-81 win over Northwood (1-1, 0-0 GLVC).

Omar Suleiman led the Lakers in scoring throughout the weekend. He scored 24 points on Friday, snatched four rebounds, dished out four assists, and swiped two steals. The redshirt sophomore from Canton, MI got the start for Steve Hettinga's team and showed why there's been buzz around his game. He got to the free throw line 18 times during the weekend, attacking defenses from the paint and the perimeter while excelling in distribution.

On Friday, the Lakers led by as much as 16 in the first half, when Suleiman grabbed a defensive rebound, then scored a layup at the other end. 6:47 remained in the first half, and LSSU looked like it was going to run away and hide. But the Storm slowly chipped away, cutting the lead to six at the break on a pair of free throws by Gio Moore. While the Storm got the game tied early after the half, LSSU got big baskets from Harrison Sorrelle and Tyler Jamison. Freshman Robin Benipal scored 11 off the bench, doing damage early in the second half. But Lake Erie stayed in it and began inching ahead as the score moved into the mid-60s. The two teams dueled, neither taking any decisive advantage until, tied at 90-90, Amari Williams scored the go-ahead layup with 40 seconds remaining. The Storm hit their foul shots and clinched the comeback win.

Saturday's game saw another shootout, as the Lakers beat the Northwood Timberwolves, who recently knocked off Division I Western Michigan. Again, the Lakers held a significant first half lead, shooting 54% from the floor and leading 50-33 at the break. The Timberwolves clambered back into the game, behind a great second half shooting performance. Still, the Lakers won the game by scoring 46 points in the paint and limiting turnovers to just five for the game. the Timberwolves lost the ball 14 times, and the Lakers hit them for 19 points off of those giveaways. Harrison Sorrelle scored 18 points in the win, and Benipal went 5-of-7 from the floor in his first collegiate start. He scored 13 points with six rebounds in 31 minutes of work. The freshman had an excellent debut weekend for the Lakers.

The Lakers head to Duluth, MN this weekend to take on St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth, Friday and Saturday respectively. LSSU opens its home schedule against Lawrence Tech on November 29th at 2:00 PM. Buy your tickets and don't miss a minute of the action.