Lakers were back on the road Thursday evening, this time to take on Kent State Tuscarawas Golden Eagles in USCAA conference game. The Lakers came in focused to earn another win under their belt against a scrappy Golden Eagles team. In the opening minutes of the game the Lakers were able to find their way inside but had trouble finishing around the rim which caused Coach Richard Westerlund to call a timeout to rip into his guys to finish plays properly. The Lakers responded building a lead to almost 20 points in the first half, but the Golden Eagles fought their way back into the game keeping the score within nine for the majority of the half. Isaac Clay, Zakarius Milhouse, and Jordan Gorman powered the Laker offense combining for 22 of the 40 Laker points. In the second half the Lakers came out firing on all cylinders getting stops and pushing the ball in transition for easy baskets. Once again the road team was about to build the lead to 20 points, but could sustain the lead and the Golden Eagles again fought their way back into the game. At that point the Lakers, Jordan Gorman and Isaac Clay caught fire and torched the Golden Eagle defense time and time again, which opened things up for Chaz Painter, Nick Passino, and Tyrone Auzenne Jr. to work inside. Gorman and Clay combined to score or assist 63 of the Lakers 80 points for the game. The Lakers used their size inside to protect the rim defensively and pound the glass offensively, which would allow them to cruise to an 87-60 victory.

Inside the Box Score:

• Balance: the Lakers had 7 players with 7 points or more
• Perimeter Defense: the Lakers held the Golden Eagles two leading scorers to a combined 29 points on 10/31 from the field
• Lakers once again owned the glass grabbing 18 offensive rebounds in the contest
• Lakers shot a over 40% for the 7th time this season

What Coach Says:

Coach Richard Westerlund on his team's performance, "I am really happy to get a win. We really stressed being disciplined and playing hard for 40. I am not sure we are at 40 minutes yet but I was really happy with our second semester effort. First half, I felt like we just cruised and did not really perform to the best of our abilities. Second half, we really locked in defensively and attacked the right matchups offensively." On his backcourts play, "This was by far best game Jordan and Isaac have played together, if they can develop consistency together we will be hard to beat. Both of those guys bring something different to the table, but both are so good in their own ways. Tonight was just a small example of how good these two can be." On the next game, "We have to come out prepared, Great Lakes Christian is a quality team that has already beaten Andrews, so we have our work cut out for us for sure, but I believe if our guys lock in we will allow ourselves the opportunity to win this game as well."

Who's Next:

Saturday January 27th, 3p versus Great Lakes Christian College at home.