(Painesville, OH) - Offensive struggles plagued Lake Erie men's basketball team Saturday afternoon in their G-MAC season opener as they fell to Ohio Dominican (1-2, 1-2 G-MAC) 52-46. The Storm (0-1, 0-1 G-MAC) shot 34.8 percent from the field and under 30 percent from three as they dropped a short-handed match up. 

Forward Jackson Burdyshaw (Perry, Ohio) led the Storm with 15 points and 7 rebounds, while freshman forward Caleb Piks (Mentor, Ohio) added 11 points and shot 3-5 from three. 

Both teams showed a little rust to begin the game with the score deadlocked at 5-4 for over three minutes. Senior guard Harrison Riggs (Toledo, Ohio) would score a driving layup that started a 13 point run that extended the lead to 19-5 for the Storm. The Panthers were not to be outmatched and went on to score seven unanswered points and cut down the lead to 17-21 as the two teams headed into halftime.  

In a game with six ties and six lead changes, the Storm were never able to overcome a five-point lead that the Panthers had in the closing minutes of the second half. Sean Marks led all scorers with 18 points in 37 minutes. Zach Szul added 12 valuable points for Ohio Dominican to include going perfect from behind the arc. 

Sophomore Damion Williams (Willoughby, Ohio) was big on the glass for the Storm securing 13 of the teams 35 rebounds. Riggs added three assists after having a tough day on the offensive end.    

Up Next

Lake Erie will remain at home for a Monday afternoon face-off against Hillsdale on January 4 at 3 p.m.