MIDLAND, MICHIGAN -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team squared off against the Northwood Timberwolves after nearly three weeks of rest, coming away with an impressive 87-75 victory. The Storm dominated in the second half, outscoring Northwood by an astounding 18 points after entering halftime down by six.
The Recap
The first eight minutes were a tightly contested back-and-forth affair with numerous lead changes. However, from the 12-minute mark until three minutes remained in the half, the Storm clung to a narrow advantage, peaking with a five-point lead. The final three minutes, though, belonged entirely to Northwood. Lake Erie managed just one score in their final eight possessions, allowing the Timberwolves to capitalize and head into halftime with a 43-37 lead.
Northwood extended their lead to nine in the opening minutes of the second half, but by the 13:23 mark, the game was tied at 53—it was anyone's contest from there. From that point forward, the Storm never trailed again. One of the game's turning points came during this stretch when Derrick Anderson hit an acrobatic, over-the-head shot just inside the three-point line as the shot clock expired, cutting the deficit to 51-49. The incredible play swung momentum back in Lake Erie's favor and was undoubtedly ESPN-worthy.
With five minutes remaining, Lake Erie had built a 77-67 lead, marking the first double-digit margin of the game for either team. From there, the smart and crafty Derrick Anderson orchestrated the offense masterfully, dishing out three assists on the next four possessions to stretch the lead to a comfortable 13 points with only two minutes remaining. When the final buzzer sounded, Lake Erie emerged with a well-earned 87-75 victory.
Analysis
The fact that Lake Erie went into halftime trailing by only six is remarkable considering they shot 11-38 (28.9%) from the field while their opponent shot considerably better at 16-29 (55.2%). How is that even possible? Here's how: they made three more free throws, hit one more three-pointer, limited their turnovers to only three in the entire half, and generated five more offensive rebounds than the Timberwolves. Although the Storm were missing shots they were very capable of making, their grit allowed them to stay competitive.
There were 83 free throws attempted in the game. Eighty-three. That feat ties the Storm's all-time record set back in the 2009-2010 season when Lake Erie and Urbana also combined for 83. In that game, the Storm went 36/50 from the charity stripe en route to a 77-68 victory. (Interesting stat found: in the 2013-2014 season, there was a game where Kentucky Wesleyan shot 39/49 at the free throw line against Lake Erie's 7/10… and the Storm pulled out an 89-88 victory. Insane.)
Sticking on free throws, Northwood was abysmal from the line, hitting just 21/43 for 48.8%. The Timberwolves' leading scorer on the season, 6'7 Elijah Watson, went 1-10 tonight. Even more shockingly, this isn't far from their season average. Coming into the game, we mentioned that it might be smart to send them frequently to the line, as they were just 53.5% on the season. The Storm were much better in this department tonight, knocking down 30/40 (75%). Needless to say, if the Timberwolves were better at this aspect, the game would have looked a whole lot different.
The Timberwolves shot just eight three-pointers tonight, connecting on only two. The last time an opponent either shot fewer than eight three-pointers against the Storm, or made two-or-fewer, was against this same Northwood squad two years ago, when the Timberwolves went 1-7 in a 72-56 Storm victory.
Per usual in wins, Lake Erie won these key categories: offensive boards (14-10), turnovers (8-18), points-off-turnovers (29-6), and steals (11-3). Areas where the Storm lost (not all that surprising) were: field goal percentage (36.8% - 51%), defensive rebounds (27-30), and points in the paint (28-46).
The Matchup
Thursday's game was only the fifth rendition of this matchup, with the Storm now trailing the series 2-3. Lake Erie will look to knot the series at three apiece when the Timberwolves travel to Jerome T. Osborne Center later this season on February 27th.
Looking Ahead
The Storm will stay on the road, heading to face the #24 Hillsdale Chargers on Saturday, January 4th, at 3 p.m. Predicted as the second-most likely team to win the G-MAC in the preseason, the Chargers have lived up to the hype, boasting an 11-2 record and a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play. They've already dismantled the third, fourth, and fifth preseason favorites—Walsh, Ashland, and Malone—by scores of 79-55, 83-78, and 71-59, respectively. The Chargers are the real deal.
Hillsdale boasts the top-ranked defense in the G-MAC, allowing just 63.6 points per game. Meanwhile, the Storm sit near the bottom defensively, giving up 76.9 points per game, but lead the conference in offense, averaging a blistering 95.6 points. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object…
Starters for Hillsdale:
6'2 junior Ashton Janowski (11.5 points, 3.1 assists)
6'3 redshirt senior Charles Woodhams (
13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds)
6'4 redshirt freshman Logan Beaston (8.2 points)
6'5 senior Joe Reuter (12.8 points,
6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 blocks)
6'9 redshirt senior Eric Radisevic (7.0 points)
Key Bench Players:
6'4 sophomore Mikey McCollum (11.4 points,
1.2 steals)
6'10 redshirt sophomore CJ Yarian (5 points, 5.9 rebounds)
