CANTON, Ohio (December 12, 2008) - Lake Erie College did its best job of the season protecting the basketball, however Walsh University came away with the 88-78 win in the opening night of the Malone University Hoops for Healing Classic. The Storm had just eight turnovers in 40 minutes of play and had five steals - both of which were better totals than its opponent. The two teams were even in field goals with 28 apiece and almost equal in rebounds with the Storm grabbing just one less than Walsh with 32. Lake Erie was also more dominant on the offensive boards, pulling down 11 rebounds as compared to Walsh's five offensive boards. The difference came at the line, with Lake Erie converting 16 of its 22 chances, whereas the Cavaliers went 25-for-29 from the stripe.

Lake Erie took a 3-2 lead after its first possession in which junior center Veljko Lalovic (Podgorica, Montenegro/Lake Region) drained a three-pointer off a pass from Derrick Thornton (University Heights, Ohio/Lutheran East). It was the only lead of the game for the Storm who trailed by as many as 12 in the period before heading into the break behind 38-33 after producing a 13-6 run to end the half.

In the second period, the Storm brought the score to within three on several occasions in the final five minutes and were down 80-77 with two minutes to go in the game. The Cavaliers went 4-for-4 from the line and a perfect 2-for-2 from the floor to end the contest, while the Storm was only able to add in one free throw in that time.

Thornton finished the night with his first double double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He also had three assists and two steals. Senior forward Rick Leasure (Concord, Ohio/Riverside) scored 22 points and sophomore Ethan Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Harmony Prep) added 13.

Lake Erie (1-9) plays at 3 p.m. against tournament host Malone in day two action of the Hoops for Healing Classic.