Lakers vs. WMU
Lakers play host to Wayne State at 7 p.m. Tuesday
SAULT STE. MARIE - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team is hosting a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament game for the first time in school history.
The Lakers (20-7 overall, 17-5 GLIAC) are the No. 2 seed in the GLIAC Tournament and play host to No. 7 seed Wayne State (12-14 overall, 10-12 GLIAC) at 7 p.m. at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast live on WSOO 1230 AM. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and students. GLIAC and LSSU student passes will not be honored.
LSSU is making its fifth appearance overall and back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time since 2000-01 and 20001-02. The Lakers have an all-time tournament record of 4-3, including a championship in 1996. Last year, they lost in the semifinal round to No. 1 seed Grand Valley State, 76-64.
Wayne State is making its 11th GLIAC Tournament appearance after closing out the regular season with four straight wins and knocking Ashland out of the top eight in the league standings. The Warriors have an all-time tournament record of 10-7 and won titles in 1993, '94 and '99. They failed to make last year's field after finishing 4-13 in the conference.
Lake Superior State was 2-0 against WSU during the regular season, winning 62-46 in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 17 and 72-64 in Detroit on Feb. 7. The Lakers shot 54.4 percent from the field in those contests and held the Warriors to 36.9 percent. LSSU senior forward Tim VanOudheusden averaged 18.5 points per game against WSU, while senior center Ryan Kuhl contributed 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. LSSU rallied back from a seven-point deficit during the final nine minutes to win its second outing against Wayne State.
Comebacks have been standard procedure for the Lakers this season. They have trailed significantly in eight games this season and come back to win. Five days after having their backs to the wall at WSU, they bounced back from a six-point deficit with five minutes to go to beat Ashland at home.
Wayne State is ranked fourth in the GLIAC in scoring defense, third in rebounding and first in blocked shots. Junior Bryan Wright averages 14.2 points per game to lead the Warriors in scoring, while senior Shane Lewal is the GLIAC's top rebounder, averaging 8.6 rebounds per game.
