LSSU men's basketball hands Ferris State first home loss of season, women fall
BIG RAPIDS – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team picked up a big road win in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play over the weekend, and in the process, broke Ferris State’s home undefeated streak this season.
The Lakers used a strong second-half push to earn a 78-72 victory.
Caden Ebeling got the first bucket of the game for the Lakers, and also got the last two baskets of the first half as LSSU went into the break with some momentum, despite trailing 36-31.
The three-point line played a major factor for the Lakers in the second half as Xander Okerlund put the Lakers in front with a pair of triples before Ferris tied it again at 57-57. C.J. Robinson answered with another long ball to put the Lakers back in front.
The Bulldogs (11-5, 2-3 GLIAC) re-took the lead, but Ebeling struck again, knocking down consecutive threes to pull the Lakers even at 72-72. He then hit a pair of free throws for the lead and LSSU was able to ice the game away on made free throws from Okerlund and David Wren.
Lake Superior took advantage of its chances at the free throw line. Over the course of the game, the Lakers went to the line 36 times, making 29, while Ferris had just 15 points from the stripe, on 29 attempts. LSSU also out-rebounded the Bulldogs 37-29
Ebeling led the Laker attack with 27 points to lead all scorers, while Wren finished with 18 off the bench. He was perfect from the stripe, shooting 12-for-12. Okerlund netted 17 points in the win, and Kingsley Perkins had a game-high eight boards, including six on the offensive end. Ebeling and Wren each grabbed seven rebounds to help in the effort, while Okerlund had six.
For Ferris, Ethan Erickson scored 22 points to lead the way off the bench, while Ben Davidson scored 19, and Solomon Oraegbu finished with 17.
The Lakers (5-8, 4-1 GLIAC), will be in action again on Thursday as they return to the Bud Cooper Gymnasium to take on the Rangers of Wisconsin-Parkside. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
LAKE SUPERIOR 31 47 – 78
FERRIS STATE 36 36 – 72
LAKE SUPERIOR – Robinson 6, Ebeling 27, Perkins 7, Okerlund 17, Womack 1, Wren 18, Soper 2. FT: 29-36; F: 21; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 5-17 (Ebeling 2-3, Okerlund 2-6, Robinson 1-2); Reb: 37 (Perkins 8).
FERRIS STATE – Davidson 19, Oraegbu 17, Bingham 2, Grazulis 4, Lee 7, Erickson 22, Hazelton 1. FT: 15-20; F: 27; Fouled out: Scholler, Grazulis, Hazelton; 3PFG: 5-16 (Davidson 3-7, Erickson 2-2); Reb: 29 (Bingham 7).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Laker women outgunned by Bulldogs
BIG RAPIDS – The Lake Superior State women’s basketball team suffered its ninth loss of the season on Saturday night, falling to the Ferris State Bulldogs 81-57 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball game.
The Lakers played well early, holding a 14-13 lead after the first quarter but it was all Bulldogs from that point on. LSSU did pull to within two midway through the second quarter on the strength of a CeCe Hacker triple and two Jaden Wilder free throws to make it 32-30, but Ferris answered with a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 39-30 lead into the locker room.
The Lakers couldn’t make a serious push at the Bulldogs in the second half and were outscored 42-27 in the second half.
Ball security was the Lakers’ undoing in the contest. Ferris State forced the Lakers into 20 turnovers, and had 12 steals against the visitors. The Bulldogs also dominated the assist category, helping on 23 baskets, while the Lakers had just 10 assists in the loss.
Hacker led the Lakers in the scoring column with 18 points, and was perfect from long range, shooting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Margot Woughter was also in double figures for the Lakers with 11 points. Mattison Rayman and Grace Bradford led the Lakers on the glass with nine, and eight rebounds, respectively.
The Bulldogs were balanced in the scoring column, featuring four players in double figures. Chloe Idoni led the way with 18 point, while Mallory McCartney added 15. Kenzie Bowers and Mia Riley had 12, and 11 points, respectively.
The Lakers (4-9, 1-4 GLIAC), will return home on Thursday to host the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 5:30 pm.
LAKE SUPERIOR 14 16 14 13 – 57
FERRIS STATE 13 26 21 21 – 81
LAKE SUPERIOR – Woughter 11, Hacker 18, Bowman 2, Rayman 3, Bradford 6, Metz 6, Roach 2, Wilder 2, Olthof 4, Toutant 3. FT: 12-21; F: 20; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 3-12 (Hacker 3-3); Reb: 41 (Rayman 8).
FERRIS STATE – Bowers 12, Irwin 5, Day 9, Idoni 18, McCartney 15, Sullivan 6, Unogagha 2, Riley 11, Emma Schierbeek 3. FT: 12-16; F: 20; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 11-34 (Bowers 2-8, Irwin 1-2, Idoni 2-7, McCartney 3-7, Sullivan 1-2, Riley 1-5, Schierbeek 1-2); Reb: 42 (Idoni 11).
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Lake Superior State men's hoops hands Ferris State first home loss
