PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team hosted Ashland on Thursday night and came away with an emphatic 100-86 victory. The Storm offense was explosive in the first half, pouring in 51 points compared to 36 for the Eagles, and that momentum carried over after the break. Despite the 14-point final margin, the game was even more lopsided than the score suggests, as Lake Erie led by as many as 28 with just minutes remaining. It was a statement win over a talented Ashland squad that should put the G-MAC on notice.
With the win, Lake Erie secured its fifth straight victory, improving to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play, good for a three-way tie for first place. The Storm have been dominant at home, moving to 6-1 in Painesville, though they sit at 1-3 on the road. With four consecutive road games ahead, this upcoming stretch will be a crucial one.
Game Recap
Despite Ashland shooting an eye-popping 60.9 percent from the field in the first half, Lake Erie matched the efficiency with volume from beyond the arc, going 10-of-20 from three. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, but it was short-lived, as the Storm took an 18-14 advantage through the first seven minutes. From there, a 16-6 Lake Erie run broke the game open, helping the Storm carry a 15-point lead into halftime.
The second half followed a similar script, with Lake Erie keeping its foot on the gas. The lead quickly swelled past 20 and peaked at 28 before Ashland made a late push. The Storm led 100-73 before the Eagles scored 13 straight points while holding Lake Erie scoreless, making the final margin appear much closer than the game truly was.
Analysis
Nine different players scored for the Storm, with six reaching double figures and no one finishing with more than 16 points. In typical Lake Erie fashion, contributions came from everywhere, highlighting a true team-first mentality.
Three-point shooting continues to be a major indicator of success for the Storm. In their 10 wins, Lake Erie is 130-of-361 from deep, averaging 13 made threes per game at a 36.0 percent clip. In their four losses, those numbers drop sharply to 29-of-122 (23.8 percent) and just seven makes per game. Thursday night marked their best shooting performance of the season, as they went 14-of-31 for 45.2 percent.
Scoring 100 points against a G-MAC opponent is a rare achievement. The last time Lake Erie reached triple digits in regulation against a conference foe was during the 2020-21 season against Ohio Valley.
Defensively, the Storm forced Ashland into 19 turnovers, the most the Eagles have committed all season. Lake Erie also limited Ashland to just 31 total rebounds, allowing only one to G-MAC rebounding leader and former conference player of the year Maceo Williams.
Lake Erie continues to excel at closing out on shooters and defending the three-point line. Over the last six games, opponents have made just 20 total threes, an average of 3.33 per game. During that same stretch, the Storm are averaging 12 made threes themselves, creating nearly a 27-point advantage from beyond the arc.
The Matchup
Last season, Lake Erie won the first of two meetings with Ashland, snapping a 13-game winning streak by the Eagles. With Thursday's victory, the Storm move to 5-21 all-time in the series.
Looking Ahead
Lake Erie will head out on the road for its next four games before returning to the Jerome T. Osborne Center on January 24 to face Findlay. In the meantime, the Storm will visit Ohio Dominican on Saturday, followed by trips to Findlay next Thursday, Northwood on the 17th, and Ashland on the 22nd.
Ohio Dominican enters the matchup at 10-4 overall and 4-2 in G-MAC play. Most recently, the Panthers earned a 62-61 road victory over Thomas More. They are one of the conference's top defensive and rebounding teams, allowing the second-fewest points per game in the G-MAC at 63.6 and the fewest rebounds per game at 30.0.
The Panthers are led by 6-foot-7 redshirt senior center Elijah Hinton, one of the top players in the conference. A Second Team All-Conference selection last season, Hinton has taken another step forward in 2025-26, averaging 14.8 points on 54.5 percent shooting, along with 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and eight total blocks. On New Year's Eve against Kentucky Christian, he posted 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting with 11 rebounds, then followed it up with 21 points and 16 rebounds in a narrow loss to Ashland.
Derek Goodman is another key contributor for Ohio Dominican, averaging over 13 points per game while ranking tied for second in the conference with 36 made three-pointers. Terrance Broughton serves as the Panthers' primary facilitator, ranking fourth in the G-MAC with 61 assists to go along with 11.9 points per game and 24 steals, the third-most in the conference.
