Lakers pull off road upset
DETROIT - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team went into Thursday's game at Wayne State facing a must-win situation and upset the Warriors, 64-60.
The Lakers, who handed WSU its first home loss of the season, improved to 15-10 overall and 9-9 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They appear to have secured a berth in next week's GLIAC Tournament. Wayne State, which previously clinched a tournament berth, fell to 18-7 overall and 13-5 in the GLIAC.
Freshman guard Derek Billing scored a season-high 26 points to lead LSSU. Sophomore guard Khalid Wells scored 16 points, while senior center Justin Williams totaled 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 6:05 remaining.
Billing was 3-for-4 from three-point range and 6-for-6 at the free throw line while scoring 17 points during the second half. He was 6-of-7 from behind the arc for the game, and contributed six assists and four steals.
Lake Superior State made 13-of-19 field goals for 68.4 percent while building a 31-21 halftime lead.
After training 35-23 with 17:16 remaining in the second half, Wayne State went on an 11-2 run and cut the lead to three points, 37-34. The Warriors took a 41-40 lead with 11:45 to go. LSSU responded with two baskets by Wells and a three-pointer by Billing to regain a six-point advantage with 7:34 remaining. The Lakers eventually extended the lead to 10 points at the 1:25 mark.
LSSU shot a season-high 64.9 percent from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range, and made 9-of-13 free throws.
Jerry Oden totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Wayne State, which landed four scorers in double figures. The Warriors shot a season-low 39 percent from the field, including 4-of-22 from three-point range, and made 10-of-16 free throws. WSU out-rebounded LSSU, 29-26.
LSSU concludes the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday at 10th-ranked Findlay.
