A massive win over a top-10 team to kick off a holiday weekend?

Who wouldn't go for seconds?

Lake Superior State beat #9 Gannon 99-87 Wednesday in a neutral site game at Mott Community College in Flint, MI. Omar Suleiman scored 19 points, Nino Carter-Smith shot 7-of-10 from the floor, and Don Douglass put up a monster stat line in just eight minutes off the bench.

"It's going to make the turkey taste a little bit better," said Laker head coach Steve Hettinga. "It's a huge program win for us to beat a team of that caliber. They're super well-coached. It was a crazy atmosphere with a ton of Laker fans down here, which was great for us. Having the Laker Nation down here made it more special."

The entire game hinged on a seven minute window on either side of halftime.
 
The Golden Knights (3-1, 0-0 PSAC) took a 12 point lead late in the first half on a five point personal run by Pace Prosser. But in the final three minutes of the half, the Lakers (2-3, 0-0 GLIAC) chipped away at Gannon's lead, wrestling their own advantage just minutes into the second half. Harrison Sorrelle hit a three, Suleiman scored on a jumper, and the Lakers limited the opposition's offense to a single basket by Prosser. The 12 point deficit disappeared, and the Lakers trailed 45-40 going into halftime.

Hettinga felt that closing the half in such a decisive manner turned the game. He said, "We had momentum coming out of halftime." The Lakers capitalized, scoring on a quick three-pointer by Sorrelle, then getting Suleiman to the free throw line for three shots on a shooting foul

Carter-Smith's layup with 17:58 left in the game put the Lakers ahead for the first time. On Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth, he scored 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting with an incredible six steals. He followed up that outing with another high-grade performance against Gannon, shooting 7-of-10 from the field for 16 points. He also doled out seven assists for LSSU while playing terrific defense. 

Gannon took the lead back on a three by Mackenzie Morgan, but Karter Richards tied up the contest at 52-52 and Carter-Smith put the Lakers ahead for good with a layup moments later. From there, the Lakers quickly went to work building their own large lead.

Hettinga said, "We got big contributions from our guys. In the second half, we didn't play error-free, but against a team like that, you're never going to – it's basketball, right? But our guys stayed in the plays, and they had the next play mentality. We got huge contributions off of our bench. I thought Karter Richards and Dominic Krzesowiak played great and our bigs really did a good job sustaining and getting some big moments."

Krzesowiak played an outstanding game for LSSU, scoring 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds and added a steal. The freshman's quality play was noticed by his head coach.

"That's the thing about him that's gained him all this playing time – he plays defense and he rebounds. That's something we've been striving for, to get some guys to do that. He's certainly done that the last couple of games, and he's earned the playing time he's getting."

Douglass only played eight minutes for LSSU, but the big man ate. He shot 5-of-6 from the field, scored 13 points and snatched five rebounds, while adding an assist and a blocked shot. Kendall Smith blocked a shot and recorded three steals as well for LSSU.

Lake Superior State shot 54.7% from the field, an outstanding number in a wide-open game. The Lakers also outscored the Golden Knights' bench 44-26.

LSSU met Gannon last season at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Florida. Wednesday was just the second all-time meeting between the two schools, and both games certainly delivered for excitement. LSSU and Gannon have combined for 380 points in those two matchups, playing a tremendous pace with terrific physicality throughout the games. 

The Lakers host Lawrence Tech on Saturday at 2:00 PM on a busy weekend at the Norris Center. Prior to the game, Lake Superior State honors the 2024-25 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament Regional Championship team with a ring ceremony, and the university will unveil the new banner in Bud Cooper Gymnasium celebrating the accomplishment. After the game, join the Lakers for the Superior Saturday Tailgate, following by Laker Hockey against Augustana at 6:07 PM. This weekend, LSSU honors members of the United States Armed Forces on Friday against the Vikings, and celebrates the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday with special uniforms that will be auctioned off after the game.

Lake Superior State wishes all Laker fans a Happy Thanksgiving. The Men's Basketball team will enjoy some tastier turkey after Wednesday's marquee win.