CRESTVIEW HILLS, Kentucky -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team opened G-MAC play on the road against the Thomas More Saints. Despite trailing by 20 points at halftime, the Storm staged a valiant comeback, narrowing the deficit to just two points in the final minute. However, the Saints held on to secure a 79-75 victory, snapping Lake Erie's six-game winning streak. With the loss, the Storm drop to 0-1 in G-MAC play and 7-2 overall.

Game Recap

It was certainly a promising start when Josh Irwin splashed a three-pointer on the Storm's opening possession to take a 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, just three minutes later, they found themselves down double digits—a deficit that eventually ballooned to 20 points by halftime. The first half was a nightmare on both ends of the court for Lake Erie. Offensively, they converted just 11 of 33 shots, including 4-for-15 from beyond the arc (26.7%). Despite generating nine turnovers and grabbing more offensive rebounds, the Storm struggled to score outside the paint, as if there were a lid on the rim. Defensively, the Saints capitalized on every opportunity, shooting a blistering 19-for-28 from the field, including seven three-pointers. The 53 points allowed in the first half marked the most the Storm have conceded in an opening half since the 2017-2018 season when Findlay put up 55.

The start of the second half was chaotic, as both teams struggled to find their footing, going a combined 0-for-6 with five turnovers in the first two minutes. However, after trailing by a game-high 23 points, Lake Erie began their climb back into the game, fueled primarily by defensive intensity. From 18:10 to 12:43, the Storm held the Saints scoreless while scoring eight unanswered points to cut the deficit to 15. Although a few quick buckets from Thomas More stretched the lead back to 20, the Storm didn't relent. By the 5:52 mark, the score had tightened to 68-64 in favor of the Saints. Unfortunately, Lake Erie couldn't quite seize the lead, ultimately falling after a free-throw battle in the final minutes tipped the game in the Saints' favor.

Analysis

The Storm forced 12 Thomas More turnovers in the second half and held the Saints to just 18 field goal attempts—their lowest since joining NCAA Division II. This should have been enough to secure a win, but the deep hole Lake Erie dug for themselves in the first half proved too much to overcome. The defense was crucial, as Lake Erie forced 21 turnovers overall, however, the Saints' remarkable half-court offense was the deciding factor. This can be shown by this stat: of their 53 first-half points, only four came from fast-break opportunities. Thomas More dissected the Storm's defense with sharp offensive sets, precise ball movement, and athleticism that Lake Erie hasn't encountered much this season. Even when the Storm rotated well and contested shots effectively, the Saints sank difficult attempts at an incredible rate—a performance that simply demanded respect.

Lake Erie struggled from beyond the arc throughout the game. After shooting 4-for-15 in the first half, the Storm opened the second half with an 0-for-7 slump before hitting some timely threes late to reignite their chances. Still, it's tough to win with a 6-for-27 performance from three-point range. Considering this, it's both impressive and encouraging that Lake Erie remained competitive against a talented Thomas More squad.

An area the Storm will undoubtedly look to improve is their transition offense. Despite forcing 12 turnovers in the second half, they managed just seven fast-break points. Much credit goes to the Saints, who consistently hustled back on defense after turnovers and missed shots. However, given how poorly Lake Erie was shooting, it's surprising they didn't make transition offense a greater priority.

On the other hand, Lake Erie continues to excel in offensive rebounding. They dominated that category 18-7, resulting in 11 more second-chance points. After Thursday's game, the Storm now hold a commanding 147-76 edge in offensive rebounds over their opponents this season. However, they were slightly out-rebounded overall against Thomas More, 35-33.

Another area of concern was playmaking, as the Storm recorded just seven assists—a mark that ties last season's lowest total. Expect them to focus on improving this stat when they next take the court.

Overall, it was evident that the Storm's consistent full-court press wore the Saints down in the second half, leading to more turnovers and a slower pace. If not for Thomas More's lights-out shooting in the first half, the Storm might have walked away with a victory. However, despite their commendable hustle and determination, the Storm know they need to improve their three-point shooting to become a truly formidable force in the G-MAC.

Storm Game Leaders

Points- Derrick Anderson (19), Micah Bays (11), Todd Simons (8), Joshua Dames (8), and Josh Irwin (7).

Rebounds- Joshua Dames (5), Todd Simons (4), and Derrick Anderson, Jake Leibacher, and Cameron Johnson each with three.

Assists- Todd Simons (2), and Derrick Anderson, Cameron Johnson, Kai Bloom, Caleb Piks, and C.J. Hornbeak each with one. 

Steals- Todd Simons (3), Kai Bloom (2), Derrick Anderson (2), and Micah Bays, Jake Leibacher, and Cameron Johnson each with one. 

Blocks- Todd Simons (1).

The Matchup

Since joining Division II last season, the Saints have squared off against Lake Erie twice, and in both games escaped with narrow victories. Last year, they beat the Storm in 80-77 in a thrilling matchup that never saw either team take a double-digit lead at any point. 

Looking Ahead

The Storm will next compete in a home matchup against Malone University. The (3-4) Pioneers were selected fifth in the G-MAC preseason poll and dropped their first conference match of the season against Findlay by a score of 103-84. Malone has five players averaging over 10 points per game: 6'7 Ryan Bartley (16.6), 6'1 Ed Wright II (13.3), 5'10 Simon Blair (12.9), 6'1 Tre Baumgardner III (11.9), and 6'7 Caleb Conard (11.4). The game will be played on Saturday, December 14th at 3 p.m.