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Wayne State University Athletics

Ray Williams, Jr. 2023 vs. Lake Erie
Izzy Rincon
Ray Williams, Jr. notched 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for his second career double-double in the win vs. Lake Erie.
73
Lake Erie LEC 1-5,0-0 G-MAC
84
Winner Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 2-2,0-0 GLIAC
Lake Erie LEC
1-5,0-0 G-MAC
73
Final
84
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne
2-2,0-0 GLIAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lake Erie LEC 29 44 73
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 43 41 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Basketball Handles Lake Erie for Back-to-Back Home Victories

Ray Williams, Jr. and Matt Coffey each recorded a double-double in the triumph.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball team (2-2 overall) defeated Lake Erie (1-4 overall) 84-73 on Tuesday evening at the Wayne State Fieldhouse to notch back-to-back victories on home court.  The win was also the second for head coach Bryan Smothers against the Storm, after having earned his first win as WSU head coach against LEC.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Green and Gold jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first 42 seconds of the game on a jumper by sophomore guard Carmelo Harris (Flint, Mich. / Beecher) and three-pointer by senior Ray Williams, Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Edison Public School Academy).  Lake Erie then went on an 8-0 run of its own to nab an 8-5 advantage just prior to the three minute mark.  The runs continued for each side as scored the next six points to lead 11-8 at the first media timeout.  The Warriors led the rest of the half and and were able to extend their lead to double-digits following a pair of made free throws from sophomore center Matt Coffey (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) and a jumper from Williams, Jr.  By the eight-minute media break, Wayne State held a 12-point edge (27-15).  The score was close (16-14) in the final eight minutes of the half, and WSU went into halftime with a 14-point edge (43-29).

WSU shot an impressive 57 percent from the floor (16-of-28) in the opening 20 minutes, compared to Lake Erie's 31 percent (12-of-39).

Second Half
Despite the Storm outpacing the Warriors 44-41 in the final 20 minutes, the Green and Gold held on for an 11-point triumph.  Coffey put Wayne State over 50 points for the game following two free throws at the four minute mark, while Williams, Jr., redshirt junior forward Colin Golson, Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Ferndale (Siena / Eastern Michigan)), and sophomore guard Tamario Adley (Detroit, Mich. / Warren De La Salle (Macomb CC)) all figured in on the scoring in the opening half of the stanza.  The Warriors led by 15 (64-49) at the halfway mark of the second.  A pair of made free throws by freshman forward Hutch Ward (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Central) gave the squad 70 points, with a free throw from freshman guard Jordan Briggs (Muskegon, Mich.) and layup from Coffey putting the team over 80 for a second consecutive contest.

The Warriors scored the same amount of points (84) in the win over Lake Erie as they did in the 84-72 triumph over Lewis over the weekend.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State shot 53 percent (28-of-53) from the floor in the winning effort, compared to LEC's 40 percent (28-of-70).  WSU made nine of 18 tries from beyond the arc (33 percent), which was identical in percentage (33 percent) to Lake Erie's nine of 27.  The Warrior went to the charity stripe 29 times and drained 22 shots (76 percent), while the Storm went to the free throw line 13 times and made eight (62 percent).  WSU held a 42-34 edge in rebounding, and Lake Erie won the assists battle by a 21-15 margin.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Coffey notched the first double-double of his collegiate career, scoring 10 points and hauling in 10 rebounds.  Williams, Jr. (14 points and 14 rebounds) also notched a double-double -- the second of his career.  Adley contributed 14 points to tie Williams, Jr. for the team lead.  Harris (11) and Golson, Jr. (10) also reached double-figures for the contest.

LEADING THE STORM
Jonny Manning earned a game-best 17 points, and his 21 field goal attempts were 10 more than any other player on the court.  Caleb Piks (13) and Leon Hughes (10) also scored in double-figures for the Storm.  Josh Irwin netted a game-best five assists, while collecting six rebounds.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will next play at home on Sunday, November 26, against NAIA member Lawrence Tech.  The men's game will be the first one played in a doubleheader with the women's squad, the first doubleheader of the basketball season at the Wayne State Fieldhouse.  Tip is slated for 1 p.m. between the Warriors and Blue Devils to conclude the Thanksgiving weekend.

 
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