SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The Wayne State University men's basketball team (5-5 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) bounced back nicely on Sunday afternoon to outlast Lake Superior State (7-6 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) by a final score of 77-71 inside Bud Cooper Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw seven ties and 10 lead changes.

The biggest advantage that either team took was four points, which was enjoyed by Lake Superior State at 19-15.

Wayne State led by as many as three at 31-28, the game's score heading into halftime.

The Warriors turned the ball over just twice in the first 20 minutes with five assists on 12 made field goals (12-of-27, 44.4 percent).  WSU went 2-of-7 (28.6 percent) from behind the arc and 5-of-10 (50 percent) at the free throw line.

The Green and Gold held the Lakers to 34.5 percent (10-of-29) shooting, including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from deep, and five makes in nine attempts (55.6 percent) at the charity stripe.

LSSU gave the ball away five times with five dimes on its 10 makes from the floor.

Second Half
Wayne State's first field goal of the second half didn't occur until the 15:42 mark when Jalen Jenkins (Belleville, Mich. [Macomb C.C.]) drilled a three-pointer from the left corner.

The Warriors were able to convert 5-of-6 freebies in that same four minute and 18 second span to restart play and stay within one, 40-39.

Jenkins' triple kicked off a 13-2 WSU run that gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game (at the time) at seven, 49-42, with 13:45 to play.

Jenkins bookended that spurt with treys while Devin Belle (Lyndhurst, Ohio / Pepper Pike Orange [Lincoln Trail C.C. / Lakeland C.C.]) was responsible for its seven other points.

From that point until the 3:06 mark (10-plus minutes), Lake Superior State held a five-point advantage (23-18) and grinded the deficit all the way down to two at 67-65.

Wayne State countered with four straight points, including a pair of Jotham Nweke (Oak Park, Mich. / Detroit Loyola [Macomb C.C.]) free throws and Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) layup, that stretched the margin back to six at 71-65 with 2:35 to go.

The home team hit two free throws at the 2:12 juncture (71-67) before both squads suffered an empty possession.  Then, Nweke brought down a defensive rebound and the Warriors called a timeout with just 52 ticks remaining.

Jenkins missed a triple try before LSSU's Karter Richards utilized an old fashioned three-point play to pull his team within one (71-70) with the clock reading :39.

Neither team made a field goal from there until the final buzzer, but Wayne State cashed in six free throw attempts, all by Jordan Briggs (Muskegon, Mich.), to Lake Superior State's one.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State improved offensively in the second half for all three phases.  The Warriors were 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from the floor, 4-of-10 (40 percent) from long range and 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) at the free throw line.  Overall, WSU finished with clips of 49 percent, 35.3 percent and 75 percent, respectively.  Lake Superior State, for the game, finished at 39.3 percent (22-of-56), 26.9 percent (7-of-26) and 69 percent (20-of-29).  The Lakers won the rebounding battle by four, 37-33.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Five Warriors scored in double-figures — Briggs (19), Belle (13, all in the second half), Nweke (13), Paul III (13, nine in second half), and Jenkins (13).  Nweke racked up seven boards and Belle dished out four assists.  Defensively, Jenkins notched two steals and four players blocked one shot attempt apiece.

LEADING THE LAKERS
Harrison Sorrelle paced all scorers with 22 points while Omar Suleiman and Nino Carter-Smith added 15 and 13, respectively.  The Lakers other statistical leaders included Carter-Smith (seven boards), Peter Nwoke (four assists, one block), Suleiman (one steal), and Tyler Jamison (one steal).

UP NEXT
Wayne State will stay on the road to face Grand Valley State on Thursday night in Allendale with the opening tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m.