Lakers vs. Wayne State
LSSU takes on ODU and Tiffin during Laker Basketball Alumni Weekend
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Ohio Dominican men’s and women’s basketball teams will make their first appearance in Bud Cooper Gymnasium on Thursday as Lake Superior State kicks off Laker Basketball Alumni Weekend with a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference double-header.
The LSSU women’s team, which is 5-12 overall and 1-9 in the GLIAC, will try to snap a six-game losing skid when it takes on ODU (6-11 overall, 2-9 GLIAC) at 5:30 p.m. The LSSU men, who are 8-9 overall and 3-7 in the GLIAC following last Saturday’s overtime loss at Ashland, play the Panthers (3-14 overall, 0-11 GLIAC) at 7:30 p.m.
Both Laker teams square off against Tiffin during Saturday’s double-header, which begins with the women’s game at 1 p.m. The TU women’s team, at 14-4 overall and 9-3 in the GLIAC, is currently second in the GLIAC South Division behind undefeated Ashland. The TU men enter the week 8-11 overall and 3-9 in the GLIAC.
Alumni Weekend festivities include a reception between Saturday’s games for Laker Basketball alumni and parents. Visit www.lssu.edu/alumni or call 635-2831 to register. A post-game tailgate party at the Lukenda Alumni House, which sponsored by the Alumni Association, is open to the public Saturday from 5-6:45 p.m. The family-oriented event includes a full dinner, coffee and salads, and guests may bring their own adult beverage. Former Laker players will be introduced during halftime of both games.
The Lake Superior State men are 3-8 with three overtime losses during their last 11 games. The margin of victory in their eight losses is 7.4 points, with Hillsdale being the only team to beat them by more than eight points (72-56). The most frustrating aspect of the Lakers’ recent stretch is, arguably, their 3-4 record at home. The Lakers, who are 1-3 at home in January, hope to reverse their fortunes this weekend.
LSSU, ODU and Tiffin are nearly even in scoring defense and field-goal percentage, and the Lakers hold a slight edge over both teams in turnover margin. The deciding factor could be rebounding, where the Lakers are ranked ninth (-0.6 rebound margin), the Dragons 12th (-5.3) and the Panthers 14th (-6.1) in the GLIAC.
Two Tiffin players are ranked among the top 10 in GLIAC scoring. Senior guard Karl Finley is third at 18.3 points, per game, while sophomore guard Joe Graessle is 10th at 14.8 ppg. TU senior forward Travis Spahr is fifth in rebounding at 8.2 rpg. Junior guard Morgan Jones leads ODU in scoring at 13.5 ppg, while freshman center Bobby Stauffer is shooting 59.5 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in GLIAC field-goal percentage.
LSSU senior guard Kyle Hunt is sixth in the GLIAC in scoring, averaging 16.3 ppg, while junior forward Derek Kinney is 11th in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. Sophomore guard Derek Billing and Hunt are ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, in assists, combining to average 7.5 apg. Sophomore center Cameron Metz came off the bench and scored a season-high 16 points last Thursday at Lake Erie and has moved up to 12th in the GLIAC in field-goal percentage (.548).
Senior center Cassy Schemberger and junior forward Maria Blazejewski continue to lead the LSSU women’s team. Schemberger is the league’s fourth-leading rebounder at 8.5 rpg, while Blazejewski is ninth in scoring at 14.7 ppg and has 975 career points.
