Peyton Powers

Box Score

Lake Erie LEC 10-5,3-4 G-MAC

Tiffin Tiffin 3-11,1-5 G-MAC

Lake Erie LEC

10-5,3-4 G-MAC

Final

Jan. 11, 2025

Tiffin Tiffin

3-11,1-5 G-MAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Lake Erie LEC	29	41	70
Tiffin Tiffin	36	42	78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/11/2025 5:10:00 PM

Storm Drop Game at Tiffin 78-70

Next Game:

Thomas More

1/16/2025 | 7:30 PM

Next Game

Full Schedule

Jan. 16 (Thu) / 7:30 PM

Thomas More

History

Recap
Roster

TIFFIN, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team faced off against their nearby rivals on Saturday, falling 78-70. The Storm drop to 10-5 on the season and 3-4 in G-MAC competition.

Game Recap

The Storm scored just three points in the first 7:31 of the game. Three points. Their opening possessions were as follows: missed jumper, turnover, turnover, fouled on a shot – missed both free throws, missed three-pointer, missed layup, turnover, made layup (Josh Irwin, 15:49), fouled on a shot (Derrick Anderson, 15:12) – 1/2 at the line, missed layup, missed three-pointer, turnover, and another missed three-pointer.

Fortunately, their defense kept the game manageable, and by the 12:31 mark of the first half, they trailed only 11-3. The Storm scored on their next three possessions, and in less than a minute, they found themselves down by just one point. Tiffin responded with a run of their own, building a lead as large as nine points. However, as the teams headed into halftime, the Dragons led by just seven, 36-29.

Early in the second half, Lake Erie cut the deficit back to two and tied the game for the first time at 46-46 with 13:43 remaining. However, the Storm could never seize the lead. Tiffin stretched their advantage to double digits for much of the half. Despite a late push, where Lake Erie scored six quick points to trail by seven with 2:48 remaining, the Dragons closed the game at the free-throw line, sinking six of seven attempts in the final two minutes.

Analysis

Lake Erie's bench had a solid performance, scoring 22 points on 50% shooting. Unfortunately, Tiffin's bench also shot 50% but poured in 48 points, with three players reaching double digits through a combination of three-point shooting and drawing fouls.

The Storm had their worst free-throw shooting performance of the season, going 10-of-18 (55.6%), a far cry from their season average of 75.5%. Meanwhile, Tiffin hit 21-of-26 attempts (80.8%). This 11-point disparity at the line proved critical.

Additionally, Lake Erie struggled to convert timely three-pointers in the second half, shooting just 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.

As highlighted in the recap, the Storm endured their worst offensive stretch of the year, scoring just three points across their first 13 possessions. The opening minutes of each half are crucial not only for the scoreboard but also for establishing pace and momentum. If Lake Erie had managed to generate easy scoring opportunities early, this game could have had a very different outcome.

After upsetting preseason conference favorites Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday, the Storm stumbled against Tiffin, the team predicted to finish last in the conference. That said, of the 22 players on Lake Erie's roster, only nine were on the team last season, with 10 transfers and three incoming freshmen. This youth and lack of experience playing together likely explain the team's inconsistency so far this season.

The Matchup

With Saturday's loss, Lake Erie still holds a 16-12 edge over Tiffin in their all-time matchup history. The Storm will look for revenge when they host the Dragons later this month on January 23.

Looking Ahead

The Storm aim to bounce back during a three-game home-stand starting Thursday, January 16, at 7:30 p.m. against Thomas More. The Saints are 10-5 this season but are riding a two-game losing streak, falling to #13 Findlay (58-69) and Ashland (71-83).

Lake Erie lost both of their matchups against Thomas More last season, their only two meetings in school history.

The Saints boast a formidable defense, allowing just 65.4 points per game and holding opponents to 41.6% shooting. They also excel at limiting rebounds (second-fewest allowed in the G-MAC) and average over three blocks per game.

Thomas More has experimented with nine different starters this season as they search for their best lineup. Key players to watch include:

6'5 Redshirt Freshman Jack McCune - 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, .7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.1 blocks

6'0 Senior Casey George - 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals

6'3 Redshirt Freshman Kai Simpson - 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals

6'8 Junior Mitchell Rylee - 9.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks

6'3 Senior Wyatt Vieth - 6.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, .8 steals