NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team took a short drive to the campus of Walsh University on Thursday afternoon for a G-MAC battle against the #15-ranked Cavaliers. Winners of their last eight straight, Walsh led for the first 16 minutes before the Storm closed the half strong, took the lead, and went into halftime up 47-43. After Lake Erie expanded its lead to double digits, the score stood at just 74-70 Storm with 10 minutes remaining. However, the Storm responded well, never surrendering the lead and cruising to one of their most impressive wins of the season, 97-89.
With the win, the Storm improve to 15-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play. Winners of their last three, Lake Erie remains in sole possession of third place in the G-MAC standings.
Game Recap
The G-MAC's top scoring team got off to a slow start, producing just nine points in the first seven-plus minutes while committing four turnovers. That allowed Walsh to jump out to an early 18-9 lead, but in the blink of an eye, Riley Cervenka and Kai Bloom helped Lake Erie claw back to within one at 20-19. The Cavaliers slowly pushed their advantage back up to nine, but that would be as large as it ever got, as the Storm flipped a 35-26 deficit into a 37-35 lead. Lake Erie carried that momentum into halftime with a 47-43 advantage and never looked back.
Out of the break, the Storm stayed aggressive. Seven minutes into the second half, Lake Erie had built a game-high 14-point lead, getting contributions from up and down the lineup. The #15 team in Division II wasn't going to go away quietly, trimming the margin to 74-70 with 10 minutes to play. That would be as close as it got the rest of the way, as the Storm stayed composed and closed the game cleanly, turning the ball over just twice in the final 10 minutes and shooting 8-of-10 from the free-throw line over the final five.
Analysis
Good things happen when Kai Bloom is involved. The 6'3 redshirt sophomore doesn't need the ball to be effective, as he doesn't hunt shots (fifth on the team in field-goal attempts this season), yet impacts the game in countless ways. Bloom leads the team in assists, steals, offensive rebounds, and field-goal percentage. Tonight was an outlier in terms of volume, as he took 12 shots after consistently putting himself in great positions and letting the game come to him. He finished with 16 points, one of his highest totals of the season.
Amari Williams and Gavin Welch led the way with 20 points apiece. Williams also dished out a team-high six assists, while Welch scored his 20 on just 13 shots, including a team-high four triples.
Jake Leibacher made his presence felt as well, as the 6'2 senior led the team in rebounding with seven boards off the bench while handing out five assists without a turnover. He continues to personify playing the game the right way.
The Storm bench showed up in a big way, accounting for 54 of the team's 97 points. Walsh, by comparison, received just 23 points from its reserves. Being able to trust second- and third-unit rotations is critical in the G-MAC, where talent is spread remarkably evenly. The Storm's commitment to full-court pressure demands depth to keep players fresh, and Lake Erie has consistently been better prepared for the grind late in games. After dropping two overtime contests to open conference play, the Storm have since gone 6-2 in G-MAC games decided by single digits.
Lake Erie pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, a familiar theme for the Storm, who have six games with more this season. That figure marks the most Walsh has allowed all year and ties the most the Cavaliers have surrendered in the past six seasons. The Storm's 46 total rebounds also represent the most Walsh has given up this season.
Scoring 97 points against Walsh is no easy task. Over their last eight games, all against G-MAC competition, the Cavaliers have held opponents to just 60.6 points per game, including holding Malone to 44 and Hillsdale to 51 in their previous outing. The Lake Erie offense is special.
Looking Ahead
With just six games remaining in the regular season, every contest carries major weight in the G-MAC standings. Lake Erie will look to avenge an earlier double-OT loss to Hillsdale when the Chargers visit Painesville next Thursday, February 12th, for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
Hillsdale enters the matchup at 9-12 overall and 6-7 in conference play after a win earlier today against Tiffin. The Chargers don't overwhelm statistically, ranking near the middle of the pack across most categories. Notable tendencies include heavy minutes for senior guard Ashton Janowski (32.5 per game), strong rim protection from 6'10 forward C.J. Yarian, who ranks third in the conference in total blocks and blocks per game, and steady playmaking from guard Cole McWhinnie, who ranks second in the G-MAC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
In the earlier meeting at Hillsdale that went to double overtime, the Chargers received 28 points from freshman Braylon Morris, far exceeding his previous season high of seven entering the game. That performance helped Hillsdale, which was tied 67-67 at the end of regulation, score 29 points across the two overtime periods combined.
