PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie College men's basketball team battled the undefeated Walsh Cavaliers on Thursday night in their first conference game of the season, falling 93-88 in an overtime thriller. The Storm trailed for most of the night and were down nine with 8:26 remaining, but locked in defensively, holding Walsh to just five points over the next eight minutes. That surge pushed Lake Erie ahead by three with under a minute left. However, a clutch three-pointer by one of Walsh's top players forced overtime, as the Storm couldn't convert on their final possession of regulation. In the extra period, their three-point looks wouldn't fall, and Walsh escaped with the narrow win.
With the loss, the Storm moved to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in the G-MAC. They'll look to capture their first conference victory on Saturday when they travel to Hillsdale.
Analysis
Over the last two games, Lake Erie has shot just 14-for-64 from beyond the arc (21.9%), a number that needs to rise to compete with top-tier G-MAC opponents.
In overtime, the Storm went 0-for-6 from three as Walsh successfully slowed the pace and took away what had fueled Lake Erie's late-game push. With the Cavaliers drawing fouls, they were able to better control tempo, as the Storm were limited in their ability to pressure full court and turn defense into offense—one of their greatest strengths. They also struggled in the halfcourt at times, and after sending Walsh to the double bonus just eight minutes into the second half, the Cavaliers capitalized late, forcing Lake Erie into tough, contested threes that hadn't fallen all night. Still, the Storm won fastbreak points by +12 and also took the points-off-turnovers battle.
In the second half—especially the final 13 minutes—Lake Erie dominated the paint, outscoring Walsh 26-12 at the rim.
Bench production continues to be a major factor in the team's success. The Storm's second and third units have outscored every opponent this season. Tonight they held a 42-26 advantage, and on the year they've outscored opposing benches 299-193.
The Matchup
Last year, Lake Erie snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series with an 80-68 win over Walsh. Tonight's result moves the all-time series to 7-21.
Looking Ahead
The Storm now return to the road—a familiar setting this season—where they are 1-1 in true road games and 3-0 at neutral sites in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Midland, Michigan. This weekend they head back to Michigan to take on 2-4 Hillsdale College. The Chargers opened the year with two close losses to Saginaw Valley, picked up wins over Andrews University and Ohio Christian University, then fell to UIndy. Earlier today, they dropped their first G-MAC matchup 63-57 at Malone.
Hillsdale is the only team in the conference currently below .500. They are led by senior Ashton Janowski, who is averaging 13.7 points per game.
