The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team will travel to Marquette, Michigan to play a two-game series against the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday, January 30th at 1:00 p.m and Sunday, January 31st at 1:00 p.m in the PEIF Gymnasium.
Due to COVID-19 related changes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) scheduling process for the 2021 season, teams will play a pair of games against the same opponent each weekend.
The Lakers
Lake Superior State has totaled a 3-4 overall record through the first seven games of GLIAC play this season. On Tuesday, the Lakers played a road game against Ferris State and snapped a two game losing streak with an 80-69 win over the Bulldogs. Five Lakers recorded at least 10 points in the win, and Kemon Bassett recorded his second double-double of the season for LSSU.
Following the first seven games of the 2021 season, the Lakers have been led by a mix of returning players and new faces. Four Lakers are averaging 10 or more points per game. Forward Kemon Bassett, a junior transfer from Schoolcraft Community College, leads the team with 16.4 points per game as well as in rebounds per game with 7.1. Heading into the series against the Wildcats, Bassett ranks fifth among all GLIAC players in points per game. Sophomore Nigel Colvin has provided the team a spark off the bench this season as he has averaged a team-leading 56.4 shooting percentage and a 48.3 percentage from the three point line to average 14.0 points per game.
David Wren, a junior guard who also played two seasons at Schoolcraft, has also made an impact with his new team this season as he has averaged 13.0 points per game. Through the first seven games, Wren has recorded a team-best 53.3 shooting percentage from three, which ranks second among all GLIAC players this season.
Redshirt senior Malek Adams has averaged 11.7 points per game for the Lakers while averaging 28.3 minutes on the floor per game. Junior Justin Fischer (9.6 points per game) has been a heavily relied on player by Coach Hettinga this season with 29.1 minutes on the floor per game and 6.3 rebounds, both of which rank second on the team.
As a team, the Lakers offense is combining for 76.6 points per game this season, which ranks first among all GLIAC teams, on a 48.3 shooting percentage and a 39.3 percentage from three. Lake Superior has recorded an average of 30.9 rebounds per game this season.
Last Season’s Series
Last season, the Lakers and the Wildcats played each other twice with the teams splitting the series. The Wildcats won the opening game of the series which was played in their home gym while the Lakers evened the series with an 82-68 win at home on Feb. 13, 2020.
Scouting the Wildcats
Northern Michigan will host the Lakers this weekend for the two-game series between the two teams this season. The Wildcats are led by head coach Matt Majkrzak, who is in his second season in the role at NMU. Last season, Northern Michigan posted a 13-17 overall record (9-11 GLIAC) and was voted to finish fourth in the GLIAC North Division standings in the Preseason Poll.
Most recently, the Wildcats played Michigan Tech in a single game on Tuesday, January 26th. and fell by a final score of 61-52 to the Huskies. With the loss, the Wildcats have totaled a 3-4 overall record this season.
The Wildcats are led by junior guard/forward Dolapo Olayinka who leads the team in points per game (14.3) on a 50.6 shooting percentage while also leading the team in rebounds per game with 6.6. Junior forward Max Bjorklund started the season strong with the Wildcats, averaging 10.8 points per game, but has missed the last three games for NMU.
As a team, the Wildcats offense is combining for 62.4 points per game this season on a 42.0 shooting percentage and a 29.1 percentage from three. Northern Michigan has recorded an average of 31.0 rebounds per game this season.
Source: LSSU Lakers Athletics
