Late Finish Lifts LSSU Past FSU In Intense & Physical League Tilt

Big Rapids, Mich. - A big finish down the stretch enabled visiting Lake Superior State University to notch a 87-80 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) victory over the Ferris State men's basketball squad on Saturday (Feb. 13) afternoon in an intense and physical contest inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The two teams, who were matched up for the sixth time in the last year, battled to an even first half as both teams tallied 43 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. However, LSSU outscored the Bulldogs 44-37 in the final half with a big performance down the stretch.

Ferris State led by as many as eight points in the opening frame and held the advantage for more than 27 minutes overall. But, each time FSU jumped out to a lead, the Lakers fought back and pulled close in a game that featured seven lead changes and was tied for more than five minutes.

Fouls and key calls impacted the game for both teams as the Lakers were called for 23 infactions and FSU had 22 personal fouls overall. Three LSSU players tallied four fouls or more, including leading scorer Devin Daly who missed time in the second period and played only 24 total minutes. On the Bulldog side, four finished with three-plus fouls for the day.

Despite missing time, Daly helped key the Lake Superior State attack with a game-high 20 points. He was joined by sophomore point guard Akaemji Williams, who also had 20 points and dished out nine assists with six rebounds and five steals.

Ferris State shot only 36.6% overall and went six-of-19 (31.6%) from three-point range, but did manage to connect on 22-of-29 (75.9%) free throws. Lake Superior State hit on 47.7% of its field goals and sank seven-of-16 (43.8%) three's along with 18-of-29 (62.1%) tries from the charity stripe.

While LSSU owned the advantage from the floor, FSU posted a commanding edge on the glass with 54 rebounds to 38 for the Lakers. The Bulldogs also hauled down 24 offensive caroms, leading to a 27-18 margin in second chance production.

Senior forward Josh Fleming paced the Bulldog lineup with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double performance. In addition, senior center Jared Stolicker added 12 points and 12 boards in a double-double showing of his own while sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry tallied 14 points and junior guard Quentin Ruff added 10 points off the bench. FSU also received nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists from senior forward James Chappell.

Along with Daly and Williams, the Lakers picked up 16 points fromm Michael Nicholson, who played big down the stretch with several timely finishes near the bakset. Carson Manger added 13 points off the bench in a reserve role.

The Lakers also forced 13 FSU turnovers while finishing with only eight of their own as they held a 19-12 edge in points off turnovers for the day.

Finally, Ferris State totaled 10 blocked shots with 16 assists and six steals compared to LSSU's five blocks eight steals and 19 assists.

With the win, LSSU improved to 17-8 overall and 12-7 in the GLIAC while the Bulldogs fell to 19-6 overall and 13-6 in conference action.

Ferris State will be back in action on Thursday (Feb. 18) evening as FSU hosts Hillsdale in its regular-season home finale inside Wink Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and it will be Senior Night as FSU honors its four-member senior class.