"Now we're finally learning how to win," said Lake Superior State head coach Grace Howrigon after Thursday's win at Illinois-Springfield. "How do you flip on that gritty attitude, that gritty personality in the fourth quarter, where you just can't be denied the victory? We're finally stepping into who we are, what this team means."

She knows her team. Saturday afternoon, LSSU did it again, finding that grit and grabbing hold of the game in the fourth quarter. The Lakers (3-7, 0-2 GLIAC) beat Upper Iowa (7-4, 3-0 GLVC) 65-62 in Fayette, IA on a late shot by Grace Bradford and a pair of free throws by Clare Conzelmann. They erased a 12 point first half deficit, hammered the Peacocks in the third quarter and locked in during the fourth to carry their third straight win this week.

"I feel really proud of the group," said Howrigon after Saturday's win. "We are beyond resilient. We were down eight at half. I thought we were a little flat in the first half, but we had a good reset. They led each other. The players lead the locker room sessions anyway. They know exactly what it is, they hold each other accountable. This young group that doesn't have a lot of experience is learning how to win when the game is on the line. They're learning that the fourth quarter is about spirit, heart and grit. We tell them all the time, basketball is second to the human that shows up. You've got to fight and want it every possession."

Bradford led with another sublime performance. She shot 7-of-17 from the floor, took 10 rebounds, passed for an assist, stole the ball twice and blocked a shot. It was another mammoth stat line by the senior, who entered the day third nationally in defensive rebounds per game and fifth in total rebounds per contest. She dominated the final minutes of the game. Down 62-61, Bradford hit a driving layup with five seconds remaining to put the Lakers ahead by a point. First-year forward Seyyane Matthew blocked a shot seconds later that sealed the result for LSSU.

"There is a lot of leadership on this team," said Howrigon. "It's incredible, and they want it so bad. We've learned that you've got to fight. The game's never over. It's a game of runs, and you've got to steal the momentum, steal the energy, especially on the road. You're in someone else's gym. We have to create our own vibe."


Lindsey Davis led the Peacocks in scoring with 15 points, including six during the second quarter run that built their 12 point advantage. The Peacocks shot 50% from the floor in the second quarter.

But after halftime, the Lakers quickly wrestled back control of the game, holding Upper Iowa to just 27% from the field in the third while shooting nearly 50% in turn. Balanced scoring sparked the surge. Conzelmann hit a three under a minute past halftime, while points from Bradford, Matthew, Dara Capaldi and Lara Aguzzi all swung the pendulum back in favor of the visitors. Matthew and Lauren Wilder both blocked shots late in the third as LSSU totaled seven swats in the game.

Howrigon praised her team's mentality as the game moved into its later stages. "In between the third and fourth quarter, we had a moment on the bench where my message to them was, 'This is when you need to have an attitude.' We've talked about having an attitude on defense. Don't let them score on us, get upset when they score on us. You cannot be denied in this fourth quarter. Have an attitude, play with purpose."

While the Lakers clawed back with good shooting from the perimeter in the third, they abandoned the three-ball in the fourth quarter almost entirely. Lake State shot just one three-pointer in the fourth; instead, the offense morphed into a battering ram. 10 of their 14 fourth quarter shots came from the low-block or closer. Talk about toughness - the Lakers kicked in the door and dominated around the bucket late in the game.

LSSU grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to 27 Upper Iowa defensive boards - an excellent ratio for LSSU. The team continues to hammer the offensive glass with intensity, earning extra possessions in good positions while frustrating the opposition.

"There's one thing we know for sure – we can rebound," said the head coach. "We ended the game with 45 total rebounds. We rebound. Seyyane, Grace and Dara are all capable of ten rebounds per game. We're number one in the GLIAC in defensive rebounds and I think we're up there in the top four in offensive rebounds."

The Lakers beat Walsh on Monday and Illinois-Springfield on Thursday. With three wins in a row, the team heads to holiday break before returning on Friday, January 2nd for GLIAC play against Purdue-Northwest. The Lakers play GLIAC foes for the remainder of the regular season. Buy your tickets online or at the Norris Center box office to see this exciting team that shows its grit and determination every time out.

"It's a testament to the leaders and character that we have on the team," said Howrigon. "They lead themselves often. They're a player coached team. We're hitting our stride. We're tough-nosed. We dive on the ground for 50/50 balls. We defend. You're going to have to go through us, our togetherness and our grittiness. I'm unbelievably proud of how we've rallied and put some really good basketball together. Now we get to go enjoy our Christmas."

She added with a laugh, "I'm about to have a great Christmas now!"