CLARION, Pennsylvania -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team traveled to face the Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon in another non-conference matchup, walking away with an 85-72 victory. After trailing in the opening minutes, the Storm claimed the lead and never looked back, leading by eight at the break and by double-digits nearly the entire second half. With the win, Lake Erie opens the season 4-0 for the first time in school history—a mark they will look to build on next weekend at the Gary Miller Classic.
Game Recap
Clarion jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after the first minute and held their advantage through the first five minutes. After that, the Storm never trailed again, going up by as much as nine points in the first half before entering halftime with a 42-34 lead. Despite committing more turnovers than the Golden Eagles and shooting just 6-of-22 from three, Lake Erie maintained their advantage thanks to a massive rebounding edge, including 11 offensive boards.
In the second half, the Storm not only maintained but extended their lead by continuing to dominate the boards, converting a higher percentage of their shots, and getting to the free throw line at a much higher rate. While the teams traded baskets for much of the period, Lake Erie remained up by double-digits nearly the entire time, at one point leading by 16 on their way to an 85-72 road victory.
Analysis
The Storm's rim protection was on point, recording five blocks—equaling their total from the previous three games combined. Kai Bloom led the way with two, while Jake Leibacher, Rokas Castillo, and Aidan Filippini each added one.
Lake Erie is now 4-0 in winning the rebounding battle this season, and tonight's effort was particularly notable. Their 18 offensive rebounds have been surpassed only nine times in the last five seasons, and their +14 overall advantage is the largest in the last 25 games dating back to last season's non-conference play.
An area of potential concern for the Storm is turnovers. Their 69 turnovers through the first four games are the second-most in any four-game span over the past six seasons.
Free throw shooting by opponents continues to favor Lake Erie. Clarion went just 13-of-24 from the line tonight, continuing a trend of LEC opponents struggling at the charity stripe. Teams are just 56-of-96 (58.3%) against the Storm so far this season. In the season opener, Lake Superior State had the best percentage against LEC at 25-of-41 (61%), yet the Storm still only won by four points. If opponents had shot closer to the 2024-25 G-MAC average of 70.8%, some of these games could have been much tighter.
The Matchup
After dropping the first two games against Clarion in series history (2009 and 2020), the Storm have rebounded to win the last five, including tonight's victory. Last season, Lake Erie dominated Clarion 107-76, largely thanks to 27 more field goal attempts, forcing 21 turnovers, and securing 12 more offensive rebounds than their opponent.
Looking Ahead
Next, the Storm will remain in Pennsylvania to compete in the Gary Miller Classic, beginning Saturday, November 29, against Mansfield. Depending on tournament outcomes, they will face either Gannon or Virginia State the following day.
The Mansfield Mountaineers are 0-3 this season after a 50-point loss to Charleston, a 24-point defeat against Virginia Union, and a nine-point setback at Roberts Wesleyan. They have been outrebounded by 40 in three games, are shooting just 24.4% from three-point range, and lack a consistent scoring threat, with their leading scorer averaging only 10.7 points per game.
Following the Gary Miller Classic, Lake Erie returns home to kick off conference play on Thursday, December 4, against the Walsh Cavaliers.
