Lakers' homestand includes first-ever meeting with Lake Erie
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Lake Superior State men’s and women’s basketball teams meet Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference newcomber Lake Erie for the first time Thursday and highlight NCAA Take A Kid to the Game Day with a double-header Saturday against Ashland.
The LSSU men, who are 10-5 overall and 4-4 in the GLIAC after sweeping last weekend’s road trip to Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan, play host to Lake Erie (5-9 overall, 1-6 GLIAC) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. LSSU and Ashland (8-6 overall, 2-5 GLIAC) meet at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The LSSU women (10-4 overall, 7-1 GLIAC) play the Storm (2-11 overall, 1-6 GLIAC) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and take on the Eagles (9-5 overall, 4-3 GLIAC) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
All boys and girls age 14 and under will receive free admission to Saturday’s game if accompanied by an adult who purchases a ticket. As part of NCAA Take a Kid to the Game Day festivities, Laker basketball players will be available to sign autographs. The LSSU women’s team will be stationed at an table during halftime of the men’s game, while the LSSU men’s squad will be available between games.
Last week, the LSSU men shot over 50 percent from the field to beat Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. Against GLIAC opponents this season, the Lakers are ranked 10th in the league in field-goal percentage at .421, and are shooting 44.8 percent from the field overall. Improvement was even more notable at the free-throw line, where the Lakers went from shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) against MTU to 80 percent (20-of-25) against NMU. It was their third outing of 80 percent or better.
LSSU and Lake Erie are nearly even in rebound margin, while the Lakers and Ashland have almost identical scoring margins. LSSU junior guard Kyle Hunt is averaging 17.1 points per game overall, and is ranked third in GLIAC scoring at 18.9 ppg. Senior guard Ethan Bradshaw averages 13.5 ppg to lead the Storm, and sophomore center Evan Yates (6-6, 240) paces the Eagles at 12.9 ppg. AU senior forward Kale Richardson (6-8, 265) is a force at the boards. He is fourth in the GLIAC in rebounding, averaging 7.3 rpg, and scores 11.3 ppg.
Ninth-ranked Michigan Tech edged the Laker women, 69-66, Jan. 13, to snap the Lakers’ six-game win streak and take sole possession of first place in the GLIAC North Division. LSSU shares the league’s next best record with South Division leader Findlay. GLIAC Tournament seedings are based upon overall standings.
LSSU senior guard Emily Joseph is maintaining her status as a GLIAC Player of the Year candidate by averaging a league-leading 22 ppg against conference foes. She is also ranked third in average three-point field goals per game and fifth in assists. Senior guard Ronlea Peterson leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 3.7, while junior center Cassy Schemberger is ninth in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and third in field-goal percentage (.611). Even more impressive is the Lakers’ team free-throw shooting percentages of .800 overall, which leads the nation, and .828 against GLIAC opponents.
Saturday’s women’s game will pit what are statistically the GLIAC’s top two offenses against each other. Ashland is averaging a league-leading 74.7 ppg, while LSSU is second at 71.2 ppg. The Eagles are also a close second to Lake Superior State in free-throw percentage at .791, and rank ahead of the Lakers in field-goal percentage (.451 to .439) and rebound margin (+6.1 rpg to -1.6 rpg). LSSU holds the edge in three-point shooting.
Ashland’s top scorer is junior guard Jena Stutzman, who averages 19.0 ppg in GLIAC play to rank second behind Joseph, while the Eagles’ sophomore forward Daiva Gerbec (6-0) averages a league-leading 10.0 rpg and is fifth in scoring 16.9 ppg. Lake Erie is led by junior forward Stephanie Rogers (6-1), who is 10th in scoring at 15.6 ppg and third in rebounding at 9.0 rpg.
