ERIE, Pennsylvania -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team competed in day one of the Gary Miller Classic on Saturday night, ultimately beating Mansfield by a whopping score of 126-87. The Storm dominated from start to finish thanks to excellent three-point shooting, constant pressure, and complete control of the offensive glass. They scored 70 points in the first half, a program record, on their way to 126—also the most in program history.
After a full week off, the Storm extended their program-record 4-0 start to five straight wins to begin the season, but will have their hands full tomorrow against a talented Gannon squad on its home floor in the tournament championship game. Lake Erie also entered the weekend receiving votes in the NABC Coaches Poll for the NCAA Division II Top 25, reflecting the growing national attention surrounding the program.
Game Recap
Through nearly 10 minutes of action, it was still anyone's game, as the Storm led just 30-21. In the final 10 minutes of the first period, however, Lake Erie went on several huge scoring runs that blew the game open. That 30-21, under–double-digit lead ballooned to 52-23 in the blink of an eye. By halftime, the scoreboard showed a resounding 70-39 advantage, and the Storm were running away without looking back.
Lake Erie kept piling on in the second half, stretching the lead to a game-high 51 with nine minutes remaining before reserves closed things out. Mansfield managed to trim the deficit slightly, but still fell by 39 as the Storm moved to 5-0 and into Sunday's tournament championship.
Analysis
In just 14 minutes of action due to the nature of the blowout, Gavin Welch poured in an astounding 25 points. He was incredibly efficient, going 9/12 from the field and 7/9 from deep. His seven made threes tie him for the most in a single game in school history, dating back to 2014.
As a team, Lake Erie made 22 three-pointers, smashing the previous school record of 18, also set in 2014—the last time a Storm player hit seven threes in a game. Mansfield, meanwhile, went just 3/14 from deep. From the long-ball alone, Lake Erie outscored the Mountaineers by 57.
The Storm were relentless on the offensive glass, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds compared to Mansfield's seven. Twenty-one is tied for the second-most in any matchup over the last six seasons for Lake Erie.
Everyone who suited up saw the floor, with 17 different players receiving at least six minutes, several of whom logged their first minutes of the season. Of the 126 points, 65 came from the bench. That kind of depth is invaluable for morale, chemistry, and the long grind of a full season—because you never know who will need to step up at key moments.
Mansfield committed 29 turnovers in 40 minutes, tied for the most ever by a Lake Erie opponent and tied for the fourth-most in Mansfield program history.
With 34 assists, the Storm tied a program record, matching the mark set last season in a 111-54 win over Great Lake Christian. Impressively, they also cut down their own turnovers, coughing it up just 12 times—down from a previous average of over 17 entering the night.
Lake Erie was extremely handsy defensively, sending Mansfield to the line for 38 free throws. The Storm attempted just 15. But when you add 14 more offensive rebounds and 17 fewer turnovers, you end up with Lake Erie attempting 98 field goals to Mansfield's 58. Forty more shots than your opponent is something that had never happened in Storm history before (though last year's Great Lake Christian game came close with a +39 margin).
The Matchup
Tonight marked the first-ever meeting between the programs, and the Storm now hold a 1-0 series advantage.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow the Storm return to action to battle for the championship against host Gannon University. The Golden Knights are 4-1 following an impressive 95-53 win over Virginia State earlier today. Last weekend, Gannon traveled to Findlay to face the projected G-MAC favorite and rolled to a 101-79 win, though they later fell by 12 to Lake Superior State—a team the Storm narrowly defeated.
On paper, Gannon plays a very similar style to Lake Erie: they crash the offensive boards (+51 rebounding margin), shoot a high volume of threes (49.3% of their attempts), apply heavy pressure (forcing over 24 turnovers per game, including 32 today vs. Virginia State), and foul at a high rate (31 more fouls than their opponents so far). The Golden Knights are led by 6'2" guard Pace Prosser (18.2 ppg) and Australian twins Lucas and Mackenzie Morgan (15.4 and 12.4 ppg respectively).
