Box Score

Lake Erie LEC 14-6,7-5 G-MAC

Malone MU 8-12,4-8 G-MAC

Lake Erie LEC

14-6,7-5 G-MAC

Final

Jan. 30, 2025

Malone MU

8-12,4-8 G-MAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Lake Erie LEC	31	40	71
Malone MU	35	31	66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/30/2025 9:37:00 PM

Storm Capture Road Win Over Malone 71-66

Next Game:

Ohio Dominican

2/1/2025 | 3 PM

Next Game

Full Schedule

Feb. 01 (Sat) / 3 PM

Ohio Dominican

History

Recap
Roster

CANTON, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team continued their road trip with a quick stop in Canton to face Malone, emerging victorious with a 71-66 win. Despite trailing at halftime, the Storm controlled much of the second half to secure just their fourth road victory of the season. The win improves their record to 14-6 overall and 7-5 in the G-MAC, placing them fifth in the standings behind Findlay (11-1), Kentucky Wesleyan (9-2), Hillsdale (9-3), and Ashland (7-4).

Game Recap

The Storm's offense struggled early, managing just four points in the first six and a half minutes and quickly falling behind 11-4. However, that nine-point deficit would be the largest of the night, as Lake Erie slowly battled back, eventually tying the game at 21 with 7:22 left in the first half. Malone responded with six straight scoring possessions to regain an eight-point lead, but back-to-back baskets by Cameron Johnson cut the deficit to 35-31 as the teams headed into halftime.

It took nearly five minutes into the second half, but a fast-break bucket by Solomon Kuol gave Lake Erie its first lead of the night at 40-39. The Pioneers briefly regained the lead, but after a three-pointer by Joshua Dames with 12:19 remaining, the Storm never trailed again. They built their lead to as much as nine, but Malone refused to go away, forcing Lake Erie to execute down the stretch. In the final moments, an emphatic fast-break dunk by Cameron Johnson with four seconds left sealed one of the grittiest wins of the season.

Analysis

The Storm offense once again had a really slow start, an unfortunate theme that has resulted in many of their losses and even many close wins like tonight. Tonight they started just 2/11 from the field, scoring just four points in 6:39. Against Hillsdale almost two weeks ago, it took them 10:22 to reach double-figures. In their shocking loss to Tiffin on the road, Lake Erie was stuck at three points for nearly eight minutes. With the exception of their recent loss at Ashland, every time the Storm start out firing straight from the opening tip, good things happen. They are 10/10 when leading at halftime this year, a huge testament to their ability to close-out games. However, their 4-6 record when losing at the break might even be more remarkable. That's a wildly impressive figure and shows that if their first-half performance keeps them at least in the game, they give themselves almost a 50/50 chance at pulling out a hard-earned win.

Bench scoring tonight read 30-5 in favor of the Storm. Lake Erie's ability and willingness to play 11+ players high-impact minutes once again proved to be a key factor. Eleven players received double-digit minutes in a game that was close throughout, with 10 different scorers. Compare this with Malone who played just eight players with just six scorers. Maybe this doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's such a luxury that the Storm enjoy. By the end of games, the players are significantly more rested and able to play closer to 100%, whereas four Malone starters logged well over 30 minutes. This seemingly small point is anything but insignificant when it comes down to crunch time. Coach Conley's trust in his second unit is what allows his starters to truly shine when it matters and close out tight games.

EComing into tonight, the Storm led the conference in three-point attempts, averaging 27.9 per game (530 total). In conference play, their 24.25 attempts per game trailed only Findlay. But in the first half, they attempted just six threes, tying their season low. Instead of settling for deep shots, they focused on generating better looks and attacking Malone's defense. The second half told a different story—Lake Erie found its rhythm, shooting 5-for-11 from deep, their best performance in weeks. This was a welcome sight, as they had struggled from beyond the arc in their previous three games, shooting just 22.7% on 88 attempts. When the Storm are hitting from deep, they can beat anyone in convincing fashion. While consistency has been an issue, they've found other ways to win this season.

Lake Erie turned the ball over just five times tonight, tying their season low. Taking care of the basketball has been a major strength for the Storm, especially considering their struggles in previous years. They currently rank third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52), a significant improvement from past seasons—up from 1.20 in 2024, 1.08 in 2023, 1.10 in 2022, and 1.16 in 2021. This growth reflects their increased discipline and efficiency, allowing them to maximize possessions and control the tempo. Strong decision-making has been a key factor in their success, helping solidify their status as one of the conference's most fundamentally sound teams.

The Matchup

Thursday's win over Malone tightened the all-time series to 14-13, with the Pioneers still holding a slight edge. It's been a competitive rivalry, as Lake Erie initially jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Malone took control of the series in 2021. The Storm won both meetings last season but settled for a split this year.

Looking Ahead

Next up, Lake Erie faces Ohio Dominican twice in a short span—first at home on Saturday, February 1st, and then on the road in Columbus on Thursday, February 6th. The Panthers had an exciting start to the season, traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in mid-November, where they won both games to begin 2-1. However, they struggled soon after, dropping seven of their next eight contests, including an 0-4 start in G-MAC play. They have since rebounded with three straight conference wins and now sit at 8-11 overall (4-7 G-MAC). This marks a significant improvement from last season when they finished 5-22.

ODU's Strengths:

Defense: Allow the second-fewest points in the conference (66.6 PPG)
Rebounding: +4.1 margin, including 10.6 offensive boards per game
Turnovers: Force the third-most in the conference, rank third in turnover margin

ODU's Weaknesses: