Dara Capaldi's monster game powered Lake Superior State to a 71-66 victory over Purdue Northwest on Saturday and into the 2026 GLIAC Women's Basketball Tournament.

Laker Head Coach Grace Howrigon said, "To make playoffs in our second year here is just really special, and I'm really proud of that locker room."

With 32 points and 11 rebounds, Capaldi launched the Lakers into a second point lead during an epic second quarter. She scored 15 points in that frame alone by attacking the rim relentlessly. She scored six layups and knocked down four free throws, completing two and-one plays. 

"I asked her what she ate for breakfast. Wasn't anything special," Howrigon joked, "but she was just fearless. She got to her spots. She was convicted. She wasn't thinking about it too much. She was just flowing and playing free. And we're at our best when she's  finding the gaps and not overthinking it. I just thought she was fully in flow state."

While Purdue Northwest led for much of the opening quarter, the Lakers rapidly tied the game in the second and took the lead - one they held for the rest of the game. Chloe Watson's layup tied the game at 13-13, and Seyyane Matthew scored 30 seconds later to put the Lakers up 15-13. The scored was never even tied again, and the Lakers would build the lead as high as 22 points in the third quarter.

"It was their senior day. They came out in the first quarter and they kind of punched us and got us on our heels a little bit. But we talk about all the time, it's about 40 minutes of consistency. I thought we were really resilient and we answered their runs. We never ducked our heads. We kept getting paint touches. Paint touch, kick out, paint touch, kick out, re-attack. It was a phenomenal team effort, and I think our mindset was really special today. We never ducked our heads, we kept fighting, kept competing."

Lake State stole the ball nine times and created 19 points off turnovers, an excellent margin. They also scored 27 fast break points, beating the Pride with their pace in transition.

"We wanted to turn those rebounds, stops and steals into transition offense," Howrigon said. "Our number one advantage going into this game, we knew, was transition offense. So, I thought we disrupted well on defense. And we blocked out well and pushed the ball up."

Grace Bradford scored 14 points with 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. She also added three assists for LSSU. Clare Conzelmann scored 12 and notched five of LSSU's nine steals.

"She was in the right spots on weak side help," said the Lakers coach. "She picked off some skip outs as we doubled in the post today. She's just got instinct."
 
She's got a really good feel and instinct.

LSSU shot 12-of-19 in the second quarter, while holding Purdue Northwest to 4-of-12 shooting.

The result vaults the Lakers into the GLIAC Tournament, where LSSU will face Grand Valley State. The Lakers last made the tournament in 2021, during the pandemic-shortened season where all teams received a bid. Prior to that, the Lakers hadn't earned a place in the tournament since 2011.

For the second year coaching staff of Howrigon, Terrell Modest and Alix Carter, it's a remarkable turnaround in a brief window. With Grace Bradford as the only returning senior and a largely new lineup otherwise, the Lakers grew and battled with courage and tenacity to earn a place in the postseason.

With other results around the league, the Lakers ended the regular season in a three-way tie with Saginaw Valley State and Davenport. The teams' records against each other decided the final order. Lake State went 3-1 in the four games against the Cardinals and Panthers. SVSU went 2-2 and Davenport went 1-3. As a three-way tie, the tiebreaking factors changed from two-way ties, and the Lakers vaulted into the field on the final day.

Howrigon reflected on the moment after the game. "I knew we had the resources and the people in place to have the support we needed in this community and at this school to build the program that I have this vision for. The most important piece to us building right now is that we have good humans in that locker room. They're about growth mindset, and because of that, they allow us to coach them. They have gotten so much better this year. We have improved drastically as individuals in a team. And our goal is to build a program that's in the top of the GLIAC. This is a big step. And I'm proud of us. I'm proud of the work we put in. And it's fun to see things kind of come into fruition right now."

The Lakers will play at GVSU on Wednesday, with the game time to be determined.