PAINESVILLE, Ohio - The Lake Erie men's basketball team dropped a 67-59 decision to Grand Valley State on Saturday (Jan. 2) afternoon in its first game of 2010 at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic & Wellness Center.
 
Junior guard Ethan Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Harmony Prep) paced the Storm with 17 points, while adding a career-high eight rebounds.
 
The Storm (5-12) played catch-up for most of the game against the Lakers (7-3), who led by nine points at halftime.
 
Lake Erie struggled shooting the ball in the first half, hitting just 28 percent (7-for-25) from the field, while the Lakers shot 45 percent (10-for-23).
 
The Storm worked the lead down to two, 38-36, after a three-pointer by Bradshaw with 15:03 left.
 
Grand Valley built its lead up to 13 points (49-36) with 11:31 to play, but the Storm climbed all the way back with a 15-1 run to take a 51-50 lead - Lake Erie's first lead since it led 8-7 with 13:34 left in the first half.
 
That run featured baskets by six different Storm players in a balanced attack highlighted by a right-handed slam by freshman center Garrick Sims (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) off a nifty feed from junior point guard Antonio Kidd (Cleveland, Ohio/Lakewood).
 
The 51-50 lead would be the last of the game for Lake Erie as Grand Valley went on a 6-0 mini-run to take a 56-51 lead.
 
After Kidd fouled out with 2:53 left, Lake Erie scored just six points the rest of the way.
 
The Lakers hit nine of its last 11 free throws to close the game. They held took advantage of a free-throw discrepancy by converting 86 percent (30-for-35) in the game. Grand Valley entered hitting just 67 percent on the season. The Storm was 19-for-26 in the game.
 
The Storm defense limited the Lakers to just 35 percent (7-for-20) shooting in the second half, but the Storm managed just 39 percent (11-for-28) in the second frame.
 
Sims nearly had his second double-double of the season with nine points and nine boards, while senior swingman Darnell Campbell (Cleveland, Ohio/Collinwood) added 14 points and five rebounds.
 
Alvin Storrs' paced the Lakers with 17 points off the bench and Justin Ringler produced 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
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