CEDARVILLE, OHIO -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team dominated in their first matchup against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets this past Saturday, securing a 74-51 victory. The Storm set the tone early with a suffocating defensive effort, holding Cedarville to just six points in the first 13 minutes. Despite building an 18-point lead in the first half, the game was far from over. However, a well-balanced team performance ensured Lake Erie's 17th win of the season. The last time they finished a season with more than 17 wins was back in 2008. The Storm will look to replicate their defensive dominance when the Yellow Jackets come to Painesville next Saturday.
Game Recap
The Storm set the tone early with a stifling defensive effort, holding Cedarville to single digits through the first 14 minutes. This defensive dominance helped them build an early 18-point lead, one they never relinquished. To their credit, the Yellow Jackets fought back, making it a more competitive contest by halftime with Lake Erie leading 31-21. The last time the Storm allowed fewer points in a half was in January 2023, when they held Trevecca Nazarene to 19.
The second half followed a similar script—Cedarville's offense struggled to find answers against Lake Erie's relentless defense, needing over 12 minutes to reach double digits. By then, the Storm had stretched their lead to nearly 30 points, peaking at 68-38. The last time they led a conference opponent by 30 at any point in a game was 77 contests ago against Ohio Valley, a program that closed the following summer. It's been over four years, but this performance showed just how dominant the Storm can be when firing on all cylinders.
Analysis
As mentioned plenty of times already, it's hard not to be ecstatic about this defensive performance. To start, 51 points is the fewest they've allowed since facing Clarion in the 2021-22 season. Their 18 steals rank T-16 in G-MAC history for a single game, marking the second time this season the conference statisticians will need to add Lake Erie to the record books (they had 26 steals against Miami-Middletown, tying the all-time mark). On top of that, Cedarville shot just 15-for-53 (28.3%) from the field. Since 2010, only one other time has Lake Erie held an opponent to 15 or fewer field goals—a rough 11-for-55 night from Roberts Wesleyan in 2020. Long story short: this wasn't just a great defensive effort—it was historic.
Lake Erie attempted 20 more shots than Cedarville (73-53), a theme that's been consistent all year. The Storm have taken 322 more shots than their opponents this season, averaging 14 extra attempts per game. That's no accident. It stems from their ability to force turnovers—424 to be exact (more than double Cedarville's total of 207)—their relentless pursuit of offensive rebounds (307, leading the G-MAC at over 13 per game), and their willingness to make opponents earn points at the free-throw line (opponents have shot 516 free throws, 75 more than the next closest team in the conference).
From deep, it was another rough night—7-for-27—bringing their season percentage down to 32.0%, now tied with Northwood for the lowest in the conference. Despite that, they still rank second in total makes. Attempting over 27 threes per game, it's clear that regardless of consistency, Lake Erie is fully committed to this strategy—and who can blame them? They've had the most success in program history over the last decade-plus, thanks not only to their elite defense and coaching but also their long-range game-planning. The Storm have loved the three-ball for years, chucking up 27.6 per game all the way back in 2015-16 before Coach Conley took over. But this season marks a four-year high in volume and puts them near the top of the leaderboards again.
Beyond just the eye test, nearly every key statistical category further highlighted their dominance. They outscored Cedarville 26-9 in points off turnovers, 22-4 in second-chance points, and 36-10 in the paint, while also winning the offensive rebounding battle 18-11. Every aspect of the game tilted in Lake Erie's favor, reinforcing the fact that this was not just a routine win but a statement performance.
The Matchup
Saturday's victory snapped a two-game winning streak for the Yellow Jackets, bringing the all-time series to 7-10 in favor of Cedarville. With another matchup on the horizon next Saturday, Lake Erie will look to chip away at that gap even further when the Yellow Jackets visit Painesville.
Looking Ahead
The Storm will aim to replicate this dominant performance when they host Cedarville again on Saturday, February 15th, at 3 p.m. Despite the lopsided result this time around, the Yellow Jackets have been a formidable team all season, securing impressive wins over both Findlay and Hillsdale in the past 10 days. Cedarville's starters combined for just 13 points—the fewest by any opposing starting unit in a Storm game all season. The biggest challenge came in defending 6'5" redshirt freshman Jaylen Davis, who managed 18 points but needed 14 shot attempts to get there. Timothy Davis, the lone remaining senior from his class, also reached double figures with 11 points off the bench.
