Time slowed down. Long enough for everybody in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium to have some kind of internal monologue, anyway. As the basketball sailed through the air toward the bucket, every member of the crowd of nearly 400 must have had some complex self-conversation that surely violates all of the laws of space and time.

But when the ball popped out of the Huskies' hoop and the final score was confirmed at 84-83, the audience snapped back to reality and applauded both teams, fierce rivals who went to war against each other on a Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Lake Superior State (8-9, 2-6 GLIAC) showed its mettle and courage to rally from a large first half deficit and force the game to a final shot against #8 Michigan Tech (16-2, 7-1 GLIAC). The Huskies outscored LSSU 44-29 in the first half, before the Lakers raced back with a 54-40 second half. The game felt like an instant classic between the two Yooper rivals, filled with memorable, quality plays.

With just over eight seconds remaining in the game, the Lakers stole a Huskies inbound and got the ball to an open shooter. The shot looked good the whole way before barely ricocheting out of the well. MTU's Gabe Smith grabbed the rebound and heaved the ball away, anywhere but near his own rim, as the Huskies barely held on.

The Huskies certainly would be breathing multiple sighs of relief after leading by as much as 17 early in the second half. Laker Head Coach Steve Hettinga had used all three of his 30-second timeouts in the first half, attempting to rally his team. With 11:24 remaining in the game, Drew Hess hit a three for LSSU, Robin Benipal scored and hit a free throw, Tyler Jamison nailed a triple, then Hess stuck another three to cut the deficit all the way down to a single point. Tech now led 58-57 with 9:25 left, and the game was primed for a wild finish.

Both teams played extremely physical basketball, hammering away at each other for every inch of space. The Lakers got the game tied at 67-67 on a pair of free throws by Karter Richards, who finished the game with 14 points and continued his run of strong play. While they never held a second half lead, the Lakers controlled the tempo by utilizing an extremely disruptive trapping system on defense and an a coordinated attack of the rim in the second half. LSSU shot 14-of-15 from the free throw line after halftime and nine steals for the game, including four by Harrison Sorrelle. Nino Carter-Smith scored 22 points, shooting 8-of-14 with five assists, two rebounds and two steals. It was another excellent game by the junior, who dazzled against Northern Michigan on Thursday.

Tyler Jamison played a fantastic game for LSSU. He scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, hit two of his four three-point attempts, and hauled in seven rebounds. He also passed for four assists and stole a ball. Jamison's physicality and athleticism played perfectly in this game, as he matched up with multiple players and picked his spots on offense. While Marcus Thomashek shot the ball well for Michigan Tech, he had trouble getting free all afternoon, particularly when guarded by Jamison. The Huskies senior had few open looks, but still managed to hit a handful of extremely difficult shots in the game. While he scored 22 in the first half and finished with 36 in the game, he found sledding much tougher after halftime as the Lakers threw a number of tough looks at him.

It's a testament to the skill of both teams that anybody put up numbers of any significance with the defensive intensity on every possession of the game. It was high drama with a tremendous atmosphere between two rival programs that brought their all against each other. Saturday's game was a tremendous college basketball game, and the fans responded with applause at the end.

The Lakers head to Saginaw Valley State on Thursday, then Ferris State on Saturday, They head home the next week for games with Roosevelt and Wisconsin Parkside. Buy your ticets online or at the Norris Center box office.