Lakers begin four-game homestand Thursday against Ferris State
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Lake Superior State men’s and women’s basketball teams complete their first swing through the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division during their upcoming four-game homestand, which begins Thursday with a double-header against Ferris State.
The LSSU and FSU women’s teams meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium, and the men’s game follows at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Laker women take on Grand Valley State at 1 p.m., and the LSSU-GVSU men’s game begins at 3 p.m. The Lakers, who have been idle since Dec. 17, close out their homestand next week with games against Michigan Tech (Jan. 12) and Northern Michigan (Jan. 14).
“This will be a tremendous challenge, playing two of the most-talented teams in the North,” LSSU coach Justin Rees said of this week’s contests. “We are certainly glad to be playing them at home.”
Ferris State (6-4 overall, 4-1 GLIAC) currently owns the best record in the GLIAC North Division women’s standings, while GVSU (5-7 overall, 2-3 GLIAC) is tied for third place and LSSU (5-6 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) is tied for sixth. FSU’s only GLIAC loss so far this season is to Tiffin, while GVSU lost to Ohio Dominican, Northwood and Northern Michigan.
The Bulldog women, who are among the GLIAC’s top defensive teams, will be tested by the league’s No. 2 scorer, junior forward Maria Blazejewski of LSSU. Blazejewski is averaging 18.8 points per game against GLIAC opponents, while senior center Cassy Schemberger leads the GLIAC in rebounding at 11.2 rpg. Ferris State is led in scoring by sophomore Sarah DeShone, who averages 16.2 ppg to rank fourth in the GLIAC in scoring. Freshman Christina Branch is tied for third in rebounding at 9.6 rpg. Junior Briauna Taylor leads GVSU in scoring, averaging 15.2 ppg.
Rees noted that the Lakers’ first GLIAC win, a 69-51 victory over Saginaw Valley State at the end of final exam week, refreshed his team’s mindset. He is pleased to see his players believing in themselves and “staying the course.”
“We got back on the 27th, and until (Sunday) practice was intense,” said Rees, who was an assistant coach at Ferris State from 2002-07. “We really went hard and did a lot of review. It was almost like pre-season. Now we’re in a regular work week..and we will ease into things.”
Grand Valley State (8-3 overall, 4-1 GLIAC), Ferris State (7-5 overall, 4-1 GLIAC) and Michigan Tech (6-6 overall, 4-1 GLIAC) currently lead the GLIAC North Division men’s basketball standings, while LSSU (6-5 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) is tied for sixth. LSSU coach Steve Hettinga has narrowed his focus from wins and losses to improving defensively. The Lakers were ranked at the bottom in most defensive categories prior to their Dec. 17 victory over Saginaw Valley State. Hettinga hopes the win was the sign of a turnaround.
“We obviously needed a win,” Hettinga said. “It was not must-win time, but that was a hard-fought, well-earned win, and the guys left on break feeling better about themselves. We’re seeing progress in that we’re continuing to stay together and play as a team, but I’d like to see more togetherness on defense. Being in the bottom half in most defensive categories is not a formula for winning games in our conference. That’s something we’ve focused on heavily.”
Two statistics that concern Hettinga are field-goal percentage defense (.464) and turnover margin (-3.25), where the Lakers rank ninth and 13th in the GLIAC, respectively. LSSU is 10th in rebound margin (-2.0).
“I’m discouraged by our turnovers and overall defense,” Hettinga continued. “We were averaging 15.7 turnovers per game before the Saginaw game…It’s different guys in different games. It’s about us making the simple pass, hitting the next open guy, getting the hockey assist rather than the home run swing every time. It’s about having your heart in the right place – not being too unselfish – just taking the open shot or making the simple pass.”
Last week, GVSU finished 1-1 at the Gannon Tournament, while FSU lost 88-71 to Indianapolis in Big Rapids, Mich. LSSU, which was a two-point winner over Indy on Nov. 25, hasn’t played a game in nearly three weeks.
“It depends on how you look at it,” Hettinga said of the contrasting schedules. “Ferris had a chance to play. We feel we had a lot of things to work on and like to think we’ve grown during the last seven or eight days leading up to this week. We’ll find out Thursday, but feel like we’ve grown and are getting better each day.”
