Box Score

Lake Erie LEC 19-7,12-6 G-MAC

Ky. Wesleyan KWC 21-6,15-4 G-MAC

Lake Erie LEC

19-7,12-6 G-MAC

Final

Feb. 24, 2025

Ky. Wesleyan KWC

21-6,15-4 G-MAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Lake Erie LEC	25	49	74
Ky. Wesleyan KWC	32	54	86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/24/2025 5:12:00 PM

Storm Stumble 86-74 at Kentucky Wesleyan, Win Streak Halted at Six

Next Game:

Northwood

2/27/2025 | 7:30 PM

Next Game

Full Schedule

Feb. 27 (Thu) / 7:30 PM

Northwood

History

Recap
Roster

OWENSBORO, Kentucky -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team played their final road game of the regular season against Kentucky Wesleyan. Despite a valiant effort, the Storm dropped a back-and-forth contest 86-74, snapping their six-game winning streak. Lake Erie is now 19-7 overall and 12-6 in the G-MAC, moving into a tie with Thomas More for third, with Lake Erie holding the tiebreak.

Game Recap

The game opened with both teams evenly matched, playing strong defense and trading baskets. Kentucky Wesleyan was the first to gain separation, building a seven-point lead with eight minutes left in the half. However, an 8-0 Lake Erie run quickly put the Storm back on top at 23-22. Unfortunately, the Panthers closed the half on a 10-2 run, heading into the break with a 32-25 advantage. The Storm's 25 first-half points tied their season low, matching last week's total against Ohio Dominican.

Lake Erie struggled to chip away at the deficit early in the second half until a 10-0 run gave them a 42-39 lead. But the momentum swung again—Kentucky Wesleyan responded with a surge of their own, going up by nine at 58-49, seemingly poised to pull away. The Storm, however, weren't done yet. A 12-2 run swung the lead back in their favor at 61-60 with eight minutes to play.

With the game tied at 67, it looked like a thriller was unfolding. But in the final five minutes, Kentucky Wesleyan took over, outscoring Lake Erie 19-7 to hand the Storm their first loss in a month (last falling on January 25 against Ashland). The 54 points Kentucky Wesleyan scored in the second half were the most Lake Erie has allowed in a half since last season, when Cedarville also put up 54 after the break.

Analysis:

A 12-point loss is a misleading reflection of how competitive this game was. With five minutes left, the teams were tied before Kentucky Wesleyan erupted, scoring eight points in just 62 seconds to break the game open. The Panthers knocked down four straight three-pointers and sealed the win by going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final minutes.

Lake Erie actually attempted 25 more field goals than Kentucky Wesleyan (78-53) but still lost by double digits. The Storm dominated the offensive glass (12 more offensive rebounds) and forced 11 more turnovers, yet their inefficiency proved costly. They shot under 40% from the field, just 20% from three (6/30), and 6/12 from the free-throw line—their worst percentage at the stripe all season. Meanwhile, KWC caught fire, hitting a season-high 58.3% from deep (14/24) and going 16/18 from the free-throw line.

This game was defined by momentum swings, with both teams putting together key runs. Here's the breakdown:

KWC: 10-2 run (11:22–8:10, 1st half)
LEC: 8-0 run (7:45–3:15, 1st half)
KWC: 10-2 run (final three minutes of the 1st half)
LEC: 10-0 run (15:55–14:25, 2nd half)
KWC: 7-0 run (14:25–13:03, 2nd half)
KWC: 8-0 run (5:02–3:43, 2nd half)
KWC: 19-7 run (final five minutes)

Despite doubling Kentucky Wesleyan in points in the paint, bench points, and points off turnovers (48-24, 29-14, and 14-6, respectively), the Storm couldn't pull out the win. The difference came down to timely shot-making and KWC's late-game shooting surge. Lake Erie played excellent basketball for 35 minutes, but against a strong opponent like the Panthers, execution has to last all 40.

KWC leaned heavily on their starters, playing four of them 32+ minutes. Their consistency and reliability proved to be the difference in a game that was back-and-forth until the final stretch.

The Matchup

With the loss on Monday afternoon, the Storm and Panthers split the season series, each winning on their home court. The Storm is now 5-11 all-time against the Panthers.

Looking Ahead

Lake Erie returns home for their final two regular season games, first against Northwood on Thursday, February 27th at 7:30 p.m. The Storm will look for the season sweep against the Timberwolves at home after an 87-75 road victory on January 2nd. Northwood sits at the bottom of the G-MAC standings with a 7-19 overall record and 3-15 in the conference.