Photo by: Christopher Corso

On Thursday night, with the chance of staying alive in GMAC playoff contention at stake, the Lake Erie College men's basketball team did just that, defeating Trevecca Nazarene, 68-53. This is the second win for the Storm in as many days, after beating Tiffin on Wednesday.

From the very beginning, the Storm came out and played with a passion and energy. The visiting Trevecca Trojans posed as formidable adversaries, boasting one player with a height of 6'11" and another of 7'2." The Trojans had the imposing presence, with the height advantage and fancy ballwork. But the Storm had what Trevecca lacked: consistent production at both ends of the court. Playing like a team on a mission, Lake Erie was firing on all cylinders early and often in this contest. Sophomore guard Jacob Plantz led the way for the Storm, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds in nearly 39 minutes played. Senior guard Harrison Riggs registered nine points, six rebounds and seven assists, and junior forward Kevin Peterson dropped 16 points off the bench.

For the Trojans, center Brendan Newton and guard Imani Starling were instrumental in keeping the score as close as they did and narrowing the Lake Erie lead in the second half, with Newton registering 16 points and 10 rebounds and Starling picking up 18 points and six rebounds. But the Storm's largest lead of the night was 20 late in the first half, and that was simply too insurmountable for the Trojans, who actually outscored Lake Erie in the second half, 32-28. The key difference in the game came in bench production, where the Storm received 31 points, compared to Trevecca's mere five. 

The victory propels Lake Erie to a 3-10 record on the season. Meanwhile, Trevecca departs Painesville with a 5-15 record on the year.

Next up for the Storm is a Saturday day trip to Columbus to take on Ohio Dominican. That affair is scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m.